By PAUL GOTHAM
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Henry Kuperus had seen enough. The Newark coach watched as his squad’s 16-point lead was whittled to six in less than two minutes.
He signaled for a timeout and gathered his Reds on the bench.
Needing an answer to stop Canandaigua’s run, Kuperus looked to Jayden Peters. The senior guard didn’t disappoint.
Peters went out on the floor and connected on his his third three of the game. Two possessions later, teammate Devin Agosto drove the lane and finished a left-handed layup to give Newark a 46-35 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The game’s momentum returned to Newark.
“Jayden is a three-year varsity player,” Kuperus said after Newark’s 58-50 win over Canandaigua in the first round of the 2018 Finger Lakes Tip Off Tournament. “Coming out of that timeout I had tons of confidence that he would step up and knock one down.”
Peters took a pass along the left wing from teammate Kyle Martinez and didn’t hesitate.
“We swung the ball one time, and the defense shifted Kyle’s way,” he explained. “If I get enough space, I’m going to shoot it. That’s all there is to that one.”
Peters finished with a game-high 24 points including 12 in the first quarter when Newark sprinted to a 17-9 lead and didn’t look back.
“He’s really grown up a lot in three years,” Kuperus said of Peters. “You see it in practice especially the last couple days. He’s been one of the hardest workers in practice. He’s been focused.”
The 6-foot-2 guard found the measure from long range early in the game. His first trey spotted Newark a 3-2 edge. His rebound and putback at the 3:49 mark of the first quarter gave the Reds a lead they did not surrender at 7-5.
Mason VanDeMortel pushed the advantage to double digits with a basket midway through the second quarter, and Agosto’s finish in the lane made it a 31-17 game going into halftime.
Devin Agosto finds Nicholas Bernardi in the lane @Newarkredshoops #textbook pic.twitter.com/gi9yD6fwIc
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 30, 2018
Canandaigua extended their zone defense to the three-quarter court to start the second half. Newark managed the press initially. VanDeMortel’s catch-and-shoot trifecta made it 36-20 contest.
But the pressure forced two turnovers and a rushed shot on three straight Newark possessions.
The Braves took advantage on the offensive end.
Casey Herod hit a three ball from the top of the key. Luke Pawlicki nailed a three of his own. Ryan Welch scored in the lane, and Herod made it 41-35 game with a steal and layup.
“We talked in the locker room at halftime,” Peters said. “We knew they were going to go on a run. We knew we just had to keep it together.”
“Our biggest thing was to call timeout and take a breath,” Kuperus noted. “What we’re trying to do as any basketball team is trying to do, we’re trying to eliminate as many mistakes as we can. We might not be the greatest team against the press. They did make us panic a little bit. That’s where that timeout came so we could just take a deep breath and go back out again.”
Welch scored on Canandaigua’s first possession of the fourth quarter.
Casey Herod with the dish to Ryan Welch pic.twitter.com/Rv103GrbPz
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 30, 2018
Agosto responded with a bucket in the lane. Martinez followed with a baseline runner, and Newark did not allow the Braves within eight points for the remainder of the contest.
“They really reacted and responded in each timeout,” Kuperus said of his squad. “I’ll go back and look at the film but after timeouts I feel like we came out pretty positive most of the time.
“I’m only returning four players from last year’s team. They got a decent amount of playing time. It’s about keeping a level head with these guys and trying to get them to listen.”
Agosto finished with 14 points. VanDeMortel had eight, and Martinez scored six. Nicholas Bernardi (4) and Josh Green (2) rounded out the scoring for Newark.
“We have three non-negotiables and one of them is to be great teammates,” Kuperus stated. “I think today all 12 people contributed whether they were on or off the court. It was awesome. It was great to see.”
Welch led Canandaigua with 13 points. Cody Aikey added 11. Chris Kurowski hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. Herod scored eight. Joey Brinza (3), Andrew Boseck (2) and Ambrose Carey (1) also contributed for the Braves.
Newark will play Victor in the Saturday’s championship game. A 6:30 PM tip off is scheduled. Canandaigua will play Monroe in the consolation scheduled for a 5 PM start.
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