On Thursday, February 21, the Indians of John Jay, the number 7 seed, defeated the Roosevelt Sharks, the 10 seed, in a thrilling game to send them to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1991. The Indians got off to a quick 8-0 in the first quarter, and by halftime, they were up by 13. Roosevelt started to make a comeback, scoring a quick 8 points to start the third quarter, cutting the deficit to just 5 points. With only two minutes left in the fourth quarter, John Jay was up by 9, but in the final 20 seconds, the Sharks were within 5 points, before hitting a crucial three-pointer to bring them to within 2. Roosevelt elected to foul senior captain, Charlie Murphy, to stop the clock and give them the opportunity to get possession in the final seconds of the game. Murphy went 1 for 2 on the line to bring the Indians lead up to 3 points, but Roosevelt had the possession, and as time expired, a player for Roosevelt hit an unbelievable bank 3 from 40 feet out! In overtime, there was a point where the Indians were down, but they worked hard and ended up pulling out an exciting win. The final score was 80-77.

Junior power forward, Shane Martinsen, had an excellent game, leading the team in points with 25, in addition to his 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Charlie Murphy also had a strong game with 20 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Bryce Ford had 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Tim Hogan had a solid defensive game with 9 steals, as well as tallying 10 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists. Also contributing to the Indians win were Brett Paulsen, Steven Ingersoll, Chris Walsh, Ben Brevetti, Mason De Falco, and Brian Nussbaum.

The three senior captains, Jake Cohen, Charlie Murphy, and Tim Hogan, were all very excited about the win, as was the rest of the team. Of Roosevelt’s strong fourth quarter performance, Jake Cohen said “It was definitely nerve racking to see a team pick up momentum like that late in a game and force overtime. But, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t pull out a win. It’s the first time John Jay has been in the Elite 8 in sectionals since 1991. We knew it was going to be a special game.”

Charlie Murphy, an All-Section point guard, said “[It] was a great atmosphere and an intense game. We’re excited to be the first JJ team to advance to the Elite 8 since 1991, and [we’re] looking forward to having a chance to go to the county center.”

John Jay will play Tappan Zee this Saturday at 5:00 at Tappan Zee High School. Tim Hogan said “The key for Saturday is staying poised and under control in a tough environment. Tappan Zee is known to have a rowdy student section and if we can control the tempo of the game, we can come out with a win.”