Spartans hold off Cyclones

Seniors are supposed to make big plays to win games. That’s why coaches rely on their experience in tight situations.

South Jefferson did just that Friday night in a close game against Watertown in the Frontier League “A/B” Division championship game at Jefferson Community College.

Neither Ryan Clark nor Mitch Modlin, two of the Spartans’ senior starters, had huge games. But Ryan Clark converted a big follow shot and made two big free throws in the final minute, while Modlin also hit two foul shots with 5.1 seconds left as the “B” Division champion Spartans (16-2) held off the “A” Division Cyclones, 53-50.

“You absolutely want them on the floor and making plays when it counts,” said South Jefferson coach Fred Piche. “Ryan’s put-back was probably the biggest play of the game. And then he and Mitch just stepped up (to the line) and hit clutch shots with all the pressure on their shoulders.”

Even so, Watertown (9-9) had a couple of chances to pull out another dramatic win in the final seconds.

Down 51-49, sophomore Ernest Dauda missed a short-range shot after Modlin missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Two more missed free throws by South Jefferson’s Matt Bero at the 10-second mark was followed by a Spartans’ foul on Dustin Pond just past midcourt. Pond, who had made 8 of his 11 free throw attempts, missed the first then made the second to get his team within a point.

Modlin redeemed himself by calmly sinking both free throws, and Pond could only heave up a desperation half-court shot at the buzzer.

“We had our chances. That’s all we wanted,” said Watertown coach Jeff Britton, sporting a newly shaved head after his Cyclones upset Indian River for the “A” crown. “But tight games like this aren’t determined by one play. We made enough mistakes early to cost us.”

Junior Tom Bassett led South Jefferson with 14 points and Bero added 10. But the biggest lift came from 6-foot-5 junior center Jake Worden, who had missed the last three games with a concussion.

Worden returned in style, scoring 11 big points and grabbing 11 rebounds to give the Spartans’ an inside presence they had been missing in his absence.

“Jake really carried us in the third quarter,” said Bassett. “Just having him in the paint makes a huge difference in our offense and defense.”

Piche said Worden “is still not in game shape. But with him in there it forces defense to pay attention, and that should give our shooters some open looks.”

Unfortunately, the Spartans are not making many open shots of late. They hit just two 3-pointers Friday.

“We’re certainly not shooting as well as we can,” said Piche, whose club will be seeded second in the Section 3 Class B Tournament on Sunday. “Going forward, we’re not going to advance very far without hitting some shots in the half-court.”

South Jefferson jumped out a 13-6 first-quarter lead. But WHS fought back and trimmed the deficit to 25-23 at halftime.

Worden scored eight points in the third quarter as the Spartans seized a 40-36 lead.

WHS stayed close in the final quarter, turning over the Spartans with their pressure. But they could not convert enough turnovers into points.

“We didn’t have anyone other than Dustin step up offensively like we did against Indian River,” said Britton.

Pond scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in another herculean effort. But no other Cyclone had more than eight points.

South Jefferson routed WHS 75-47 on Jan. 18 in Adams. “But we knew this would be a lot closer because Watertown had been playing a lot better,” said Bassett. “The key tonight was we kept our composure and took our time with the ball when it counted.”

Indian River 60, General Brown 50

Quincell Rahmings scored 23 points and Darrius Bryant added 19 as the Warriors beat the Lions in the “A/B” consolation game.

The Warriors (16-2) raced to an 18-3 first-period lead and never trailed.

Josh O’Hearn and Joseph Simoneau each scored 13 points for General Brown (10-8).