Anosike delivers in the clutch for Chancellors
His big second half helps lead T-More to a victory
Montville — A coach never knows if his message is sinking in with his team.
Apparently, St. Thomas More's EJ Anosike is paying attention to coach Jere Quinn's words of wisdom.
With the ball in his hands and Wednesday's prep school basketball game on the line, Anosike drove into the teeth of the defense and converted a tough contested layup for the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left.
A big defensive stand and two foul shots later, St. Thomas More had a hard-earned 62-58 victory over New Hampton.
Anosike scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and finished with 11 rebounds.
"It just happened," said Anosike, a 6-foot-6 forward headed to Sacred Heart University next fall, of the goahead hoop. "Coach tells us to play without fear. It was just a basketball play.
"... I just have faith in coach. Coach Jere is a great coach. Whatever he tells me, I listen to."
The Chancellors (22-10) displayed the grit and toughness necessary to fend off a late challenge from New Hampton (21-8). The two teams will meet again next Wednesday in the New England Prep tournament, with St. Thomas More serving as host.
The postseason game will give Quinn another opportunity to coach a team that he clearly likes. What the Chancellors lack in size, they make up for in heart and hustle.
Quinn, a notoriously tough grader, can live with some mistakes, which they're making less often than earlier in the season.
"First, they're great kids," Quinn said. "And, secondly, they give you everything you ask. They compete the entire game."
Their competitive spirit came in handy on Wednesday.
St. Thomas More rode the rollercoaster throughout the game. The Chancellors played well at the start, going on a 16-0 run to take a 16-3 lead. They challenged shots, forcing New Hampton to misfire on its first 15 attempts. It took the visitors over 10 minutes to score its first field goal.
Then the Chancellors started piling up turnovers, committing six in the final seven minutes. Their lead dipped to 30-22 at the break.
The game tightened up in the second half after Anosike's two free throws handed St. Thomas More a 41-29 lead. New Hampton's Kimani Lawrence, an Arizona State commit, scored five straight points to cap a 9-0 run, narrowing the gap to 41-38 with 12 minutes remaining.
The Chancellors responded, building a 48-40 edge. Then the Huskies scored 10 straight points and took its first lead since 3-2 on Grant Robinson's inside basket.
In the final six and a half minutes, the game was tied five times, including at 58-all on Lawrence's hoop off a strong dribble drive move.
After both teams traded failed possessions, St. Thomas More got the ball back and a fearless Anosike attacked the basket to convert the game's biggest basket for a 60-58 edge.
Quinn was more impressed with Anosike's short jumper from the corner that tied the game at 56-all.
"That was a big shot he hit, but I thought the bigger shot was the baseline jump shot, which we've been begging him to shoot," Quinn said. "He works every morning on his shot."
It wasn't over until Nicholas Macarchuk denied Robinson's game-tying attempt in the lane and Tyrie Randall drained two free throws with 4.2 seconds left to ice the win.
"They're a great team," Anosike said of New Hampton. "It just shows us where we are. We're growing as a team and we're getting better. Now it's playoff time and we've all got to buy in and play well."
Randall, who committed to Rider, finished with a team-high 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Maceo Jack added 12 points and five rebounds. Lawrence scored a game-high 18 for New Hampton.
Quinn expects another fiercely competitive game when the two teams meet next week.
"Prep school games by the end of the year everybody knows what everybody is doing," Quinn said. "Next week in the first round of the New Englands against the same team is going to be a battle." g.keefe@theday.com