Wildcats Earn a Much-Needed Victory Against Valhalla
Wins have been hard to come by for the Westlake boys’ basketball team this season, so last Tuesday’s big victory against Valhalla was just what the doctor ordered for the Wildcats.
“It’s been a challenging season, but to the boys’ credit, they’re not quitting,” said Wildcats coach Steve Gage shortly after his team had escaped with a 59-56 triumph over the host Vikings at the Kensico School.Richie Maio scored 22 points and Tommy Hopkins added 16 as the Wildcats managed to hang on down the stretch in a game they never trailed in. It was Maio who clinched the victory when he hustled into the left corner to grab his own missed free-throw attempt with four seconds to go and Westlake clinging to a two-point lead.”Every win is meaningful and this one especially is given our record and how many close games we were in before,” said Gage. “We’ve played a lot of really tough teams and we always seem to be coming up a little short, but not today.”
In avenging its loss to the Vikings early in the season, Westlake scored the game’s first two baskets, both by Maio, and never allowed Valhalla to get closer than two points the rest of the way. The Wildcats took a 34-31 lead into the halftime intermission, then went on a 9-0 burst to open the third quarter, sparked by three baskets from Hopkins, the 6-foot-6 senior center who had been limited to just four points in the opening half.
But led by Terrance Tribble, who scored a game-high 26 points, 17 of them coming in the second half, the Vikings were able to slice their 12-point deficit in half before Westlake’s Dan Grieco made a short jumper at the buzzer that enabled the Wildcats to take a 52-44 lead after three quarters.
Tribble made 10 of 19 shots from the field, including his last six, and grabbed 13 rebounds. He provided something to cheer about for the home fans midway through the second quarter when he intercepted a pass and went the length of the court for an emphatic one-handed dunk.
Early in the fourth period, Tribble scored three quick buckets, but the Wildcats were able to maintain control as Maio twice dribbled the ball to the top of the key and connected on long jump shots. A pull-up jumper by Luke Adams gave Westlake a 58-50 lead, but Maio collected his fourth foul with 5:20 remaining and was forced to the bench.
“And we’re down guys as usual,” said Gage about having to make do without his reliable point guard for portions of the final minutes. “We’ve got three players that are injured, two guys that play a lot of minutes. Unfortunately, Richie and Luke got in some foul trouble. And the other guys stepped up. Everyone played and everyone stepped up and contributed, which is a really good sign for a team.”
A layup by Peace Ilegomah, Valhalla’s 6-9 freshman center, moved the Vikings within six points. Tribble’s put-back basket with 56 seconds remaining narrowed the gap to 58-54. Maio missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity with 15 seconds left. Chris Strnad’s layup 10 seconds later whittled the Wildcat edge to just two points and set the stage for Maio’s clutch rebound of his own missed foul shot.
There were four seconds left on the clock when Maio stepped to the line again for another 1-and-1 chance. Realizing his free throw was going to miss to the left of the rim, he burst in and won the race for the ball in the corner. He then made the front end of yet another 1-and-1 with a second to go. Tribble grabbed Maio’s missed second attempt, but his full-court desperation heave fell short as the Wildcats began their celebration.
“That just talks about who Richie Maio is,” said Gage of the instinctive hustle play that ended the Vikings’ comeback bid. “He’s the heart and soul of the team and a kid who never quits. When it comes down to it, life and basketball is about character. And you just saw one of the kids with a tremendous amount of character.”
So the Wildcats were able to walk away with some sweet redemption for the 15-point loss they had suffered to Valhalla in the opening round of their own holiday tourney in early December.
“It’s just one of those days where we were really focused and I’m really happy for the kids,” said Gage, whose team went on the road again 24 hours later to beat Hen Hud behind 27 points from Adams and 20 from Maio.
“The kids showed their character and they deserved it,” he added. “They worked hard. We made a conscious effort to play better defense and I think defense always leads to some good offense. It kind of fell into place.”
Andy is a sports editor at Examiner Media, covering seven high schools in the mid-Westchester region with a notebook and camera. He began there in the fall of 2007 following 15 years as a candid photographer for the largest school picture company in the tri-state area.
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