By PAUL GOTHAM
PENFIELD, N.Y. — Blake Steve scored nine of his game-high 20 in the third quarter, and Newark boys’ basketball outlasted School of the Arts (SOTA), 65-54 in the Penfield Holiday Invitational on Friday.
Leading 30-27 after two quarters of play, Steve connected on a trio of 3-pointers in the third. Part of an overall effort, that saw the junior guard find the range from distance on six occasions in the contest.
“It’s the first game he’s started, so it’s him feeling the confidence we have in him,” said Newark head coach Henry Kuperus. “To all our shooters, if they’re open we want them to knock shots down. Him starting tonight made him feel we believe in him.”
For Kuperus, Friday’s game was a way for his squad to face their final loss from the 2023-24 campaign.
“This is the team that knocked us out in the first round of sectionals last year,” Kuperus said referring to the 68-58 setback to SOTA in the Class A first round. “We wanted to play them again and get a different experience playing different schools. Our non-league schedule is really good. Tomorrow we have Penfield. We play Canandaigua in a couple weeks.
“That’s how we set up the schedule. It’s not about bolstering our year-end win-loss record, but being able to give us the best opportunity to bring a block home at the end of the year.”
Eric Finn from Levar Moore gives @Newarkredshoops a 50-44 lead in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/qR6T2UyjVI
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 27, 2024
LeVar Moore, off the turnover, makes it 62-47 @NewarkAthletics pic.twitter.com/6tVg3cJsnF
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 27, 2024
Steve was one of four Reds to hit 3-pointers in the win.
“It was about being confident in ourselves on offense and not giving up second-chance opportunities,” Kuperus said. “It’s been kind of a little pandemic of ours with other teams having five, six, seven, eight, nine offensive rebounds early in games.”
Newark used Steve’s long-range effort to take a 48-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
Jahnor Allen also hit from distance in the third. Terrell Jenkins had four points in the frame and Eric Finn accounted for two.
“In the third quarter we came out with some good energy,” Kuperus said. “As much as I don’t like to say it, we knocked some shots down and then gave us some energy. It doesn’t make me happy as a defensive-minded coach, but we have to roll with what we have.”
Jenkins finished with 12 points in the win. Allen had 10. Finn (8), Levar Moore (8), Ramon Heredia (5) and Sam Underhill (2) also scored for Newark (3-2).
Latrell Ingram led SOTA with 19 points. Ishmael Gonzalez and Paul Stevens added 10 points apiece. Zayvier Little (6), Bennie Laver (5) and Quincy St. Louis (4) also scored for the Silverhawks.
Leave a Reply