Boys’ basketball Division IV Playoff

Down to the wire: Burke edges Bulldogs for division title

Game’s feverish pitch ends with Burke’s fourth-quarter comeback

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — No, it wasn’t the sectionals. Not yet.

But with all of the game’s dramatic intensity, the deafening cacophony of the crowd noise and the torrid atmosphere down in the bunker at Sullivan County Community College, you’d never know that it was a division title, not a sectional championship, that was on the line.

In a classic division tiebreaker between Sullivan West and John S. Burke Catholic, Burke overcame a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge the Bulldogs 42-39 in the waning seconds and capture the OCIAA Division IV title previously held by Sullivan West.

The February 18 clash was high school basketball at its best, and if things break right, the two teams will meet again for the Section Nine Class B title on February 28 at the college.

Before we get to the details of this game, a little controversy…

Earlier speculation about whether division tie-breaking games would be played was dispelled when the league referred to its own bylaws to require playoffs to determine division winners. Neither Burke nor Sullivan West had a problem with that.

But at the February 17 seeding committee meeting, the league warranted that the winners of those ties would draw the tournament’s top seeds. Sullivan West coaches Rick Ellison and Bob Menges were noticeably upset about that decision, especially since they were informed about it on the same day of the game. With the better record (16-3) to Burke’s (14-6) and Sullivan West’s five wins against Class A teams, Ellison and Menges felt their team was the logical choice to be Class B’s first seed since the league had set February 16 as the cutoff date for its final analysis.

In effect, the committee’s unusual decision essentially threw the regular season results out the window. In the words of Menges, “What was the whole season about then? How can you make this determination when there are so few teams in a division?”

After Burke’s win on Friday night, the discussion continued. “Had we won, we would have said the same thing,” Menges said, maintaining that this was not a case of sour grapes. Had Sullivan West won, the point would have been moot. The Bulldogs would have ended up getting the bye and a berth in the finals. As a result of their loss, the Bulldogs will now have to get by Highland on February 24 to earn the right to battle Burke for the sectional title.

The Highland Huskies are a dangerous team, one with an axe to grind against Sullivan West, the team that eliminated them 68-44 in last year’s semifinal. Joe Meyer celebrated his birthday during that March 5 win with four three-pointers. Teammate Sean Semenetz added four threes as the Bulldogs neutralized Highland’s height advantage in decisive fashion. After the game, Highland’s Coach Mike Millman resolved that his team would be back for a rematch with the Bulldogs, a game he predicted his team could win. Highland will now get that chance.

Bulldogs rule for 3½ quarters but Burke refuses to lose

Burke’s Kyle Byrons controlled the tip but it was Bulldog Sean Kelly who notched the game’s first points—three to be exact. Burke answered back with a basket by Andrew Jackson, but both teams looked tight and shots weren’t falling. The new venue, the large crowd and the magnitude of the game seemed to knock both teams off center.

The score stood frozen for nearly five minutes at 3-2 until Sullivan West’s Sean Semenetz hit a three-pointer at 1:39 to give his team a 6-2 edge. Kelly was fouled and made both of his free throws to give the Bulldogs an 8-2 margin before Dan Burke made both of his free throws to bring Burke closer at 8-4 as the first quarter ended.

Burke inbounded the ball and got a nice cut to the basket by Eric Melendez. Derek Hahn glanced one off the glass to make it 10-6. Kelly floated one in coming down the lane and when Semenetz hit his second three of the night, the lead bulged to 15-6.

The atmosphere in the field house began to resemble NCAA March Madness. Jackson made it 15-8, but a nice feed from Joe Meyer to Hahn put the “Dawgs” up 17-8. Green landed one home and suddenly Burke turned up its athletic intensity. The Eagles dove for every loose ball and wrenched the rock away from the normally tenacious Bulldogs. Green, Jackson and LaFrance took turns menacing point guards Kevin Cappiello and Joe Winski while forcing seven Bulldog turnovers in the second quarter, including a shot clock violation.

But still the Eagles struggled to score. Kelly drove the lane for two and was fouled. His three-point play made for the game’s widest margin at 20-10 and Sullivan West looked to be in a position to run away after Burke was ticketed for a shot clock violation.

When Green stole the ball and drove, Meyer fouled him up the floor. Green missed the free throw but angled out to swish a key three-pointer. Kelly answered right back with his second three of the night.

Then Kelly picked up his first foul. A succession of fouls would later cause the game’s leading scorer to be parked on the bench for nearly five minutes of the third quarter. “His absence took away our one player who was in a rhythm,” said Ellison after the game.

Byrons hit one of two from the line and the quarter ended on a missed free throw by Cappiello, followed by a Burke rebound that gave Jackson a basket. The teams headed into the locker room with Sullivan West leading 23-16.

Byrons opened third-quarter scoring with an uncontested cut to the basket, but then Meyer got hot. He made one of two free throws and followed it up with a three to push the lead to 27-18. Green hit one and Byrons swatted down a Hahn shot with a thunderous block. Byrons scored and the lead was narrowing. Kelly picked up his second foul at 6:01. Hahn blocked a pair of shots but the Eagles stole the ball again. As Green went up to shoot it, he was hammered to the floor and seemed shaken up. He made one of two free throws and the lead was cut to 27-23.

After a Meyer basket from the corner, Kelly picked up his third foul. Jackson elevated over Semenetz for two. Kelly lost the ball on the next possession but Meyer stole it right back. Kelly drove to the basket and was unceremoniously issued an offensive foul. It was his fourth. Emotions ran high as he was ushered to the bench by his teammates and coaches, but the Bulldogs led 32-25 after three quarters.

Kelly came back in. Meyer made one of two free throws but Burke’s LaFrance knocked down a shot. Green hit a pretty floater and Burke was on a run. Green’s two free throws followed another Bulldog empty trip and the Eagles were within two at 33-31. Moments later Byrons tied the game at 33-all. Meyer drove and notched a back-underhanded scoop and the Dawgs briefly led again. On their next trip down though, Meyer missed a front end of a one and one. Green was fouled and he hit one of two, and Burke trailed by one at 35-34. LaFrance was fouled and hit both free throws, giving Burke its first lead of the game with 3:13 to go.

With both teams in the bonus, the rim-attacking strategy was being played out by both teams. Meyer hit two free throws and the “Dawgs” led 37-36. After a Green miss, Nober blanked the front end of one and one and Melendez hit one of his two free throws to tie the game at 37 with 2:01 to go.

LaFrance traveled on a breakaway, and as tension mounted, the coaches took time out to draw up schemes. Mark Behan got his team up by two but Hahn tied it up again at 39 all with 51.9 seconds remaining. With the shot clock winding down, Jackson hit the game’s most decisive shot and the Eagles went ahead to stay.

With 17.7 seconds, the Bulldogs inbounded the ball. Kelly grasped for his own rebound but lost the ball out of bounds. The Bulldogs fouled LaFrance, who made one of two. Meyer missed a last-second game tying three at the buzzer and Burke’s players and fans erupted.

Kelly led Sullivan West (16-4, 5-2) with 15 points. Meyer had 12. The Bulldogs canned six three-point shots but went a dismal 7-for-13 from the line. Green led Burke (14-6, 6-1) with 13 points. Jackson had eight. “Winning the division means nothing,” said Jackson. “The Section 9 title is the one that matters. We know that and they know that. It makes the rivalry even better.”

Coach Neidig said, “We played very well tonight. When we were down by seven we made the plays down the stretch.

“Our kids are very athletic. We did a nice job on the boards and we limited their second shots and really got out on their shooters, something we didn’t do at Sullivan West. We also did a better job on Hahn.

“They’re a dangerous team when their shooters are hot. They present a big problem with four kids who can really shoot the ball. At times we have a problem with our spacing when we run up the middle of the floor instead of getting wide and letting the ball come to us. We did a better job in the second half,” Neidig said.

Burke will have a ten-day layoff before the finals. “We’ll just practice hard every day,” said Neidig, who predicted that the Eagles and Bulldogs would go at it again in the finals.

Ellison summed up the crushing defeat: “They out-executed us. We both went to the line in the fourth quarter, but they were 7-for-10 and we went 3-for-6. They played more aggressive basketball and extended their defense, but Highland is our only focus right now.”

Asked about his team’s psyche, Ellison said, “They’re upset. They know we didn’t play our best basketball, but these kids are resilient. They’ll bounce back.”

So much for the preliminary bout. Now get ready for the main event.