For an undersized Class A team from downtown Manhattan, Manhattan Center’s gym can be intimidating. It gets loud in a hurry and the home team is big and long. Bayard Rustin certainly felt that early Tuesday afternoon.
“We were a little intimidated,” senior forward Josh Spence said.
The Titans didn’t remain timid.
After trailing by 10 points following the first quarter, the PSAL Manhattan A Southwest champions overcame their fear of the loud crowd and larger opponent, rallying for a 61-56 victory in the Manhattan borough quarterfinals over the second-seeded Rams. Bayard Rustin (14-1), seeded seventh, meets No. 6 Norman Thomas in the semifinals Thursday at 5 p.m.
“It gives us visibility we didn’t have before and a reputation we didn’t have before,” said second-year coach Erik Shold, who has led the Titans to consecutive division titles.
Spence, a 6-foot-2 forward who plays bigger than his frame, led Bayard Rustin with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Asaad Green and Amauris Belen each added 12 and Tyler Brown had 11. Shold pointed to the play of Spence in particular in getting Manhattan Center (11-7) forwards Timothy Taylor and Jorden Canter in foul trouble. That, combined with the Titans’ relentless full-court press that created easy baskets, got them back into the game and built confidence.
“We realized we can play with these guys,” the coach said. “It came from our press and our defense.”
“We attacked them,” Spence added. “I don’t think they expected that. We just never gave up really. … A lot of people didn’t believe in us because we’re small, but we turned heads today.”
It was a wild afternoon in Manhattan as No. 1 Wadleigh was the only favorite to advance; fellow ‘AA’ programs Manhattan Center, Thurgood Marshall and West 50th Street Campus all fell.
“I thought the other two would win and I thought we had a good chance,” said Shold, who led Bayard Rustin to the borough playoffs last year, too. “It was just kind of a down year for Manhattan AA, for whatever reason.”
No matter what, an ‘A’ program will reach the Manhattan borough finals Saturday at City College of New York, either Bayard Rustin or Norman Thomas. The two division winners met once during the regular season and the Tigers prevailed on Jan. 7, 75-72, though the Titans did miss 14 free throws. The second matchup will have a lot more at stake.
“I’m excited,” Spence said. “I can’t wait for the game Thursday.”