Back-and-forth battle slips away late for Somers basketball

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Thursday, Feb. 12, Somers traveled to Pleasantville and battled the Panthers in a back-and-forth contest for nearly two and a half quarters. With the score sitting at 32-30 late in the third, the game shifted behind one scorching hot hand.

Nathan Barreto poured in 11 straight points to close the quarter, and Somers never recovered in a 50-39 defeat.

Barreto was involved from the opening tip. After Declan Druder came up with a steal and converted a circus layup to start the game, Barreto followed with a basket on Pleasantville’s next possession to give the Panthers a quick 5-0 lead.

Somers answered after a timeout at the 5:41 mark. Ben O’Brien got to the line for two, Nico Quinones finished a tightly contested layup off the glass, and O’Brien connected from long range to spark the Tuskers.

Chris Decker, especially, made his presence felt. The big man turned a half-court steal into a thunderous dunk to pull Somers within one. Moments later, after another Panther miscue, Quinones pounced on a loose ball and lofted it ahead. Decker ran under it and finished the layup, giving the visitors an 11-10 lead with 2:10 remaining in the first.

Pleasantville responded. Druder knocked down a pull-up jumper and turned a defensive rebound into a coast-to-coast layup to close the quarter with the Panthers ahead 14-11.

The slugfest continued in the second. Troy Rossi delivered a perfect pass to Decker under the basket to send him to the line, while Barreto answered with a baseline floater. Kareef Martin then sliced through the defense to pull Somers within one.

But the Panthers created separation. Barreto drained three free throws after being fouled in the corner, and following an errant Somers pass out of bounds, Druder converted a three-point play to stretch the lead to 22-15.

Somers refused to fold. Dan Hauser followed Decker’s layup, Julian Rosa threaded his way through the paint to make it 22-19, and Decker went back to the line after securing a defensive rebound.

Decker stayed active on both ends, grabbing Leo Keimig’s miss — and his own — before converting the follow to put Somers back on top. With 40 seconds left in the half, the Tuskers executed one final possession. After O’Brien secured Druder’s miss, Quinones kept his dribble alive at the foul line and found Decker underneath for the closing basket, sending Somers into the break with a 25-22 lead.

Pleasantville came out strong in the third quarter, getting to the line twice to tie the game at 25. A three-pointer from Connor Day and a pair of layups by Druder gave the Panthers a six-point advantage.

With five minutes remaining in the third, Decker sparked a brief surge for Somers. Moving well without the ball, he converted underneath and then went coast-to-coast after a defensive rebound to keep the Tuskers within striking distance.

But with 3:31 left in the quarter, Barreto caught fire. His 11-point burst broke the game open, and Somers could only watch as the Panthers pulled away, sending the Tuskers home with a 50-39 loss.