By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Darwin Trotman (John Jay) netted 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half (Elizabeth), and the Monroe Community College Tribunes defeated the Delaware Technical Community College Spirit, 87-71 in the opening round of the 23rd annual Pete Pavia Memorial Scholarship Tournament at Monagan Court, Saturday night.
With Monroe leading by one early in the second half, Trotman scored on a runner in the lane and two possessions later he found a gap in the zone with a drive from the wing for another layup.
“We run what we call 41 fist,” Monroe head coach Jerry Burns explained. “It’s a set play that we run, and it’s geared towards him. He does do a good job when we run it the right way.”
Trotman connected on seven of 11 shots in the second half. Most came against Delaware Tech’s half-court zone defense.
“When he’s playing well, he’s difficult to defend,” Burns added. “You come off that ball-side screen. He’s on the opposite side, and then we give him the opportunity to make a decision.”
The sophomore guard from Brooklyn capped a personal 6-0 run with a spectacular dunk when Dykweil Bryan (Boys and Girls) found him cutting baseline with an alley oop. Fully extended, Trotman finished the play emphatically.
“That’s a big-time play,” Burns said. “Unbelievable.”
All ten of Trotman’s field goals on the night came from inside the arc.
“Play hard and attack,” Trotman said echoing his coach’s halftime instruction. “We were settling for threes most of the time, but we picked it up in the second half.”
Despite averaging almost eight 3-pointers per game over their last five outings, the Tribunes connected on just 4-of-27 attempts from long range, Saturday night.
“The one thing that we do well is shoot the three,” Burns noted. “There were a lot of good shots. It wasn’t that we were taking bad shots. They were good shots.”
MCC limited Delaware Tech to just two field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“It’s just the ball didn’t fall for us tonight,” Burns stated. “If you’re not doing that and you’re playing against the zone, you either got to get to the basket and you have to defend. We were doing those two things. That got us going.”
Monroe’s Damon Miraud (Elizabeth) and Romaine Thomas (Evander Childs) both registered double-doubles on the night. Miraud scored 13 to go with a game-high 15 boards for his second straight double-double and fourth of the season. Thomas also scored 13 to go with 10 caroms. The sophomore forward has four double-doubles.
Omar Williams (Benjamin N. Cardozo) added 10 points for the Tribunes.
Bryan and Trotman handed out three assists apiece.
For the game, the Black and Gold connected on 33 of 52 shots inside the arc.
Monroe jumped to an early 10-point lead in the first two minutes of the game. Miraud finished in the lane and followed with a dunk in transition when Bryan led him in transition for a 10-o MCC advantage.
Delaware Tech eventually cut the deficit to one. Xavier Purnell (Newark) and Jordan Eldridge (St. Georges Tech) combined to hit six free throws. Steven Black (Moyer Academy) hit a pull-up three from the top, and the difference was two at 24-22. Eric Pittman (Hodgson Vo-Tech) drove through a 1-3-1 zone, and Delaware Tech trailed 33-32.
That was as close as the Spirit would get.
“We just had no energy in the first half,” Burns said. “I didn’t think we had any pep. We stated out the first minute going, but then all of a sudden we lost our steam. If we play hard good things will happen, we just didn’t play hard.”
Trotman was limited to nine minutes in the first half due to foul troubles.
“When Darwin got his second, that changed the whole first half,” Burns noted. “He was really playing well.”
Shawn Flanagan (Maumee) led Delaware Tech with 13 points. Robert Davis (E.L. Bowsher) added 12.
Monroe will play Mohawk Valley CC in Sunday’s championship. A 4 p.m. tip off time is scheduled.
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