BARRINGTON — The local version of “Selection Sunday” took on a bit more drama for the St. Andrew’s School Varsity I boys’ basketball team following the Saints’ 70-61 loss to visiting Wilbraham & Monson Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 25, in their regular season finale at Sage Gymnasium.
St. Andrew’s finished its slate with an 18-12 overall record, 12-11 in NEPSAC play. The Saints must now await the decision of the Class AA selection committee Sunday, March 1, to learn if they’ll be one of the eight teams chosen to play in the league championship tournament starting next week.
“We’re 18-12. I expected 17-13. We’re playing with nine new kids in a league with a lot of high (college) Division I-ready players where only one of our guys is at that level,” said Saints head coach Mike Hart, in his 21st season at the helm of the St. Andrew’s program.
He continued, “I think we’ll sneak into the tournament as the eight seed and have to travel to Tilton. We played them well earlier in the season. We lost 82-74 after being down 25 at halftime. We’ll go from there, see what happens.”
Wednesday, the Saints sprinted to an early 18-12 lead over the visiting Titans, likely spurred by a shot of adrenaline from the Senior Day festivities prior to the contest. St. Andrew’s honored its five graduates to be: Jon-Rodney “J.R.” Lynch, Brian Mukasa, Duncan Ozburn, Chancellor Ellis and team manager Yuan “Tony” Chang.
Ellis, the New York native, drained a pair of 3-pointers during the opening spurt. All six of the Saints’ early buckets came from behind the arc.
The Titans, however, didn’t waver. They found their way into the contest and eventually took their first lead of the afternoon (29-28) on a put-back layup with just under two minutes remaining in the first half.
The sides then traded the lead for a bit. Mukasa, of Sharon, Mass., canned a corner trey to put the Saints on top 33-31 with 35 seconds left. The Titans followed with a free throw and a drive to the goal by 6-foot-6 senior Derek Newton in the waning moments to take a 34-33 lead to intermission.
Staying with their perimeter game, the Saints opened the second half on a 10-0 run, aided by a Nate Duda triple and a reverse layup from Ellis to quickly retake the advantage, 43-34, five minutes in.
The Titans again, though, had a measured response. Going both inside and out, the visitors gradually chipped away at their deficit, using a 14-3 run to take their first lead of the period (47-46) on a 3 from the wing by Brenden Vessichio.
The spree was part of an overall 29-7 run by the visitors, which saw them go from 10 down to 13 up (63-50) with about five minutes remaining in the game. The Saints finally broke the run on a Sean Kourtesis trey with about four left. St. Andrew’s would cut the gap to nine (66-57) a bit later on a Duda bucket, but it would matter little. The Saints settled too often for contested shots on the perimeter and couldn’t finish strong enough in the paint over the final 20 minutes.
“I’m pretty happy with this group, but they need to learn how to compete at this level,” Coach Hart said. “This is not state association basketball. It’s basically college basketball. It’s not easy.
“We’re gonna try to get into the tournament, try to make a run. I think this group has plenty of good days ahead of them, but we need some post players. Everybody thinks the game is about the 3-point shot, and to an extent it is. But you still need kids who can finish in the paint. And that’s one of our goals this offseason, to bring in some guys who can play in the post.”
Ellis, who remains uncommitted at the next level, finished with a game-best 24 points, including six 3s. Newton, en route to Stetson in Florida in the fall and of the Atlantic Sun Conference, deposited a team-high 22 points for the Titans.
There were some highlights for the Saints in the loss.
Ellis finished the regular season in a share of the St. Andrew’s season record for 3s made at 109, a mark he currently shares with Mike Accuoui (Class of 2008) and which he can likely break if the Saints earn a Class AA playoff berth. Lynch was the only other Saint to reach double digits with 11.
Four Titans finished with double figures including high D-I prospect Wenyen Gabriel, a 6-9 forward, who had 12, and Curtis Cobb, a 6-4 swingman, who had 17. Gabriel, according to ESPN.com., reportedly has offers from Providence and New Hampshire. Cobb, of nearby Fall River, likewise has offers from Providence, UConn and LaSalle, according to ESPN.com. Also for the Titans, former Hope High standout Ben Vezele finished 10.
Chang, the Saints’ team manager and a native of China, suited up for the game. He started and finished the contest, draining a 15-foot jumper in the closing seconds to the great delight of the large student section gathered at Sage for Senior Day.
A bit of bad news for the Saints Wednesday, East Providence native and junior forward Terrell Brown missed the contest with a right ankle sprain picked up over the weekend. He’s day-to-day, but could be ready for action if St. Andrew’s is selected for the AA tournament that is slated to begin Wednesday, March 4.
