PSA’s Elite basketball team was without four of its top players for all or most of last Wednesday’s game. No worries though, as Octavius Wheeler was up to the challenge.
Wheeler scored 30 points, grab eight rebounds, and come away with three steals in a 103-94 win over Rocky Hill (R.I).
In the final minutes Wheeler converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 80-76, then after a defensive stop, Gio Escalona scored while getting fouled to make it 80-78. He missed the subsequent free throw but Sebastian Fermin kept the ball alive and it eventually ended up in the hands of Wheeler, who knocked down a wide open 3 to give the Mustangs the lead at 81-80. Another stop followed by  an Escalona putback made it a three-point game and PSA never looked back from there.
“I’m really impressed with how we responded,” said coach Andy Lemoine. Monday night, Wheeler had 12 points, eight rebounds, and three steals to help PSA to a 74-58 win at Hamden Hall.
Tony Williams had a game-high 18 points to go with six assists, Jalen Claude finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Javelle Epps chipped in with nine points and seven boards. Carter Mungin added eight points and eight rebounds for PSA (4-2), which lost 74-63 Friday afternoon to the Newman School at the Zero Gravity Prep Classic.
PSA’s boys’ Varsity team won a pair of games last week as well. Eighth grader Amyas Hall-Chiari had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in a 69-63 win Wednesday over Fisher College.
Vlad Vetrov had 11 points and 13 boards, Martin Poliuchovic finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, Ilan da Silva-Alp added nine points, and Shane Sebastian-Smalls chipped in with eight points and four assists.
PSA followed up with a 56-50 win over Rectory on Thursday. Da Silva-Alp knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points, Hall-Chiari had 18, Sebastian-Smalls charted 13, and Poliuchovic chipped in five for the Mustangs (3-2), who got a team-high 10 points Saturday from Vlad Vetrov, but too many turnovers cost PSA in a loss at MacDuffie.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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