From Ithaca Journal
01/17/2013
Senior Bryan Norman scored a game-high 23 points, while holding Moravia star Dylan Powers to 11 points, as the host Dryden Purple Lions knocked off the previously undefeated Blue Devils, 67-65, in Interscholastic Athletic Conference action Tuesday night.
Gage Ellis added 18 points, including the game-winning layup off an assist from Norman in the final 15 seconds for Dryden (7-4, 7-3 IAC), which rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit. The winners survived a last-second shot by Moravia (9-1, 9-1 IAC), ranked 12th in this week’s state Class C poll.
Six-foot-5 freshman Ali Abel-Ferretti chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds for Dryden.
Chase Walker led the Blue Devils with 21 points, while 6-7 junior center Chandler Benson added 20.
The Blue Devils led after the first quarter, 21-16, then outscored Dryden by nine in the second quarter to take a 43-29 lead into the intermission. Dryden coach Kim Brown said his team struggled against Moravia’s zone defense in the second eight minutes.
“We started to settle for jumpshots offensively and that hurt us,” he said in an email. “Zones get some players to fall into that false sense of security that a 20- to 25-foot jumpshot is a good look.
“At halftime, I told the guys that they need to find a different mentality when they step inside the lines of the playing court,” Brown said. “We were not aggressive offensively and it showed.”
Led by Norman’s eight points in the quarter, Dryden used a 17-0 run to outscore the Blue Devils in the third, 20-12, to pull to within six points heading into the final period. The Lions took their first lead late in the quarter and, up 65-63 in the final minute, Powers got fouled as he drove to the basket and made both free throws to tie the game.
Dryden called a timeout with 30 seconds to play and drew up the game-winning play, which started with Norman coming off a screen against the Blue Devils zone and finding Ellis along the baseline for a easy layin.
“We had run that set several times during the game and had success with it,” Brown said. “It was nice to have success with it once again during a pressure-packed situation.”
Both teams called a timeout in the final seconds, and the game ended with a well-defended Benson finding Sam Allen along the right wing for a 3-pointer, which fell short. The ball was batted into the right corner as time expired.
“This is a good win for us,” Brown said. “We came off a difficult loss Friday (at 17th-ranked Lansing) in which we played very hard. Hopefully we can build some momentum as we head to the later part of the season.”
Dryden has a bye on Friday, while Moravia hosts Marathon.
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