By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Al Nash had seen …. or rather heard enough, and the School of the Arts boys’ basketball coach wasted no time pulling Logan Hayes out of Monday’s non-league matchup.
Credit Hayes with making the most out of his time spent on the bench.
The junior guard later scored five points during an 8-0 run to close the game as the Silverhawks defeated Greece Olympia, 76-70 for their third straight win.
“I had said some foul language, but that’s my fault,” Hayes said. “When I came off the bench I just knew I had to go for my team. I couldn’t let my team down again.”
Hayes went the length of the floor for a layup to give SOTA (7-4) a lead it did not surrender at 71-70 with 1:22 remaining. Two possessions later, he drilled his seventh 3-pointer to put the game out of reach.
“Sometimes you have to send a message and sometimes it’s playing time that gets that message across,” Nash explained. “He could’ve pouted and lost his head. When he got back in. he could have been not in rhythm with the rest of the team. He refocused. I think that whole quarter, half the quarter was good for him.”
Hayes finished with a game-high 25 points – his second straight outing of 20 or more and third this season.
“It was a good win,” the 6-foot guard said. “We need wins like this because this shows that we can play with other people.”
Less than one week after handing Avon (then No. 18 NYSSWA Class C) its first loss of the season in double overtime, this young SOTA squad showed its ability, again, to close out a game.
“We’re learning, Nash said of his club which starts three sophomores along Hayes. “Hopefully it’s going to make us better for the stretch run if we get a tough opponent and the game’s close, we’ll know to do without me yelling and screaming. It comes automatic.”
Reggie Smith connects for 3. 4:51 remaining SOTA 63 @Olympiabball 59 pic.twitter.com/M3To8NVP3O
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 8, 2019
Trailing by as many as 12 points early in the second quarter, SOTA rallied to take a six-point lead into halftime.
Reggie Smith converted a steal and layup. Hayes hit from long range, and Ethain Clarke-DeSouza scored on back-to-back possessions. Joe Denegal finished a drop step in the lane then scored on a rebound and putback for a 31-30 edge. Hayes found the measure twice more for a 40-34 lead going into the break.
Joe Denegal and Ethain Clarke-DeSouza combine on the hi-lo action. pic.twitter.com/FlgE24wlsk
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 8, 2019
Olympia scored the first six points of the second half capped by Ehnoc Tossah connecting in the lane to tie the game at 40.
The teams exchanged leads six times before the end of the third quarter.
Jeff Jung, Jr. gets in the lane for two, but at half @Olympiabball trails SOTA 40-34. Logan Hayes leads SOTA with 14 points including a quartet of triples. Ethain Clarke-DeSouza has 9. Jung is pacing Olympia with 13. Collin James has 8. pic.twitter.com/c2OnD8Sj9X
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 8, 2019
Jeff Jung, Jr. scored nine of his team-high 24 points early in the fourth, and Tossah’s rebound and putback with less than two minutes remaining gave Olympia (4-4) a 70-68 edge.
Collin James hurt and harm ties the game at 68 with 2:27 to go. pic.twitter.com/nRd5AuxmAT
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 8, 2019
SOTA’s zone defense took effect from that point going forward.
“I think they were looking to get off jump shots,” Nash explained. “They got back in the game by attacking the 2-3. We left gaps open. The 2-3 is geared to challenge shooters and take away the things they like to do. We took away the long ball at the end. We kept it out of their shooters’ hands.
Clarke-DeSouza scored 19 points for SOTA. Senegal added 10. Smith (9), Ke’vion Mitchell (7) and Keshaun Chatman (6) rounded out the scoring for the Silverhawks.
Colling James had 19 points Olympia. Darnell Williams added 12. Kris Perez (7), Tossah (6) and Wesley Elmore, Jr. (2) also scored for the Spartans.
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