Panthers win Cornwall tournament

By Mike Zummo
Posted 1/5/22

The Wallkill boys’ basketball team had two defensive struggles in as many days.

Both of which resulted in victories as the Panthers remained unbeaten after beating the Washingtonville …

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Panthers win Cornwall tournament

Posted

The Wallkill boys’ basketball team had two defensive struggles in as many days.

Both of which resulted in victories as the Panthers remained unbeaten after beating the Washingtonville Wizards, 46-40, on Wednesday afternoon to claim the Glenn McGinnis Holiday Tournament championship at Cornwall High School.

“We came off pretty slow, not really hitting our shots and not moving the ball correctly,” said Wallkill’s Jeremy Figueroa, who scored 13 points for the Panthers and was named to the all-tournament team. “But as the game went on, we moved together and started working together. Our defense was extremely good because we’re all on the ball pressure with getting steals, rebounding the ball.”

The Panthers trailed the Wizards by two points at halftime, and found their leading scorer, Mat Shea, in early foul trouble.

However, Shea had a big third quarter scoring half of his game-high 14 points in the period as the Panthers turned a two-point deficit into a four-point lead.

“It was frustrating,” Shea said. “I had to keep my head up and stay confident and keep our team focused on the defensive end a little more because I got in foul trouble.”

Foul trouble didn’t deter Shea in the third quarter as he knocked down an immediate 3-point basket to give the Panthers a 24-23 lead and then added a free throw to widen it to two points.
The Panthers never trailed again in the game.

“Washingtonville’s a really tough team defensively and they were able to disrupt us,” Wallkill coach Hunter Andrews said. “We didn’t have our best offensive game, a bit of a letdown after we beat a strong Monroe team coming off that game. But we stayed composed and we were excellent on the defensive end, and that’s really what carried us throughout the entire game.”

Shea carried the Panthers when it mattered the previous day in a 55-54 win over Monroe-Woodbury, hitting two free throws in the final seconds to give the Panthers the win. He scored 25 points in the game.

“These games were brutal,” Shea said. “The outcomes were, obviously, great for us, but I feel like that a little bit of fatigue may have carried into today from the last game because that game was crazy. I can’t use that as an excuse. It was fun out there.”

The Panthers got contributions from all ends in the championship game, even if the offense was unsettled. Figueroa was able to grab some key free throws, especially on free throws.

“I knew I had to grab those for my team,” Figueroa said. “At the end of the day, that’s for my team, not myself.”

Jack Rauschenbach added 12 points for the Panthers, but he scored his four most important points in the final 70 seconds. With the Panthers leading by three points, he was found under the basket twice for two easy layups, giving them a 7-point lead.

“R.J. (Taylor) found him underneath the basket both times,” Andrews said. “Those are huge. He’s a great rebounder for us, but he’s got some offensive game, too. So, they left him alone there, which was great.”

The Panthers are off to their best start in recent memory, having won their first eight games to go unbeaten into the new year. The last two games were their closest of the season.

“It’s been great,” Figueroa said. “The journey’s been great, and we want to keep pushing. We’re going to improve every single day. We’re going to keep working and just keep improving as best we can so we can keep moving forward.”