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02/17/2019 11:00 PMThe Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team saw an exciting week that included a major milestone for senior captain Shane Henderson and a buzzer-beating basket by junior Mike Almada. The Rams swept the week by recording victories versus East Hampton (47-45), Coginchaug (67-65), and Hale-Ray (68-45). As a result, they improved to 13-5 with the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments on the horizon.
Old Saybrook’s week culminated with its lopsided home win against Hale-Ray on Feb. 15, a night that saw Henderson score the 1,500th point of his career when he made his first basket of the game. Henderson knew it was big moment, but overall, he just felt appreciative of the support that he received from his teammates and the Rams’ fans.
“It felt pretty good. I didn’t know exactly where I was at coming into the game. It was really nice to do it at home in front of the fans,” said Henderson, who had scored his 1,000th point against North Branford in last year’s Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinals. “Consistency is one of the most important things as a scorer. It’s a lot of points, but I’ve had great teammates that put me in a good position to score them. I just go into every game trying to do what I need to do to help the team win.”
Henderson went on to score 25 points with seven rebounds and five assists as Old Saybrook took command of the game early and ran away with the win. Almada had 16 points and four boards, while junior Davis Brown added nine points with five rebounds for the Rams.
Head Coach Patrick Quinn felt proud of Henderson for scoring No. 1,500. Quinn said that Henderson was ready to get right back to business after it happened.
“It’s a great milestone to see for someone like Shane that works so hard. He’s a good kid and a good teammate,” said Quinn. “He got the points on a contested lay-up, and we made a big deal of it stopping the game, and Shane was the first one to say, ‘Let’s get back out there and play.’”
Henderson’s milestone night came on the heels of an exciting 67-65 home win in overtime versus Coginchaug the previous evening. The Rams got the victory thanks to a buzzer-beating shot from Almada.
Neither team led by more than four at any point of the game. It all came down to the last 19 seconds. With the scored tied at 65, Coach Quinn called a timeout and set up a play. Henderson drove the ball into the paint for a high-percentage shot, but the Blue Devils’ defense denied him any good looks. Then, Henderson leaped out of bounds to make a quick pass to Almada, who was open for a jumper that rattled around on the rim before falling in to give Old Saybrook the two-point victory.
Coach Quinn was impressed with Henderson’s quick thinking after Coginchaug’s defense short-circuited the play. Henderson would have had his 1,500th point had he scored right there, but he was more concerned with winning the game.
“We had the ball on our half and, out of the timeout, we were going to run a weave formation to get the last shot,” Quinn said. “Shane drove and cut back underneath the basket, and Coginchaug did a nice job stopping him. Shane kicked it to Mike at the elbow, and it went up as the horn went off and went in. Shane almost tackled me he was so happy after the game.”
Henderson scored 26 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists for Old Saybrook. Brown had 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Almada finished eight points, three boards, and three assists, while senior Dan Cote added eight points and seven rebounds.
To kick off the week, the Rams hosted East Hampton and posted another narrow victory by edging out the Bellringers 47-45. The back-and-forth contest featured steady defense from both teams as neither side could pull away. The game-sealing play came from senior Kam Baker, who made a key steal by jumping the passing lane in the final seconds.
Coach Quinn said that Baker’s defensive skillset is critical to Old Saybrook’s success.
“Kam takes pride in his defense, and he’s an aggressive defender on the perimeter. He’s a shot blocker, and he can really guard the rim,” said Quinn. “You won’t see it in the scoring column, but his rebounding and shot blocking wins us games. He can do it all.”
Henderson poured in 25 points and also had seven rebounds with five assists. Almada had 16 points with four boards and two assists. Brown (9 points, 5 rebounds), junior Gino Gallito (6 points), and Baker (2 points, 4 rebounds) also contributed for Old Saybrook in the victory.
As the regular season winds down, Coach Quinn is excited to see what his team can achieve in the postseason. Quinn believes that Old Saybrook can give any club a run for its money.
“The starting five is really starting to click, but nothing is going to be easy no matter who we play,” Quinn said. “We just had one of the best practices that we’ve had all season. They’ve all bought into what we’re trying to accomplish here. It’s going to be interesting.”