Wallkill’s boys’ basketball team has had its run of the floor this season, but Tuesday, Jan. 8 against New Paltz, the defending Section 9, Class A champion, the visitors let the home team stay close until the fourth quarter.

And then the Huguenots, in the final eight minutes, went on a 19-8 run to beat the Panthers 65-47 as Wallkill scored the fewest points of the season in a game.

“At the end there in transition,” said Hunter Andrews, Wallkill’s coach, “they could really go.”

New Paltz went to work early, leading 11-2 three minutes into the game. Wallkill trailed 33-26 at the half before the Huguenots started to pull away in the second half.

Jack Baccaro and Demetress Wilson each scored 11 points for Wallkill. But Baccaro was scoreless in the fourth, and Wilson scored 2 points in the final period. Mathew Shea led the Panthers with 14 points, 6 of which were scored in the fourth quarter.

Boxing out was an issue for Wallkill, which was burned by too many turnovers and the scores coming from those takeaways. Axel Rodriguez led New Paltz with 17 points and the Panthers kept him in check through three quarters to just 5 points.

In the fourth Rodriguez exploded for 12 points, landing a three and going 3 for 3 from the foul line.

“I thought we did a really great job for three quarters,” said Andrews. “We were within 6 (points.)”