Kolek hits 1,000-pt milestone
Cumberland junior leads Clippers past Middletown
CUMBERLAND – After Cumberland High junior Tyler Kolek swished a long two for his 1,000th career point at 5:04 of the first half of Tuesday’s Division II contest against Middletown, it seemed a tremendous weight had been lifted off the Clippers’ shoulders.
The home team would go on a 21-5 run that spanned both halves and pinned the Islanders in a 15-point hole with 14 minutes remaining. Cumberland’s lead stood at what appeared to be a comfortable 23 points with 7:27 left, but Middletown made a hard push down the stretch and closed to within two possessions with 11 seconds left.
The Clippers (11-1, 7-1 Division II) didn’t completely break and ended up celebrating a 73-67 win. Kolek capped off his banner night with a game-high 29 points with six rebounds and seven rebounds while classmate Jackson Zancan added 27 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Dante Aviles-Santos influenced the game in several areas, witnessed by his 10 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
Middletown (6-2, Division II) received 22 points from Rasheed Lozada, one of four double-figure scores for the visitors.
Kolek came into the game needing six points to reach 1,000. Usually, he nets that many in the game’s opening two minutes. Middletown, however, made him and his Cumberland teammates work a tad harder on the offensive end. The Islanders hurt the Clippers on the offensive glass early on and that helped Middletown enjoy a 21-14 lead.
“We were getting caught on screens,” said CHS head coach Gary Reedy.
Cumberland’s deficit was 23-18 when Zancan scored and Kolek followed with his milestone hoop – a sweet jumper from the top of the key. The game was briefly halted so Reedy could present Kolek a commemorative ball that in black numerals read, “1,000.”
“It’s unbelievable when you think about it,” said Reedy. “How many kids get 1,000 points in their careers? He gets it in his junior year at pretty much at the halfway mark.”
“My goal is to win,” said Kolek when asked about someday breaking older brother Brandon’s record for alltime points by a Cumberland hoopster.
The Clippers seemed more relaxed after the stoppage and it especially showed when Kolek drained back-toback threes and Aviles-Santos connected from deep. Cumberland ended the first half on a 13-3 run and took a comfortable 36-26 lead into halftime.
“We had a lot of energy and it seemed to pump the guys up,” said Kolek about the run the Clippers went on after securing Point No. 1,000 of his stellar and still-to-be written high school career.
Cumberland stayed hot at the onset of the second half. Mitchell Lydon (nine points) opened the scoring with one of his three 3-pointers and Zancan completed a three-point play that maintained the Clippers’ double-digit lead.
“He gives us another option,” said Kolek about Lydon. “You can’t just pressure myself and Jackson.”
Things continued to look good as Middletown trailed 64-41 with seven minutes left, but that’s when Cumberland’s offense hit the skids. The Clippers managed just 10 points the rest of the way, but it proved to be just enough offense on a night when finishing strong was stressed during the postgame meeting.
“They were hitting some threes and we weren’t really defending,” said Kolek. “We’ve got to learn how to grind it out on the defensive end down the stretch.”
Cumberland returns to action Thursday night at the Wellness Center against Prout.