A Hall of a comeback for Bishop Ford
11/13/12 - 09:31 PM
Falcons rally from eight-point deficit late to beat Kellenberg in OT
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By DYLAN BUTLER
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Last Updated: 12:27 PM, February 2, 2010
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Posted: 2:11 AM, February 1, 2010
Matt Hall didn’t know why it was happening, but the Bishop Ford senior guard endured one of the worst scoring slumps of his high-school career through three quarters Sunday night.
“In the shootaround, I was hitting my shots and everything was good, but I don’t know what happened during the first half,” Hall said. “My teammates told me to keep my head in the game and keep shooting and I pulled it out.”
Hall sparked a dramatic fourth-quarter rally as Bishop Ford defeated Kellenberg, 75-69 in overtime, at the John Salvo Invitational at Adelphi University.
“They showed a lot of resiliency, a lot of heart and a lot of determination,” Bishop Ford coach John Infortunio said. “Kellenberg is tough. They gave us everything we could handle.”
Hall was held to just two points through the first three quarters. His shot wasn’t dropping, he wasn’t getting calls and he wasn’t hustling back on defense.
“I kept looking for the ref to call fouls, which is bad,” he said. “My body language was bad at the time, but in the fourth quarter and overtime I played better, like I should have.”
Infortunio also didn’t know what Hall’s problem was, but he knew the result.
“He was terrible,” he said.
Infortunio sat Hall in the third quarter, giving him a chance to get his mind clear. While that was happening, Kellenberg (6-9) was seizing control of the game and led by eight, 67-59, with 1:12 left in the fourth.
“I didn’t say anything to him,” Infortunio said. “He knows. We’ve been through enough battles, enough wars that he knows and should know at least that he’s got to work that out in his head. His jump shot was flat, he wasn’t getting a couple of calls here and there and it was taking him out of the game.”
After knocking down two free throws, Hall buried back-to-back 3-pointers in an eight-second span, the second with 36.6 seconds left to pull the Falcons (14-5) to within 69-67. Hall then stole the ball with 24 seconds left and Nick Jones tied the game seven seconds later. Hall nearly sealed the win with a buzzer-beater, but his shot was off the mark.
“That was my chance to shine and I had to step up my game,” Hall said.
Hall also scored all six of his team’s points in overtime, including a big foul line jumper with 1:36 left to put the Falcons up for good.
“Good players do what Matt did in the fourth quarter and in overtime,” Infortunio said.
While Hall was the story at the end of the game, Kellenberg’s Aaron Stirrup grabbed the headlines through three quarters. The senior guard torched the Falcons for 29 points before fouling out with 20 seconds left in overtime.
Justyn McMichael had 16 points, carrying the Falcons during Hall’s struggles. Jones had 12 and Eric Kippins and Naquan Ellerbe had 10 points apiece. Equally impressive was Andrew Williams’ defensive work late, as Ford wore the Firebirds down with a relentless press.
“They missed a lot of jump shots in the fourth quarter and I think that’s because we pressured so much throughout the game,” Infortunio said. “It gets you tired.”
Infortunio said the victory was critical, giving the Falcons the right mentality heading into pivotal league games at St. John’s Prep and Monsignor McClancy this week.
“I think losing is a contagious thing and if you let yourself do it once, then they start to think we could lose this one, too,” Infortunio said. “I just don’t like that demeanor, that mentality.”
dbutler@nypost.com
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