Sanders ignites fourth-quarter surge as Tottenville runs past CSI/McCown, 87-58 Tottenville senior Nakye Sanders had 21 points and 13 rebounds in a Friday night win at CSI/McCown. (Staten Island Advance/Hilton Flores)By Jim Waggoner | waggoner@siadvance.com
on January 23, 2015 9:48 PM, updated January 23, 2015 10:04 PM 0  Reddit   Email

• 01/23 - 6:30 PM Boys BasketballFinalTottenville87CSI/McCown58

Complete Box Score »Tottenville senior star Nakye Sanders and head coach John Woodman were the last men standing in the visitors’ locker-room following Friday night’s 87-58 victory at CSI/McCown.The Pirates had just finished a 30-10 fourth-quarter explosion that included an 18-0 run behind Sanders, a 6-foot-8 Duquesne-bound forward who had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“He’s the last guy out every day for the last four years,” joked Woodman. “He likes to make sure he looks good before he goes outside.”Sanders definitely looked good indoors in New Springville, igniting the run early in the fourth quarter with a pair of blocked shots followed by a rare 3-point basket from the top of the key and a crisp bounce pass to Austin Schaefer for a fast-break layup.It all happened after CSI/McCown had trimmed a 46-30 halftime deficit to 61-52 on Joseph Besignano’s jumper from the top. The Pirates closed with a 26-6 outburst over the final six minutes.“I felt the game was slipping away and the momentum shifting to CSI’s tide,” said Sanders. “I felt as a senior and captain of this team I should step up.”Added Woodman: “It has become a habit unfortunately,” he said of letting another second-half lead slip away. “We were up 16 at half and came out not protecting the basketball in our first five possessions of the second half.”

DYNAMIC DUOTottenville has won four straight games while starting a late-season rush following a seven-game losing streak precipitated by ankle injuries to guard Adnan Javid and Sanders.Javid scored a game-high 22 points while Schaefer added 15 and Dan Hagis had nine of his 11 points in the first quarter.“I’m feeling a lot better,” said Sanders, who missed considerable time with a broken bone in his foot and sat out about 10 minutes Friday night. “Every day I’m feeling stronger.”STAT CORNERCSI/McCown was led by Besignano’s 19 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Tommy Konwlo added 15 points, including three 3-pointers.Ahmed Fall showed promise for the Dragons with 11 rebounds.Tottenville improved to 10-9 while CSI/McCown dropped to 8-13.SHOT OF THE GAMEAnthony Iglesias buried a 35-footer from near the Tottenville bench as the first-half clock expired.The Dragons inbounded the ball under its own basket with 2.9 seconds remaining and advanced with a quick jump pass to Inglesias.QUOTABLE“It’s great to have four starters who have played for us for three years,” said Woodman. “We’re getting healthy now. I’m sure we’ll miss them all, but we’ll really miss Nakye when we don’t get every rebound next year.”