Aloha! Flynn’s Three-Pointer Propels Hawaii To George Welch B-Ball Title

March 17, 2010 by Greg Lederer

Cheshire teenager Dan Flynn set a goal of repeating as champion of the George Welch High School Boys’ Basketball League. That dream, while so close on March 13, seemed to be slipping away in the title game. The University of Hawaii were inconsistent at the foul line and forced to play catch-up from the start against Georgia Tech University. In the end, Flynn simply wouldn’t let his team lose.
Flynn sank a pair of clutch free throws to force overtime (41-41) and then drained the game-winning shot, a three-pointer that broke a 43-43 tie with 3.3 seconds left. After Georgia Tech’s Paul Tuscano missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer, Hawaii (second seed; 12-1 record) celebrated a hard-earned 46-43 victory. Flynn and Nick Guarino were teammates on last year’s title team.
“Amazing. That is the only word I can think of,” said Flynn, whose 30 points were the highest individual total all season. “It’s satisfying to win again.”
Flynn scored 16 points in the first half alone. But with him sitting at the start of the second, Georgia Tech (fifth seed; 10-3 record) used depth to gain separation. The Yellow Jackets scored the first six points, including two baskets from Chris Barney, to extend to a 30-22 lead. Flynn returned to engage in a scoring duel. Georgia Tech’s Steve Sutherland and Flynn traded a string of five baskets and two free throws. The Yellow Jackets kept their lead during the sequence, and following two more lay-ups from Barney, they had a 40-30 lead with just 5:55 left. Barney scored his eight points in the second half.
“It was going to be tough to come back,” said Guarino, who netted eight of his 12 points in the second half and overtime. “Luckily, we made big shots.”
For the second straight season, Guarino proved clutch. He made a lay-up, hit a three-pointer, and knocked down two foul shots during an 8-0 run.
“It was great. He did the same thing last year in the championship,” recalled Flynn. “I have all the trust in him.”
The foul line represented a crucial turning point. Over the final 52.4 seconds of regulation, Hawaii made three of five free throws. The Rainbow Warriors quickly fouled Georgia Tech and watched them make just one of three attempts.
“I know that is my weakness in basketball. It comes down to fundamentals,” said Georgia Tech point guard Paul Tuscano, who scored nine points.
“(Sean) Murphy came up with some big defensive rebounds after they missed free throws,” reflected Hawaii Head Coach Scott Flynn. “We fell behind every time Dan went to the bench. But, Guarino really stepped up. His ball-handling was great and we didn’t turn the ball over a lot tonight.”
Flynn tied the score and Hawaii actually had a chance to win in regulation. Georgia Tech pressured defensively and prevented them from getting off a final shot, forcing an extra three minutes for the championship.
“I was missing free throws all game. But, I took a breath and made those big ones,” stated Flynn.
Tuscano and Guarino traded jump shots, but the Yellow Jackets missed four foul shots in a row. That opened the door for the winning basket. Guarino made an aggressive cut on the perimeter, pulling a defender toward him. Flynn had an opening and swished the three-pointer.
“I thought Nick would dribble it out again and then Dan popped open. It was great,” said Scott Flynn.
“We hit a lot of free throws at the end.”
Sutherland, an aggressive post player, scored seven points to build a 21-12 lead. Yet, Flynn carried his team offensively during their slow start and Hawaii scored six straight points to pull within two points (24-22) at halftime.
“I thought we were up against it today. We battled back the whole game,” Scott Flynn added.
After dropping their opener, Hawaii won 12 straight games for the title.
“It’s not to competitive, so you if you win or lose, it’s not the end of the world,” explained Guarino. “We just have fun. We know a lot of guys on the other team.”
Georgia Tech upset the top-seeded United States Air Force Academy (47-40) to reach the title game.
“We had five seniors and thought we had a chance to be a good team,” reflected Tuscano, who advanced to the semifinals last year. “It’s tough to come so close, but you win some and lose some. Dan (Flynn) played a great game and that was a big shot. You have to hand it to him.”
Air Force (11-2 record) bounced back to defeat Arizona State University (third seed; 10-3 record) 51-44 in the consolation game. Joe Klemenz tallied a game-high 20 points for Air Force, while Mike Kaplan added 18 in the loss.

 
 
 
Other final results, records, and top-scorers from Saturday are listed:
Syracuse University 76 (2-10), Louisiana State University 41 (3-10)
   Curt Brown (28); Sam Martha (24)
Georgetown University 40 (3-9), University of Kentucky 28 (3-10)
   Abe Siliman (18); Sam Schrier (eight)
Texas Christian University 37 (5-7), University of Rhode Island 25 (3-9)
   Eric Ploch (12); Matt Kleinberg (11)
Villanova University 52 (5-7), University of North Carolina 44 (6-6)
   Max Slade (29); Chris Sacco (13)
University of Connecticut 47 (6-6), East Carolina University 40 (3-9)
   Nick Cesca (22); Brian Gargiulo (13)
Davidson University 43 (6-6), University of Miami 40 (8-4)
   Mike Goggin (15); Kyle Nelson (17)
Sacred Heart University 48 (7-5), University of South Carolina 43 (9-3)
   Dom Severino (15); Luke Scinto (12)

Senior Night will be held this evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the West Gym. The tournament, including just senior players, concludes with a championship game.