By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The last time the McQuaid Jesuit Knights celebrated a victory on their home court over long-time rival Aquinas, current head coach Jack Leasure was a sophomore on the team. Harry Bruu was just a twinkle in his mother’s eye.
Thursday night, Bruu turned in a career-high performance and McQuaid brought an end to the Li’l Irish’s 16-year run at McQuaid’s John H. Ryan, Jr. Memorial Gymnasium.
Bruu tallied a team-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, and McQuaid closed the regular season with a 12-8 record.
“Things were going my way,” the 15-year-old junior guard said after McQuaid’s 60-57 victory. “People were finding me.”
Bruu’s effort, while unlikely, proved to be nothing less than clutch. Having scored no more than seven points in a single game prior to the evening’s action, he came off the bench late in the first quarter and converted on back-to-back possessions. The second basket on a feed in the lane from teammate Anthony Iglesia gave McQuaid a 14-12 edge.
Harry Bruu for two. End 1st: @McQ_Bball 14 @AQBoys_Hoops 12 pic.twitter.com/pcQqyhe7tO
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 16, 2018
He added another bucket before the teams went into the locker room at halftime
“It was about our energy,” he stated. “When you play Aquinas, you always want to come out with energy.”
Bruu’s spark was needed most on a night when McQuaid’s top scorers struggled to find the measure. Iglesia, Kobe Long and Jermaine Taggart combined for 17 points in the win. The trio came into the contest averaging better than 43 points.
“It hasn’t been the way we’ve won so far,” Leasure said. “It was one of those nights where things bounced differently for us.”
Bruu got ahead of the defense for a layup midway through the third quarter and McQuaid had it largest lead of the night at 37-26. The Knights regained the 11-point advantage when Bruu took a Connor Zamiara feed in the lane and scored through contact. After the and-one, the Knights led 52-41.
“Over the last three weeks or so even when we started to make a little run there, he’s played really well for us,” Leasure noted. “He’s come off the bench and done a lot of good things and gotten deflections, gotten steals, gotten offensive rebounds. The kind of things that teams need to do to win. He’s helped us in that way a lot. This was no more evident than today.”
Bruu capped his outing with a reverse layup on a second-chance opportunity when senior Josh Purcell found him underneath.
“Harry’s been stepping up for us really big lately,” Purcell said. “It’s just got to be a different guy every night when we’re not making shots.”
What Bruu started, Purcell finished.
During a three-minute sequence late in the game, Purcell did whatever it took to preserve the victory.
“He’s really done that all year and it doesn’t show up in the points,” Leasure said of Purcell. “Usually he’s under double digits in points. He’s led us in charges (taken). He’s been up there in rebounds, assists, steals for us all year. He’s done huge things for us.”
Purcell’s layup as the shot clock expired stemmed the tide as Aquinas had cut the margin to four. After his rebound and assist on Bruu’s last basket of the game, Purcell stepped in to take charge on AQ’s leading scorer Kidtrell Blocker. He followed that with another rebound on the next trip down the floor.
Josh Purcell bringing the JELLY to the rivalry. @AQBoys_Hoops AQBoys_Hoops @McQ_Bball ???????????? pic.twitter.com/3O0YlpGjsd
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 16, 2018
“I was trying to make winning plays,” Purcell said. “That’s what I’ve been best at. We just got to do the little things it takes to win.”
Blocker led all scorers with 21 on the night. AQ’s sophomore forward also hauled in 10 rebounds. Danny Speed added 14 points for the Li’l Irish. Jack Scanlon hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.
Aquinas forced 18 turnovers and held a 25-17 advantage in points off ballhandling miscues.
The Li’l Irish had a chance to tie the game, but a 3-point attempt in the closing second found iron. Aquinas finished the season 5-15.
McQuaid’s Zamiara matched Blocker with a game-high 10 rebounds to go with 12 points. Bruu finished with eight rebounds. Led by Bruu, McQuaid’s bench outscored their counterparts, 23-14.
McQuaid outrebounded Aquinas, 39-29. The Jesuit Knights converted 13 offensive rebounds into 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
McQuaid beat Aquinas earlier this season, 85-56. The Jesuit Knights last victory over AQ at John H. Ryan, Jr. Memorial Gymnasium came in 2002.
MCQUAID JESUIT 60, AQUINAS 57
AQUINAS (5-15)
Kidtrell Blocker 8-17 3-3 21; Danny Speed 7-12 0-0 14; Jack Scanlon 4-11 0-0
12; Luke Putnam 2-6 0-0 6; Steven Chen 1-2 0-2 2; Eric Carter 1-2 0-0 2;
Davon Choates 0-0 0-0 0; Marlek Connor 0-2 0-0 0; Sam Kelly 0-2 0-0 0; Ruben
Torres 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 3-5 57.
MCQUAID JESUIT (12-8)
Harry Bruu 6-8 3-3 15; Connor Zamiara 4-7 4-4 12; Jermaine Taggart 1-6 7-8
10; Josh Purcell 3-5 2-4 8; Jon Catone 3-4 0-2 6; Anthony Iglesia 0-9 5-6 5;
Kobe Long 1-9 0-0 2; Aidan Ruppert 0-0 1-2 1; Nahom Yonas 0-0 1-2 1; Rueben
Daniel 0-0 0-0 0; J. Mundy-Aeckerle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 23-31 60.
Aquinas…………………..
McQuaid Jesuit……………. 14 19 14 13 – 60
3-point goals–Aquinas 8-23 (Jack Scanlon 4-10; Luke Putnam 2-5; Kidtrell
Blocker 2-4; Marlek Connor 0-1; Ruben Torres 0-1; Danny Speed 0-2), McQuaid
Jesuit 1-14 (Jermaine Taggart 1-3; Josh Purcell 0-1; Jon Catone 0-1; Anthony
Iglesia 0-5; Kobe Long 0-4). Fouled out–Aquinas-None, McQuaid Jesuit-None.
Rebounds–Aquinas 29 (Kidtrell Blocker 10), McQuaid Jesuit 39 (Connor
Zamiara 10). Assists–Aquinas 11 (Kidtrell Blocker 3), McQuaid Jesuit 7
(Anthony Iglesia 4). Total fouls–Aquinas 23, McQuaid Jesuit 10. Technical
fouls–Aquinas-None, McQuaid Jesuit-None. A-1000
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