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Darryl Simmons. Photo by Vaso Brodeur
Abdul Seck has been struggling with his shot for three or four games now.
But he still had the confidence to take — and make — a game-changing 3-pointer in a wild 85-83 win for the Putnam Science Academy varsity boys’ team on Jan. 9.
Seck’s basket from the right wing with 10.2 seconds left snapped an 81-81 tie, and came off an assist from Jaden Brewington, who drove to the basket and drew three defenders before kicking the ball out to Seck.
“It was a drive-and-kick and they all collapsed on Jaden and that left me wide open,” said Seck, who finished with 23 points, tying him with Luc Brittian for team-high. “I know I wasn’t making a lot of shots but I have to keep my head up and keep shooting and eventually they’ll start falling. That one just happened to fall.”
Brewington also factored directly in the play that tied the game at 81-81, as he drove along the left baseline – just as he did on Seck’s game-winner – and laid in a nifty reverse layup with 58 seconds to play.
“I made a little move, hesitated, and got the guy to jump,” Brewington said. “I just went underneath and did what I had to do.”
Brewington scored 11, and Darryl Simmons added 10 for the Mustangs, who got a huge blocked shot from Amir Sanders late in the game, giving them a chance for the win.
“I was in helpside, saw him coming baseline, came over to help, went up, I thought he was about to dunk it, so I went up to get it,” Sanders said. “I just jumped. My first instinct was to block it.”
That game was sandwiched by another win Jan. 8 (98-85 over Redemption Christian Academy) and a loss Jan. 12 (98-80 to Rocktop Academy).
In the win over RCA, Sanders knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points, and Darryl Simmons scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.
Brittian finished with 11 points, and Seck had 10 for the Mustangs, who led by as many as 28 midway through the second half.
It was a different ending on Jan. 12, despite 25 points from Seck and 21 from Sanders. Seck fouled out with roughly 10 minutes to play, and PSA was outscored 29-12 from that point on.
“Foul trouble definitely hurt us,” said coach Dana Valentine. “We gave up too many points…98 points is a lot of points. I think we were the better team for 32 minutes. They were the better team for 40 minutes.”
Simmons, who turned 16 Sunday, finished with 17 points and Brewington added 14 for the Mustangs (7-7).
Boys’ Prep
The boys’ prep team, meanwhile, continued to stack up wins, thanks in large part to the play of Josh Gray. The 7-footer had 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 112-55 throttling of Redemption Christian Academy on Jan. 8, then followed up with 16 points and 20 rebounds, and three blocks in an otherwise lackluster 108-80 win over Rocktop Academy on Jan. 11.
In the first game, JuJu Murray led six players in double figures, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, while also grabbing a season-high nine rebounds and handing out five assists.
Vlad Goldin had 15 points, Terrell Ard Jr. 14 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals, Hassan Diarra finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists, and Elijah Everett-Hutchins added 11 points and six rebounds for the Mustangs.
“I loved the energy from the start, and I was really concerned about that, coming back from break, this was probably our smallest crowd,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “I didn’t know if the energy would be here, but I was really impressed with our guys, start to finish played extremely hard.
Espinosa wasn’t as warm and fuzzy after Saturday night’s game, as the Mustangs played uninspired ball, particularly in the first half before finding some good spurts in the second half. The coach was pleased with Gray from the start, calling him “the best player on the floor by far tonight.”
As for that first half, Espinosa called it the worst of the season, as the team played with little purpose.
“It was very disappointing,” he said. “Saying that, we had a nice little talk, kind of, at halftime, and I think we were a little better in the second half.”
Goldin ended with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Mekhi Gray finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Hassan Diarra went for 15 points.
The boys’ varsity 2 team split a pair of games, first beating St. Thomas More 81-60 on Jan. 9, before losing to Fessenden the next day, 63-55.
Erwan Menguy hit six 3-pointers for his game-high 18 points, and Khalil Gooden chipped in with 17 points in the win. Alonzo Henries added 13 points and Kevin Ravix 10 for the Mustangs. But the biggest ovation came for Eric Ruan, who collected his first basket of the season, drilling a 3-pointer from the right wing and sending the crowd and PSA bench into a frenzy.
Michael Phav had 23 points and Menguy 17 points in the loss for the Mustangs (5-3).
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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The University of Dayton may not be one of the premier soccer programs in the country, but Geni Kanyane believes the Flyers are heading in the right direction.
And that is a big reason why Kanyane, a senior back on the Putnam Science Academy team, decided that Dayton is where he wants to continue his playing career and announced that he has signed his National Letter of Intent to do so.
“As a recruit you need to think about ‘How am I going to impact the team?’” Kanyane said. “Right now, they might not be the best, but how am I going to impact them and make them better?
“(Assistant) coach Alex (Ranalli) said he wants me to be on the pitch as soon as possible. I’m very excited about that.”
Kanyane, originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, expects the starting left back position will be his to lose. It was filled this season by a graduating senior.
“Not that I don’t welcome competition,” he said, “but to know that it’s open is a good spot for me right now.
In a statement, Dayton head coach Dennis Currier said: “He is one of the best left backs coming out of the 2020 class. His power and athleticism allow him to threaten opponents from a peripheral position. He is able to break lines on the dribble as well as his excellent passing range. We feel he can make an immediate impact from day one and also has the attributes to be a great leader in the future.”
Kanyane, 5-foot, 8-inches and 165 pounds, put those physical and technical skills on display this season for the Mustangs, helping them to an 8-2 record and Top 10 national ranking. He still hopes to play at levels even beyond college, both professionally in MLS and internationally with the South African National Team.
For now though, his mind is staying at PSA.
“I haven’t even finished the first semester here, so I’m trying to focus on what’s happening now, my grades, those kinds of things,” he said. “I’m more relieved right now. I’ll get more excited when I’m in Dayton. I still have a lot to go through here.”
Kanyane took his visit to Dayton after the season, along with PSA teammate Jesús Barea. Kanyane was hoping the two of them would play together at college, but Barea has signed with Missouri State University. Kanyane won’t be starting from scratch however, as he played in showcase events last year in Orlando, Fla., with a handful of guys who were freshmen on the Flyers this year.
“The facilities were great, the guys on the team created a great atmosphere when we got there,” he said. “It felt like home for me as soon as we met. Familiar faces always make it better too.”
Dayton went 13-8 in 2019, and finished 6-2 in the Atlantic 10. The Flyers were also runners-up in the conference postseason tournament. They have a roster already sprinkled with international flavor, and Kanyane said they are looking to recruit more players from the academies.
“They look like they’re coming up pretty good,” he said. “The coach said he’s really trying to build the team, and (next) year might not be the year, but after that, it looks like it really might be different. I think it’ll be good to be a part of that.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Griffins fight
but lose 2 games
POMFRET — The Pomfret School girls’ basketball team suffered two losses in recent play.
Jan. 11 Pomfret lost a very close game to visiting Governors Academy 52-59. Pomfret had a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left but missed an open three and Governors held on for the win. Sel Gonzalez led Pomfret with 23 points while Tay Guirantes scored 18 for Pomfret.
Pomfret School 12, 29, 39 52; Governors 24, 36, 45 59
Pomfret scorers: Sel Gonzalez: 23 points; Tay Guirantes: 18 points; Grace Bullied: 1 point; Alba Samu: 2 points; McKinley White: 6 points; Teagan O’Hara: 1 point; Brooke Zahansky: 1 point.
Jan. 10 the Griffins l fought hard but were defeated by Loomis Chaffee, 59-43.
Although the final score was 16 points, the game was an even contest throughout, with Loomis getting a run late in the first half to create a cushion they would hold onto throughout the second half. Sel Gonzalez led Pomfret with 20 points. Gonzalez made 5 threes on the night. McKinley White added 12 for Pomfret.
Scoring: Loomis 19, 38, 46 59; Pomfret 11, 24, 34 43
Pomfret Scorers included: Sel Gonzalez: 20 points; Tay Guirantes: 4 points; Grace Bullied: 2 points; Alba Samu: 5 points; McKinley White: 12 points
Pomfret record: 1 win, 6 loses
By Patrick Burke
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The holiday break ended very quickly for the Woodstock Academy prep basketball teams.
The Gold team quickly got back to its winning ways, extending its win streak to 10 and raising its record to 16-1 Jan. 11 with a 70-63 over the Brimmer School.
But like the game against Jean De-Brebeuf Jan. 10, it wasn’t a walk in the park.
The Centaurs only led, 36-30, at halftime and were able to hold that advantage through the second half.
Dyondre Dominguez scored 10 first half points and added 12 more in the second half to lead the way for the Centaurs.
Ronnie DeGray was quiet in the first half, saving all 11 of his points for the second.
Quran McPherson was the only other player in double digits for the Centaurs with 10.
It’s one thing the Woodstock Academy Gold prep basketball team doesn’t get a lot of.
A challenging game on its home floor.
Such was the case Jan. 9 as a collegiate team from Montreal, Jean De-Brebeuf, gave the Centaurs a little tussle before Woodstock Academy pulled out the 75-58 win.
“I think it was really good for us. They were a really good team from Canada, disciplined and played well together. They actually made us work on offense so it wasn’t just an easy walk through,” DeGray said.
The visitors held the lead for quite a bit of the first half until Dominguez hit a pair of free throws to put Woodstock Academy up, 33-32, with 2:44 left.
Dominguez (8 points) followed with a basket and DeGray put together three points in a row to put the Centaurs up by six, 38-32.
De-Brebeuf cut that lead in half by halftime, 40-37, and then went ahead briefly in the second half with a pair of early buckets.
Joe Moon (11 points) put the Centaurs ahead to stay with a pair of free throws and a field goal and then DeGray started an 11-0 Woodstock Academy run with a slam on the fast break.
DeGray led the Centaurs for a second game in a row in scoring with 21 points.
Noel Scott (12 points) and McPherson (10) were also in double figures for the Centaurs who are still trying to shake some rust off from their long holiday break.
In the first game after the holiday break, the Centaurs beat Hoosac School, 94-58.
Gold Head Coach Jacque Rivera said: “This used to be the one that I (when he was at MacDuffie School) played against (former Woodstock Academy prep coach) Tony (Bergeron), the first one back from break, for the past two years. I’m just glad to be on this side of it now.”
Hoosac did own a slim lead midway through the first half, but a 9-0 run keyed by four points from McPherson, put the Centaurs ahead to stay.
DeGray paced Woodstock Academy with 23 points while McPherson and Scott, who was one of the second half sparks, each finished with 11 points.
Quinton McElroy and Chad Venning added 10.
Blue Prep
It had been a very nice return week for the Woodstock Academy Blue prep basketball team. Until it ran into a disciplined Army Prep team Jan. 11. The Centaurs dropped a 72-59 decision to Army Prep in a game that had to be moved to the Woodstock Academy South Campus gym due to a power outage.
Nahshon Battle led the Blue prep basketball team with 28 points while Elijah Blackman added 11. The loss dropped the Centaurs to 13-6.
Jan. 10 the Blue team got something it had eagerly anticipated. Paul Hosey, their 6-foot, 9-inch center, had a breakout performance against Rock Top Academy. Centaurs Blue coach Denzel Washington said: “He’s been battling sickness here and there and was coming off an injury at the beginning of the season. Now that we’re in the second half of the season, it was really good to see him come out with a game like this.”
Hosey finished with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Centaurs to a 96-67 win over Rock Top.
Hosey got some extended minutes because, due to health and injury issues, the Centaurs had only nine players dressed for the game.
Nahshon Battle provided the early energy for the Centaurs (13-5).
Woodstock Academy was only up by two, 18-16, when Chase Anderson buried a 3-pointer and Battle followed with another three. Eshete Calvo then hit a bucket to give the Centaurs a double-digit lead.
Rock Top didn’t pack it in but another Battle 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by the guard, plus three Hosey free throws gave Woodstock Academy the 43-31 lead at the break.
Battle finished with 17 of his team-high 22 points in the first half.
After Battle scored the first five points of the second half, Hosey scored 18 points in the half including a stretch of three minutes where he scored all 11 of the Centaurs points in an 11-2 Woodstock Academy run.
Michael Eurquhart added 16 rebounds.
Jan. 8 the Centaurs had not played since Dec. 20, but showed no ill effects in a 75-50 win over the Hoosac School.
Vondre Chase led the Blue team with a 23-point effort while Battle added 19 and Malikai Delgado tossed in 14. Delgado was a key in the second half when he strung together eight points in six minutes.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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