John Sica and Myles Bergere turned the tide for the Bethlehem boys basketball team.
The two forwards combined for 27 of Bethlehem’s 43 second-half points to help the Eagles rally for a 60-49 Suburban Council South Division victory over visiting Colonie Friday.
`I was just trying to help my team any way I could,` said Sica. `In the second half the team played very well, and I just happened to be one (of two) who scored.`
Sica, Bergere and the rest of Bethlehem’s starters struggled to score points in the first half against Colonie’s zone defense. The Eagles (3-0) managed only four points in the first quarter and trailed the Garnet Raiders (2-1) 27-17 at halftime.
`We had real good defense in the first half, and we grabbed a lot of first rebounds,` said Colonie coach Doug Kilmer.
`They tried to eliminate the big presence (near the basket),` said Bethlehem coach A.G. Irons.
That changed in the second half. A pair of driving shots from Bergere and a three-pointer by Connor Morelli highlighted a 9-0 Bethlehem run to get the Eagles within one point of Colonie. A short time later, Sica hit a pair of shots near the basket to give Bethlehem a 35-32 lead.
A Sonny Benson free throw and a driving layup by Nolan Smith tied the score at 35 for Colonie, but it went downhill from there for the Garnet Raiders. Bethlehem used a 13-6 spurt between the end of the third quarter and the midpoint of the fourth quarter to build a 49-41 advantage. Colonie got as close as six points the rest of the way.
`They rebounded better than we did in the second half, and then a couple of our guys struggled with their health out there,` said Kilmer.
`We can explode with points,` said Irons. `We have a lot of different weapons, so other teams can’t focus on any one player.`
Sica finished with a game-high 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots for Bethlehem. Bergere contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
Godfrey Freeman netted 18 points for Colonie, including his team’s first nine points of the fourth quarter. Benson chipped in with 11 points, but he was one of several Colonie players who struggled to hit shots in the second half — as was forward Jake Samuels, who was limited to seven points.
`Most teams have their favorite targets. (Jake) Samuels and Freeman are ours,` said Kilmer. `But other guys have to step up for us.`