Senior Nick D'Apolito scored 10 points in the final three minutes to lead Wayne Valley to a 54-51 win over Kennedy on Tuesday.
WAYNE – Wayne Valley senior Nick D’Apolito is a pass-first point guard; a player who prides himself on getting his teammates good shots and playing solid defense. While those are qualities that any coach would love to have, being a leader is the ability to adapt when the game is on the line. With the Indians’ leading scorer having fouled and facing a fourth quarter deficit against a gritty Paterson Kennedy team, D’Apolito was forced into being more aggressive offensively. A tall task for a player who had just one point going into the final three minutes of the game, but also a challenge D’Apolito was happy to embrace.
He scored 10 points over the final three minutes, including tying and go-ahead 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, as Wayne Valley battled back for a 54-51 win over Kennedy on Tuesday in Wayne.
“I will take the ugly win over the great loss every time,” said Wayne Valley head coach Joe Leicht. “Kennedy plays great defense and they really gave us problems for most of the game. A credit to us is that we found a way to win things aren’t going our way. Our defense kept us in the game and we made enough plays to get the win.”
The Knights made it clear right from the opening tap that they were going to set the pace. Their diamond-and-one full-court trap gave the Indians fits throughout the first half. Jaden Mason’s 3-pointer from the corner gave the Knights a lead at the end of one.
They maintained that lead for the majority of the second quarter until a late run pushed the Indians back in front. Bryce Flower’s driving layup amid a 7-0 run gave Wayne Valley a 28-24 halftime lead.
Tyler Veale was already heating up for the Indians before the break and carried that momentum into the third quarter. A 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper made it a seven-point lead, 37-30, the largest for either team during the game.
Jay’den Jones came off the bench and made an impact immediately two steals and two buckets in an 8-0 run to end the third with Kennedy holding a 38-37 lead.
As quickly as it appeared Wayne Valley was in control, the Knights snatched it right back both figuratively and literally. Jay’den Jones came off the bench and made an impact immediately two steals and two buckets in an 8-0 run to end the third with Kennedy holding a 38-37 lead.
Wayne Valley’s Luke Rubino got on track with five straight points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, he picked up his fifth foul with over six minutes still to play in regulation. A steal and a layup by Micah Pierce followed by a 3-pointer from the corner by Jayshon Pickett put Kennedy back in front of this see-saw affair.
Having played just 34 seconds in this game prior to Rubino fouling out, Adam Rabboh came on in his place and provided a much-needed spark for Wayne Valley on both ends of the floor. His layup tied the game before he found D’Apolito on the wing for the tying 3-pointer. Rabboh then forced a turnover that led to the go-ahead three from D’Apolito.
The Knights had one more push left in them with Jones scoring to tie the game at 51. Without Rubino on the floor and the defense shaded towards Veale, D’Apolito knew he had to take it himself. With a hand in his face, he rose up from the elbow and hit a shot off the glass for a 53-51 lead with 28 seconds to play.
“When (Rubino) fouled out, I knew someone had to step up and take on some of the scoring and I felt I could take that spot,” said D’Apolito. “I wasn’t hitting my shots early in the game but hit the shots I needed to hit. It’s always fun when you win these close, grind-it-out games.”
Kennedy had two cracks to tie the game or take the lead, but was not able to produce a quality look on either possession as Wayne Valley escaped with a hard-fought win.
“We haven’t had our whole team all season and it showed up in instances like we had today,” said Paterson Kennedy head coach Tommie Patterson. “Playing a lot of young guys, it’s really on-the-job training. Today was a tough lesson to learn for those kids. I’m proud of how hard we played. I think we’re better than the seed we were given (The No. 8 seed) for the county tournament. But either way, we’re going to compete every time we step on the floor.”
Veale tied for game-high honors with 15 points, all of them coming in the second and third quarters for Wayne Valley (11-5). D’Apolito added 11 points. After having just two games of 10+ points over the first ten games of the season, he now has reached that mark in five of the last six games. 6’10’ center Zach Erstine finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Despite being saddled with foul trouble all game, Rubino chipped in with nine points.
Pierce finished 15 points for Paterson Kennedy (6-9). Mason and Jones added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
With the Passaic County Tournament starting this week, Wayne Valley, the No. 2 seed, feels it has what it takes to defend its Passaic County crown. While they are confident in their chances, they know the execution must be better moving forward against one of the most well-rounded PCT brackets in recent memory.
“It’s good to get a win here, but we have to play better in the county tournament,” said Veale. “When things aren’t going well, we always stick together. That’s the strength of this team and that’s what we’ve been doing all year.”
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