(Gary Foster drives against AuSable Valley / Photo by Steve Jacobs)
Middle College 75, AuSable Valley 51
Just seven minutes into the NYSPHAA Class C state semifinal, Middle College had already gotten scoring from all five starters, along with its first man off the bench, and had a 17-4 lead. But unlike the Kats' team that has had a tendency to play down to its competition, today was different. Middle College extended lead before halftime and again after three quarters. No late game heroics or passionate speeches from the coaching staff were needed, and for that, Middle College cruised to the state championship game.
"We had a great practice this morning, there's a little bit more focus I think," said Rich. "There's nine seniors...they know this is it."
The Kats came into this season with high expectations - about as high as they can get. This is a state championship or bust campaign and if Middle College plays one more game like they played in the semifinal, the odds are in its favor to win it all.
"I knew from the start that we were going to get here," said Middle College coach Randy Rich.
The Kats will look to win a second state championship in Class C in their fourth attempt on Saturday at 7:15 pm against Haldane.
"I've been here five times as a head coach and I still get butterflies every time," said Rich.
Gary Foster scored a game-high 22 points, with 13 of those coming in the third quarter, as Middle College took as much as a 25-point lead. Foster's quarter included a pair of breakaway dunks and set the stage for a big finish from the senior. Again in the fourth quarter, Foster flushed one after casually knifing through the AuSable Valley defense and finishing at the rim. Minutes later, Foster sank a free throw to reach the 1,000 point milestone for his career and called it a day.
"I can score in many ways and if I'm going to dunk it, I'm going to dunk it," Foster said. "I was coming up the court nice and slow...I felt like Derrick Rose, I had to turn the jets on."
On a more serious note, Foster spoke about what it meant to reach the state championship game with Middle College.
"It was a great accomplishment for us, our starting five is all seniors," said Foster. "Keeping the tradition going."
Jojo Staton scored 18 points and also collected five assists, as he moved the ball and played a very patient game. Billy Rivera scored 14 points, and along with Amir Jemes, played outstanding defense throughout.
The Kats held a 10-rebound edge on the boards and had nine steals in the game, compared to just two from AuSable Valley.
Point Totals
Middle College: Gary Foster 22, Jojo Staton 18, Billy Rivera 14, Amir Jemes 7, Lorenzo Truitt 4, Hakeem Dobbins 4, Brian Johnson 2, Claudius Thomas 2, Nathyia Jackson 2
AuSable Valley: Kobe Parrow 15, Nate Manning 8, Joel Martineau 8, Dalton McDonald 5, Alex Knapp 5, Caleb Hamilton 4, Lucas Perez 3, Landon Shay 3, Brandon Snow 1
-centercourt
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