By PAUL GOTHAM
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — No one would have blamed the Webster Thomas boys’ basketball team if they requested to take home the rims from the Eastridge High School gymnasium.
At the very least, the school’s maintenance staff might consider changing the nets because the Titans wore ’em out Saturday night.
In an eye-popping performance Thomas shooters connected on 19 of 27 attempts from behind the arc and balanced that out with a 20-of-22 effort from the free throw line.
“That doesn’t happen very often,” Thomas head coach Griffin Coles said with a smile after the Titans’ 91-65 win over host Eastridge in the finals of the Al Masino Tip-Off Tournament. “Fortunately, it happened tonight for us.”
Senior guard and Tournament MVP Andrew Mason paced a wire-to-wire performance connecting seven times from long range to finish with a game-high 31 points. The Daemen College commit collected three triples in a first quarter when the Titans poured in seven from long range to take a 23-19 lead after eight minutes of play.
“I told the guys before the game that ‘this is a scrappy team,'” Mason said of Eastridge. “They look to get up in your face. I knew if we remained calm and collected, drive-and-kick was going to be there. We were just happy to hit shots today. It was huge for us.”
Sophomore Jackson Kulik connected on a corner triple to push the Thomas lead to double digits at 34-23 midway through the second quarter. The Titans did not allow Eastridge within single digits for the remainder of the contest.
“Defensively we stuck to the game plan,” Coles noted. “We stuck to our 3-2 zone well. We played man-to-man when we had to. We tried to clog everything up. It was one of those nights.”
Mason scored five straight early in the third quarter, and Evan Mitchell converted a rebound and putback as the lead swelled above 20 points at 53-32.
“I told the guys at halftime ‘that was a great first half; don’t be satisfied,'” said Mason. “‘We got to come out in the second half, keep that same energy and take what they give you. If they’re up on you, drive and get open layups. If not, kick it out because that’s going to be there.’ Credit to my guys. They played great. It was a great team win.”
Of their 19 triples in the game, Thomas hit 17 in the first three quarters. With Eastridge pressing throughout much of the fourth quarter, the Titans converted on 13 of 14 free throw attempts.
Tyler Williams connected on all eight of his attempts from the charity stripe over the final eight minutes. The junior guard ended the game with 11 points.
Dannie Palmer earned a spot on the All-Tournament team connecting on four 3-pointers and 14 points. Kulik hit three 3s and scored 12 points. Nick Annechino came off the bench and delivered a trio of treys for nine points. Mitchell had seven points. Brendan Connolly (5) and Aidan Thomas (2) rounded out the scoring for the Titans (2-0) which finished with seven made field goals inside the 3-point arc.
“These guys are best friends,” Coles remarked. “They’re a close-knit group. They know their role on the team. They accept their role. They move the ball incredibly well, and they’re unselfish.”
Eastridge’s Tony Arnold earned All-Tournament team honors pacing the Lancers with 27. Jalen Rose-Hannah joined his teammate on the All-Tournament squad scoring 10 points. MyKael Miller had nine. SherRon Davis added five point. Ellington Hall (4), Phoenix Hilfiger (3), Percy Robinson (3) and Paxton Reed (2) also scored for Eastridge.
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