By E.Jay Zarett
The Syracuse Academy of Science boys’ basketball team kept up with Jamesville-DeWitt for 12 minutes in the Section III Class A Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
The fifth-seeded Atoms battled second-seeded J-D through the game’s opening quarter and a half. The teams were tied at 22 at the end of the first period and S.A.S took a 33-32 lead with just over four minutes remaining before halftime.
But, the Red Rams closed the half on a 16-3 run and S.A.S never recovered, ultimately falling, 87-71, at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena.
“It gave us a lot of confidence,” J-D head coach Jeffrey Ike said about his team’s run. “It settled us down a little bit. Confidence going into halftime is a great thing.”
Ike is in his second year at the helm of J-D and the sectional championship is his first as the Red Rams head coach.
“It is very important for our program,” Ike said. “To have all the hard work that we’ve talked about over the last two years, to have that pay off in the fashion that it did tonight, is really special. I couldn’t be prouder.”
The Red Rams had fallen, 80-68, at S.A.S on Jan. 11. The loss was one of just three that J-D suffered during the regular season. Ike said that his team found success today against the Atoms because they cut down on their turnovers.
“I think it was just our patience,” Ike said. “All week, we worked on breaking [S.A.S’s] press, being strong with the basketball. We were ready today.”
Forward Buddy Boeheim led the Red Rams high-scoring offense throughout the game. He scored nine points in the first quarter and finished the contest with a triple-double, tallying 28 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. Boeheim also knocked down two 3-pointers.
“He’s a special player,” Ike said about Boeheim. “He makes everybody else around him better. But, I think on the flipside of that, the guys on the team also make Buddy better.”
Following the game, Boeheim said that he was motivated by J-D’s loss in the sectional semifinals to CBA a season ago.
“I told Ike after the (CBA) game that ‘I’m not letting that happen this year,’” Boeheim said. “I would do anything to win this. I’m so happy that we got it done. This is the most important thing for me to get in my high school career.”
Three other Red Rams joined Boeheim in double-figures. Matthew Carlin totaled 22 points and hit six 3-pointers, Takuya LaClair tallied 15 points, while Darvin Lovette added 14. Symir Torrence led S.A.S with 27 points.
J-D will return to action in a regional final at SRC Arena on March 11. The Red Rams will face the winner of Monday’s regional semifinal between Section II champion Lansingburgh and Section X’s Massena.
