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Team never
looked back
This one was pretty well in hand, truthfully even before tipoff. It was evident during warmups, even if only from a size standpoint, that Putnam Science Academy’s prep basketball team was going to have an easy time with Pioneer Academy (NJ).
The Mustangs jumped out to 20-point lead about six-and-a-half minutes into the game and never looked back on their way to an eye-opening 135-70 win on Nov. 8.
“I loved the energy we had,” said PSA coach Tom Espinosa. “At the end of the day, the kids could have gone through the motions. But we played hard, I thought, for 40 minutes. I give them a lot of credit. We won by a lot, but I felt like we got better.”
All 15 PSA players played and scored, led by point guard JuJu Murray’s 19 points and six assists. A lot of those dishes were alley oops to Vlad Goldin, one of two Russian players who joined the team just before the first game on Nov. 1. Goldin put on a dunking display in first extended action and finished with 17 points.
“The main thing is just maintain and keep focus,” Murray said. “You saw us do that at the beginning of the game. We knew what we were here for, we kept our focus, and we got the job done. I’m amazed with how we played.”
Hassan Diarra (14 points, seven assists, five steals), Elijah Everett (14 points), and Mekhi Gray (10 points) scored in double figures for the Mustangs (4-0).
“(Coach) does a good job of keeping us motivated in the locker room and letting us know that every game is the same,” said guard D’Maurian Williams, who turned in a fourth straight solid performance with nine points, four assists, and three steals. “We approach everything the same, and then we live with the results.”
PSA led 73-26 at halftime, then opened the second half in much the same fashion as the first, using a swarming defense, distinct size advantage, and superior talent to go on a 20-6 run.
A lot of Mustangs filled up the stat sheet, including Julian Dozier (eight points, seven assists), Terrell Ard Jr. (eight points, six rebounds, two blocks), and Luc Brittian (seven points, eight rebounds).
“Some guys got some confidence, seeing some shots fall, the two new guys (Goldin and Viktor Shvetc) got some minutes and some confidence,” Espinosa said. “So I think we got a lot out of this, even though we won by 65 points.”
PSA Varsity Basketball
A night earlier, PSA’s boys’ varsity basketball team dropped a heartbreaker, 89-86 to Bridgeport Prep. The Mustangs (0-1) had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but committed a turnover. Abdul Seck scored 23 points, Darryl Simmons and Jaden Brewington both had 17 points, and Zach Boulay added 15 for the Mustangs.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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