North Rockland scores another upset, taking down Newburgh to get to state final four
YORKTOWN — Sometimes the odds catch up with you.
The North Rockland boys basketball team is still waiting for that to happen.
It certainly didn't Saturday at Yorktown High School, where the Red Raiders, who emerged as Section 1 Class AA champion despite a No. 4 seeding, kept their playoff run alive by upsetting three-time Section 9 champion Newburgh Free Academy 53-46.
The Goldbacks led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter and 26-22 at the half.
But the game changed in the third quarter with the Goldbacks' shooting going cold. North Rockland outscored Newburgh 17-8 in the quarter to go ahead 39-34 and it never relinquished the lead.
What it means
With the loss, Newburgh, the second seed in Section 9, finished its season 14-8.
North Rockland, now 18-7, have advanced to next weekend's state Class AA semifinal.
Player of the game
The Red Raiders got a huge game out of a couple of players, but top honors went to junior Elijah Barclay, who hit for 13 points, 10 in the second half.
It was Barclay's one-handed lay-in that gave North Rockland its first lead, at 30-28, with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
That occurred after he scored after pulling down an offensive rebound and putting the ball right back up to knot the score at 28.
At times he appeared to own the paint and his hook from there made it a 34-30 Red Raider advantage soon after that.
And in the fourth quarter, Barclay was also key. he scored off a fastbreak feed to expand a four-point Red Raider lead to six with 4:40 remaining and his long two-pointer that swished in at the 30-second buzzer, put North Rockland up 49-42 with 1:15 to play and, for all purposes, iced the game.
"He was getting his feet under him in the first half. He really settled in (in the second) and made some really big plays," North Rockland coach Jamie Ryan said of Barclay.
He called Barclay's rebound and score "really special.'
By the numbers
But Connor Wein also had special moments. He led North Rockland with 15 points and had a big 3-pointer when Newburgh was up by 10 in the first quarter.
Yariel Gomez Para also hit for double figures with 11 points. Kobe Neosu and Evander Collazo both had six.
Newburgh advances to regional:King scores 39 as Newburgh defends Class AA title, beats Middletown
Red Raiders beat Scarsdale:North Rockland celebrates its first-ever Section 1 Class AA championship
Deondre Johnson, the 6-foot-8 Goldback forward who will play football on scholarship for Rutgers next fall, was a huge defensive force.
He had several blocks, including one that resembled a hard kill in volleyball.
Johnson, who had been on Newburgh's varsity for four years, had a team-high 13 points, one off a first-quarter 3 and one off a resounding dunk that tied the score at 30 after he stole the ball.
Jayden Lorenzo, who had two first-quarter 3's, finished with 12 points, Aidan Brown had 11 and Elnathan Johnson had eight.
They said it
"We just hurt ourselves in the second half," Deondre Johnson said. "We were playing 1-on-1 basketball and not playing together."
But Johnson added his team was family and the last four years had been the best of his life.
Barclay said North Rockland made up ground by pressing Newburgh's guards and trying to tire Johnson out.
"We wanted them to work for every single point," he said.
"Today we just played with confidence," Barclay added. .. "We knew there'd be energy. The main thing was staying confident."
Ryan pointed to his team's ability to handle pressure as one key to the win.
But there were others.
"It's their commitment to do off-season (training) and commitment to each other that brought us to a place where we peaked here," Ryan said.
Up next
North Rockland will play the winner of the Section 2 Green Tech-vs.-Section 3 Liverpool game in the state Class AA semifinals at 1 p.m. March 17 at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
Image: North Rockland Vs Newburgh Class A Boys Regional FinalFrom left, Newburgh's Tajir Walker (4) and North Rockland's Connor Wein (2) battle for loose ball during the boys Class AA regional final playoff game at Yorktown High School March 11, 2023. North Rockland won the game 53-46.(Photo: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)
What it means
With the loss, Newburgh, the second seed in Section 9, finished its season 14-8.
North Rockland, now 18-7, have advanced to next weekend's state Class AA semifinal.
Player of the game
The Red Raiders got a huge game out of a couple of players, but top honors went to junior Elijah Barclay, who hit for 13 points, 10 in the second half.
It was Barclay's one-handed lay-in that gave North Rockland its first lead, at 30-28, with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
Image: North Rockland Vs Newburgh Class A Boys Regional FinalNorth Rockland's Elijah Barclay (23) drives to the basket against Newburgh during the boys Class AA regional final playoff game at Yorktown High School March 11, 2023. North Rockland won the game 53-46.(Photo: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)
That occurred after he scored after pulling down an offensive rebound and putting the ball right back up to knot the score at 28.
At times he appeared to own the paint and his hook from there made it a 34-30 Red Raider advantage soon after that.
And in the fourth quarter, Barclay was also key. he scored off a fastbreak feed to expand a four-point Red Raider lead to six with 4:40 remaining and his long two-pointer that swished in at the 30-second buzzer, put North Rockland up 49-42 with 1:15 to play and, for all purposes, iced the game.
"He was getting his feet under him in the first half. He really settled in (in the second) and made some really big plays," North Rockland coach Jamie Ryan said of Barclay.
He called Barclay's rebound and score "really special.'
By the numbers
But Connor Wein also had special moments. He led North Rockland with 15 points and had a big 3-pointer when Newburgh was up by 10 in the first quarter.
Yariel Gomez Para also hit for double figures with 11 points. Kobe Neosu and Evander Collazo both had six.
Newburgh advances to regional: King scores 39 as Newburgh defends Class AA title, beats MiddletownEdit
Red Raiders beat Scarsdale: North Rockland celebrates its first-ever Section 1 Class AA championshipEdit
Deondre Johnson, the 6-foot-8 Goldback forward who will play football on scholarship for Rutgers next fall, was a huge defensive force.
He had several blocks, including one that resembled a hard kill in volleyball.
Johnson, who had been on Newburgh's varsity for four years, had a team-high 13 points, one off a first-quarter 3 and one off a resounding dunk that tied the score at 30 after he stole the ball.
Jayden Lorenzo, who had two first-quarter 3's, finished with 12 points, Aidan Brown had 11 and Elnathan Johnson had eight.
Image: North Rockland Vs Newburgh Class A Boys Regional FinalNorth Rockland's Aidan Brown (11) tries to break away from Newburgh's Deondre Johnson (11) during the boys Class AA regional final playoff game at Yorktown High School March 11, 2023. North Rockland won the game 53-46.(Photo: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)
They said it
"We wanted them to work for every single point," he said.
"We just hurt ourselves in the second half," Deondre Johnson said. "We were playing 1-on-1 basketball and not playing together."
But Johnson added his team was family and the last four years had been the best of his life.
Barclay said North Rockland made up ground by pressing Newburgh's guards and trying to tire Johnson out.
"Today we just played with confidence," Barclay added. .. "We knew there'd be energy. The main thing was staying confident."
Ryan pointed to his team's ability to handle pressure as one key to the win.
But there were others.
"It's their commitment to do off-season (training) and commitment to each other that brought us to a place where we peaked here," Ryan said.
Up next
North Rockland will play the winner of the Section 2 Green Tech-vs.-Section 3 Liverpool game in the state Class AA semifinals at 1 p.m. March 17 at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
Video: North Rockland edges Newburgh in state semifinalNorth Rockland defeated Newburgh in the boys Class AA state semifinal at Yorktown High School March 11, 2023.
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: North Rockland upsets Newburgh, advances to NY state final four
