Godlis steps up, leads Friends to victory
Friends Academy's Marc Godlis reacts to his team's victory as time expires. (Mar. 12, 2011) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Marc Godlis' use of the glass proved Friends Academy doesn't have a glass jaw -- the Quakers can take a punch.
Friends withstood a flurry of whistles (17, to be exact), but outlasted Tuckahoe, 49-44, in the Southeast regional Class C final at Farmingdale State Saturday. They will play the Prep School of Grover at 5 p.m. on Friday in the state semifinals at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
With leading scorer T.J. Hefele and Kellan Sehring in foul trouble most of the game, Godlis stepped up his game. The junior forward, who played the last 4:07 with four fouls, scored 25 points, six more than his previous season high of 19 against Malverne on Jan. 11. Most of his 12 field goals came on runners or layups off the backboard.
"My game is taking it to the hoop," Godlis said, adding Tuckahoe's man-to-man defense eliminated the threat of a help defender in the lane to thwart his drives. "We have a lot of players who can step up at different times."
Godlis' time just happened to be in the most important game of the game of the season thus far. His hoop off the glass on a baseline drive with 5:02 left in the fourth quarter put Friends (15-4) ahead for good at 37-36. Two layups by Tuckahoe's Sky Williams (18 points) closed it to 47-44, but Godlis sealed the deal with a coast-to-coast layin with 7.6 seconds left.
He let his emotions go after the hoop, bouncing up and down as the seconds ticked down. "It means a lot to all of us," he said. "We're such a close knit team."
Coach Steve Hefele had to bring in the reserves early, as his son, whose nine points fell shy of his season average of 14.7, picked up his third foul just 5:47 into the game. He scored seven points in first quarter but didn't score again until his bucket with 1:06 to play gave the Quakers their largest lead at 47-40.
Sehring was whistled for his third foul seven seconds into the second quarter. He fouled out with 3:12 left in the game, having scored just one point.
With those guys on the bench, Godlis and Tommy Costa (seven points) picked up the slack. The two combined for all 11 of Friends' second-quarter points to go into the half tied at 26.
Godlis kept it rolling in the third with a three-point play during a 9-3 run that put Friends up by six.
"That was crazy," T.J. Hefele said of Godlis' performance. "I couldn't believe he put up 25. That showed a lot of guts."
Godlis scored just two points in Wednesday's Long Island final. But came up big when it mattered most.
Said Steve Hefele: "That was the biggest game he's ever played. But it's not a surprise, he's been great for us this year."
