The 10-point lead for St. Anthony’s early in the fourth kept shrinking in this NSCHSAA championship game. St. Dominic rallied, and now it was down to two with 23.9 seconds left.

Then the second-seeded Friars got the stop that they needed and two free throws to clinch it.

And they were the ones happily pouring water all over coach Sal Lagano after their 59-55 win over the top-seeded Bayhawks on Tuesday night at Hofstra — St. Anthony’s first league tournament title since 2020.

“We never totally cracked,” Lagano said. “I was really proud of the way we answered their scoring. That’s a really tough team over there.”

Senior forward James Taylor Jr. topped the Friars with 21 points, nine rebounds and three steals to claim the championship game MVP plaque. Senior forward Connor Mannix scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth. And junior guard Kevin Moore contributed eight points and nine assists.

“We won a [championship] as freshmen,” Taylor said of the seniors’ season with the freshman team. "The last thing we wanted to do before we left is win one as seniors.”

St. Anthony’s (23-3) will meet Canisius of Buffalo (22-4) in a CHSAA Class A state semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday at Christ the King.

“They’ve got to play Friday against the No. 1 team in the state,” Lagano said of his team. “You know what? Why not?”

Mannix scored five points in the first 2:06 of the fourth, and St. Anthony’s led 49-39. It got down to four with 3:12 left.

Steve Aulicino Jr. drilled a three-pointer with two minutes remaining to get the Friars’ lead to 54-47. But an 8-3 run by the Bayhawks, who were led by Melo Mojeed’s 19 points, got it down to two at 57-55. But St. Dominic then came up with an empty possession. Nick Vieux was fouled with 11.9 seconds remaining and made both shots for the four-point lead.

“It’s been exciting,” Bayhawks coach Isaiah Wilson said of a 19-7 run that came with a share of the regular-season title with St. Anthony’s. “It’s been a roller coaster. But we’ll be back next year.”