ONE FOR THE BOOKS
New Paltz outlasts Saugerties in triple-overtime thriller to capture Section 9, Class A championship
NEWBURGH, N.Y. » New Paltz and Saugerties highs battled Monday night in a triple-overtime Section 9, Class A boys basketball final that was more a war of attrition.
The Huguenots captured their first section title in 10 years as they outlasted the Sawyers in a memorable 78-77 thriller at Mount Saint Mary College that was filled with numerous clutch shots and storylines in front of a loud, packed Kaplan Center.
“It felt good. I’m drained. I put it all on the court and it paid off,” said a spent Michael Holohan, who had three huge clutch baskets for New Paltz after Saugerties battled back from 18 down.
His 3-pointer hit the back rim and bounced in with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to tie at 62 to force overtime. He later hit a short jumper with two seconds remaining to force a second OT, then tied the game again on another basket with 14.6 seconds to play to send the game into a third extra session.
Both teams had no legs at the end and it was sophomore Patrick Murphy hitting the back end of a two-shot foul 15 seconds into the third overtime that was the deciding point. The teams combined to miss nine shots and each had a turnover down the stretch.
“We were driving to the basket. We got some good looks, but they just rattled around on us,” Saugerties coach Mike Tiano said. “One of those shots fall, we get a little confidence and maybe we pull it out.
“Now we got something else to work for,” Holohan added.
The (12-6) Huguenots have some time to rest. They will play either Ardsley of Section 1 or Maine-Endwell of Section 4 in a regional final 7 p.m. Friday at SUNY New Paltz.
Casey Burke had 23 points, Holohan 16, Murphy 15 and Christian Burda 13 to guide the Huguenots.
“It feels amazing,” New Paltz’s Axel Rodriguez said.
Added Burke, “It’s easily the best feeling in my life. We haven’t gotten it in a decade. It was definitely something I had to do. Both of my brothers had been in this program and neither of them could pull it out. I wanted to at least be the one to do it.”
Said New Paltz coach Stuart Robinson, “This was definitely one of those situations where you didn’t want anybody to lose. It was a war of attrition.”
Said Tiano, “You got to give New Paltz credit. New Paltz battled after we battled back. It says a lot about where our guys were and, mentally, how focused we were. The overtimes were (about) guys who wanted it more. They wanted it just a point more than us tonight.”
“These guys wanted it and they were not going to give it up tonight,” Robinson said.
Dior Johnson, shut out in the first quarter, came back to score 39 for Saugerties. Caleb Edwards and Austin Curlin tallied 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Sawyers.
New Paltz stunned Saugerties at the start, jumping out to a 14-0 lead sparked by Burke’s nine points. A pair of baskets by Murphy in the paint made it 18-3 and the margin eventually ballooned to 26-8 off 3-pointers from Burda and
Burke to start the second quarter.
“We came shot out of cannon and we were fired up,” Robinson said. “That was great and I think that gave us a boost, but Saugerties didn’t go away. They didn’t quit.”
Johnson, who missed his first four shots, finally got into rhythm. He and Curlin led a 12-0 run and the Sawyers were within 30-24 by halftime.
A third-effort putback by Johnson had Saugerties ahead three minutes into the second half.
After that, the lead changed hands five times and was tied eight times.
“When they started coming back, we had faith in ourselves,” Burke said. “We knew we were going to come back.”
The Sawyers led 59-55 with 30 seconds left in regulation, but Holohan came off the bench for seven points in the final 24 seconds to force overtime.
Johnson’s sixth 3-pointer put Saugerties ahead 65-62 to start the first OT, but he
fouled out 29 seconds later when Rodriguez drew a charge.
The Sawyers regrouped without their All-Star point guard. Tavin Rell scored four points and Edwards hit two free throws to quickly put their team up 77-71 in the second OT. Burda sank four straight foul shots to set up Holohan’s heroics.
“I’m definitely proud of them,” said Johnson, who added that he had never fouled out before. “I didn’t think they were going to fight like they did. I was very surprised by the things they made happen. They did what they had to do.”
Added Tiano, “That shows how much heart these guys have. They battled knowing Dior fouled out. They could have folded. Instead of folding, they just kept battling and playing and battling and playing. And they left it on the court.”
Said Burke, “First quarter I was already winded. When we got into that second
overtime, the third overtime, we just dug out and really just fought as much as we could.”
“Even when guys fouled out, guys stepped in, stepped up and made it happen,” Robinson said. “That’s what you want and that’s all I can ask. Ultimately, the win is great, but I think the fact that they stepped up to be a team was important. From day one, we talked about being ‘all in’ and these guys proved it tonight.”
Tiano said about his players, “They didn’t want to lose. New Paltz didn’t want to lose. Neither one of the two teams wanted to lose, and that’s when you get a game like this.”