SALAMANCA — Salamanca played one of its strongest efforts of the boys basketball season for a packed-house rivalry game on a special fundraising night Friday.
The Warriors had three double-figure scorers led by senior Hercules Rasha’s 22 points, but didn’t have an answer for Randolph’s Tyler Hind.
The sophomore sharpshooting guard, a prolific shooter, made four three-pointers, but made his biggest impact driving to the lane, where he made finished six two-pointers and made 13 of 14 free throws in a 37-point night as the Cardinals outlasted Salamanca, 59-50, in CCAA East I play.
Ten of Hind’s 37 came in the fourth quarter.
“He’s worked really hard,” his dad, Randolph coach Kevin Hind, said. “He’s in the weight room three, four days a week. He took a beating out here tonight. They played him physical, they played him tough, they had their hands on him, they fouled him, he went through contact and never said a word. He just kept on playing, stayed focus and it’s just a product of hours and hours and hours offseason, in the weight room, in the gym, by himself and just loving the game. You get yourself ready for a night like tonight.”
Hind also dished out five assists for Randolph (10-7, 8-0), while eighth grade center Gabe McCoy added eight points and team-highs with 10 rebounds and five blocks.
A reigning co-player of the year in CCAA East I, Hind worked effectively against whatever plans Salamanca coach Adam Bennett threw at him.
“We did everything we could,” Bennett said. “We chased him off screens, we blitzed him off screens, we went over top, we went underneath, we doubled him, and to his credit, he’s a sophomore that is so incredibly smart. He can make adjustments on the fly on the court and that’s rare for a high school sophomore to do that. That 37 was reflective of him being a coach’s son and his talent. He gets the best effort from every team he plays on him every night and he still finds a way to be productive and he never talks, he’s a polite kid and he’s a great representative of their program.”
Rasha had 22 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Warriors (5-11, 1-7) in his third straight 20-point game and second straight double-double. Junior Ira John (eight rebounds) and freshman Isaac Brown had 10 points each.
“He’s had a great stretch for us and he’s continuing to play hard,” Bennett said of Rasha. “It’s his senior year. This is a special game for him, but he was a man out there tonight and he showed what he can do. He rebounded the ball well, he’s able to finish inside, he can stretch it out outside. It’s just like with Tyler. Herc, everybody knows when they play us. They’re going to give Herc their best and he’s still finding ways to be as productive as he is, which is a good sign.”
Trailing 29-23 at halftime, Salamanca cut Randolph’s lead to 35-34 on a Ryan Chiemara steal and transition layup late in the third quarter. But the Cardinals scored the game’s next 12 points, extending a 47-34 cushion two minutes into the fourth and never let the deficit get closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Cards haven’t lost a league game since Feb. 8, 2016, 50-45 against Gowanda. Their big men have become a bigger reason why lately. McCoy stepped into the starting lineup automatically as an eighth grader after an injury to Bernard. With Bernard back in the lineup, RCS has two strong post defenders and rebounders, one acclimating to varsity play and the other working into shape after a foot injury.
“I’ve never coached one person in a season as much as I’ve coached Gabe,” Hind said. “It just feels like 90 percent of practice is trying to teach Gabe five years worth of basketball in a two, three-month period. Andrew getting hurt, I couldn’t take him out. He had to stay in there and learn on the run.
“I could take him out the other night, he came out and got a little sad and we played without him a little while. He was used to being able to play through it. Now you bring Andrew back as a three-year varsity guy as a junior, they were really focusing a lot of attention on him inside, which then opens a lot of things up outside as well.”
Inspired by seventh-grade modified basketball player Andy Herrick, son of Warriors assistant coach Greg Herrick, Salamanca hosted a Beat Cystic Fibrosis Night, raising and donating $1,333 with donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and asking a packed house of spectators to wear purple.
Bennett thought the big crowd helped spark an energetic start for his team.
“We have to continue to play with that kind of effort down the stretch, it can’t just be for the rivalry games,” he said. “Tonight was special with raising money for cystic fibrosis (research) and all the people that were here supporting Andy. We’ve got to play with that intensity for the rest of the year and if we do, we’re going to be fine.
“It’s our rival on our home floor on a special night,” Bennett elaborated. “What I’m proud of is they played so hard from start to finish. There was never a lull in our energy and our effort. We guarded about as well as we could, they just have guys that can make plays and they made some in the second half. We made a run to cut it to one and they answered right back and did a good job. They’re so well-coached and they’re the standard of our league. We’re all trying to get to where they are right now. I think our guys proved to themselves tonight they can play with anybody, we’ve just got to finish.”
Randolph (59)
Steward 2 0-1 5, Hind 10 13-14 37, McCoy 4 0-1 8, Bernard 2 2-4 6, George 1 0-0 3. Totals: 19 15-20 59.
Salamanca (50)
Hedlund 3 0-0 6, Siebert 0 0-2 0, John 4 0-0 10, Chiemara 1 0-0 2, Rasha 8 5-7 22, Brown 3 2-2 10. Totals: 19 7-11 50.
Randolph 18 29 43 59
Salamanca 14 23 34 50
Three-point goals: Randolph 6 (Steward, Hind 4, George), Salamanca 5 (John 2, Rasha, Brown). Total fouls: Randolph 13, Salamanca 18. Fouled out: None.
JV: Randolph, 46-42.
