The Rye Boys Basketball team claimed another trophy on Friday, March 13, defeating Smithtown West 51-47 to win the Regional championship. The dramatic victory propels the Garnets to the State semifinals, a.k.a. the Final Four, for the first time since 1989.
Rye stayed within shotuing distance of the Bulls throughout the night despite struggling mightily from the field for three quarters. They closed the game with some clutch three-point plays and defensive stops, highlighted by a Carson Miller block on one end of the floor and tough basket through contact on the other.
Miller led the Garnets in scoring for the second consecutive game with 18 points, 10 of which came in the final frame. Henry Shoemaker also crossed into double figures with 13 and a handful of creative passes to boot. Ben Hudson added a solid nine against a very tough defense.
As has been the story all season, the Garnets did not lead this game from start to finish. They trailed by as much as nine in the third quarter, but ended the game on a 12-4 run to seal their ticket to the State semifinals. Sebastian Lewis’ layup in transition with only two minutes and change remaining gave the comeback kids a 45-43 lead they would not relinquish. The senior’s other three points in the game came on the previous offensive possession, where he converted an and-one to tie the game.
Rye (20-5, 6-0 postseason) has a date with either Section 2’s Amsterdam or Section 3’s Nottingham in the Final Four, which begins at 11:45am on Friday, March 20. If Rye wins, they will play again over the weekend to try to secure their first ever State championship in school history.
