Hall-Dale boys basketball outlasts Spruce Mountain in Class C South showdown

Tayshaun Cleveland takes over in the second half as the Bulldogs prevail in a battle of two top MVC teams.

Hall-Dale’s Tayshaun Cleveland, left, and Davis Madore, try to take the ball from Spruce Mountain’s Owen Kelvey during the Bulldogs’ 51-48 win Thursday in Farmingdale. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

FARMINGDALE — It seemed no one in this battle of two Class C South boys basketball contenders Thursday night could consistently make shots.

Fortunately for Hall-Dale, it has Tayshaun Cleveland, and the senior’s work in the paint proved to be enough.

Cleveland scored 22 points, including 16 in the second half, to lead Hall-Dale to a 51-48 win over Spruce Mountain. It’s a key early win in a matchup of two teams that many expect to play deep into February.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Cleveland takes over

A transfer from Deering, Cleveland scored a game-high 18 points in Hall-Dale’s season opener on Friday at Oak Hill. He picked up where he left off by outmaneuvering Spruce Mountain in the paint and finishing tough baskets through contact.

Cleveland scored 11 points in the third quarter to keep the game close as Spruce Mountain’s offense began to find a little more consistency. He then added five points in the fourth as the Bulldogs (2-0), who trailed for much of the second half, pulled out the win.

“Honestly, I just decided to get big in the paint,” Cleveland said. “My teammates, obviously, looked for me, and if I was open, I went up for it; if I wasn’t, I kicked it out for a big 3. It really helped us.”

Cary hits crucial late 3-pointer

Hall-Dale didn’t make a 3-pointer in the first half. Davis Madore ended the 0-fer, and Greyson Cary put the Bulldogs ahead for good.

With the Bulldogs leading 46-43 with under two minutes left, Austin Armandi hit a 3 for the Phoenix (0-2) to tie the game. On the next possession, Cary got the ball in the corner and drained a shot over Spruce’s Levi Richards.

“We got some shots that we weren’t making early late in the game,” said Hall-Dale coach Chris Ranslow. “We also really stepped up at the free-throw line down the stretch. After a really slow start from the free-throw line, I thought that was the difference.”

Defensive stop seals it

Leading by three with 17 seconds left, Hall-Dale needed one last stop.

The Phoenix tried to get an open 3-pointer in the corner, but Cary and Landon Gilbert blanketed Spruce Mountain’s Dylan Jewett. Jewett then passed to Armandi at the top of the key, but Madore closed out quickly and the senior’s desperation shot merely grazed the net.

“There’s so many shooters out there for Spruce, so it’s hard to take everything away because you can’t just key in on one or two guys,” Ranslow said. “We flexed into some switching and some confusion, and with 17 seconds left, I don’t think they got the organized shot they were looking for.”

‘No panic’ for Spruce Mountain

For a team expected to be one of the best Class C, an 0-2 start is hardly ideal. Considering where the Phoenix are now, though, coach Scott Bessey isn’t worried.

Jewett, Armandi and Owen Kelvey are still recovering from a long football season in which Spruce Mountain was the runner-up in the eight-man Large School division. That’s taken its toll on a team that has lost on the road against Hall-Dale and Mt. Abram, two of the Mountain Valley Conference’s best teams.

The Phoenix are also without Cai Dougher, who will be out until their Dec. 22 game against Monmouth Academy for undisclosed reasons.

“We’re fighting right now; we’re undersized, and we’re not in basketball shape yet,” Bessey said. “You want to get us now because you ain’t going to recognize us. We’re not even close to where we’re going to be in February, and our kids know that.”