- Details
- Category: Current Issue
By Ron P. Coderre
The Putnam Science Academy Mustangs placed seven players in double figures as they sprinted out to an early lead over Spire Academy from Geneva, Ohio, for a comfortable 106-85 victory. The Mustangs shot out of the gate quickly and never stopped until a Berkan Tuylu inside spin move broke the century mark for the high flying Scientists.
Playing in front of an enthusiastic full house in the tiny PSA gymnasium, the Mustangs responded to the spirit in the bandbox by building a 15-4 lead less than four minutes into the contest. Led by rugged Jordan Butler, who posted 12 points and 14 rebounds and 6-foot, 8-inch Chaise Daniels, who recorded 11 points, the Scientists controlled the boards, which allowed point guard Dan Upchurch to put the PSA machine in high gear and get the running game going full throttle.
Upchurch, who could be nicknamed “up tempo,” led the fast break as he was the Mustangs high scorer with 17 points. In addition to filling the hoop with basketballs, Upchurch dished out a game high 10 assists. Along with Daniels and Butler, Jalen Terry (11 points), Anthony “Bull” Durham (15 points and seven steals), Kyle Menard (12 points) and Dalique Mingo (13 points) were all beneficiaries of the running game.
“The nice thing about this type of game is it puts the team in a positive frame of mind as we get a few days off for the Thanksgiving Day break. The kids have been working hard in practice so this is a reward and a confidence builder,” said coach Tom Espinosa of the runaway win.
The score at halftime had the home team ahead by 19 points, 46-27. Despite the wide margin, Espinosa’s talk at intermission must have hit home as the team never took its foot off the accelerator as it built a lead of more than 30 points before Espo emptied the bench.
There was a brief period midway through the second half when the Mustangs got a little sloppy before they regrouped to finish strongly.
“The 2-3 zone is our bread and butter but what the sloppy play did was show us that we must work on our man-to-man coverage. I’ll take the blame for the defensive breakdown but rest assured we’ll work on man-D this week,” said Espinosa.
The bench players maintained the tempo in the final six minutes of the contest, scoring 15 points while they were on the floor. Also hitting the scoring column were Calveti Nyabingi with six points, Burak Eraslan with four markers, Tuylu and Hacibey Catalbasoglu with two apiece and Ruslan Badalov with a free throw.
“Jordan Butler played like a man tonight. Coming off the bench he gave us a needed boost early with his strong inside play and scoring. All the big men were impressive this evening,” said Espinosa.
Earlier in the week the Mustangs opened the 2013 season in an entirely different game than the home opener. Playing in Tilton, N.H., against a perennially powerful Tilton Academy, PSA produced an 80-78 victory as Dalique Mingo hit a pair of free throws with two ticks remaining on the clock to seal the seat squirmer.
Dan Upchurch had a game-high 20 points to go with his seven assists in the win, while Mingo contributed 16 points. Jordan Butler and Kyle Menard were also in double digits. Butler posted 13 points and eight rebounds, while the rugged Menard had 12 points and six boards.
After two games the Scientists are 2-0 as they look forward to a pair of home games prior to going back on the road. They face Pioneer Academy in back-to-back games at the Maple Street gym on Monday, December 3 (7 p.m.) and Tuesday, December 4 (3:30 p.m.). The following day they travel to Fitchburg, Mass., to take on the always dangerous and loaded Notre Dame Prep.