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Saxe scores 1,000th for Sullivan in win

By CHRIS MASSE

cmasse@sungazette.com

MILTON — John Saxe stood near mid-court, the ball cradled beneath his left arm. One of the most prolific scorers in Sullivan County history could have went into attack mode but time was on his side. Saxe stood there for a minute before Meadowbrook Christian defenders started guarding him.

Saxe can score at will. But the junior point guard also makes the right decisions and knows how to win. He proved it again with that sequence and throughout the game.

Saxe scored his 1,000th point early in the second quarter and finished with a game-high 14 points. He also hit a 3-pointer that ig­nited a game-changing third-quarter run as Sullivan edged determined Meadow­brook, 37-32 in the District 4 Class A quarterfinals. Saxe’s 3-pointer sparked a 14-0 run that turned a five-point deficit into a nine-point lead and the Griffins (16-7), who face St. John Neumann in the semifinals, never trailed again.

“It’s really an honor to know your name is going to be up on a banner and everyone is going to get to see it every day and now that we got the win it’s just great,” Saxe said. “We get to keep playing the game I love.”

Saxe scored his 1,000th point early in the second quarter, beating two defend­ers off the dribble and banking in a runner. That play gave Sullivan an 11-6 lead, but Meadowbrook (21-5) tied it by halftime and hit consecutive 3-pointers to go up 26-21 midway through the third quarter.

The 1,000 points are nice, but Saxe has displayed a knack for hitting key shots at key times over the last three years and his 3-pointer started changing the game’s complexion. He then hit two free throws that tied the game before Sullivan scored nine points in the quarter’s last three minutes to seize control.

“John’s been doing it the right way. He’s not trying to force anything,” Sullivan coach Glenn Vaughan said. “Over the last three or four weeks as it started to get closer he’s done such a good job of being unselfish and trying to make the right basketball plays. He’s making his teammates better. He’s worked his butt off since third grade to be good at this game and I’m just happy he had the opportunity to do this.”

“Sharif Welton mentored me when I was younger and he told me before you leave ‘Put a banner up’ and my goal is to get a district championship,” Saxe said. “The 1,000 points was something for me to look back on when I’m older, but I just play to win.”

So do his teammates and Sullivan put everything together just when it appeared Meadow­brook might be poised for a big run. Jordan Pedro played a sensational third quarter and his putback put Sullivan ahead to stay. He also made a pretty steal and assist, finding Alex Baumunk for a layup in the closing seconds as Sullivan took a 35-26 lead.

Baumunk scored four of his six points that quarter and all five starters produced at least one field goal during the run. Jon Pedro finished with 12 rebounds, Taylor Baldwin played swarming defense and Noah Brown provided solid play off the bench with two players in foul trouble.

“It was really good to see Jordan make some plays during that 14-0 run,” Vaughan said. “He’s been struggling a little bit and we know he’s good. He made a few plays that were senior basketball plays that we needed it that at time.”

Sullivan scored just two fourth-quarter points but it effectively ran clock. Saxe’s holding combined with two offensive rebounds helped Sullivan burn two minutes, 15 seconds while leading 35-27. After Meadow­brook pulled within five, Sullivan ran 78 seconds off the clock until two minutes remained.

Meadowbrook kept fighting and pulled within 36-32 on a Trey Baughman drive with 34 seconds remaining. The Lions missed a 3-pointer at the 12 second mark that would have made it a one-point game and Baldwin made a free throw two seconds later to cap the scoring. Sullivan held Meadowbrook to one point during a nine-minute second-half stretch and allowed just six points over the game’s final 12 minutes.

Meadowbrook, however, showed it belonged among the district’s top teams. The Lions have no seniors and could mirror the 2015 team that lost a close quarterfinal to Lourdes in 2014 before reaching the final a year later and winning a state tournament game.

“Our kids really competed hard,” Meadowbrook coach Rod Baugh­man said. “The coaches walked away from this and we said it feels a lot like 2014. Kids make some choices in the summer. Are they going to just get a year older or are they going to better too? It’s nice to be young because it gives you the upside to do that but there’s a lot of work to be done too.”

Collin Erb scored 11 points in the middle quarters and was key to the Lions taking their five-point lead. He recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Seth Kendall scored eight points and put Meadowbrook up 26-21 with a 3-pointer while Cade Devlin grabbed seven rebounds. Many expected Sullivan to win big, but Meadowbrook again made a postseason statement and earned a big ovation from its fans afterward.

“We’re fortunate here. We talk a lot about this being a basketball family and it was good seeing several of our alumni back tonight,” Baughman said. “We definitely have support and we’re appreciative of the family that supports us here.”

SULLIVAN (37)

John Saxe 5 2-2 14, Jon Pedro 2 3-5 7, Jordan Pedro 2 0-0 4, Alex Baumunk 3 0-0 6, Taylor Baldwin 2 1-3 6, Noah Brown 0 0-0 0, Spencer Gordner 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-10 37.

MEADOWBROOK (32)

Seth Kendall 3 0-0 8, Collin Erb 5 1-1 12, Trey Baughman 2 3-4 7, Dillon Stokes 1 0-1 3, Ethan Trautman 0 1-2 1, Cade Devlin 0 1-2 1. Totals 11 6-9 32.

Sullivan 9 8 18 2–37

Meadowbrook 4 13 9 6–32

3-pointers: Sullivan 3 (Saxe 2, Baldwin); Meadowbrook 4 (Kendall 2, Erb, Stokes).

Records: Sullivan 16-7. Meadowbrook 21-5.

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