Billy Moran Tip-Off Classic Tournament

Buzzer beater

Sullivan West’s Spruill ties the game against Spartans in final second and Reimer wins it in OT in Moran opener

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — With only two games into the young season, Sullivan West is showing remarkable resiliency and poise despite the loss of the nucleus of its 2006 team to graduation.

In their first game, the Dawgs unleashed a torrent of 11 threes to down oversized Webutuck. Clearly more than a one-day wonder, the Bulldogs outlasted S.S. Seward 56-55 in overtime in the opening round of the Billy Moran Tournament to turn heads again.

The win propelled Sullivan West into the championship game against high-flying Port Jervis, which had subdued athletic Walton 64-51 in the tourney opener.

Trailing 10-2 early to veteran-laden S.S. Seward on December 6, the Bulldogs, paced by team lead-scorer Brad Reimer, countered with a fine effort and timely shooting to assume a 14-12 lead after the first quarter and played to a 23-all tie by halftime.

Down by three heading into the fourth quarter, the Dawgs pulled off a thrilling 56-55 overtime victory, made possible by a buzzer-beating floater by James Spruill in the final second of the fourth quarter to send the game into OT.

A key shot by Reimer won it, much to the delight of a noisy home crowd that held its collective breath as Seward’s Jeremy Harter launched a floor-length shot in the final 1.7 seconds of overtime that came up short and handed the Bulldogs the emotional win.

The electrifying finish would have pleased Moran, a stellar basketball, football and baseball player. Following his untimely death in April 1981 that resulted from a car accident during a Utica College spring training baseball trip, his parents Kathleen and William set up a scholarship fund to honor students that mirror Billy’s fine academic and athletic excellence, coupled with exemplary character.

Following the three-school merger, the scholarship became part of the Sullivan West tradition. The tournament, which serves as a fundraiser, is the annual home opener for the Bulldogs.

The Seward Spartans came into the tournament at 2-1, with wins over Eldred and Chester. They lost their season opener to James I. O’Neill. Seward returned veteran senior forward Sadam Sahmanovic to the fold, along with long-range threat Jeremy Harter and fine-shooter Kevin Papageorge.

Sullivan West had to deal with Sahmanovic’s post presence and his ability to run the baseline and score. In addition, S.S. Seward’s tough man-to-man defense forced the Bulldogs into a perimeter game. As Seward was soon to learn, though, the Dawgs could hit big shots when they needed them.

Sahmanovic and Papageorge staked the Spartans to an early 6-0 lead before Justin Armstrong broke the drought halfway into the first quarter. A kick out from Sahmanovic to guard Scott Glowaczewski netted two, and a drive by Papageorge gave the Spartans two more as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead.

A pull-up jumper by Dan Figueroa, a three by Reimer and a subsequent three by Jason Leewe led to the Dawgs’ 14-12 lead after one.

Much to the chagrin of coach Cliff Kelly, the Bulldogs squandered a great defensive effort to start the second quarter by allowing Dan Chevrier to can a three with one second left on the shot clock. Harter’s second three and a shot by Papageorge made it 23-16, but the Dawgs played tough defense and ripped off a 6-0 run, fueled by a Reimer three, to pull within one at 23-22 by halftime.

Harter and Sahmanovic pushed Seward to a six-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs answered with two from Leewe and a game tying shot by Spruill. Both teams battled hard. The Spartans emerged with a 39-36 lead at the end of the third.

Papageorge opened the fourth with a bucket, but a Reimer three cut the lead back to two. High-intensity play led to a game-tying shot by Sullivan West’s Justin Armstrong, but this fray was far from over.

Reimer scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, keeping the Bulldogs within striking distance. They trailed by four with 39 seconds to go after Ed Mythen hit one on the baseline.

With fouls to give, the Bulldogs fought desperately to stop the clock. When Harter missed the front end of a one and one, Chris Story got the rebound with 10.1 seconds remaining. Following another Seward miss, Reimer got a key rebound and, as the clock went down to zero, Spruill hit a floater in the lane to tie it at 52-all and send it into overtime.

A three by Harter in OT gave the Spartans a 55-52 lead and Sullivan West looked to be on the brink of a defeat with a couple of untimely turnovers and a missed shot by Leewe. After being fouled by Glowaczewski, Reimer missed the front end of a one and one, but Story put back the rebound to make it 55-54. A miss by Papageorge netted Reimer a rebound. He came up the floor and hit what would be the game-winning shot. Following a final miss by Seward, they fouled Leewe with 1.8 seconds left. A heated discussion about remaining timeouts then ensued, as Seward coach Rob Gravelle insisted that he still had one remaining.

Officials eventually granted it to him. Leewe missed the front end of a one and one. Seward took the time out, but Harter’s floor length shot failed to change the outcome.

Sullivan West coach Cliff Kelly noted that Seward was able to use Sahmanovic’s presence in the post, and his ability to run the baseline effectively complimented Seward’s long-range shooting ability. Kelly said his team responded well to the challenge, especially with its timely shooting and key stops.

Reimer led Sullivan West with 19 points. Spruill and Dan Figueroa each added 10. The Bulldogs were only one for seven from the line. Harter’s 19 points, which included a trio of treys, paced Seward. Sahmanovic added 14 points for the Spartans, who were two for six from the stripe.

Sullivan West (2-0) will face high-flying Port Jervis in the tournament final at a future date not yet determined. The Spartans (2-2) will play Walton (0-1) in the consolation game on the rescheduled date of the tournament’s conclusion.

A rematch with the Spartans was scheduled to be played in Florida on December 11.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game photos.