On Thursday, December 5th, East, Middle College, & McKinley all played in consecutive games at the Pastor-Cooper Showcase.  East and McKinley both won going away and grabbed the attention of area high school hoops fans in the process.  For Middle College, they started slowly against St. Mary's and couldn't shake off a sluggish start in time to overcome the Lancers, losing a close one.  Since then, all the talk surrounding the Yale Cup has centered around two teams, McKinley and East.  Meanwhile, the Kats have quietly awaited their opportunity to become a player in the Yale Cup I race.  On Monday night, Middle College showed that league titles are not decided in December, and certainly not decided through the opinions written by media types.

 

Bri'an Brown scored a game-high 24 points and Joseph Staton add 14 points as Middle College used a big third quarter to down East, 61-49, in a key Yale Cup I contest.  With the win, the Kats move into a tie for first place in league play with McKinley…who just happens to be coming to twon this Friday night.

 

"It's a great win for us, but let's call it what it is – they're a completely different team without their 6-8 big man (referring to Tyree Tyson).  I don't know if he makes up 12 points tonight, but I bet he would have made up at least 10 points" Middle College head coach Randy Rich said with a grin.  "It's still a great win for us".

 

The two Yale Cup I powers, who are quickly becoming rivals in the newly reformatted Yale Cup, were dead even through one quarter, 12-12, and only a bucket in the waning moments of the first half from East's Damone Brown gave the Panthers a 24-23 advantage at halftime.  Brown scored four of East's six points through the first portion of the third quarter and still had his team in front of the Kats, 30-29, with under 12 minutes left in the contest.

 

That's when Staton, a Middle College sophomore, knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game to give the Kats the lead.  It turned out to be for good.  Brown followed Staton's trey with his second bucket of the quarter, and he was just getting warmed up.  He scored 11 consecutive points for the Kats as part of a 17-4 run.  

 

"I knew I needed to help the team out after we struggled to score in the second quarter, so I just tried to pick up the slack" Brown said.   The three-year varsity starter, who was coming off a 40-point performance against Bennett two games prior, is so much more aggressive this season.  He gets to the basket with ease, gets up high, and finishes very well.

 

The run that had began with a Staton '3', ended the same way, as the guard drained one from the left side with 11 seconds left in the third quarter to punctuate the run, draw a roar from the senior night crowd on hand, and push the score to 46-34.  During the final stanza, East climbed back to within four points after Shawn Young connected from beyond the arc in the corner.  However, the Kats came right back down the court and got the ball to Staton, who banged another timely 3-pointer to spark a 12-4 finish to the game for Middle College.

 

Following the game, I asked Rich if the sophomore had the green light to fire up the long range bombs.  "I'd say he's got the greenest light we've ever given" said Rich of the sharp-shooting Staton.

 

Middle College used a 2-3 zone against East for most of the game, and it worked wonderfully.  The Panthers struggled to find production in the paint, and found it equally difficult connecting from beyond the arc, with the exception of three treys from Young, who is the team's 3-point ace.  East senior transfer AJ Ayala had an off night from the perimeter and never even attempted a shot fake and drive, which seemed to be one of the few things the zone was offering up, as it paid special attention to Johnathan Lewis and Percy Bryant whenever they possessed the ball.

 

Rich, in his sixth year as head coach of the Kats, deserves credit for cranking out another top notch team this year.  Yes, he's had some talent to work with there, but that's not the only reason Middle College has been so successful (three sectional titles in four years, with two trips to Glens Falls, including a state championship in 2010).  The second-ranked Class C team in NYS plays hard, but always under control, and does an excellent job of executing on both ends of the court.

 

Kevin Briggs added 12 points in the win for the Kats.  Lewis led East with 16 points, while Bryant added 11 points.

 

-centercourt

@centercourt42