New Rochelle Huguenots Win on 3-Pointer in Final Seconds (VIDEO)

After falling victim of a brutal last-second foul call in the opening round against Kingston Wednesday, the Huguenots were back out on the court—less than 24 hours later—with their heads high in their consolation game against Kennedy Catholic during the 13th Annual Slam Dunk Tournament at Westchester County Center.

The Huguenots came out flying. Kennedy was clearly overwhelmed with the speed and energy New Rochelle came out with. Neither team was filling up the stat sheet but each possession was clearly a battle. Bodies seemed to be hitting the deck for every loose ball and rebound.

It all came down to the final seconds when New Rochelle’s Mike Arini sank a game winning 3-point basket with just three seconds on the clock to give his Huguenots a 56-55 win.

“A win like this can definitely give the team some confidence,” said Arini. “We are a good team. We just need to keep pushing to get better. All we can do is work hard and try to win games.”

“I am really proud of the guys after this one,” said Huguenots’ Head Coach Billy Murphy. “This is a group of good kids, and we are looking forward to the rest of the season. Seeing Arini drain that shot was a beautiful thing.”

The battle to watch in this one was between Kennedy’s forward Thiago Randazzo and New Rochelle’s Joseph Clark. Each rebound battle between the two was like a 5-round slugfest. Clark led all scorers at the half with nine, and Randazzo led in rebounds with seven.

Kennedy shot an impressive 52 percent from the field in the first half while New Rochelle only shot 36 percent. If not for that, the Huguenots’ 29-23 halftime lead would have been even larger.

The physicality continued, even escalated, in the second half. Fouls were being called left and right, and there was not much of a flow to the action. But when the ball was in play, the action was absolutely intense.

Kennedy shot 55 percent on the day, but it wasn’t enough. Mike Arini, who played only five minutes in the game, found himself with the ball in his hands, down by two, with just five seconds to go. What did he do?

What every little kid dreams of—drained a last-second 3-point game winner to pull his team from the jaws of defeat before being swarmed by his teammates.

“The play wasn’t drawn up exactly as it appeared,” said Murphy. “We had a bit of a different idea but this game is never what it seems to be.”

“I shoot the ball. That’s what [Coach Murphy] wants me to do,” said Arini. “The play was drawn up for a lay-up but that didn’t pan out. As soon as the play developed and I ended up free with the ball up top, I knew I had to take the shot.”

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