Gerald Drumgoole (4) finished with a game-high 24 points including 10 of 11 free throws. Photo: RON KALASINKAS.
By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Chris Cardon found another present under the tree. Gerald Drumgoole showed the value of selective hearing. Alex Goldsberry thrived on the hype, and a battle of state-ranked teams proved worthy of any billing.
Drumgoole led three in double figures as the Irondequoit Eagles (No. 6 Class A) erased a second-half deficit and went on to defeat the Fairport Red Raiders (No. 7 Class AA), 67-63 in front of a near-capacity crowd at Fairport High School.
“I didn’t get much for Christmas,” said Cardon the 31st-year coach of the Eagles. “I guess that was it.”
Drumgoole poured in 24 points including 10 in the third quarter when the Eagles came from six back to take the lead.
“It felt great,” Drumgoole. “It was a great atmosphere. We made big plays out there. It was just a great game in general.”
After hearing chants of “air ball” from the home cheering section following an errant shot in the first quarter, Drumgoole connected on his fourth three-pointer of the night and converted five straight free throws to give the Eagles a 43-41 edge midway through the third.
“They can chant what they want,” the sophomore said. “At the end of the day, we won our game. We did what we came to do. We had great expectations.”
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Tied at half, Fairport went zone and outscored Irondequoit 11-5. Cam Keeley hit a catch-and-shoot three pointer to give the Raiders a 39-33 lead with 4:36 remaining in the third.
“What they do is they throw a different front and on the pass they drop 2-3,” Cardon explained. “We ran some man stuff, and we ran mostly some zone stuff there for a minute.”
Drumgoole used a spin move in the lane, and Irondequoit took a 49-46 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
But Dan Masino‘s runner off the glass along with an and-one gave Fairport a brief edge at 55-53 with 5:20 remaining in the game. The senior guard finished with a team-high 23 points.
“Masino is such a great player,” Cardon remarked. “We put different guys on him. I put Gerald on him. Though he scored a little bit the length I think bothered him a little bit. Freddie June came off the bench and guarded Masino a little bit.”
Zach Stenglein netted four as the Eagles responded with six straight to grab a lead they did not surrender.
“I told them ‘half of playing Fairport is right here,'” Cardon said motioning to his head. “‘You got the size, the speed, the length to get this done, but you also have it right here. You guys are a confident group. You guys are always ready to play.’ It showed.”
Goldsberry gave Irondequoit some breathing room when the senior forward swiped an inbound pass and scored from half court on a layup.
“I was put on the inbounder for that possession,” Goldsberry explained. “I looked back and saw that he was going to pass it to the point guard, so I just angled myself. I jumped straight up. He threw it as I was in the air, and I got a fingertip on it. I grabbed it, came down slow and went all the way and finished.
“My heart was pounding. It was ripped out of my chest.”
Alex Goldsberry swipes the inbound, finishes the layup. @WIEagles pic.twitter.com/H2Q0BcPELA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 5, 2017
Seeing his first action since suffering a concussion on December 16th, Goldsberry scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field. He grabbed six rebounds and had three steals.
“Coming back from my concussion I was really hyped,” the senior said. “I had this game circled on my calendar from the beginning of the season. To come back with my team in this game with all the hype and get the win. It’s perfect.”
Stenglein iced the game with four straight free throws including two with five seconds on the clock.
“One dribble and shoot it,” Stenglein said of his approach at the line. “Don’t think about it. I knew if I make one, we aren’t losing. If I make two, we’re winning the game.”
After picking up his second foul less than four minutes into the game, Stenglein netted 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. He handed out three assists in the game to go with four steals.
“He’s just an amazing player,” Cardon said of Stenglein. “He’s a really good defender. I thought the first call was a tough one. The other ones he did foul.”
Tysean Sizer chipped in with 15 points for Irondequoit. The senior guard hit 6-of-10 from the floor including 3-of-5 behind the arc. He added two steals.
Jeremiah Zitz collected six rebounds, four assists and two steals. The 6-foot-6 forward preserved a two-point edge midway through the fourth quarter with a block at the rim.
Irondequoit forced 18 turnovers. The Eagles improved to 9-0.
Ryan Algier scored 12 for Fairport. Keeley added 10. The Red Raiders fell to 7-1.
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