by TYLER HATHAWAY
NEWARK, N.Y– Collin George paced Newark (9-4) with 17 points, three steals, and two assists, and the Reds used a staunch defensive stretch in the first half to put together a lead big enough to withstand a late Palmyra-Macedon rally in a 57-50 win in Finger Lakes East action on Friday night.
Newark built a 17-5 lead through the first dozen minutes, thanks in part to a nine-minute span where it held the Red Raiders scoreless.
“We’re coming off of a loss, and it was really important to get back to playing Newark basketball,” said Reds head coach Justin Reho. “I thought we did that tonight defensively. We’ve been going through a slump offensively, and I’ve been really trying to get our guys to buy into not allowing how we play on offense to dictate how we play on defense. I thought we did a really good job of that today.”
George scored nine points in the second quarter to help jumpstart a Newark offense that only scored seven points in the first eight minutes.
“Stay in front of your guy, you got an assignment, and don’t let him beat you one on one,” the senior guard said of the Reds’ mindset on defense. ”And if he does, the weak side help is gonna be there, and that’s pretty much it.”
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“Wasn’t a great offensive job,” Reho said about the first half. “Pal-Mac did a great job defensively against us. But just the fact that we were able to hold a lead like that with people struggling to score a basketball, that’s what we hang our hat on. We preach our best offense is our defense. We thrive off getting stops and running in transition, and we didn’t get as much transition as I’d like, but the fact is that they didn’t allow their offensive struggles to impact how they played defense, and it showed in the first half.”
The Reds led 24-14 at halftime. Palmyra-Macedon opened the second half with a 12-5 run to make it a three-point game. However, Newark responded with an 8-1 run to close the third quarter. A similar thing happened in the fourth quarter, with a late 7-2 run by the Red Raiders making it a three-point game, but the Reds once again held firm, going 11-for-12 from the free-throw line down the stretch to preserve their lead.
“We preach don’t blink,” Reho explained. “Next guy up, and having that mentality creates a belief in all of the guys that they know no matter what. Basketball is a game of runs, and they (Palmyra-Macedon) were gonna come out swinging, and it was important that we countered back. We were able to stay resilient and keep fighting. I’m so proud of them for that.”
The two teams met in early December, with Newark coming out with a 51-46 win on the road.
“They’re right up the road, it’s always a battle,” said Reho of Palmyra-Macedon. ”It’s so fun to play these guys. It’s always competitive. They did a really good job at their place at making us match their pace. They do a really good job with their zones and switching of man defense to slow you down, and we’re a team that drives off transition and playing fast. Tonight, we wanted to speed them up and try and make them match our tempo.”
It’s the fourth win in the past five games for the Reds.
(Success) comes with our habits,” said Reho of the stretch of good play. “And our habits are family and team first, just continuing to preach that it’s for the good of the team, not just for me. We do that in practice, and it translates to the court with the way they play as five guys on defense.”
“Just staying together as a team, even when times get tough,” George explained. “We stay together, that’s probably the biggest reason.”
Heredia finished with 11 points. Terrell Jenkins tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Jahnor Allen produced 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Sam Underhill (4), Blake Steve (3), and Jykell Rodriguez (2) also scored.
For Palmyra-Macedon (8-5), Eli Smith led the Red Raiders with 17 points. Brandon Conley added 10 points. Jackson Dennine had nine points. Other scorers for the Red Raiders were Cameron Quick (5), Rhett Engels (4), Derek Leone (3), and Blake Stephens (1).
“Our good defense in the first half,” said George of why they pulled out the win. “We came out a little slow in the second half, but then we got it together, and knocking down free throws really helped us, too.”
Newark’s next game is Tuesday, when it will host Wayne. Palmyra-Macedon also plays Tuesday night, as the Red Raiders will travel to face Vertus.
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