Mahopac is Too Much for Somers in 72-57 Loss

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JV Photos v Panas

JV Photos vs Mahopac

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On Saturday December 21, Somers got up early and it didn’t take long for the Tuskers to be rudely awakened by Mahopac’s center. Big and wide for sure, Matt Reilly brought a lot more than muscle to the high school, and quick hands was the first indicator that the home team was in for a long day.

The steal made in the corner, Reilly dribbled up court like a point guard, and after Ryan Larue was the beneficiary at the line, the all around alpha led the way for a 72-57 win.

Of course, Somers had weapons too, and Mahopac wasn’t going anywhere with Phil Santore firing his howitzer. Trapped on the baseline, the guard persisted on his pivot foot to drop a jumper, and following Reilly’s one man fast break to make it 6-2, Santore kept pace and then some.

The sharp shooter hit a straight on three, and moments later, teed up another to the right. Down for a three count, the whistle accompanied the mastery, and the four point play gave Somers an 11-6 lead.

5:01 left in the first, Mahopac replied amply, which showed that the wolfPac was not a one man team. Drew Larue drove into the paint, kicked to his brother Ryan, and his touch pass to Ethan Dedvukaj resulted in a corner three.

11-9, Santore also proved multidimensional. The guard’s penetration drew the double team, and he dished the trigger to Chris Decker for the layup.

Up three, the show was definitely a good one, but Reilly was ready to put the stops on the Tusker production. His spin move through the paint netted one from the line, and a perfect read on the interior registered another steal. Geared up, he ran the floor all by himself and even eluded the transition defense on the way to the rim.

A 15-13 game in favor of Mahopac, timeout let the visitors shift the focus. First Dedvukaj caught the attention of too many trunks with his move into the paint, and the incursion left Ronan Hunter alone on the other side for an uncontested layup.

Santore did answer with an underhand layup between two defenders, but Mahopac closed the quarter. Dedvukaj came off the curl and hit a pull up for a 19-15 Mahopac advantage.

Santore held up his end nonetheless. Free in the corner, he let fly and kept his team within one. Of course, Mahopac had plenty of answers. After Hunter hit from downtown in response, Dedvukaj saved the ball underneath the Somers basket, and two offensive rebounds later, Reilly’s putback opened a 24-18 lead.

6:23 remaining in the half, Somers stayed strong, and minus the girth of his counterpart, Chris Spano still managed to flex. Posting up down low, he backed down and muscled the double team to keep Somers in range.

No problem, Mahopac covered the spectrum. Reilly bested his own double team in the paint, Justin Beberman beat Nico Quinones off the dribble, and Dean Ulaj’s block underneath returned Reilly to the gallop. Picking up the loose ball, the unicorn used his stride to gobble up hardwood and then sidestep the retreating interior defense.

No such sentiment for Santore, he finished the quarter like he started. After Leo Keimig sank two from the line, Santore came around the pick near the bleachers, and the Somers crowd was up in arms again.

Closing the halftime margin to five, the Tuskers didn’t stay in the neighborhood for long and began with Mahopac beating the press. Unfazed, Reilly calmly found Ryan Larue ahead, and his look led to a reverse layup by Ryan Lichtenberger.

Lichtenberger was on the back end too when Dedvukaj’s steal at mid court put the forward on the line for a pair. One of two, Reilly did the miss one better. He out leapt two Tuskers and scored the basket for a 36-28 lead.

In at 7:08, Somers’ last gasp was next. Chris Spano took a bounce pass inside from Kareef Martin, and the defense was split for a six point game.

Not for long, Mahopac beat the press again, and this time Lichtenberger was on the receiving end. Then Reilly added moving without the ball to his reel, and Dedvukaj had the look for his center’s layup.

40-30, Mahopac now turned the tables on the defense. The WolfPac forced three turnovers, and the disruption led to a 14 point lead. Somers did get to within ten on three occasions, but too much Reilly, too much passing and too much shooting kept Somers from getting any closer.

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