YORKTOWN, N.Y.—Lakeland’s Anthony Attanasio ignited a thrilling comeback attempt by scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter in a Jan. 18 contest against visiting Nyack, but the RedHawks were able to hold on for a 56-52 victory.
“It’s tough when you (Attanasio) are the point guard and you keep getting trapped on the way up, so when we can get into transition, and he can play, that’s his strong suit,” said Lakeland coach Shawn Sullivan.
“It’s hard to bring it up, get trapped, then get it back. Because we got the game going in a faster manner (in the fourth quarter), it opened things up for him.”
For most of the game, Nyack was in control, leading 43-28 at the end of three quarters.
“They are the most patient high school team we have ever played against,” Sullivan said of Nyack. “We kind of took away their key actions and they did a great job just beating us one on one. We couldn’t stay in front of them. So they get the credit—because they were patient, waited until something opened up, and then went one one-on-one and scored. Our help defense wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Treys by Attanasio and Mike Lucia (7 points) to start the scoring in the fourth quarter got the Hornets back on track.
“We were down by 15, we hit the two threes, and we were right back in it after that,” Attanasio said. “We were all locked in.”
Those two 3-pointers started a 14-0 run by Lakeland, that cut the Nyack lead to 43-42.
“We extended out defensively, which we’ve done a few times this year but this was the best result we had,” Sullivan said. “We had a lot of energy on defense, wanting the ball.”
Part of that run included a steal at half-court, which Attanasio took in for a layup.
“I knew they were going to go to No. 4 (Clyde Mackin) so I saw it, I hid, I tried to hide, acting like I wasn’t guarding him, and as soon as I saw the pass thrown, I jumped in front of it, and picked it off,” Attanasio said.
While Nyack ultimately held Lakeland off, the comeback attempt against an 8-4 RedHawk squad showed that the Hornets are to be reckoned with.
“It (comeback attempt) shows that we never give up, no matter how much we were down, we put up a fight,” Attanasio said. “It showed that we are a good team, that can compete with anybody.”
Oban Rader (13 points), Aadi Sandhu (5 points), Luke Lulanaj (5 points), and Sergio Hormazabal (2 points) also scored for Lakeland.
Ferrante buzzer-beater
Nick Ferrante’s 3-point buzzer-beater gave Lakeland an exhilarating 58-57 triumph at Somers on Jan. 16.
“Last play of the game, coming out of a timeout, obviously we have a certain play drawn up,” said Ferrante, who scored 6 points. “But the defense can you give some different looks and it doesn’t always work out as you plan it. Our coaches have done a great job preparing us for late-game situations in practice and going through a bunch of different possible scenarios.”
Rader (28 points, 10 rebounds) was originally supposed to get the ball.
“The play was drawn up to get Oban the ball in the post and let him do his thing,” Ferrante said. “He was having a very dominant game but he felt some pressure, moved the ball, and we were able to come away with it.”
Rader said the team focused on coming into the game with a lot of energy and intensity.
“We continued to battle all throughout the game and ultimately got the win, which was huge for us,” Rader said. “It felt great for all of us getting back on the right track.”
Rader credited teamwork for his individual success.
“During the game, my teammates did a really good job of finding me in open spots and we all moved the ball around well today,” Rader said. “My shot felt good today, which allowed me to capitalize off their great passes.”
Lucia (17 points), Hormazabal (4 points), Aadi Sandhu (2 points), and Attanasio (1 point) earned their way into the scoring column for Lakeland.
“It always feels good to get another win on our record, especially a league game when you've got guys like Oban Rader working very hard, scoring 28, and Mikey Lucia hitting five threes,” Ferrante said. “It’s just a great team win.”
Lakeland (5-7) began the week with a 51-26 loss at Rye on Jan. 14, with Aaryan Sandhu scoring 10 points, his career high on varsity.
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