psa pg 7 12-21-23

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Left:  Jalen Claude. Above: Khaya Skene. Tom Netzer photos.


The was no sunshine on Putnam Science Academy’s basketball trip to the Sunshine State this past weekend. The two-time defending national champions played four games in four days at a showcase event at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and dropped all four in an unprecedented stretch.
“We all have to be better, starting with me,” coach Tom Espinosa said before his team went its separate ways for the school’s semester break on a five-game losing streak that goes back to the previous weekend. “Coaches, players … we all have to be better. There’s no excuses, we have to be better.”
PSA played Saturday and Sunday’s games without starters Mekhi Conner and Justin Johnson, both of whom were injured late in Friday’s game, and haven’t had top-25 big man Oswin Erhunmwunse all season because of summer surgery. PSA, which is 11-8 overall, had never before lost five games in a row. In fact, the Mustangs never lost three in a row. They’ve lost back-to-back games only seven times in their history, dating to 2007-08, and had only lost two-of-three games five times. So this is unchartered territory.
“This is as bad as its been,” Espinosa said. “We had eight losses in the 2014-15 season, and that was a rough year. Hopefully after we come back from the break, we’ll be healthier, we’ll have Oswin back, and we just start fresh.”
Ben Ahmed was the lone constant for PSA, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds across the four games. Thursday’s loss, 75-73 to NBA Africa, went down to wire, as PSA didn’t get a foul call on Conner’s final-second 3-pointer.
“I thought it was a foul, and it was one of those that if it was at any other point in the game, it would have been called,” Espinosa said. “But it’s the last play of the game, so they don’t want to call it, which I get.”
Amdy Ndiaye had 18 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Conner finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Ahmed had 15 points and Johnson had seven assists and four steals.
PSA lost a rematch of last year’s national championship game Friday, 79-71 to Sunrise Christian, despite 17 points and 12 rebounds from Ahmed, plus 18 points from newcomer Imahri Wooten in his PSA debut.
Ahmed had 22 points, 13 boards, and four blocks in Saturday’s 90-75 loss to Link Year Prep Boys' basketball, then finished Sunday (74-57 loss to NBA Global) with 14 points and 11 rebounds, his 11th double-double of the season. Wooten finished with 12 points, Ndiaye added six points and 10 rebounds, Fallou Gueye had eight points, six rebounds, and five assists against NBA Global.
PSA’s girls’ team, meanwhile, won two-of-three at the Nickerson Holiday Classic, getting 16 points from Carlota Lopez in a 46-38 win over Austin Prep Friday, and 18 from Khaya Skene in a 63-26 victory against Cushing Academy Saturday, before falling 71-49 to Greenwich on Sunday.
The boys’ Elite team won its lone game, toppling Busche Academy 111-95 on Monday behind Jalen Claude, who made 7-of-9 3-pointers and finished with 31 points in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. Javelle Epps added 19 points (making 4-of-6 3s) and Tony Williams finished with 17 points (knocking down 5-of-6 3s himself). PSA shot the ball incredibly well from deep, going 23-of-35 – 65.7 percent! – on 3s and built itself a 30-point lead nearly midway through the second half.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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