(Noah Hutchins led Park past #1 WNY small school Health Sciences/Photo: Larry Scheur)
Park 65, Health Sciences 52
With 2:21 left in the third quarter, Tysheen Lott's 3-pointer tied things up for Health Sciences, the #1 small school, against Park, who entered as the top ranked large school in WNY. But over the game's final 10 minutes, the high-scoring Falcons had the straps put on them and managed just 11 points the rest of the game, as the Pioneers pulled away. Health Sciences held a 30-29 lead at halftime thanks to its own strong defense, with Park struggling to find offense against the Falcons' zone. In the second half, Quentin Nnagbo and Juliam Eziukwu each stepped up their performance for Park, combining for 11 points after no field goals in the first 16 minutes. Noah Hutchins led the way for Park with a game-high 24 points, adding seven boards and six assists in the win, along with a concentrated effort at the defensive end.
Park 19 – 10 – 20 – 16 = 65
Health 17 – 13 – 15 - 7 = 52
Point Totals
Park: Noah Hutchins 24, Dan Scott 13, Brandon Smith 10, Quentin Nnagbo 7, Julian Eziukwu 5, John Orogun 4, Jaylen Syewart 2
Health: Tysheen Lott 15, Kam Briggs 13, Davonte Gaines 11, Tayvion Nelson 5, Donovan Miller 4, Shakir Cook 2, Jalil Harvey 2
Records
Park: 16-5, 8-2 / Next game at St. Francis Monday, February 12th
Health: 15-3, 8-0 / Next game vs. East Saturday, February 10th
Player of the Game
Noah Hutchins – Park
Unsung Hero of the Game
Quentin Nnagbo – Park
Key Stats
Park: Quentin Nnagbo 8 rebounds, 2 steals, & 1 block / Noah Hutchins 7 rebounds & 6 assists / Dan Scott 6 rebounds
Health: Davonte Gaines 12 rebounds
Key Runs
Health Sciences finished the opening quarter with an 8-3 run to pull within two of Park, 19-17. A 13-3 stretch in the second quarter led to the Falcons leading 30-29 at the break. Park closed the game out with a 16-3 finish to earn a convincing victory when it was a three-point game in the fourth quarter.
3-Pointers
Park (7): Noah Hutchins (3), Dan Scott (2), Brandon Smith (2)
Health (3): Tysheen Lott (3)
#BOOM
John Orogun and Noah Hutchins each threw down two-handed finishes for the Pioneers
Coaches Quotes
Rich Jacob – Park
General thoughts
That's a competitive Health Sciences team. I thought that was a great game, certainly anybody's game, and I'm glad we came out on top.
On Noah Hutchins
He's coming into his own by taking leadership. He's such a quality character and he cares so much, sometimes that can challenge a great leader. He's taken upon himself full responsibility for what happens to this team and it shows these days.
On second half improvements
We changed some defenses effectively, were able to stop penetration, and I thought our big guys, specifically in the second half, started to control their side a little better. We decided to go big coming out of the second half. Our bigs were effective tonight and we need them to be. When you have the size, you need to be able to use it.
Ty Parker – Health Sciences
On where the game got away
I think the game plan we had for the majority of the game worked, we just fell apart internally at the end. Tysheen Lott was having a great game and we got away from getting him the ball.
On what needs to change
We've got to learn how to close tight ball games out. In the second half, we got to going one-on-one instead of playing team ball. We haven't yet played a 32 minute game and until we do that, we will never win the big games.
Random Smatterings
– In a game that was played at the pace of last night's contest, I thought it favored Park. There wasn't a lot of transition play, so execution came to the forefront. With Park having Noah Hutchins controlling the ball, they were at an advantage. Also, the defensive play of Hutchins and Dan Scott on the perimeter was outstanding. Add to that the size of the Pioneers inside when the Falcons penetrated, and points against Park became few and far between.
– Quentin Nnagbo & Julian Eziukwu came to play in the second half after a quiet first half.
– Park's victory was definitely aided with some precise free throw shiooting in the fourth quarter, going 9/10.
– It was a game between the the top ranked teams in the large & small school polls and there was an overflow crowd on hand watching. But the game still lacked energy. The crowd was mostly quiet and the teams were more methodical than intense.
– The 52 points scored by Health Sciences was a season-low. However, Tysheen Lott was a bright spot for the Falcons at the offensive end, playing aggressive and seeing his shots fall.
– Kam Briggs had a play in the game where he dribbled through the defense, took exactly what they gave him, and got the finish. Against quality defenders and a whole bunch of size, I had to mention it, because it was impressive.
– Health Sciences has one game remaining against East on Saturday. That should provide a decent barometer of where they stand in the upcoming Class B2 sectionals. Middle College looks to be the Falcons' main competition in that bracket and the Kats split with East during the season, winning the most recent meeting.
-centercourt
Leave a Reply