Syracuse Academy of Science girls' run ended in overtime of Class C hoops final.

The #SASAtoms accomplished a lot - winning the program's first Section III title and advancing to the state final four.

SAS missed out on only one goal, as Section IX champion Millbrook bested the Atoms, 67-64, in overtime in the Class C state championship game at Hudson Valley Community College.

"We came up short, but we accomplished a whole lot," #SASCS coach Reggie Pickard said after his team came out on the short end of the 4-minute extra session, during which the Atoms led three times before surrendering the final four points. "Overtime game, we lost to a great team, a well-coached team."

SAS, who finish 19-5, lost despite a determined effort from senior Lyrik Jackson, who led the Atoms with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and junior Diamonne Harris, who added 23 points.

"She made a big difference," Pickard said.

Millbrook led the whole way, until there was just one minute left in regulation. A basket by Jackson tied the game at 54-54.

The Blazers pushed the lead back to four points with 34 seconds left, but SAS got a pair of free throws from Jackson to pull within two and 6-0 sophomore Erykah Pasha sent the game into overtime by converting two free throws with no time left on the clock after she was fouled on a put back attempt at the buzzer.

The Atoms led three times in the extra session - 60-59, 62-61 and 64-63 - before the Blazers got their final points from reserve junior forward Claire Martell, who hit a basket and two free throws in the final 45 seconds.

Pickard said he told his players to keep their heads high.

"I just told them they had no reason to hang their heads," said Pickard, who started the varsity program at SAS in 2010. "We set a goal at the beginning of the season. We reached our goal, but we just came up short."

Pickard said his all-state senior, Jackson, was all heart.

"She played hurt. She twisted her ankle early on. Her shoulder was still sore from the fall yesterday. She was banged up. But she gave it her all. She gave it her heart," he said.

The coach said he hoped the Atoms would be back, albeit probably in a higher classification. Nearly everyone associated with Section III basketball expects that SAS will be moved up in class by the competition committee.

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Eighth-grader Alexius Pierce made the go-ahead layup in the game's last minute, and junior Diamonne Harris hit four straight free throws in the final 10 seconds as the Syracuse Academy of Science held off Allegany-Limestone, 55-50, in a Class C girls basketball state semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College.

The Section III-champion Atoms (20-4) will play in the 8-year-old program's first state final at 4 p.m. Saturday against Section IX champion Millbrook.

"It feels unbelievable," said Harris, who led all scorers with 20 points. "We worked so hard - day after day - it was all worth it. It feels so good."

"We just willed our way (to the win), said senior leader Lyrik Jackson, who scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made five steals for the Atoms. "Coach said keep pushing. We didn't want to go home."

SAS, which trailed by six points at the half (32-26) sparked its second-half offense with a pressing defense that forced Allegany-Limestone into 22 turnovers and yielded a dozen steals.

The #SASAtoms also held Gators' star senior center Morgan Davis to 14 points, about five below her season's average. Morgan only had six in the second half.

"Amazing. Just amazing," said #SASCS head coach Reggie Pickard. "I'm still kind of dreaming - like are we here or not, you know? We're doing everything possible to win a championship. We've worked hard for eight years, and here we are."

The Atoms trailed by as many as eight points late in the second quarter but caught the Gators just two minutes into the third using a press that started paying off in turnovers.

"Our pressure has been the key for us all year," Pickard said. "We force turnovers, make the game kind of ugly. I thought if we pressured a little more in the second half it would harder for them to get the ball to their bigs."

Allegany-Limestone, from Section VI near Olean, still led by two at the start of the fourth quarter, but SAS sophomore Xyel Bradford's 3-pointer put the Atoms ahead, 41-40, with just under 7 minutes left. Pierce hit another huge three with 2:30 left to play that gave SAS a 47-46 advantage.

But the Gators continued to make big baskets, too, and Allegany-Limestone had a 50-49 lead, and the ball, with just under a minute left to play.

On the in-bounds play, Harris dove for a steal and somehow got the ball to Pierce, who drove in for what would turn out to be the winning points, making it 51-50, Atoms.

The Gators began fouling, but Harris proved worthy against the pressure, hitting two sets for free throws in the final eight seconds.

"It was very nerve-wracking, but we do this all of the time in practice," she said. "I have to stay calm."

Allegany-Limestone coach Frank Martin said his team just couldn't quite hold it together in the final minutes against the SAS quickness.

"I'd love to have the last minute and a half back," he said. "We weren't as good as we needed to be to close this game out. We just weren't as good as we needed to be at the end."

The Atoms had a scare in the final seconds when Jackson took a shot to her head when she went down chasing a loose ball and an Allegany-Limestone player fell on top of her. She had to be helped off the court but was up and talking in the aftermath.

Harris said she hoped to go swimming in the hotel pool later in the day, but her coach wasn't hearing it.

No, no. We're not going to do any swimming," he said, laughing. "Too much muscle movement. They got mad at me last night because I took their phones from them. I'm doing that again tonight, too."

Article posted at http://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/news/article/-7252830500074429937/sas-blanks-allegany-limestone-in-final-minutes-for-55-50-win-in-class-c-girls-basketball-semifinal/

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On Saturday, March 10, 2018, Syracuse Academy of Science advances to Class C state semifinals with 62-57 win over Bainbridge-Guilford.

It wasn’t easy. But it did feel inevitable.

It took 32 minutes of steely effort, but Syracuse Academy of Science used timely shooting and 20 points from Lyrik Jackson to defeat Bainbridge-Guilford 62-57 on Saturday at the SRC Arena in the Class C regional finals. The win advanced the #SASAtoms into the state semifinals, where they will take on Allegany-Limestone.

“We dug in. We just dug in,” SAS head coach Reginald Pickard said. “We knew that we had it in us we just had to let it come out.”

The Atoms needed all the grit they could muster in the fourth quarter. Trailing 45-44 to start the final frame, SAS put together an 11-2 run to start the fourth, creating a 55-47 advantage. Alexius Pierce, Freey Pleasants and Xyel Bradford all contributed to a run that Jackson capped with a three from the left side.

“That’s what coach teaches us,” Jackson said. “At times like that you can’t feel the pressure, we had to stay calm and be focused. So that’s what we did.”

Bainbridge-Guilford responded with a 8-0 run to even the score at 55, but Jackson, Pierce and Pleasants again combined for a 7-2 run that clinched the five-point win for #SASCS. All in all, the Atoms finished with five players scoring more than five points and three players in double figures.

“We have a great team, and it makes us hard to defend,” Pickard said. “It gives us a balanced attack, and we can spread it out.”

The late run was a product of that depth and a level of resilience after the Atoms had led by as much as nine in the first quarter, only to eventually trail by as much as six in the second.

“It’s a team effort,” Jackson said. “We were flat for a little, and we knew they were a good team. Coach just told us to run, and it was scrappy but it worked out.”

Jackson led the Atoms with 20 points, just missing a double-double with eight rebounds. Pleasants and Pierce added 12 apiece, and Bradford pitched in eight. Abigail Selfridge led all scorers with 23 for Bainbridge-Guilford.

Having unlocked enough of their potential to break into the state semifinals, Pickard said his girls are just getting started.

“Our motto is ‘let me be great.’ It’s about potential,” Pickard said. “It came from one of our coaches who lost her son, he always said, ‘let me be great.’ That’s what we did tonight and what we want to keep doing.”

The Atoms’ next opportunity comes on Friday when they meet Allegany-Limestone. That game is scheduled for an 11:45 a.m. tip at Hudson Valley Community College.

Article posted at http://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/news/article/-7252828500090430005/sas-advances-to-class-c-state-semis-with-62-57-win-over-b-g/

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On Friday, March 16, 2018 the SAS Middle School welcomed an Irish Dance School to our building. The students were treated to a performance from the Rince Na Sonas School of Irish Dance. This is the third year that the school has visited us with their amazing dancers, many of which are headed to national and world competitions. Students and Staff were in awe of the talents demonstrated. Thank you Mrs. Hickey and Mrs. Greenwood and the parents who brought your students! This was a all-around amazing day! #SASAtoms #SASCS

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On Thursday, March 15, 2018, 10th and 11th grade students participated in the National College Fair at Onondaga Community College, close to 200 colleges, universities and other opportunities for post-high school learning were in attendance.

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On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 the SAS Middle School held its finale to the Read Across America Festivities. The class that put the most time into the DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) practice gained the ability to tape our wonderful Miss Robinson to the wall to celebrate their hard work. Miss Robb has been a crucial part of our school for years! She works very hard to support all of our goals at SAS and we had of fun taping her to the wall to celebrate our reading goals! Go ATOMS! #SASAtoms #SASCS

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On Monday, March 12, 2018 the 5th grade students of the SAS Middle School welcomed students from SUNY ESF. These students have been working with the science classes for weeks now and have now taken their involvement to another level. ESF Student Mr. Roney sets students up with an experiment to demonstrate the effects of weathering and erosion on our environment. Students loved the experience to work hands-on with these great future educators from SUNY ESF. #SASAtoms #SASCS

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On Tuesday, March 13, 2018, as we continue to celebrate Women's History Month here at SAS we are visited by two women, Ms. Rosie Taravella from the Red Cross and Ms. Jennifer Sanders, from News Channel 9. Both women have shown us how their leadership skills has allowed them to succeed in their industry, while still giving back to the community. Students inquired about what has led them to this career path and what makes their jobs so exciting. We will continue to share our month long journey with two additional panels to close out the month.

#SASCS #SASAtoms #RedCross #NewsChannel9

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On Friday, March 9, 2018, the SAS Middle School held its 1st Science and Academic Fair. This has been a change from year's past that that students can now elect to create presentation in any area of study. We know at SAS that some of our student shine in different areas! Student work was judged by our wonderful faculty and fun was had by all! Our wonderful parents joined us to kick off the event. We could not be more proud of the work that our students put in for this event. Go ATOMS!

#SASCS #SASAtoms #ScienceFair

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On Friday, March 9, 2018, students enjoyed a well-deserved treat for their positive behavior. They earned themselves an ice cream social at the end of the day on Friday. Everyone had a great time, and will continue being excellent role models for our school.

#SASCS #SASAtoms

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