Pickin' Splinters

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Broyld’s late basket lifts R-H

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Shamire Broyld (2) goes to the basket during first-half action Wednesday night. (Photo: PAUL GOTHAM/PICKIN’ SPLINTERS)

By PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With a little bit more than seven minutes remaining in Wednesday’s R-H Boys’ Holiday Tournament matchup, Rush-Henrietta’s Shamire Broyld fell to the court writhing in pain. Less than seven minutes later, the junior forward lifted up and delivered the winning basket.

Broyld scored the game winner with :12.6 remaining, and the Royal Comet defense made one last stop to defeat the Irondequoit Eagles, 63-62.

With the win Rush-Henrietta, ranked No. 21 NYSSWA Class AA, improved to 7-0 on the season.

“It feels good to come in here and beat a state championship team,” Broyld said of the reigning Class A New York State champion Eagles. “It’s really a step toward what we really want to do.”

Don Swain Jr. converted a steal and layup with less than two minutes remaining to give the Royal Comets their first lead of the contest. The senior guard picked off a pass in the open court and finished at the opposite end of the floor for a 61-60 R-H edge.

“We took Shamire and put him on their point guard, so now Don could play aggressively off the ball,” R-H coach Chris Reed explained. “That’s what he did. He got in the passing lane, and he got his hand in and made a play.”

At the other end of the floor, Gerald Drumgoole used an upfake in the lane to set up a leaner and give Irondequoit the lead again at 62-61.

Two possessions later, Broyld backed down Drumgoole on the low block for the game winner.

“That’s an out-of-bounds play we have,” Reed explained. “Either Kailee (White) or Shamire are going to shoot it. He read it, and he got deep. He had to elevate over a really good player and make a shot. It just so happened that it worked. They don’t always work.”

 

The game winner didn’t look possible when Broyld fell to the floor earlier in the quarter clutching his ankle when he landed after a 3-point attempt.

“I stepped on the defender’s foot and rolled my ankle,” Broyld said.

He returned to the game and finished with 19 points on the night – 10 in the second half.

“Every time I get the ball I feel like I can always do something with it,” the 6-foot-5 junior said. “I was just like I can score. I can do this. When you put your mind to something, you can definitely do it.”

The basket capped a rally which saw the Royal Comets erase a 10-point halftime deficit.

“Our coach gave us the blueprint,” Broyld stated. “We just had to go out there and execute. He talked us through it at half.

“We just went out there and got the job done.”

Mecca McCoullough and White shared team-high honors with Broyld. Like his teammate, McCoullough scored 10 in the second half. Twice in the fourth quarter, the senior guard converted two free throws to pull R-H within one point.

“My shot wasn’t falling, so I just took it to the rack,” McCoullough said. “Getting fouled and getting some easy points. I just kept going to the basket.”

 

Drumgoole led all scorers with a season-high 27 points. The junior guard finished with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Eagles, No. 11 NYSSWA Class A, looked in command late in the third quarter when Josh Stenglein and Fred June combined to hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions for a 50-41 Irondequoit lead.

But the Royal Comets did not go away. White hit a pair from the free throw line before converting a rebound and putback to pull R-H within four at 52-48 entering the fourth quarter. White scored 12 in the third stanza.

For the second time in three games, Irondequoit (3-2) led for the majority of the contest before giving up the lead late. Against Canisius (VI), currently ranked No. 1 NYSSWA Class A, the Eagles led for 31-plus minutes and lost 48-47.

Drumgoole scored 21 first-half points on 7-of-11 shooting. Stenglein hit three of his four 3-pointers on the night in the first half, and Irondequoit led 35-25.

 

Swain finished with four points for R-H (7-0).

June scored eight for Irondequoit. Stenglein had 12 – all on 3-pointers.

Irondequoit played without starting forward Patrick Thomas who fractured his wrist in the Eagles win over Webster Thomas on December 21st.

Starting forward Malek Williams did not play for R-H.

The Royal Comets will play Bishop Timon (VI) in the championship on Thursday.

 

Irondequoit squares off with UPrep in the consolation game.

Other scorers: Irondequoit – Robert Diaz-Judson (4) and Tanner Pioch (11). R-H – Tim Jackson (2).

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