Jaydan Lorenzo wasn’t eligible to join the Newburgh Free Academy boys’ basketball team when they last met the Washingtonville Wizards in early December.

Deondre Johnson wasn’t there either, just four days removed from playing in the New York State Class AA championship game with the football team.

The Goldbacks lost their first game of the season to the Wizards by 12 points on their home floor, the first of three early season losses.

Johnson and Lorenzo combined for 40 of the Goldbacks’ 81 points in their 81-41 win over the Wizards on Friday afternoon at Washingtonville High School.

“We just wanted to get our “get” back,” Lorenzo said. “We wanted to show them what our full team is like. It wasn’t meeting our full potential and we’re getting better and better by the day.”

However, it was Johnson who owned the first half, scoring 21 of his game-high 23 points in the first half, most of it coming in the first quarter. He scored 15 in the first quarter, slamming down two dunks, helping the Goldbacks to a 27-8 after the first quarter.

Johnson scored six points in the second quarter, with two more dunks. Lorenzo scored 10 of his points in the first half, as the Goldbacks took firmer command with a 40-14 halftime lead.

“He’s always there whenever we need him,” Lorenzo said.
The Wizards took Johnson away in the second half, so that left it up to the guards for the rest of the way. Lorenzo added seven more points, and Elnathan Johnson added half of his 14 points in the third and fourth quarters.

“We just had to swing the ball as the bigs look opposite and just knock down open jump shots,” Newburgh coach Jason McAllister said. “Those two (Lorenzo and Elnathan Johnson) are really good shooters, and when we play against teams that switch to zone, it gives them time to set their feet.”

The Goldbacks’ defense shut down the Wizards main offensive threats. Jayden Vega scored a team-high nine points, six of which came in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach.

He also hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter.

Overall, the Wizards saw a different team than the one they beat, 59-47, two months earlier.

“I feel like me and Deondre just came in as leaders and we just made everyone improve,” Lorenzo said. “We just got better in practice, worked harder. Everyone just focused more, and we want to keep pushing.”

The Goldbacks are now in their final push toward the postseason. They entered the final week of the regular season with three games remaining. On February 6, they posted a 65-62 win over the Warwick Wildcats, who, after winning 14 of their first 15 games, have entered this week with three straight losses.

The Goldbacks, meanwhile, are trending upward as they head toward the Section 9 Class AA tournament with an eye toward defending their Section 9 Class AA championships.

“You always want to end the regular season on a high note so you have some momentum going into the playoffs,” McAllister said. “That’s been our goal. Just to get into the playoffs, and when our approach to play, ‘let’s be at our best,’ and we’re not there yet, but I like the way we’re going.”