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JFK nearly blows large lead, hangs on to beat rival Eagles
By Steven Dlugosz Times
 | | FOLLOWING THROUGH...Cleveland Hill's Jared Kracker attempts a free throw Monday against JFK. (Times photo) |
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On the verge of allowing local and league rival Cleveland Hill to snatch an improbable win away from his hoops team, John F. Kennedy guard Ben Walkow took matters into his own hands late in the contest with the Bears trailing by a point.
Walkow, who scored a team-high 21 points- including four threepointers- drove into the lane and put up a leaning shot that found its way over the hands of Eagle defenders and softly through the basket with 19 seconds remaining.
JFK senior Angelo Yavicoli gave the Bears a much-needed cushion with a subsequent steal and layup to put Kennedy up 66-63 with five seconds left. The game ended when a half-court heave by Cleve Hill's Curtis Hairston bounced off the backboard.
The Bears' three-point win turned out to be a lot tougher than JFK head coach Tony Krupski had expected, as the Bears had built a seemingly comfortable 54-40 lead late in the third quarter.
However, Hairston and fellow Eagles forward Dwan Robinson almost single-handedly brought Cleve Hill back, as the Eagles went on a 17-2 run from late in the third to midway through the fourth quarter to give Cleve Hill a 57-56 lead with 3:52 remaining. A three-point play- in which Robinson stole the ball and made a layup while being fouled- gave the Eagles their first lead since early in the first quarter.
Robinson and Hairston combined to score 49 points, getting to the basket on a variety of tough moves inside as well as soft-touch jumpers.
Junior guard Kevin Washington's three-pointer from the right corner gave Cleve Hill a 63-60 advantage with 2:15 remaining, but the Bears' defense finally made stops from that point on.
After a Walkow free throw brought the Bears to within 63-62 with 38 seconds remaining, JFK received a break on Cleve Hill's ensuing possession when Robinson dribbled into the lane and collided with Bears center Mike Bartoszek, as each player was stunned from the contact. A referee whistled an offensive charge against Robinson, leaving Cleve Hill head coach Jason Przybysz incensed and the Eagles' fan section bewildered.
The call set up Walkow's gamewinning shot. Przybysz was proud of his team's comeback effort, but disappointed with the final outcome.
"It's tough to lose a game like that. A win would have sparked us," said Przybysz, whose team dropped to 0- 4 overall. "The effort and commitment was there. The guys didn't quit...The Bears played really hard, too. They didn't give up after we had taken the lead. They were incredible down the stretch."
Walkow finished with 21 points, six assists and three steals. Bartoszek added 10 points, while forward Nick Godzich was active off the bench, contributing nine points and a teamhigh eight rebounds.
Robinson led the Eagles with 25 points, while Hairston added 24. No other Eagle had more than five points.
Cleve Hill connected on 17 of 21 free throw attempts, while JFK went 10-20. The Bears also committed 16 turnovers, while the Eagles made 14 miscues.
JFK's fast-paced offense was on fire to start the game, as Walkow's eight points sparked the Bears to a 26-19 lead after one quarter. The Bears' lead swelled to 42-31 at halftime, as Godzich, Yavicoli and senior Joe Maher were active on the offensive glass.
In the third quarter, however, Cleve Hill managed to slow down JFK a bit with swarming help defense. On the offensive end, Hairston and Robinson asserted themselves in the paint and were a handle for Bears defenders. The pair also combined to knock down 16 of 18 free throw attempts. In a 73-65 loss to Franklinville last Wednesday, Robinson and Hairston combined for 45 points.
JFK converted just seven of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter, making just two field goals. Krupski was disappointed with his team's complacency in the second half.
"I think we had the mentality that it was going to be easy all night long, and it wasn't," Krupski said. "Our defense let us down. We didn't put enough of a body on them. Give Cleve Hill credit. They made shots. We were not willing to pay the price until the end, and it's disappointing that we couldn't put (the Eagles) away earlier.
"It's ironic that (Bartoszek) made the play of the game defensively by taking a charge, after we didn't do it all game," added Krupski, whose team improved to 2-1. "Offensively, I think we just got careless with the basketball."
JFK returns to action tonight at Erie County Interscholastic Conference IV opponent Lackawanna, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Bears will then host Alden Tuesday at 7 p.m. Cleve Hill will host league foe Buffalo Academy of Science tonight at 7 p.m.
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