After trailing Mahopac for three quarters, Rye somehow made the last five minutes look easy, taking down the Wolf Pac 61-54 at home Tuesday. Beating a Mahopac (8-5) team with a winning record was a strong first showing for the Garnets (7-3) after a 21-point loss to Suffern their last time out.
Come playoff time, coach Tom Proudian’s boys may want to circle this game with a green highlight pen. After jumping out to a 7-0 lead, the Garnets gave it all back and trailed 14-13 after the first quarter. Would Rye have the grit to hang in there?
With the Garnets playing catch-up for most of the game, the team’s bench depth was on full display. Mahopac senior Drew Lichtenberger was on fire from beyond the arc, scoring 14 points as the Wolf Pac comfortably led 28-21 at the half.
After the first 1:15 of the third quarter, Mahopac’s lead swelled to 34-21, and the Garnets appeared to be on the ropes. But Henry Shoemaker poured in a game-high 28 points, while fellow seniors Milo Shirakawa and Carson Miller, junior Ben Hudson and the rest of the boys never gave up.
From the middle of the third quarter until the end of the game, the Garnets outscored the Wolf Pac 40-20 to somehow win this one rather decisively. With quick hands and active team defense, Rye once again created a number of easy baskets in transition. The three-point shots that had been dropping for Mahopac all night suddenly dried up, and this one was over.
Rye, which had won five straight before the loss to Suffern, will look to string together a new winning streak, starting at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Eastchester (1-10), a team the Garnets beat 54-34 on Dec. 19.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Sebastian Lewis – The Rye senior is the guy on the roster whose impact on a game doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. Yes, he can score, and certainly does, but it’s the little things from Lewis that alter games. He boxes out for rebounds and protects the ball like a wide receiver when it matters most. Lewis also leads the team in crisp passes. As a tough defender, he agitates his opponents with physical play, which creates turnovers, which lead to points – and wins.
