For The Dialog
CLAYMONT – Archmere came from 11 points down to top Newark Charter, 44-40, in Diamond State Athletic Conference boys basketball on Feb. 17 on Senior Night at the Moglia Fieldhouse.
The Auks honored their seniors, who led them out of the gates to a 13-6 lead. Kevin Olsen scored six of those points. The Patriots’ Justin Thomas took over in the second quarter as he hit two mid-range jumpers and a pair of foul shots to pull them within one at 17-16. He wasn’t done, draining a deep three, followed by a long two-point jumper to give the Patriots a 24-21 halftime lead.
Charles Rogers started hot for Newark Charter, scoring eight points to give the Patriots a 37-26 lead with 1:30 left in the third quarter. The Auks then went on a 6-0 run to close the third quarter as Andrew Pinto hit two spectacular driving layups.
“We weren’t really moving around there on offense,” Pinto said. “I felt like we needed a spark out there to get us going. We are in every single game. Our mentality is we are never out of games and we waited three years for this.”
The Auks then scored the first four points of the fourth to cut the Patriots lead to 37-36. Thomas hit one free throw, then the Auks tied it at 38. The Patriots took a 40-38 lead on two Chris Simpson free throws. Archmere The Auks knotted the score again when Tyler Faulkner hit a baseline jumper. Pinto came up with a steal, and Sean Kelly followed him down the court to put in a rebound with 40 seconds left.
The Patriots missed a jumper, and the rebound was a held ball with the Auks getting possession with eight seconds left. The Patriots had to commit four fouls before the Auks would go to the line. They were then called for an intentional foul, and Adam Barksdale hit the two free throws to complete the comeback. Olsen also gave praise to his teammates for his hot start.
“My teammates did a great job finding me, and I kept my position and then laid it in,” he said.
The Auks (9-10) got nine points each from Olsen and Pinto. They finish the season at Delaware Military Academy on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. Newark Charter got 17 points from Thomas and 11 from Rogers. They finished the season at 13-7.
