The Holy Cross boys basketball team wound up in a battle that they may not have expected from Seymour on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams at Seymour High School.
The Crusaders and Wildcats went back-and-forth at a breakneck pace in the first half, which ended 45-41 in favor of the home team. Turnovers couldn’t slow the pace in the third quarter, and the tension remained. Seymour blew an early 11-point third quarter lead, but Holy Cross watched an eight-point fourth quarter lead vanish as well.
The teams needed overtime to decide this one, and the Crusaders emerged with a hard-earned 90-84 victory over the Wildcats. Akili Evans led all scorers with 35 points. Jahvon Myrthil joined Evans in double figures with 18 points. Also scoring in double digits were Sam Henderlite with 12 points and Arthur Pappas with 10 points. Not to be forgotten was the effort from reserve Ashton Sannasi, who tallied seven points.
Holy Cross trailed by a point after a frenetic first quarter, 26-25. The score was 45-41 Seymour at the half, then the Wildcats scored the first seven points of the second half to increase the Crusader deficit to 11 points, prompting a timeout from Ryan Olsen.
Holy Cross worked its way back into the game and shaved the deficit to 56-48 on a Myrthil 3-pointer. A three-point play from Evans made it 56-51, then Kyle Lombardi found Pappas for a layup, 56-53. Evans responded to a Seymour trey with one of his own to make the score 59-56, then Myrthil cut the deficit to one on a fast-break layup, 59-58. When Lombardi converted a three-point play with 1:14 remaining in the quarter, the Crusaders had a 61-59 lead. The Wildcats retook the lead by the end of the quarter, 64-63.
Henderlite’s 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter put Holy Cross on top, 66-64. The Crusaders scored eight of the next 10 points to go up, 74-66, but a technical foul helped the Wildcats grab four quick points. The run continued, and Seymour tied the game, 74-74, on a steal and layup with 2:46 to play in regulation. A strange sequence and subsequent referee conference in the final 10 seconds resulted in a double foul being called. Evans made one of two foul shots for a 78-76 Holy Cross lead, but two Kyle Harmeling foul shots brought Seymour back to a 78-78 tie. The alternate possession gave the ball to the Wildcats, but their shot wasn’t close, and the game went to overtime.
The teams traded the first four points in overtime for a tie score, 80-80, just 18 seconds into the four-minute extra period. From there, Holy Cross ripped off eight straight points. Evans, who had a layup off a Myrthil assist to begin overtime, converted a three-point play, then made another layup off a fast break for an 85-80 Crusader advantage. When Myrthil found Sannasi for a layup, the score was 87-80. One more free throw from Evans closed the 8-0 run. Holy Cross had an 88-80 lead with 1:12 remaining in overtime and could finally breathe a little easier.
The Crusaders have little time to recover from the opening-night thriller. They play Waterbury Career Academy on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Trinity College’s Ferris Athletic Center as part of the “Spirit of Doc” Classic. The tournament is in memory of longtime Hartford youth mentor Doc Hurley.
Check out see my quick story on last night’s game on The Hoop Zone (Republican-American), and keep an eye out for a follow-up on the game and video.
Caption: Holy Cross huddles late in the game during Thursday night’s overtime win at Seymour. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
Gallery
Here are my photos from last night’s game.
