Rams Hold Off Desperate Sailors Rally

CARMEL—The way things were unfolding during the final minute of Carmel’s non-league game against visiting Hendrick Hudson last Wednesday night, it looked like the Rams were headed for another disappointing finish.

BASKETBALL
CARMEL 60
Hendrick Hudson 59
CARMEL 59
Yonkers 53

Ryan Shilling gets sandwiched between two defenders on his way to the basket. During the last two seasons, the Rams have been on the wrong end of way too many disastrous endings.

But in this game—and so far this season— Carmel appears to be turning the tide.

In a game that the Rams appeared to have in hand, Hen Hud charged back in the final moments, and the Sailors actually took a 59-58 lead with 8.6 seconds remaining, when TJ Olesczuk drained a three-pointer from the top of the circle.

Carmel’s Mike Rooney skies to the basket for two of his 19 points against Hen Hud last week. SKIP PEARLMAN SKIP PEARLMAN But following a Carmel timeout, the Rams caught a break when Mike Rooney corralled an offensive rebound and drew a foul trying to go back up with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Considering the fact that the Rams had just missed the front end of two one-and-one situations just minutes earlier, Carmel fans were on the edge of their seats.

But Rooney delivered the goods, calmly tying the game, then adding the go-ahead bucket that gave the Rams their fifth win in seven tries, 60-59.

“It was really nice, excellent to see,” Carmel coach George Coates said. “It’s never a lack of effort—they always give 110 percent. But we usually find a way to lose. This time we found a way to win… we’ve got to get the confidence rolling.”

Bashkim Rugova (11) of the Rams goes in for a layup in win over Hen Hud. Rugova finished with six points. Carmel opened strong, and held a 16-9 lead after a quarter. The Rams stretched the advantage to 32-20 at halftime, and led 49-38 at the end of three quarters.

But a 21-10 Hen Hud run in the fourth brought the Sailors within reach in the final moments. Olesczuk, who finished with 15 points, and Dylan Stewart (13) led the Sailors’ rally.

Carmel again got balanced scoring, and strong contributions from several sources.

Rooney’s 19 points, two steals and two assists led the way. Alex Grace added eight points and grabbed seven rebounds, Loughran had seven points to go with five assists and three steals, and Victor Satlov had seven points. Bashkim Rugova provided energy and scored six points, Aaron Smith came up with seven points, four steals and two blocks, and Ryan Shilling corralled six rebounds to go with four points.

Alex Grace (21) of Carmel had eight points and seven rebounds against Hen Hud. Loughran showed an ability to penetrate at will, and either scored or kicked it back out, creating opportunities for teammates. And Rooney continued his strong play, hurting the Sailors from all angles.

“Mike is one of the hardest working kids we have,” Coates said of Rooney. “It was nice to see him put those two (foul shots) through. We also got significant play off the bench. Bashkim gave us a lot of energy, and Victor Satlov gave us two big outside shots. Loughran hit a big three after they had taken a lead, and that was big. And Grace had his best game yet, he was very consistent. He’s been improving every game. Smith played incredible defense, and Scott Smith played well for us off the bench.”

The Sailors fell to 3-3 with the loss.

Carmel opened the week with a 59- 53 victory over Yonkers in another non-league game, this one played the prior Tuesday on the road.

The Rams again started strong, then let the Bulldogs (0-6) come back in the second half.

Carmel led 17-11 after one, 37-26 at halftime, and 45-42 at the end of three quarters, thanks to a 16-8 Yonkers run in the third.

Rooney’s 23 points and five assists led Carmel. Shilling added 14 points and four assists, and Loughran had 10 points.

Josh Grant led Yonkers with 25 points, and David Czerniawski had 18 points.

“We were up 14 in the third quarter, then they went on a run,” Coates said. “But in the fourth Shilling and Rooney picked up the leadership… Mike got some good shots, and got to the foul line. Both of them refused to lose this game. They kind of took the team on their shoulders and got us the victory.”

Carmel was set to travel to Yorktown on January 8 for a 7 p.m. game, then visit Mahopac on January 9 for a 2 p.m. league game.