Sewanhaka boys basketball's Dante Anderson scores 32 points, keys comeback win in 'Hoops for Hope' game

The deficit was eight at the intermission against Hempstead, and so the Sewanhaka players were being challenged by their coaches inside the locker room at Molloy University.

“We’re a young team,” coach Jay Allen said, “We’re still learning on the fly. But we just challenged the kids to be aggressive going to the basket.”

Dante Anderson was listening. The senior shooting guard, who averaged 11.4 points as a junior, took a lot of trips to the hoop, making shots and drawing fouls.

He scored 19 of his career-high 32 after the break, and the Ravens rallied from 10 points down early in the third Saturday to claim a 50-47 win.

“I think I made a big jump (from last season),” Anderson said. “I feel like a lot of teams better watch out. I’m coming. We are coming . . . So, better watch me. I’m not that all-conference player anymore.”

This wasn’t just another early-season game. This was the finale of four “Hoops for Hope” games at Molloy. It was the 21st year for this day of basketball.

Between T-shirt sales, journal ads and donations, the event raised about $15,000 for SIBSPlace, which is affiliated with Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital. The organization provides services to help kids ages 5 to 17 cope with a sibling that has cancer or a serious illness, or a parent with cancer, or the loss of a sibling or parent.

It was good for these players to participate in the cause, too.

“It gives kids opportunities to play sports and help other kids,” said Bill Rubin, the Sewanhaka assistant coach who’s on the board of directors of SIBSPlace and founded “Hoops for Hope.”

Nehemy Fresnel hit a three from up top to hand Sewanhaka (1-1) its first lead of the game, 47-46, with 3:12 left. Fresnel then made a move in the lane to boost it to a three-point game.

Amare Collins capped a 13-point effort by sinking one of two at the line, cutting it to 49-47.

With under 30 seconds left, the Tigers had two chances for the tie in one sequence and missed both shots. Jayden Spaulding made one of two free throws with 11.4 to go to give the Ravens a three-point edge.

Hempstead coach Jared Weir, who was missing his top player, Jonathan Davis, because of a family matter, took a timeout at that point and two more with 7.4 and 2.8 seconds left. Then Collins’ contested three hit the rim and the buzzer sounded.

“It’s a long season,” Weir said. “It’s December. Half of my team is coming off the football field. We’ve only been playing together for two, two and a half weeks. We saw some good things today.”

They led 29-21 at halftime and 31-21 in the first minute of the third. Then Anderson scored 12 in the final 7:01 of the quarter and seven in the first 2:39 of the fourth, slicing it to 46-44.

“Dante, he’s the vocal leader on our team,” Allen said. “ . . . He is the heart of our team.”