JAMES A. ELLIS
Amsterdam's Rocco Natale (1) draws a foul from Mohonasen's Carter Bullinger (3) as he drives to the hoop during Wednesday's Section 2 Class AA opening round game at Amsterdam High School.
By James A. Ellis
AMSTERDAM — When Amsterdam and Mohonasen met in a non-league matchup on Feb. 8, the Rams were able pulled off a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Mohonasen 56-48.
Wednesday, the Rams and Warriors squared off again in the opening round of the Section 2 Class AA tournament.
Seventh-seeded Amsterdam again found itself trailing No. 10 Mohonasen at the half and staged a second-half rally. Only this time the second-half surge fell short as the Warriors held on to defeat Amsterdam 43-33 and advance to face second-seeded Mekeel Christian Academy in Sunday’s quarterfinal round at Siena College.
“It was hard facing them again, but we had time to go back and watch the tape and see what we needed to improve on,” Mohonasen senior Drew Batcher said. “Fortunately we had enough to hold them off this time.”
The Warriors dominated play, especially under the basket where the physical play kept the Rams from getting into a rhythm of play.
The Warriors’ attack also hurt Amsterdam, as key players Aundray Fowler and CJ Miller saw limited time in the opening half due to foul trouble.
Mohonasen took full advantage of the situation to build a solid 28-11 halftime advantage.
“Give them a lot of credit, their physicality I believe was the difference in the game,” Amsterdam coach Tim Jones said. “They were really able to bump and, to their credit, they were able to get away with it and hold us to 11 points. We were flat in a couple of areas but give them credit, they rebounded the ball very well.”
The Rams found the offense it was lacking in the opening half in the third quarter.
With Miller leading the way with eight points and Rocco Natale hitting for six, Amsterdam put up 20 points to trim the Warriors advantage down from 17 to five points, 36-31, heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Defense took over for both squads in the fourth quarter as Amsterdam held the Warriors to two field goals and the Rams managed one field goal in the quarter as Mohonasen closed out the 43-33 victory.
The Warriors’ Jordan Knight led all scorers with 14 points, while Batcher hit for eight and Carter Bullinger chipped in with seven.
“We did a good job in the third quarter,” Jones said. “We did a great job of trying to get back in it and we did but couldn’t finish it.”
Miller paced the Rams’ scoring with 12 points, while Natale had eight points and Jude Flint finished with six.
With the Rams’ starting five consisting of a junior, three sophomores and a freshman, Jones sees a bright future for the Rams.
“That is just it. It was a tough loss, but whenever you lose it is a tough loss,” he said. “We are just going to keep working together and growing as a team.”
Mohonasen 14 14 8 7 — 43
Amsterdam 6 5 20 2 — 33
Mohonasen — J. Paolino 1-2-5, L. Paolino 1-0-3, Bullinger 2-2-7, Shaffeeulah 2-1-5, Knight 6-2-14, Lott 0-1-1, Batcher 3-2-8. Totals: 15-10-43.
Amsterdam — Natale 3-2-8, Fowler 1-0-3, Tirado 0-2-2, Daley 0-2-2, Flint 3-0-6, Miller 6-0-12. Totals: 13-6-33.
JAMES A. ELLIS
Mohonasen's Jacob Paolino (1) and Amsterdam's Hingston Daley (5) hustle after a loose ball during Wednesday's Section 2 Class AA opening round game at Amsterdam High School.
JAMES A. ELLIS
Mohonasen's Jordan Knight (20) is guarded by Amsterdam's Jude Flint (11) as he moves the ball toward the hoop during Wednesday's Section 2 Class AA opening round game at Amsterdam High School.
