Maloney Boys Beat East Lyme in OT Nailbiter

As the final seconds of Thursday night’s Class L state tournament second-round game ticked down, Maloney was watching its memorable season start to fade away.

But then Ryan Belote got to say something about it. With 3 seconds left and the Spartans down 62-59, Belote shook loose from an East Lyme defender and nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game.

“The play was designed to be a double screen, and either Gemel (McLeod) or I were supposed to take the final shot. So with four seconds left I just had to take it,” said Belote.

The tie score threw the game into overtime, which Maloney handily won. The victory improved the Spartans’ record to 24-1 for the season and set up a quarterfinal date with Kennedy of Waterbury Monday at 7 p.m. in Meriden.

Maloney is seeded second in the tournament, while 26th-seeded Kennedy upset No. 10 Sheehan of Wallingford Thursday, 49-46.

The Spartans’ victory was a positive sign for the team coming off a loss in its most recent game to Windsor in the conference tournament final.

For East Lyme, it was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for head coach Dan Spellman.

“I kind of want to cry right now. These kids played their hearts out. It was the best we played all year,” Spellman said.

Belote has led Maloney in scoring all year, but it was a rough start for the senior. After scoring only two points in the first half, Belote came out on fire in the second half, making six of his first 10 shots. He ended up leading all scorers with 22 points for the night.

As time was running out on Maloney’s season, everyone at the game knew where the ball was headed for the last shot, but East Lyme still found themselves unable to stop Belote.

“They got the ball with 25 seconds left and we defended very well till about 4 seconds were left, and even then we were still guarding him. We did all we could,” said Spellman.

It was all Maloney in overtime. The Spartans outscored East Lyme 11-2 to make the final score 73-64.

The game got off to a slow start for Maloney, however, as it found itself trailing 31-23 at halftime. East Lyme was lead by Angel Ortiz, who had 15 points in the first half.

As well as East Lyme played in the first half, Maloney played even better in the second half. Ortiz was held to only five more points in the game, giving him 20 points on the night. This, along with Belote scoring 20 points in the second half, kept the Spartans' season alive.

The game was also another milestone for Belote, who scored his 1,000^th point in his career at Maloney.

“I’m happy now that it's over with,” said Belote.

As for the students at Maloney, they are grateful to have their star player around for at least one more game.

“I’m thankful for Ryan, he’s a hell of a player. I had confidence in him the whole time,” said junior Justin Ferreria.