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30-0.
When Putnam Science Academy’s boys Prep basketball team beat Commonwealth Academy 96-81 Feb. 24, it marked not only win No. 30 for the Mustangs, but also the first time in the program’s relatively brief but decorated history that they had won 30 games to start a season.
“It’s a heck of an accomplishment and says a lot about these kids and their desire to compete and play together,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “We’ve had some pretty talented teams here over the years but to have only one go 30-0…it’s not easy to do. And we’ve still got a lot of things we’re playing for here in the next couple of weeks, starting with the Power 5 Conference Tournament (this weekend) and of course finishing with the national tournament right after that.”
Ugonna Kingsley had 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in the win over Commonwealth. Barry Evans had 12 points and seven rebounds, DayDay Gittens finished with 15 points, five boards, and three steals, while Arturo Dean had 12 points and four assists, and Desmond Claude added 11 points and six rebounds.
PSA’s other boys’ teams had a good week as well, with the Varsity winning its two games and Elite winning one.
Wednesday, Vlad Vetrov scored 12 points - including a pair of go-ahead free throws with 17 seconds left - to lift PSA’s Varsity to a 65-61 victory over Commonwealth.
Pau Amengual finished with a team-high 19 points, the last two of which also came from the foul line to seal the victory with three seconds remaining.
Tomeu Pieras knocked down five 3-pointers on his way to 15 points, and Joseph Magne added 11 for the Mustangs (9-6).
“It wasn’t the prettiest game but we found a way to win,” said coach Nick Schmidt. “Closing games out isn’t always easy to do, but our guys made the plays we needed too late to get the win. I was really proud of the way we were able to make free throws late in the game.
“It’s hard to duplicate pressure free throws in practice, but Vlad and Pau really stepped up. It takes some confidence to step up and knock down two with the game on the line. Credit to them and their work ethic.”
That win came on the heels of a solid 82-67 road win at St. Thomas More Feb. 21. Amengual drilled six 3-pointers on his way to 27 points, while Pieras drained five of his own on his way to 21 points. Magne added 17 points for the Mustangs, who were down 10 in the first half before closing on a 14-2 run.
The Elite team moved to 11-10 with a buzzer-to-buzzer 90-54 win over visiting Hoosac Feb. 24. Jorge Trueba had a terrific all-around game, finishing with 20 points, four steals, three assists, and a pair of blocks.
Lamar Watkins added 18 points, four steals, and three assists, and Elio Philips chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds for PSA.
“I thought our focus was in the right spot,” said coach John Cavaliere. “We didn’t allow different momentum swings, which normally hurt us. If we messed a play up, or if they made a good play, we didn’t let it turn into three or four. We just put a stop to it.
“They are a tremendous execution team and we could have sat there and defended them in the halfcourt all game, but then we’d be playing their game. I thought it was our pace the whole game, we put them on their hells, and that’s why we were more comfortable and do what we did.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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