Patriots Downed by Arrows in Boys' Hoops

Ward Melville came crashing out of the gate Friday night, but hosts Sachem East ended up shutting it behind them, clinching a 54-41 home-court win and locking up the Arrows boys basketball team's first playoff berth since its 2006-07 season.

Leading on scores and into battle, East point guard Dan Candemeres (25 points, a perfect 7-for-7 on free throws) knocked down a three for the opener just 30 seconds in. It was answered quickly by Melville's Gorkem Osman (10 points). East's Randall Colson (12 points) took home an emphatic dunk, assisted by Ryan Morahan (three assists) after reclaiming a loose ball, to knot the score 5-5.

Then, Melville pulled away with a two from Jesse Smith (his sole score for the game), a three from Andrew Aicher (11 points), and a two from lead scorer Tyler Hegarty (18 points, 2-for-4 from the line), before East called a 30-second time-out.

Melville led by 10 points (17-7) with nearly two minutes left in the first quarter, but a series of quick scores - Candemeres' trip to the line following a foul call on Osman, a two-pointer by Corbett under double-team pressure in the post, and Candemeres' two-point jump shot at the buzzer - had sliced the Patriots' lead to four.

Alec Daniello, assisted by Candemeres, filled it up for three more at the top of the second quarter to tie it 17-17. An inside attempt by D'Andre Smith (two points) got an aggressive put back  by Colson, but sparks of showmanship aside, both teams had hit a temporary plateau - each generated 12 points apiece just before halftime. 

Hegarty kept Melville in the fray with six points, going 2-for-4 for the quarter. Teammate John Edmonds (nine points), having drawn fouls from Morahan and Candemeres respectively, added a 3-for-4 performance.

Again trailing by four, East's Tim Doherty scored all five of his game points - first a three, then a two in quick succession - to tip the lead back to the Arrows 30-29. Holding Melville for eight points, Aicher broke the run with a three-pointer, draining another with :21 left in the third quarter.

"We really stepped up in the second half," said East head coach John Finta, adding that defending was every bit as crucial to the win. "We challenged the team to stick to what our core values are."

"Sachem was really able to bring it to us in the third quarter," concurred Melville head coach Jesse Smith. "They controlled the tempo and the boards, and that's the game."

East's Brian Corbett (six points, 2-for-4 on free throws) tipped in a two-pointer to lead his team by six heading into the final quarter, where Edmonds got things started with a three-pointer. Osman sunk a two and drew a foul from Corbett, but failed to get a three-point play for the tie. Colson edged East up on a two-pointer, and Candemeres dropped in three points with a foul call on Hegarty, converting it into a four-point play, solidifying a seven-point lead. 

Hegarty and Candemeres alternated on two-pointers for the fourth minute, then Edmonds sunk another three on a fast break to reduce East's lead to three. Hegarty's final two briefly make it a one-point (52-51) game, but Colson, just after a full time-out for the Patriots with 44.6 seconds left to play, popped up in the paint for the last score. The momentum and the board then stalled on a series of remaining time-outs.

Candemeres led East on defense as well, chipping in six boards. 

The loss notwithstanding, Smith maintained that Melville still has an eye out for a postseason presence.

"I still believe we're in the playoff hunt," he said. "It did make our roll rougher by letting this one slip." 

East (7-3 in League I, 10-4 overall) will head to Commack on Sat., Feb. 5 to play the Cougars (3-7 in League I, 5-8 overall) at noon. The game was rescheduled due to inclement weather. 

Melville (4-7 in League I, 6-7 overall) will host Patchogue-Medford (0-11 in League I, 1-13 overall) Tues., Feb. 8 at 6:15 p.m.