With one more opportunity to showcase itself against a foe from outside the Empire State, the Jamesville-DeWitt boys basketball team again matched the moment.
Going to the Pavilion at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia Saturday night, the Red Rams met area power Northeast Catholic and took charge in the second quarter on its way to a 68-55 victory in the Primetime Shootout.
Now J-D is in proud possession of a 36-game win streak, something it enhanced by wading through a mediocre start before finding its top form.
Northeast Catholic inched in front of J-D 16-12 by the end of the first quarter, no doubt wanting to control tempo while, at the same time, reigning in the Rams’ lethal attack.
That effort proved futile, though. In the second period, J-D clamped down on the defensive side, holding Northeast Catholic to just eight points, and started to convert on a regular basis as it seized a 30-24 halftime advantage.
Amid a wild third quarter, J-D doubled its margin by scoring 25 points to Northeast Catholic’s 19, and had enough patience down the stretch to work its way to victory.
The Rams showed more depth in its attack, as Brandon Triche augmented his 20 points with 10 assists. Lamar Kearse found his outside shooting touch, hitting on a trio of 3-pointers as he matched Alshwan Hymes with 13 points, with DaJuan Coleman adding 11 points. By contrast, Jack O’Neill, with 15 points, was the lone Northeast Catholic player to score in double figures.
In what promises to be a memorable evening, Triche and Hymes make their last regular-season home appearances Friday, when J-D hosts Chittenango.
