Morris boys finish strong, win T-V title

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February 20, 2012

By Greg Klein Contributing Writer The Daily Star Mon Feb 20, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

ONEONTA _ Mike Deluca scored 17 of his varsity-high 22 points in the first half, but he saved his two best plays for the second half to lead Morris to its second Tri-Valley League boys basketball title in three years. The Mustangs beat Cherry Valley-Springfield, 55-40, on Saturday at Oneonta State.

After the Patriots tied the score at 33 with 4 minutes, 8 seconds left in the third quarter on Wyatt Crowley's layup, Deluca made a pair of plays to key a 9-1 run that led the Mustangs to a 42-34 lead after three quarters.

First, Deluca drove the lane and made a behind-the-back pass to Scott Maricle for a layup that made it 35-33. Then, a minute later, he made a NBA-length three-pointer with Crowley in his face as the shot clock expired to make it 38-34.

"I saw (Scott) open and I thought I had to do it," Deluca said about his pass that charged up an already boisterous Mustangs crowd. "The three-pointer, we really had a bad possession. I kind of got bailed out on the shot. I think if I hadn't made it, I would have heard about it from coach."

CV-S, which won last year's league final, 48-31, over Edmeston, erased a 10-point deficit earlier in the game, but this time it had no answer for the Mustangs. After tying the score at 33, the Patriots scored seven points over the final 12 minutes.

"Deluca, he was out of his mind tonight," said Morris coach Dave Sander, whose team beat the Patriots, 39-30, in the 2010 T-V final. "He had as good a first half as I have seen him play. That three-pointer was, what about 5 feet behind the line? And that pass was nice and Scott was able to finish it."

CV-S went into the game trying to slow down Deluca and fellow junior Levi Decker. Although Decker had 15 points, seven came at the foul line. As for Deluca, he had 14 points in the first quarter, but the Patriots made an adjustment defensively and slowed his production later in the game.

"I thought we contained them well," CV-S coach Terry Brant said of the Deluca-Decker duo. "You can't stop them, but I did think we slowed them down. We just couldn't score. They went on that 9-1 run and we had no answer. We were missing layups and we just couldn't get our shots to fall to stay in the game. It's the exact same thing that happened the last time we played them."

Morris beat CV-S, 60-43, on Jan. 20 _ a game that was tied at halftime.

The Mustangs led, 29-25, at halftime this time as CV-S' Kyle Jaquay scored the final six points of the half.

Morris scored the first two baskets of the third quarter for a 33-25 lead, but CV-S then scored eight straight to tie it.

"Defensively, we made an adjustment in the second half," Sander said. "They had a height advantage over us and we had to suck it in against their big guys. There was no need for us to be trying to defend them at halfcourt. Actually, I had told them that at the beginning of the game, but I think it finally sunk in in the second half."

Andrew Bosc led the Patriots with 12 points and Jaquay scored 10, but each was held to two points in the second half.

For the Mustangs, Kerry Smith scored seven of his nine points in the second half.

"I was impressed with how our other guys played," Sander said. "Obviously, Deluca and Decker are big players for us, but we really had some other guys step up and make plays in the second half."

Both teams will host games Tuesday to start the Section 4 Class D tournament.

No. 3 seed Morris (16-2) will play No. 14 Roxbury (7-9).

"I don't think they are a typical No. 14 seed," Sander said of the Rockets. "We are going to have to find a way to stop Kyle Ciaravino. Unfortunately, we only have a day to get ready for them."

Ciaravino scored 27 and 29 points in his last two games and is averaging better than 19 points.

No. 7 seed CV-S (12-6) will play No. 10 Jefferson (10-7).

Morris 55, CV-S 40

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday at Oneonta State

MORRIS (16-2): Zach Doyle 0 0-0 0, Scott Maricle 1 1-3 3, Kyle Joyce 0 0-0 0, Justin Schaffer 0 0-0 0, Skylar Maricle 3 0-0 6, Mike Deluca 8 4-6 22, Levi Decker 4 7-8 15, Kerry Smith 4 1-1 9, Collin Hull 0 0-0 0, Brandon Shelly 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20 13-18 55.

CHERRY VALLEY-SPRINGFIELD (12-6): Kyle Jaquay 4 2-3 10, Andrew Bosc 6 0-1 12, Bret Adams 1 0-0 2, Collin Lamouret 2 0-0 4, Isiah Montgomery 1 1-2 3, Scott Stiles 0 0-0 0, Wyatt Crowley 1 1-2 3, Ethan Drugatz 0 0-0 0, Andrew Spencer 1 0-0 2, Chad Thompson 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 18 4-8 40.

Morris ..... 18 11 13 13 _ 55

CV-S ..... 13 12 9 6 _ 40

Three-point field goals: M 2 (Deluca 2).