STAC BOYS' BASKETBALL: 2ND HALF SURGE LIFTS 11-1 CORNING PAST ELMIRA (24 PHOTOS) (2025-01-14)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
ELMIRA — With the game tied at the half, the Corning Hawks attacked the basket to start the second half as they moved to 11-1 on the year with a 54-46 win over Elmira.

“I think we were a little more patient in the third quarter,” Corning coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “We were making one more pass to get guys open. We thought the third quarter, the first three minutes, I’m a firm believer, and it’s something my dad always preached as my coach, is the first three minutes are the most important of the second half. You have to come out and play with energy and you’ve got to get stops. YOu have to do all the little things and we were able to do that.”

With the game tied at the half, Byron Hall Jr. hit a jumper 1:23 into the second half to put Elmira up 23-21. That would be the last time they’d lead in the game.

Nolyn Proudfoot, who had 26 points to lead all scorers, hit a jumper to tie the game and then the Hawks started to get to the basket.

Kyler Stevenson, Kohl Hogue and Makai Daniels all got fouled on drives, going 5-of-6 from the line between them to help put the Hawks up 28-23.

Dash Harris, who had a career-high 16 for Elmira, scored to cut the deficit to three, but that’s as close as the game would get the rest of the way.

Hogue and Teigen Gill each hit threes and Corning capped a 13-2 run to go up 34-25.

“It’s a game of runs,” Proudfoot said. “They are going to have theres. We are going to have ours. But, when they have theres, you just have to keep doing what we are doing. Box out, get a stop and the offense will come.”

Anthony Kitching got a basket for Elmira to make it a seven-point game, but Proudfoot answered before Dash Harris hit a three to get the deficit down to four.

Proudfoot added to the lead, but Elmira fought back and Harris was fouled and made one free throw to cut the deficit to 38-35. Stevenson scored to make it 40-35 after three quarters.

Harris again got the Express within three, but Stevenson scored and Hogue hit a three and the Hawks started to pull away.

Elmira had takent a four point lead late in the first half, but Carter Proudfoot and Nolyn Proudfoot hit back-to-back jumpers to tie the game going into the break.

“We talk all the time,” Johnston Jr. said. “There is going to be a point and time in the game where each team is going to go on a spurt. You’ve got to weather the storm. We played in the first half and that second quarter especially. We had Teigen Gill and Kyler Stevenson on the bench with two fouls. I think our guys came off the bench — Jeremy Spears and Carter Proudfoot and Joe Fucito gave us great minutes.

“They gave us a chance, we could rotate some guys in the game. They did what they needed to do for us. Joe defended and rebounded like crazy. Carter came right in and hit a big three at one moment in time and Jeremy’s energy on the glass. That’s huge, on top of the other people who start for us.”

For the Corning players it’s been a great start to the season, and this one, against a team that’s beaten the Hawks in the past two sectional title games, was big.

“It’s great,” Nolyn Proudfoot said. “We have been playing great all season. We haven’t beaten them in a while. We came out, it was a tough crowd. We played really good defense. We held them to 46.”

The Hawks did their best to quiet the crowd early as they got off to a 10-2 start to begin the game.

“They are a team that jumps out early on people and we thought that we need to do that instead. We needed to get off to a fast start. Play good defense, make shots early, layups, free throws. Run offense. Distribute the ball and you saw that these kids are so unselfish. They make one more pass to get it to the open man and I think that’s huge. That’s why we are winning games right now.

Proudfoot had great balance with least six points in every quarter. He hit just one three, his first basket of the game, but scored in a variety of ways throughout the night.

“When I came out, I have great teammates around me that can get me the ball,” Proudfoot said. “Teigen, Kohl, Makai they are all super, great passers and they know how to get it to me in spots where I can score.

“I know when I come out, everyone knows who I am and they are going to try and play me tight. They think, oh it’s the three, but I’ve got the back door cut. I know I can score in the paint, mid-range, but if they are going to give me the three.”

The mid-range is a big part of Proudfoot’s game this year.

“We talked, he hadn’t shot it well from out there (threes),” Johnson Jr. said. “He changed some things and we said let’s get back to what we do every day, what he does on his own behind the scenes with his three-point shooting. They come out and play him and now he’s got a mid-range game and can take it to the basket and he can pull-up and stop and pop or he can go by you. He’s added that feature to his game in the last year. Now, he’s hard to guard and they know he’s getting the ball. He’s one of the top assist guys on the team. He and two other guys are averaging between 5-6 assists a game, which is prety unselfish with these kids.”

Hogue had 10 points, five in the third and five in the fourth. He was 4-of-4 from the line in the second half and had two threes in the half.

Carter Proudfoot had five points, including a three in the 10-2 start to the game. Spears ha four points and Gill, Stevenson and Daniels finished with three points each.

Dash Harris had 16, nine in the second half. Zyquise Matias had eight points and James Harris had seven.

For the Hawks, holding James Harris, the Express leading scorer to seven, none in the second half, was huge.

“He’s one of the best players in the league and we have a ton of respect for him,” Johnston Jr. said. “He’s their barometer, we think. Then they have to look to other peple to do some scoring. Proud of our kids that everyone guarded him pretty efficiently. More importantly, we took away transtion and we converted. I thought the defensive glass was huge. We are not huge and we have to do a great job competing. We are going to go get the ball and we are going to cover it with two hands.”

Byron Hall Jr. had four points and Jha’Micque Bell and Darien Harris each had threes in the game, while Anthony Kitching had three points and Nyheim Brown had two points.

Elmira is at Horseheads on Thursday and Corning hosts Bath Havrling on Friday.
————
PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME.


Print Friendly Version