VARSITY INSIDER BLOG

Boys basketball: Ardsley advances in first game since The Heave

Kevin Stevens
The Journal News

JOHNSON CITY - The boys from Ardsley took another step into these state basketball playoffs, with a victory far more conventional than spectacular — but eminently satisfying.

A considerable advantage in three-point production helped the Panthers to a 59-41 victory over Section 4 champion Maine-Endwell in a Class A regional contest at Johnson City High School in the Binghamton-area. Four points separated the teams at halftime.

Sean Casey scored 24 points as leading three-point marksman and Zeke Blauner had 18 for Ardsley, which advanced to Tuesday’s game thanks to senior Julian McGarvey’s 70-foot buzzer-beating bull’s eye to wrap up a 52-51 victory over Tappan Zee for the program’s first Section 1 championship in 60 years.

THE HEAVE: Hail Mary shot gives Ardsley the Class A title

MCGARVEY: Buzzer-beater making senior talks about wild few days

ESPN: McGarvey's amazing shot lands at No. 1 on SportsCenter

The Panthers (18-7) advance to the regional final 7 p.m. Friday against Section 9 champion New Paltz at SUNY New Paltz.

“These last 36-48 hours have been the craziest hours of my life,” said McGarvey, whose seven points came on 3-for-10 shooting. “I’m exhausted, mentally drained, physically drained. Today my teammates had my back. I wasn’t on today and my teammates stepped up huge for me, they made this game, this is all them.”

When asked how he got the squad refocused after it became a nationwide social-media sensation, coach Sean Cappiello credited his players for staying focused.

“They’re great kids, they get their own stuff together," he said. "We basically gave them off Monday, let them rest. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to parents who arranged for the fans, my ADs and other coaches who arranged for the bus up here today, it took away a lot of stress. We basically showed up (and) got on the bus. They’d arranged lunch for us, they got us all relaxed.

“So, I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the whole family we traveled up here with. They took a lot of weight off my shoulders, off the kids’ shoulders. And it’s a great group of kids, they’re unflappable. We wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.”

A point separated the two through one quarter and Ardsley’s lead was 28-24 after coming up with the second quarter’s final six points — a McGarvey-to-Casey lob for a layup, McGarvey’s move to the rim and, in the closing second, Frank Belarge’s put-back on the Panthers’ third crack of the possession.

The difference was again four when Tyree Brodley hit two free throws two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter. Ardsley’s lead was 38-32 when M-E sophomore Connor Green flushed a 3 from the right wing with 3:14 to play in the quarter.

Thereafter, the Panthers took command.

Blauner bagged back-to-back 3s just 55 seconds apart to make it 44-32 and spark a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach for M-E. 

Ardsley outscored Maine-Endwell from outside the arc, 24-6, same as the margin of victory. Maine-Endwell (12-8) got 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting from senior guard Cody Petro.

Ardsley 's Julian McGarvey talks about The Heave at practice March 5, 2018.

“We figured out a couple things we thought we could exploit in their zone,” Cappiello said of the difference-making third quarter. “We tried our best to stop Petro tonight, we focused on him. We really couldn’t do it, but I think we got in his way a little bit in the second half. I think we saw that Green was extending our zone with his shooting, so we basically focused on getting out on him and trying to get in Petro’s way.

“Offensively we just wanted to spread out their zone with our shooters. We felt that once our shooters got into a rhythm we’d be better and that’s what happened.”

But back to McGarvey, who’s led the state in camera time since firing home “The Heave.”

“It was tough. Monday at practice there were about 10 reporters there. We didn’t really get a chance to get our usual intense practice going but right after the reporters left, I sat my teammates down, had a conversation with them. We all know how cool these last 48 hours have been but it’s time to put it in the past because I think we have a legitimate chance of making a state-championship run.”

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