SECTION IV BOYS BASKETBALL: CANDOR SNAPS QUARTERFINAL JINX, TURNS BACK NEWFIELD (2024-02-24)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
CANDOR — Candor boys basketball coach Nate Thomas wasn’t able to relax until the final seconds of Saturday night’s 59-54 Section IV Class C quarterfinal victory over Newfield, but the monkey is finally off his back.

The Coyotes had lost their previous three quarterfinals, including two to the Trojans, but weren’t about to let their nemesis spoil the show this time. And the fans certainly got a show.

Newfield battled back a couple times during the evening, including a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, but couldn’t get closer than four down the stretch.

“We knew it was going to happen,” Candor coach Nate Thomas said. “We knew when the matchups came out and we had to play them, it was going to be a close game. We won the first one by three, the second one at the buzzer, so we knew this was going to be close.

“At halftime, after they came back and took the lead, our assistant coach, coach (Dave) Russell says you know you’ve got to tell the guys that we knew this was going to happen, so it shouldn't be a surprise. And, you know, I think that had a calming impact on those guys in the locker room.

“Newfield, they shot the crap out of the ball in the first half. I think they made five or six threes, so that really helped them out, and then in the second half, we did a better job on that. We started to get to the basket a little bit more.

Candor went into the final frame ahead 44-38, but created some space as Carson Heidl and Jacek Teribury scored in the paint in the first minute of the period.

Teribury and Jakobe Foster followed with one free throw each, Teribury added a field goal, but the Trojans’ Austin Jenny wrapped a pair of baskets around a Matt Smith bucket to draw Newfield within 10 at 52-44.

Jadon Heidl canned a free throw with 4:14 to play, but Newfield closed the gap to 53-49 with 2 ½ minutes to go on a Gregory Taylor basket and Jared Goodrich 3-pointer.

With 1:59 remaining, Malcom Jenkins blocked a Foster shot, but Goodrich put up an airball on a 3-point attempt at the other end of the court.

Foster knocked down a pair of foul shots, then converted a conventional three-point play to make it 58-49, but Jenny responded with a three-point play and Jenkins followed with a basket to make it 58-54 with less than a minute on the clock.

Foster was called for a charge near midcourt with 27.5 seconds to go, but Newfield couldn’t take advantage and Foster added one more free throw in the final seconds.

“We knew at the end even, it could be 10, it could be 20, we knew they were going to hit us with another run, and they did,” Thomas said.

“We're just proud of our guys. To beat a team like that three times in a season, it hasn't been done in a long time. And to do it at this moment, it shows a lot about our team.”

The Coyotes got off to a solid start as 3-pointers from Jadon Heidl and Donald Makie, and a three-point play by Carson Heidl put them ahead 16-7.

The Trojans had other ideas, however, as back-to-back treys by Taylor, followed by consecutive threes from Jenny tied the game at 20 less than two minutes into the second quarter. Another three-ball by Taylor gave Newfield a 23-22 edge midway through the period.

The Trojans followed that fifth trey with five more points, But buckets by Carson Heidl and Jason Jantz trimmed the margin to 28-26 at the half.

Three Carson Heidl free throws, followed by Foster’s steal and layup put Candor ahead, 31-30, in the first two minutes of the third period.

Teribury’s three-point play gave the Coyotes a 34-31 lead, then Foster and Makie drained back-to-back three-balls, and Jadon Heidl added a basket and a pair of free throws to give Candor a 44-34 cushion.

Jenny countered with two free throws and a basket to make it a 44-38 contest heading into the fourth quarter.

Foster, who was held to a pair of free throws in the first half, shared team scoring honors with Jadon Heidl, each scoring 14 points. Carson Heidl contributed 13 points and Teribury added 10 more.

Having four players score in double figures was key to the victory.

“All week, all five days of practice, every offensive set, all we talked about was sharing the basketball and how much better we can be when we share the ball, and I think you saw the result of that tonight,” Thomas said. “We have to continue to do it. We have to continue to work on it. It wasn't perfect, but it did help us out. We had guys attacking the rim, and aggressive, and it was a big deal to get them in foul trouble going to the basket because we shared the ball.”

Foster also grabbed a dozen rebounds to finish with a double-double, and added three steals and a pair of assists. He went 7-for-9 at the free throw line.

Thomas refused to take credit for Foster’s second-half showing.

“The crazy thing is, I didn't say a word to him at halftime,” he said. “He's young, so these are all learning moments for him in these big games.

“If you flash back to last year at Newfield, when we were up 18-2, we lost our composure. And it started with me, so when that happened, he learned a lot from that moment, and I think all year he's been solid for us. He's been one of the best point guards in our league, and coming out in the second half he knew he had a job to do.

“The only thing I said to him at the end was you need to have the ball in your hand and he did a great job of it. I mean, no player's going to be perfect, but I'm really proud of him.

“I'm proud of everybody. I'm proud of all the guys for grinding it out, getting loose balls, getting second chance opportunities, all those little things that add up in games where the final’s decided by one or two possessions.”

Jadon Heidl tacked on four boards and one assist; Carson Heidl had seven rebounds, five steals and one block; and Teribury dished out two assists and pulled down one rebound. Makie recorded a pair of treys and one steal; and Jantz had two points and one rebound.

Jenny pumped out a game-high 26 points which included two treys and an 8-for-14 showing at the charity stripe while Taylor added 13 points, including three threes. No other Newfield player scored more than five points.

Top-seeded Candor (18-3) faces No. 4 Delhi (17-4) in the semifinals Wednesday at TC3 at 6 p.m. The Coyotes have not played in a sectional semifinal since 2008.

The Bulldogs defeated Union Springs, 71-55. Chuck Haight posted a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Angelo Krzyston added 18 points.

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IN PHOTO 1: Candor head coach Nate Thomas and his Coyotes snapped a three-game quarterfinal losing streak. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

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