By PAUL GOTHAM
CHILI, N.Y. — Alex Webb scored four of his 15 points over the final two minutes including the game winner in the closing seconds as No. 4 UPrep advanced to the semifinals with a 58-56 victory over No. 5 Rush-Henrietta in Section V Class AAA Boys’ basketball action, Friday at Roberts Wesleyan University.
Webb’s putback off teammate Gavin White’s missed free throw was the difference in a game that saw five ties and two lead changes in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a great rebounder,” said UPrep head coach Jerice Crouch. “He’s probably one of the better rebounders in Section V. He’s always going to keep the play alive for us. Love that kid.”
Alex Webb’s putback with 1.5 remaining proves to be the game winner as @UprepBball advances in Class AAA with a 58-56 victory over Rush-Henrietta. @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/var8EakJ6E
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 24, 2024
White was fouled when the ninth-grade guard looked to split a trap off the dribble.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JENNIFER LAEMLEIN.
The game was the 13th this season decided by single digits for UPrep (12-9) which has gone 2-4 in single-possession contests. The Griffins lost in late January to unbeaten Greece Athena (No. 1 NYSSWA Class A) on a last-second putback.
On Friday night, that experience paid dividends.
“It was a heart-breaker, but we talked about it,” Crouch said. “In order to win a championship, you’re going to be in a situation where you need a stop to win. Not only a stop, but a rebound. We had a stop against Athena, but we didn’t have a rebound. We didn’t finish it. Today we finished.”
Knotted at 42 to start the fourth, Jermelle Cotton’s 3-pointer gave UPrep a 50-45 lead.
Jermelle Cotton nails a 3 to give @UprepBball a 50-45 lead with less than five remaining. pic.twitter.com/b1O1i4xS32
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 24, 2024
Rush-Henrietta’s Avery Council scored on back-to-back possessions including a triple from the right wing to tie the game at 50.
Jalen Taggart converted a pair of free throws to give the Royal Comets a 55-53 lead with 2:21 remaining in the game.
Webb scored on a reverse to make it a 55-55 game, and White hit 1-of-2 free throws to give UPrep a lead it did not surrender with 1:41 left on the clock.
Reverse from Alex Webb ties the game at 55 with less than two minutes remaining. pic.twitter.com/WfepZzxv9a
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 24, 2024
“I knew it going to be a nail-biter,” Crouch said. “That’s a great team over there.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games throughout the season. Those moments prepared us for this right here. Being able to go through what we did in the season, helped us right there in the last couple minutes of the game.”
UPrep’s Ja’yvion Sampson drew a pair of charges on defense to force turnovers late in the game.
“It’s just one of those things that we preach and we talk about. Taking charges is an art. They stepped up in big moments and took charges when we needed it.”
Cotton led UPrep with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Webb had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Keone Manigault finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.
UPrep will face top-seeded Aquinas in the semifinals. The teams split a pair of games during the regular season with AQ taking a 68-65 decision in December. UPrep turned the tables with a 55-50 victory in early February. A 7:45 PM tip-off is scheduled Monday at Gates Chili High School.
Rush-Henrietta’s Jalen Taggart led all scorers with 25. Council added 18 for the Royal Comets (11-10).
RUSH-HENRIETTA
Graylin Strong 1 0-0 3, Ethan Dengler 1 1-2 4, Avery Council 7 2-4 18, Kobey Weeks 0 0-0 0, Jahquin Brown 0 0-0 0, Amir Abdul-Haqq 0 1-2 1, Myles Collins-Howard 2 0-0 5, Jalen Taggart 7 7-9 25, Parker Baldwin 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 18 11-17 — 56
UPREP
Ja’yvion Sampson 1 1-2 3, Gregory Bodine 2 1-1 5, Gavin White 1 1-4 3, Keone Manigault 5 2-2 13, Percy Robinson 0 0-0 0, Quentin Nowden 0 0-0 0, Jermelle Cotton 5 3-4 17, Knekose Mack 0 0-0 0, Alex Webb 7 1-1 15, Cai’ryn Jessie 1 0-0 2 TOTALS 22 9-14 — 58
RUSH-HENRIETTA 10 18 14 14 — 56
UPREP 14 6 22 16 — 58
3-point goals: RUSH-HENRIETTA 9 (Strong 1, Dengler 1, Council 2, Collins-Howard 1, Taggart 4); UPREP 5 (Manigault 1, Cotton 4).
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