Cornwall fans could sense the excitement before the boys basketball team sprinted onto the gym floor. There was a lot at stake when the Dragons hosted Goshen on Feb. 20. The winner would claim the league crown and the top seed in the playoffs.
It was Senior Night, the stands were packed, and the junior varsity had warmed up the crowd with a come-from-behind victory. The visiting Gladiators must have felt like they were being led into the arena, and everyone was rooting for the lions.
It didn’t get better once the game started. The Dragons made their first five shots to take a 10-0 lead. Their opponents never recovered, as the home team romped to a 62-38 victory.
Tom Howe, the winning coach, gave a lot of the credit to Dan Malvey and Bo Vitale, who took turns guarding the visitors’ leading scorer. Ian Schupp still managed to get 26 points. But he had to work for them, and the Dragons shackled the rest of the Goshen offense. Jason Bailey kept the team’s second high scorer in check. And with the Dragons controlling the boards, the Gladiators seldom had the luxury of a second shot.
Coach Howe also complimented his team for its ability to move the ball well, screen out defenders, and wait for the right opportunity. On one occasion, the coach called the play while it was in progress. “Joey,” he shouted as Joe McConville got the ball a safe distance from the person guarding him. The Cornwall senior got the message, and launched a picturesque shot that added three points to the Dragons’ total.
Throughout the night, the fans never stopped screaming. They booed every time Goshen’s top scorer got the ball. The Dragon players knew what it was like. They had heard it a week earlier in Monticello.
On Feb. 12, Cornwall escaped from Sullivan County with a 63-55 victory after leading by a single point at the half. The crowd was clearly anti-Cornwall, but Coach Howe’s players still managed to sink 20 out of 22 foul shots, which was the difference in the game.
2 GAMES — Points: Salis 43, Bailey 25, McConville 22, Malvey 12, Malone 10, Vitale 7, Louis 6. Threes: McConville 4, Bailey 3, Vitale 1. Free throws: Salis 11-12, Bailey 4-4, Malone 4-4, McConville 4-4.
