Valley Sports ReportCANTON — Junior Rommel Suba knocked down a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to lift Sayre to a 36-35 win over Canton here Thursday night in NTL Small School Division boys basketball action.
"It was a well-played game tonight," said Sayre coach Paul Blythe. "They are young just like us, and we knew they would be hungry just like us.
"(Canton coach Brock Kitchen) is one heck of an Xs and Os coach, and I love coaching against him," noted Blythe.
"We had some guys play big possessions for us tonight. Defensively we played well, got stops when we needed to.
"I’m most proud of how we didn’t wilt under the pressure," said Blythe. "It’s been a tough start to the year, but we never gave up tonight and we could have."
Sayre struggled offensively in the first half, but the Redskin defense kept them in the game. Canton led 15-13 at the break, with sophomore Riley Johnson scoring eight points for the Redskins.
Suba scored seven points in the third quarter to fuel a 9-4 spurt that gave the Redskins a 22-19 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Both teams saw their offenses click into gear.
Junior Declan Barry scored seven points, including a 3-pointer, for the Redskins, and senior Carter Bleiler knocked down a 3-pointer, but the Warriors outscored Sayre, 16-12, and led 35-34 with 10 seconds remaining in the game.
"Canton made a run at the end and was up 3, but we battled back," said Blythe. "In the closing seconds, Rommel Suba knew we needed to get down the court quickly, so he went coast-to-coast and drew the foul, then sunk both clutch free throws for the win."
Barry led Sayre with 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Suba had 11 points, three rebounds, and three steals, Johnson had eight points, 13 rebounds, and one blocked shot, and Bleiler had three points, eight boards and one blocked shot in the win.
"Brayden Northrup, a sophomore, played timely defense for us and has really stepped into his role as a solid minutes guy when we needed some speed and tenacity on defense," said Blythe.
Sayre, now 2-11, hosts Canton Saturday afternoon in a 1 p.m. JV start.
"We see Canton again Saturday, and it’s probably gonna be another barn-burner," said Blythe.
—————————
IN PHOTO: Sayre's Rommel Suba. ... VSR STOCK PHOTO.
