By Mike Zummo
The Wallkill Panthers gave up 22 points before they finally scored a basket of their own.
They were shutout in the first quarter by 19 points and then allowed three more before Alex Marshall’s jump shot put the Panthers on the board. The Panthers eventually pulled themselves to within a point but were unable to finish the comeback in a 58-50 loss to the John S. Burke Catholic Eagles on Saturday in the consolation game of the Glen McGinnis Holiday boys’ basketball tournament at Cornwall High School.
“It was a bit of two completely different groups there from the first quarter to the last three quarters,” Wallkill coach Hunter Andrews said. “I’ve never been part of a game where we’ve been down 22-0 and then come all the way back to get it to a one-point game in the fourth quarter.”
The Panthers actually got to within a point in the third quarter when Moses Hunter knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:36 to go in the quarter to pull the Panthers to within 37-36.
However, the Eagles scored the next three points to take a 40-37 lead and a basket by Isaiah Williams pulled the Panthers back to within two points again.
A foul shot by the Eagles’ Jayce Lee restored a three-point lead heading into the third quarter.
“From the second through the fourth quarter, it was a tremendous, great effort,” Andrews said. “Great hustle and they executed better offensively, but that first quarter was near impossible to come back from.”
But they still tried and closed to within a point twice in the fourth quarter. The latest was when Williams knocked down a pair of free throws with 5:46 left in the game. However, the Raiders scored five straight points to take a six-point lead.
A basket by Lynch cut the lead to two with 3:26 remaining, but the Eagles answered with three straight points to take a 50-46 lead. The Panthers went fouling to prevent the Eagles from wasting the clock, but they hit their free throws and widened the lead.
“They’re hungry,” Andrews said. They’re a tremendous group of young men who want to win. Their focus was there, as were their energy levels and effort, but we can’t not have that for the first eight minutes of a 32-minute game.”
Alex Marshall led the Panthers with 13 points and was named to the all-tournament team.
“He’s been great all season,” Andrews said. “He’s been a great leader. He’s been able to score the ball for us. He’s playing a little bit out of position as a point guard. He’s more of an off-ball player, but his leadership has gotten guys into what they need to do. He’s tough, he’s physically strong. We saw today what he can do offensively.”
Lynch and Williams finished with 11 points each.
Ryan Shust led the Eagles with a game-high 17 points and was named to the all-tournament team, Dylan DeMaro added 11.
The Red Hook Raiders defeated the Cornwall Dragons, 60-51, in the championship game. Matt Simmons was named tournament MVP and Brady Kelly was named to the all-tournament team. Cornwall’s Jack Demetriow was named to the all-tournament team.
The Panthers lost to the Dragons, 63-46, in Friday’s first round game.
“We lost two games here, two in a row against two good teams, but the schedule is not going to get easier,” Andrews said. “We’re getting better, which is the most important thing.”