Late surge rallies Medina past Ken East

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jarin Rhim puts up a shot over Kenmore East defender William Markott during the Mustangs win over the visiting Bulldogs this evening.

Putting together a big late surge, Medina rallied to down visiting Kenmore East 64-58 in a non league basketball game this evening.

Trailing by eight, 58-50, with just over two minutes to go, the Mustangs came battling back to outscore the Bulldogs 14-0 down the stretch and claim the win.

Back-to-back layups by Christian Drisdom ignited that decisive uprising.

Jarin Rhim followed up with a rebound basket before Tyler Chinn pulled Medina even at 58-58 with a layup off a steal with 1:30 to go.

The Mustangs finally regained the lead for good at 60-58 on a jumper by Nate Sherman with 35 seconds remaining.

A rebound bucket by Sherman an a pair of free throws by Jarin Rhim then capped off the dramatic rally.

Jarin Rhim finished with 16 and Brian Fry 11 to lead the Mustangs scoring parade as Joe Cecchini added 9, Chinn 8, Sherman and Drisdom 6 and Dontae Rhim and Matt Henning 4 each.

Amari Gordon scored 15 and Marcus Diaz 12 to pace Ken East.

Medina grabbed a slender 15-14 lead at the end of the first period as Cecchini had 7 and Jarin Rhim 4 in the early gong.

The lead then changed hands five times in the sea-saw second period which ended with Ken East holding a narrow 27-26 lead. Gordon, who had 6 in the opening period, added 7 in the stanza to lead the Bulldogs.

Medina though rallied back into an eight point, 43-35, lead by outscoring Ken East 17-8 over the first six minutes of the third period.

Fry had two threes and a layup off a turnover to spark that uprising which also included a three by Jarin Rhim.

Ken East though answered back with a 9-0 run to close the period on two threes by Diaz and one by Nick Kurucz to regain a 44-42 lead at the three-quarter mark.

A three by Jarin Rhim and a layup by Drisdom regained a 48-46 lead for Medina early in the final period but Ken East answered with a 12-2 to regain the lead for what proved to be the last time at 58-50.

Kurucz had a three and a two, William Markott a pair of baskets and Dominic Ferguson a three-point play during that Bulldogs uprising.

The last rally and the victory though belonged to the Mustangs as Chinn, Sherman and Drisdom each chipped in with 4 points and Jarin Rhim 2.

Now at 6-9 overall, Medina next hosts rival Albion at 6:30 p.m. Friday in a Niagara-Orleans League game.