Pyfrom hits follow-up with three seconds left for win
By: Bob Nuse
In the future, the West Windsor-Plainsboro North-South boys’ basketball rivalry will probably feature better played games. But chances are each of them will take on the same intensity level that was on display when the teams opened the season against each other in front of a packed house at South on Friday night.
While both offenses struggled, the game came down to the final seconds. North’s Ricky Pyfrom proved to be the hero, as his put-back of a miss by Franklin Moore gave the Knights a 25-24 win.
"This is the way North-South games are going to be," said North coach Eric Becker, a former South assistant whose team led most of the game before South took the lead on a basket by Sean Edwards in the fourth quarter. "It was a great effort by Jay’s (Thompson, the South head coach) team. I thought both teams played hard. It was a great game to start the season.
"Both teams were at each other the whole game. I thought the kids on both teams played with a lot of heart."
Neither team ever got it going offensively for any length of time. In fact, other than Moore, no player ever got it going for any length of time. But that didn’t prevent the game from coming down to the final seconds.
After South took an early lead, 5-3, North closed out the first quarter with a 6-0 run to make it 9-6. The lead grew to 13-8 midway through the quarter before South closed out the first half with a 6-3 run to make it 16-14 at halftime.
North’s biggest lead of the second half came at 19-14 early in the third quarter, but South hung closed and took the lead, 24-23, on Edwards’ basket with 5:25 to play. Neither team scored again until Pyfrom rebounded Moore’s miss and scored with three seconds left. Edwards’ shot from the top of the key at the buzzer just missed, allowing North to escape with the win.
"It happened so fast," Pyfrom said of the final shot. "I saw Franklin shoot it and I thought it was going to go in. I got myself in position and the ball landed in my hands. I put it right back up and luckily it went in.
"Our coach told us it was a game of runs and this was the time for us to make our run. It was a great game and having a huge crowd like this was a great atmosphere to play in."
Becker was pleased with the way his team responded during the late stages of the game. Even after letting their lead slip away, the Knights were able to come up with the winning basket.
"They made their run to take the lead and then we came back," said Becker, whose team will host Ewing 7 p.m. tonight. "I thought we did a good job of keeping our composure. We’ve talked to the kids about being in a position to win every game and I thought we were in a position to win today. That comes with maturity.
"We had our shots tonight, but a lot of them didn’t fall. Eventually they will start to fall for us. We kept our composure and that was a key for us. We didn’t get rattled and that was very important."
With a solid group of returning players, plus a couple of key newcomers, the Knights hope to be able to build on their opening win as the season progresses.
"We’re gelling as a team," said Pyfrom, who finished with six points. "We’ve been working hard since the day after Thanksgiving. We’re all committed and we get along well as a team. Franklin was hurt last year and missed the whole season. So it’s great having him back. And Shawn Rhodes in the middle has helped us."
Moore led the Knights with 12 points, while Brian Dimitruk had the team’s other seven points. South was led by Edwards, who had seven points. Despite the loss, Thompson was pleased with the effort he received from his players.
"I told the guys they played hard and if they come out and give that kind of effort every game, we’ll be fine," said Thompson, whose team will host Lawrence 7 p.m. tonight. "If they come out pumped up like this every single game, we’ll win our share."
The Pirates, who trailed for most of the night, nearly were able to pull out a win. This time, it was North that got the final basket and the victory.
"I was happy with the effort that our guys gave tonight," Thompson said. "We just made a few mistakes and that’s what hurt us."
In the future, this is a rivalry that should see wins going both ways. This time, it was North that came out with the slight edge.