By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sectional champions a year ago, Dan Roser’s Eastridge boys’ basketball team faced the challenge of having to replace more than 50 points per game lost to graduation.
Seven games into this season, the Lancers had endured more losses than boasted wins.
On Tuesday night, Eastridge won its fifth straight game and advanced to the Section V Class A2 semi-finals with a narrow 64-62 road victory over School of the Arts.
“We escaped that’s for sure, Roser said. “They played really hard, made some big shots. We knew they were going to want to get into a track meet. We kinda fell into their hands and let them do it. That’s what kinda happens this time of year. We survived and got another game to play.”
Caquan Wester led three in double figures with 19 points. His bucket with 1:30 left in the game proved to be the difference. Wester connected nine times from the floor in the contest. He hit a series of free-throw line jumpers and finished around the rim, but for the eventual game winner the 6-foot-6 forward needed to lower his center of gravity.
“All season they’ve been telling me to be strong, be big and make your presence known in the paint,” Wester said of the Eastridge coaching staff’s encouragement.
Wester grabbed a loose ball off the floor and in one motion, ripped the globe to the rim where he finished with contact.
Another sequence of quick passing from @EastridgeHoops pic.twitter.com/lqANYaWRgt
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 10, 2021
“I had to do it tonight. I had to get stronger.”
Emmanuel Leftenant scored 15 points, but it was what the sophomore guard did on the defensive that sealed the victory.
Two possessions later and still clinging to the two-point edge, Leftenant took a charge near mid-court.
“That turned the game around for us,” Roser said of Leftenant’s effort.
It was also Leftenant who drew the assignment of having to slow down School of the Arts guard Ethain Clarke-Desouza.
“He’s really good,” Roser said of Clarke-Desouza. “He was carrying their team for a good portion there.”
Clarke-Desouza scored 19 points through the first three quarters, but with the 5-foot-10 Leftenant guarding him, Clarke-Desouza collected four points in the fourth quarter.
“We know Ethain’s very athletic,” Leftenant said. “In the beginning of the game, he killed us just going into the lane.
“I just knew to force him left and make him trust his jump shot a little bit. We wanted him to trust his jump shot. It paid off well, and I thank coach for putting me in that position.”
Mykael Miller connected on a 3-pointer to open the second quarter and give Eastridge its largest lead of the half at 19-12. The Lancers led throughout the second quarter, but back-to-back buckets from Clarke-Desouza and Ke’Vion Mitchell made it a one-point game going into halftime. Eastridge led 30-29.
Keshaun Chatman gave SOTA a 31-30 edge on the first possession of the third quarter. It was the Silverhawks first advantage since a 5-4 lead early in the game.
The teams exchanged leads three times before Leftenant converted a pair of free throws and Wester scored a pair of buckets for an eight-point Eastridge lead with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Mitchell was on the bench with four fouls, and Clarke-Desouza filled the gap going the length of the floor twice including an and-one to make it a one-possession game.
“Go, Ethain go!” Clarke-Desouza beats the third quarter horn, but SOTA trails Eastridge, 48-45. pic.twitter.com/qRaVc6ZDsA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 9, 2021
Eastridge responded and pushed the lead back to six before Chatman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game 62 with 1:50 remaining. Eastridge did not allow another point.
Back-to-back triples from Keshaun Chatman and we are tied at 62 with 1:50 remaining. pic.twitter.com/5Tzg0J3bOk
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 10, 2021
“They persevered,” Roser said of his squad. “In the second half of the season, they definitely have come into their own. Getting more mature and figuring out game situations. The first half we just missed out opportunities to extend the lead and found ourselves in a dog fight. The kids, they got the job done at the end.”
Clarke-Desouza finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Chatman scored 20. Mitchell (7), Farhan Abdi (3), Reggie Smith (3) and Richie Nadal (4) also scored for SOTA.
Miller had 10 points for Eastridge. David Holmes, Jr. (9), Hector Jimenez III (6), Cordell Young (3) and Zy Switzer rounded out the scoring for the Lancers.
“Go, Ethain go!” Clarke-Desouza beats the third quarter horn, but SOTA trails Eastridge, 48-45. pic.twitter.com/qRaVc6ZDsA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 9, 2021
Eastridge will host a rematch with division rival Honeoye Falls-Lima in the semifinals. The teams split the regular season series with HF-L taking the first meeting, 57-49. Eastridge won 59-56 on March 4th.
“Beginning of the season, nobody thought we could do it,” Leftenant said. “As a sophomore, it’s wild to be here. For us to do it this way and then it’s looked at as an upset. We knew we were the better team coming in, but we just stayed humble and just played together.”
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