BY PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a matter of finishing.
Caught in the throes of a late-season skid, the Monroe Redjackets found their elixir Friday night.
A player they call “Pee Wee” cast his shadow when it mattered most.
Devante “Pee Wee” Mateo grabbed a long rebound and went the length of the floor to score the game winner with :27 remaining as the Redjackets toppled the Leadership Academy Lions, 84-81 Friday night.
“I was just trying to make a play,” the junior guard said. “We were down one. I just took it. I just made the right play for us.”
Mateo’s bucket, part of a 7-0 run to close the game, created a log jam atop RCAC Division A. Monroe’s win accompanied by McQuaid Jesuit’s victory over Franklin set up a three-way tie for first in RCAC Division A heading into the final week of the regular season.
PeeWee Mateo gives @JMHSRedjackets an 82-81 lead pic.twitter.com/Nhm64XUFv7
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 10, 2018
Monroe (10-8/7-2) avenged a 27-point loss on their home court earlier this season to Leadership. The Redjackets also won for the second time in three games. This after dropping four straight.
“I’ve been saying this all year: they’re a resilient bunch,” Monroe head coach Matt McCormick said of his squad which opened the season 8-3 before struggling of late. “To come here and stay in it for the first half that was key.
“We didn’t shoot it the best tonight but we rebounded and finished. That’s what I’ve been telling these guys all year. We need to finish. We work our tails off on defense, but we need to finish the possession. We did a great job of that tonight.”
Trailing by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter, Jo-Nathan Jones and Chris Gibson, Jr. connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Monroe within one at 81-80 with 1:17 remaining.
After getting a pair of blocks on the ensuing Leadership possession, Mateo took over and gave the Redjackets their first lead in more than 15 minutes.
“Under no circumstance was I going to put the brakes on that,” McCormick said when recalling his thoughts as he saw Mateo get into the open court. “That’s kinda where he excels. His court vision is pretty good. He’s got pretty good peripheral vision. He’s a good finisher.”
Gibson sealed the win with a pair of free throws, and Monroe’s defense was up to the task on the last possession of the game.
“We’ve been up and down this year but to come here and beat those guys means a lot,” McCormick added. “We beat a great team.”
Gibson finished with a game-high 26 points. Tyquil Glasgow added a season-high 24 points.
“My coach and my teammates were just telling me to rebound,” the junior forward said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do the whole season, and I finally did it. We didn’t let the crowd get into our heads. Just guarded them and made shots.”
Giovanniel Santiago’s only bucket of the night – a corner three gave Monroe 20-15 lead after the first quarter.
Leadership’s Rondell Watson netted 12 of his team-high 24 points in the second quarter to give the Lions a 39-38 edge going into the locker room.
Rondell Watson slathers some sauce on a pull-up jumper. pic.twitter.com/WMiC4dFIgM
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 10, 2018
Jonathan Jones drilled a 3-pointer on Monroe’s first possession of the second half to give the Redjackets a 41-39 edge. Shamir Mccullough scored back-to-back and Leadership regained a lead they kept until the game’s final minute.
“It was great,” Mateo said of the win. “They were number last season. They’re number one again this season. For us to come out here and win it’s a big win.”
Mateo finished with nine points. Chris Williams scored three. Trevone Glasgow added six. Jonathan Jones had eight. Jo-Nathan Jones scored five.
Mccullough finished with a season-high 17 points. Dez Ellis added 14 points. Davon Brown had 12. Marcus Barr scored five. Shaheem Britt had four. Jahvon Beard (3) and Tyler Banks (2) rounded out the scoring for Leadership.
Monroe (10-8/7-2) hosts Edison Tech to close league play on Wednesday. Leadership (16-2/7-2) plays at McQuaid (11-7/7-2) on Tuesday. McQuaid handed the Lions their first loss of the season on January 27th.
Leave a Reply