By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a play not found on any diagram board, but it couldn’t have been scripted any better. It was a milestone-worthy play.
What started with a help-side rotation at one end of the floor, finished with a layup 94 feet away. In between, all five players touched the ball – twice keeping the play alive. And if one play can represent a team, this sequence late in the second quarter of Thursday’s contest showed the synergy of the Irondequoit Eagles.
“It was really exciting,” Irondequoit’s Zach Stenglein said. “Everyone getting involved on one play.”
Christopher Vankerkhove led Stenglein in stride for the bucket. That’s all that appears in the box score, but that’s not the half of it.
Tysean Sizer triggered the play when he deflected a pass from Sutherland’s Kevin Ryan.
Sizer stayed with the play as the ball went out of bounds. He leaped and keenly (to avoid putting his teammates at a disadvantage if he threw the ball under his defensive basket) sent the ball in the direction of the sideline.
“I saw the ball go across the baseline, and I just grabbed it,” Sizer explained. “I basically anticipated the pass. It was going out of bounds, and I tipped it.”
Teammate Jacob Arrowood saw the play unfolding and dove into the Irondequoit bench to keep the ball in bounds. Jeremiah Zitz gathered the loose ball and led Vankerhove into the open floor with a diagonal pass. Vankerhove didn’t hesitate. As soon as the 5-foot-9 guard touched the ball, he fed Stenglein with a bounce pass for a layup.
“I had the easy part,” Stenglein said. “Everyone touched the ball, and I think there two dribbles taken on the whole play. I just happened to get to the basket and I got to finish it.”
The bucket gave Irondequoit a double-digit advantage at 25-14. Sutherland’s bench called timeout. It didn’t matter. Two minutes later and right before the end of the first half, Stenglein returned the favor and led Vankerkhove for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer as the first half ended.
Irondequoit led 33-18 on their way to a 64-37 convincing win and an 8-0 record on the season.
While Irondequoit’s offense performed with prodigious efficiency (produced points on 18 of 27 first-half possessions), it was only fitting that the Eagles defense was the difference on this night. The victory was the 400th in Chris Cardon’s career. Earlier this season, the longtime coach praised his squad’s offense but lamented the defense.
Zach Stenglein knocks down the triple. pic.twitter.com/FAZp8OTTT7
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 30, 2016
On Thursday, the Eagles forced eight turnovers in the first half against a Sutherland team which committed just nine turnovers in their win on Wednesday. More than that, the Eagles contested every pass, every dribble and every shot.
Gerald Drumgoole intercepts the pass for one of nine first-half turnovers Irondequoit forced. pic.twitter.com/LRM5vvBp0J
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 30, 2016
“We got to the game and knew what to look for,” Sizer said of Irondequoit’s pre-game scouting. “We knew what we each had to do.”
Irondequoit limited Sutherland to points on eight of their 24 first-half possessions.
This was not the same Class A champion Sutherland team from a year ago. Most of the players from that squad graduated. The current Knights are led by 6-foot-5 sophomore forward Kevin Ryan who scored 26 points in Sutherland’s 63-53 win over the host Rush-Henrietta on Tuesday night.
Wednesday night, though, Ryan found few if any easy touches. Irondequoit’s defense served up a steady diet of double teams and even the occasional triple team in the post which had to leave the Sutherland big man feeling like he was playing on a tiny driveway court as opposed to the full-size court at Rush-Henrietta High School.
Ryan finished with 10 points. He was the only Knight in double figures.
Cardon’s defense paved the way to a milestone.
“It means a lot,” Stenglein said of being the team that won the 40oth game in their coach’s career. “It definitely helps that we’re 8-0. I think what really matters to him right now is this year, 8-0 and to keep that going.”
Stenglein sparked nine straight points early in the fourth, and the Eagles had their largest lead of the game. Stenglein drilled a trey from the left wing. Fred June converted a pair of free throws. Gerald Drumgoole scored on a putback, and June added a bucket to make it a 57-28 game.
Drumgoole led all scorers with 15 points. Sizer finished with 13. Zitz chipped in 11. Stenglein, who took home tournament MVP, handed out 10 assists to go with his five points on the night. Sizer and Drumgoole joined their teammate on the all-tournament team.
Ryan and Graham Schild represented Sutherland on the all-tournament squad with UPrep’s Jeenathan Williams also earning the honor.
Irondequoit, currently ranked No. 11 in NYS Class A rankings, will travel next Wednesday to take on Fairport (6-0) ranked ninth in Class AA.
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