Rustin avenges loss to Unionville; tightens Ches-Mont American race
EAST MARLBOROUGH – The West Chester Rustin boys’ basketball squad is getting better and better, and what happened Thursday is tangible proof.
A month after falling at home to Unionville by 10, the Golden Knights returned the favor, 48-40, on the Indians’ home court. And in the process, Rustin’s win transformed the Ches-Mont American race into an intriguing three-way battle along with Unionville and Sun Valley.
“It was a great win against a quality opponent, but the season isn’t over,” said Knights’ head coach Keith Cochran. “There are a lot of people who will be coming after us now. Instead of going hunting, people will be hunting us.”
All three contenders now have two losses heading into the stretch run of the regular season. Rustin is 5-2 (12-5 overall), and trails the 6-2 Vanguards by a half game. The Indians are 4-2 (11-6 overall).
“We knew what the stakes were,” said Knights’ senior forward Jake Nelson. “We knew Unionville would come out swinging, so we just punched back.
“We are a completely different team than we were when we played (Unionville) the first time. We are playing attention to detail more, rooting for each other, and doing the little things you need to do to get wins.”
Rustin has now won seven of eight. Unionville, on the other hand, has dropped four of five. And the four losses have been by a combined 21 points.
“I’m not really worried about the (Ches-Mont) race, to be honest,” said Indians’ head coach Chris Cowles. “It’s more about this team maximizing its abilities in the moment. Boxing out, sprinting down the court – that type of stuff.
“It’s a matter of executing and doing it with maximum effort.”
Trailing most of the way, Unionville’s Wyatt Hockenberry and Logan Shanahan knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to slice the deficit to 44-40 with 1:27 on the clock. But the Indians misfired on five 3-point attempts the rest of the way, allowing Rustin to close it out at the free throw line.
“We’re getting better at that. Our kids stayed poised,” Cochran said.
The Knights actually made just 4 of 7 from the line in the final 75 seconds – including missing the front end of three straight 1-and-1 situations – but junior guard Bryce Pew came up with a couple big offensive boards.
“It was kind of the story of the game,” Cowles said. “We were going to lose this game if (Rustin) played harder and they rebounded better than us.
“The first possession of the game was indicative of that. They got three or four shots on the possession. It was something we identified, and that we needed to do a good job on it, and we didn’t.”
Nevertheless, it was tight throughout. Rustin did manage to get a little breathing room with a pair of 7-2 runs in the first and third quarters, and then finally opened a double-digit lead in the fourth following a 3-pointer by Pew. That set the stage for the finish.
“I’m very proud of our guys,” Cochran said. “This was not an easy win. It’s about focus and attention to detail, and our kids just did it a little better tonight.”
Taj Asparagus led a balanced attack with 16 points, Nelson added 14 and Drew Hickson chipped in 13. Drew Lenkaitis topped Unionville with 15 points and Bo Furey-Bastian had 10.
“We’re studying more and working harder as a team,” Asparagus pointed out.
“Once we knew how to guard (Unionville’s) offense, everything else came to us. Plus, we didn’t rush things on offense.”
The Knights are currently ranked fourth in the District 1 5A power rankings, and with a win against the No. 2 Indians, they are sure to be moving up. But right now, the focus is on the division championship.
“It’s going to be a battle down the stretch,” Cochran said. “We all have quality opponent to play, and anytime you relax, you can get knocked off.
“I thought I lost this team at a one point, but we had a good talk about what had to be done in order to fulfill some of their goals. Our seniors have done a great job or rallying our team.
“It’s been awesome.”
West Chester Rustin 48, Unionville 40
WEST CHESTER RUSTIN – Pew 2 0-0 5; Asparagus 7 2-4 16; Pettit 0 0-1 0; Hickson 4 2-2 13; Nelson 5 3-6 14. Totals 18 7-13 48.
UNIONVILLE – Furey-Bastian 4 2-2 10; Shanahan 3 0-0 8; Hockenberry 3 0-0 7; Lenkaitis 5 4-4 15. Totals 15 6-6 40.
W.C. Rustin 15 9 11 13 — 48
Unionville 11 10 8 11 — 40
Three-pointers: Pew, Hickson 3, Nelson, Shanahan 2, Hockenberry, Lenkaitis.
