Boys basketball: Goshen demonstrates unselfish basketball in thrilling win over Chester
CHESTER — "We've got the chemistry," Goshen junior Tyler Kropp said.
And that they did.
Goshen boys basketball defeated Chester, 60-51, in a non-league game at Chester High School Saturday afternoon. The Gladiators were without big man and frequent Varsity 845 Player of the Week nominee Luke Michalski, who was injured in the team's previous game against Valley Central.
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Despite the adversity, his team still stepped up. Kropp replaced Michalski and was visible throughout the game, scoring 12 points and helping his team out on the glass.
“It was definitely a big role to fill," Kropp said. "You can’t fill Luke’s role. We just have to do what we do and do it better to fill the void that he’s not here, so we all have to step up our games.”
And according to first-year Goshen coach Sal D'Angelo, basketball is not Kropp's first sport — he also plays baseball and soccer. Even still, Kropp opened the game with the two baskets.
The Gladiators held the lead the whole way, making the extra pass to feed teammates and showed tenacity on the glass.
Chester's Alex Bastian, who had a game-high 24 points, showed why he won a Varsity 845 award last month as well. The Hambletonians often used outlet passes out in transition and speed to get quick baskets on the Gladiators.
Chester just did not quit, with hustle up until the final buzzer, including a wild third quarter. They showed why they previously held a 37-game regular season winning streak up until Jan. 8.
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Goshen's Jaidyn Rutling notched a co-team-high 12 points and showed off strong ball-handling skills from the point guard position.
“Without Luke [Michalski] we all had to come in here with a different mindset," Rutling said. "So I feel like as long as everybody stepped up to the plate, and we all played together, we were going to get the win no matter what."
Turning point
The third quarter was indeed a wild one. A 3-pointer by Goshen's Gavin Duggan and then a Kropp layup extended the Gladiators' lead to 43-23 lead with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter. Chester would take the momentum swing right back and score six consecutive points, as the home crowd took notice. Jacob Angeles had an empathic block and his brother, Noah, finished with a score on the other end. The Hambletonians scored again and then Bastian was fouled while making a basket, earning a chance for a three-point play. Chester was down 47-31 after three.
“Chester’s a great basketball team," D'Angelo said. "We knew that they were going to throw punches and we just had to respond to them. One thing that Chester does really well is get out on the break and really push in transition. We just had to level up a little bit and just be a little more disciplined defensively and get back, and we knew we’d be able to weather the storm.”
Player of the game
Tyler Kropp stepped up when his team needed him the most. He scored 12 points and was a strong force giving his team second-chances and possession after rebounds.
By the numbers
Goshen (7-1) — Tyler Kropp and Jaidyn Rutling each had 12 points to lead the Gladiators. Gavin Duggan added 11 points, including a couple of 3-pointers.
Chester (7-2) — Alex Bastian scored a game-high 24 points, including a sweet stroke from 3-point land. Jacob Angeles added 12 and his brother, Noah, had six.
Quotable
“It’s just a big statement showing that Goshen is Goshen and we could win any game with any player on the bench. Just because Luke’s not there, Goshen is still coming for everybody." - Goshen's Jaidyn Rutling on what the win means without teammate Luke Michalski.
“Luke [Michalski] is a big part of what we do, make no mistake about that. I have a lot of guys that have really been dedicating themselves and improving every day. We’re excited to give them opportunities. Most importantly, we know that our style of basketball is play unselfishly on the offensive end. We had three guys in double-digits and three with eight points and that seems to be the trend every night for us. We’re always around three or four guys in double-digits and I think that’s a testament of how these guys play, unselfishly.” - Goshen coach Sal D'Angelo
What's next
Goshen hosts Minisink Valley in a league game on Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Chester will go on the road to face Millbrook on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
MKramer1@th-record.com
Twitter: @MKramerTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Section 9 boys basketball: Goshen steps up for big win at Chester
