Sabres’ sharp defense seals victory
Steals by Randle, O’dell in final seconds make up for missed opportunities
Missing two foul shots with 13.3 seconds left Saturday evening was the last thing Schalmont senior LJ Randle intended. Determined to make amends, Randle did so with his fifth steal of the game.
“I just wanted to get the ball back. That is all I was thinking about,” Randle said.
Schalmont junior Shane O’dell added one more steal with 1.8 seconds left to seal things as the Sabres recorded a 60-57 boys’ basketball triumph over Frederick Douglass Academy at the 2018 SUNY Cobleskill High School Classic.
The Sabres, the leaders of the Colonial Council’s Liberty Division and ranked No. 3 in the Class B state poll, improved to 9-0 overall with the gritty win against the Lions (4-3) — a Class A program from the Bronx competing in the Public School Athletic League.
“It is the best feeling, doing it out there with my family and friends,” said Randle, who delivered 17 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists in the victory. “We’re going to use that momentum. That win gives us a lot of confidence.”
Even though Schalmont made its final six shots from the field Saturday, the Sabres prevailed because of their defensive acumen against a taller Frederick Douglass contingent.
Trailing 32-26 at halftime, Schalmont opened the third quarter on an 11-0 spurt that ended with two foul shots by O’dell (20 points) with 5:53 left in the quarter.
“When we came into the locker room at halftime, we didn’t get down on each other. We stayed with each other,” Randle said. “That gave us the fire to come out strong in the second half.”
The competition for Schalmont’s most maniacal defender was a two-horse match race between Randle and senior guard Gannon Strube. Both players forced missed shots and turnovers in the third quarter to spark the Sabres.
“Those two get after it on defense,” Schalmont coach Greg Loiacono said. “Jake (Sanford) came in and gave us a spark too (by) taking a couple of charges . ... That was a big, long and athletic team. To hold them to 57 points and not allow them to get up and down the floor like they wanted to was huge for us.
“What we talked about at halftime was turning up the heat on defense and make that defense turn to offense,” Loiacono added. “We did. LJ and Gannon really picked it up at the defensive end. Gannon isn’t very tall, but he wanted to guard (Mohammed Wague), who is 6-foot-9. That’s what I love about this team. They are not afraid of anything.”
The Lions rebounded from losing the lead and, behind the play of Wague and Jaden Clarke, took a 42-39 edge into the fourth quarter.
Sanford tied the game when he took a feed from Randle and drained a 3-pointer. Randle followed with a blocked shot and turnover by Frederick Douglass with another 3-pointer to provide Schalmont a 45-42 lead.
After the Lions again surged in front, Sanford started Schalmont’s string of consecutive field goals with a 16-footer from the wing. Strube drained a 3-pointer, Sanford scored on a baseline drive and Randle buried another 3-pointer to extend the lead to 55-48 with 1:47 remaining.
Clarke knocked down a baseline 3-pointer to cut the Sabres’ lead to 59-57 with 15.3 seconds left.
Following his two missed foul shots, Randle punched the ball free to teammate Darnell Green, who was fouled. He made the second of two foul shots.
“LJ, for two years in a row now, has just locked people down,” Loiacono said. “He is pretty long too. He has great instincts, is quick and is always on his toes. The steals he got, being disruptive, handling the ball, the points he gave us and the couple of key assists he had at the end are all things I just can’t say enough good about.”