STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Monsignor Farrell made its intention for uptempo play clear from the opening tip and its well-oiled transition game paved the way to a 64-44 Borough President Vito Fossella SIHSL Tournament quarterfinal triumph over New Dorp Saturday at Petrides HS in Sunnyside.

The No. 2-seeded Lions (13-8), who received a double-double from junior center Ryan Hanley, rode its signature defense to a quick start.

Head coach Danny Fisher’s troops, in fact, owned a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter (senior JJ Yates’ seven points helped give them a 22-12 lead) and were in control from nearly start-to-finish.

The Centrals cut Farrell’s lead to nine (30-21) midway through the second stanza, but junior guard Jack Gomez nailed back-to-back threes within a 1:16 span and Yates added a pair of late freebies as the Lions took a commanding 38-23 lead into the lockers.

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Monsignor Farrell rides balanced effort to 64-44 SIHSL victory over New Dorp

“We played our tempo and our pace,’’ said Farrell head coach Danny Fisher, who won his first SIHSL tournament game on the varsity level. ”Especially in the first half.

“At halftime, we talked about that even though we have a lead, we wanted to continue to play with that tempo and pace. Everybody talks about time and score, but you can still play at that speed as long as you’re smart.’’

Player of the game

The 6-foot-6 Hanley was by far the biggest player on the court and he took full advantage of his size to the tune of a 15-point, 14-rebound performance despite experiencing a bit of foul trouble in the second half. In step with the Lions’ game plan to run the ball, the two-year varsity player sometimes grabbed a defensive carom and pushed the ball himself.

“I’m just playing to my pace. No matter who we’re playing, I’m trying to play my game and play with my teammates‚’’ said Hanley.

Highlights

Hanley’s seven third-quarter points gave the Lions a 49-30 lead with 2:37 left in the third quarter, but the Centrals show signs of life when they staged a 9-0 run that bridged the last two quarters.

When Josh Carter and Sergio Batista recorded back-to-back buckets to make it 49-39 with 7:00 left in the game, Fisher called for time.

And the Lions responded.

JJ Yates (game-high 16 points) drew a foul while attempting a three-point shot on the right wing and the senior calmly drained all three freebies. Junior Mike Abreu (15 points) then scored Farrell’s next eight points, including a pair of treys, to help Farrell take a 60-40 lead with just over 3:00 to play.

Coach’s take

“We knew today wasn’t going to be easy. New Dorp is always a tough opponent. Coach (Pat) Hopkins always does a great job and we knew they’d make a run, but we withstood it,’’ said Fisher. ”We’re at our best when we have a bunch of guys scoring eight to 14 points and I’m pretty sure that’s what we had today. We’re a team that doesn’t necessarily rely on one guy to put the ball in the basket, so when you run the floor, everyone gets their opportunities and that worked well for us today.’’

Next up

The Lions will attempt to advance to the tourney title game for the second straight year and to do so, they’ll need to defeat rival and No. 2-seed St. Peter’s. The archrivals will square off in the semifinals on Monday at Petrides beginning at 7 p.m.

The winner of that game advances to Thursday’s championship game against the Susan Wagner-St. Joseph by-the-Sea winner. The title game is also at Petrides.

Stats corner

Gomez finished with 10 points, thus putting four Farrell players in double digits on Saturday. Carter and Omari Onwe led the Centrals with 15 and 11 points, respectively … The Lions only took eight free throws, but connected on seven of them (Yates 5 for 5); New Dorp (17-6), meanwhile, was 14 for 19 behind Omari Onwe (5 for 7) … Farrell held ND leading scoring Batista (15.0 ppg. entering Saturday’s game) to five points … Farrell won the battle of the boards, 29-19. In addition to Hanley, Abreu grabbed six boards. Carter paced ND with five … Both teams did a superb job taking care of the ball (six turnovers apiece) … Both Onwe and Farrell senior point guard Matt Scalisi needed to leave the game after sustaining injuries, but both returned.