Newark surges past Westbury into Class A boys basketball state final
The Newark Reds surged into the Class A boys basketball state tournament final Saturday morning with a 55-48 win over Westbury at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
A 16-1 run by the Reds during the final 5 minutes, 2 seconds of the semifinal set up a matchup with two-time defending state champion Jamesville-DeWitt (23-0), 1 p.m. Sunday in the same arena.
Newark senior center Javon McCrea, a 6-foot-7 State University of New York at Buffalo recruit, finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds. He also blocked eight shots for the Reds (23-1).
Ben Holt made a runner as he was fouled, then the awarded free-throw to give Newark a 52-48 lead with 53.6 seconds remaining. Two 3-point attempts by the Westbury Green Dragons were off the mark, and McCrea then added a free-throw with 30.2 seconds on the clock.
McCrea’s final block set up a dunk by Holt that emphatically finished the scoring.
Sheldon Hagigal led Westbury (18-5) with 17 points.
