Millbrook downs Marlboro in OT
Marlboro High rallied from nine back to force overtime, but Millbrook prevailed to win its first MHAL title.
Marlboro High rallied from nine back to force overtime, but Millbrook prevailed to win its first Mid-Hudson Athletic League boys basketball title Friday night with a 59-56 triumph at SUNY Ulster.
The (16-4) Blazers rode the momentum they created Wednesday when they stormed back from 22 down to beat Ellenville in the semifinals.
“It certainly was a continuation attitude-wise from the second half of the other night,” Millbrook coach Bill Kyle said. “It couldn’t happen at a better time, going into sectional play next week. I’m just really happy for my guys for the way they showed up again tonight to play.”
Humberto Cabrera scored 22 points and Shane Sinon had 20 to pace Millbrook. Jaiden Allen tallied 14 points, Austin Casey had 12, Anthony Musacchio 11, John Perugino scored nine and Sam Mongelli chipped in with eight to lead (17-3)
Marlboro.
“We couldn’t get over the hump, especially the second half,” Marlboro coach Mike Koehler said. “I’m proud of how we came back.”
The teams battled evenly in the first half, trading leads eight times.
A 10-0 run midway through the third quarter put Millbrook in charge as Sinon hit a long shot, Jake Daly buried a short jumper, Colby Whalen connected on a baseline drive, Sinon sank two foul shots and Cabrera scored on a fast break.
Marlboro trailed 37-28 with three minutes left in the third, but the Dukes battled back.
A backdoor layup by Mongelli and Perugino diving for a loose ball and getting a foul provided the impetus.
“It was that energy and we fed off of that,” Koehler said.
“That’s Marlboro,” Kyle noted. “That’s what I was telling my guys every break, every timeout: ‘There’s a lot of game (left). They don’t give up.’”
Allen’s 3-point field goal closed the gap to 39-34 heading into the
fourth and the Dukes kept plugging away.
Casey buried a trey from the top of the arc with 46.8 seconds left to tie at 50.
Both teams had chances to win in regulation. Daly’s 15-footer with 18 seconds remaining bounced off the rim. Musacchio also tried a jumper from the elbow with two seconds left, but it bounced off the right side of the rim and the game was headed to OT.
Sinon’s trey opened a 56-52 edge for the Blazers with 1:54 left in the extra session. It was 59-54 when Musacchio scored on a putback.
The Dukes then recovered a loose ball with 32.3 seconds left.
Marlboro, which had not won the league title since 2012, needed a 3-pointer to force a second OT and had plenty of chances — five to be exact.
In the final 18 seconds, the Dukes kept putting up shots. Allen snagged one rebound and both Mongelli and Billy Williamson tipped the ball back outside. Allen missed a shot, then Casey put up three
in a row from the top. Allen’s second bid, this from the near corner, missed as time expired.
“I was just hoping that we wouldn’t foul on the three,” Kyle remarked. “The last thing I wanted to see was a three and the foul.”
“It was a great look each time. It’s just kind of how the game went,” Koehler said, “We fought the whole night. We were one (basket) short. Unfortunately, it works like that sometimes.”
“You know what? They’re a bigger and stronger team than us and our guys just fought and fought and fought until we get the clock to run out,” Kyle added.
Koehler hopes his team takes a lot away from this defeat.
“I thought the first three quarters we weren’t aggressive and kind of settled. Then, when we got down, we just started playing and attacking and great things happened, That’s what I want them to learn from it,” he noted. The other lesson? “Don’t take anything for granted,” Koehler explained. “We’re a pretty good team, but all it takes is a bad half, a bad quarter and that can put you behind the eight ball.” MILLBROOK (59)—Daly 1 2-2 4, Whalen 4 2-4 10, Kyle 1 0-0 3, Cabrera 6 10-13 22, Sinon 7 2-2 20, Burns 0 0-0 0, Feigelson 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 16-21 59. MARLBORO (56)—Musacchio 5 1-3 11, Allen 4 4-4 14, Perugino 3 1-2 9, Williamson 1 0-0 2, Casey 4 2-3 12, Mongelli 3 1-2 8. Totals 20 9-14 56. Millbrook ...................................................... 14 9 16 11 9—59 Marlboro ....................................................... 14 10 10 16 6—56 3-point field goals: Sinon 4, Kyle; Allen 2, Perugino 2, Casey 2, Mongelli. Team records: Millbrook 16-4; Marlboro 17-3.