The Rye Basketball team nearly pulled off a shocking comeback on Friday, February 13, but fell 68-64 in overtime to Iona Prep. The Garnets saw the Gaels score 20 of the first 24 points in the game, but clawed all the way back to force the extra four minutes, even in the defeat.
“I am so proud of my team,” Head Coach Tommy Proudian told MyRye.com on Sunday. “They were getting manhandled, abused, embarrassed. They could have quit. They could have given up. But not them – they’re winners. They showed such great character, grit, mental toughness, resiliency, and resolve. An incredible effort by them all.”
The Garnets entered the heavyweight non-league matchup as underdogs despite their five-game winning streak and league title, and things were not looking good when Iona went up 12-0, 17-2 and 20-4 at its worst. Thanks to incredible sticktuitiveness and efficient shooting, Rye actually took a 56-55 lead in the final stages of regulation and had the last look before overtime with the score knotted at 60, but could not complete the comeback. Still, taking Iona Prep to overtime on the road despite an early 16-point comeback is about as no small feat.
“This is such a great sign heading into the playoffs, knowing we can walk into any gym, any environment, and have a chance to win,” Proudian continued. “A total team effort and a win in my book given what we were up against.”
Carson Miller led the scoring with 26, kickstarting the comeback with his three-point shooting. Ben Hudson and Henry Shoemaker both produced 16 and 14 points respectively, and the rest of the starters and bench did enough to help Rye score 64 points, one of their best offensive outputs of the year. Rye resident Joe Wolf led the Gaels with 20 points.
“Miller, Hudson, and Shoemaker were outstanding on both ends,” Proudian said postgame. “Lewis, Hess, Wing, McKiernan, and Shirakawa played their hearts out and made major contributions.”
The win streak comes to a close for Rye, who drop to 14-5 on the year but remain 6-0 in league play. Their next game will be at home at the Cube (RHS Gym) in round one of the Sectional playoffs. Relive the loss to Iona Prep here.
