Senators roar back to beat Staples

Call the Brien McMahon boys basketball team the "comeback kids."

Despite trailing Staples 48-27 at home on Monday with just 3:37 remaining in the third quarter, McMahon showed its pluckiness, and roared back to defeat the Wreckers 64-62.

"You have to give credit to McMahon, they played good defense and rebounded," Staples head coach Colin Devine said. "We just didn't finish."

Senators head coach Mo Tomlin added, "It's a tribute to our kids. They have character, and their work ethic is huge. One thing I love about Brien McMahon athletics is its work ethic. Brien McMahon pride showed its head tonight."

Senators senior forward Darkym Stroud (15 points, 10 rebounds) ruled the paint in the game's final minute. Stroud hit two free throws after an attempted putback off the offensive glass to make it 61-59 with 41.4 seconds remaining.

"I knew I had to jump high to get the rebounds," Stroud said.

After sophomore forward Larry McKinney went 1-for-2 from the foul line, Stroud grabbed the offensive rebound, laid it in to give McMahon its first lead of the night, and drew the foul. He hit the free throw to complete the 3-point play with 25.7 seconds left, giving the Senators a 63-61 lead.

"I knew I had to be a spark plug off the bench and jump high," said Stroud, who had 13 points in the fourth quarter

Junior guard Andy Mitchell (10 points, six assists, four steals) lifted the Senators on both ends in the fourth quarter. Mitchell had five points in the final quarter, and kept McMahon in range by forcing two straight turnovers.

"Defense wins games," Mitchell said. "If we play our hearts out on defense, it becomes much easier. We had matchup problems on offense, but we made up for it on defense."

The Wreckers hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter, and senior Mike Argosh (16 points) led the way by draining three treys. Staples forced 15 McMahon turnovers in the first half and 20 overall. The Wreckers led 38-21 at the break, mostly with junior Pete Rankowitz hitting layups off outlet passes.

Rankowitz (24 points) had 13 points in the third quarter, and his layup gave Staples the aforementioned 21-point lead.

Guard James Frusciante's layup kept the Wreckers up by 16 after three, 55-39, but McMahon owned the fourth quarter. McKinney (seven points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals) was a defensive spark plug, and was a force under the glass.

"We played well in the second half," McKinney said. "In the first half, we came out slouchy and lazy. In the second half, we came out with a spark. Coach told us at halftime `we're playing like girls.' He told us we needed to play with our heads, and use our hearts."

McMahon guard Jimmy Martinez (14 points, three steals) found his shooting groove.

"I just wanted to play ball," Martinez said. "I wanted to play my heart out and get a victory on my 18th birthday. I realized I had to play hard for my team and get the W. My shots were going in, and coach said to keep shooting."

The Senators forced 21 Wreckers turnovers, including 16 in the second half. Staples also helped McMahon by missing 12 layups. Although they played poorly in the second half, the Wreckers looked like they were going to hold on after Argosh's layup made it 61-51.

"I told them at a timeout that we have an eternity remaining," Tomlin said. "I told them to keep digging. Staples was also getting tired."

McKinney added, "Basketball is a game of runs. Any time they go on a run, we had to counter with a run."

Tomlin's never-say-die attitude produced the desired results. Martinez swished a 3-pointer and Stroud connected on a 3-point play to make it a 61-57 game with 1:20 to go.

After Stroud's free throw made it 64-62, the Wreckers had one last chance. However, Rankowitz' 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer.

Juniors Kyle Jordan (eight points, five rebounds, two steals) and Justin Walker (six points) and freshman Timmy Hinton (four points) also contributed for the Senators.

"It's tough after coming off a win over Ridgefield," Devine said. "McMahon outplayed us down the stretch."

eschickler@bcnnew.com; 203-255-4561, ext. 115.