RED HOOK – Matt Simmons lived the dream of any high school basketball phenom looking to create an unforgettable moment.
Rising up on a pull-up 3-pointer, Red Hook’s star senior drained the jumper for his 1,000th career point. The court was engulfed and stormed with dozens of his classmates, all adorned in full black with the student-section’s theme for the night, rushing towards the guard in the Raiders’ 72-60 victory over Saugerties in the Section 9 Class A semifinals at home on Wednesday night.
The only issue? There were still 50 seconds left in the third quarter.
Students were able to nearly reach the 3-point line for a slight moment before being quickly and swiftly ushered off the court to resume play. With the ruckus causing a technical foul to Red Hook and after a moment of pure confusion, laughs started to echo through the Jack Lewis Gymnasium. The students just simply cared that much about their friend, they completely forgot there was a game to be played.
“It just feels amazing. It’s just a great feeling to do it with my guys,” Simmons said after the game with a grinning smile draped across his face when asked about the moment. “I’ve been playing with them since I was in third grade, it was just such a great feeling.”
Rileigh Jackson led Red Hook with 21 points on the night, draining three deep shots in the process. Simmons tallied 17 to break the career milestone while Dylan Macdonald added 13. Robert Paschal also eclipsed double-digits with 10 for the Raiders.
It wasn’t all smiles for a majority of the night as the No. 2 seeded Raiders survived a slugfest with No. 3 Saugerties to advance to the Class A finals on Friday. Playing and defeating the Sawyers for the third time this season, this one might’ve been the toughest one of all.
Red Hook found themselves down for a decent amount of time in the first half with Saugerties threatening to completely run away pretty early on. The Raiders, who have consistently come out on top in close battles this season, was able to keep it at a three-point deficit at halftime before shooting out in the second.
“We knew we were going to battle. At the start of the game, they were getting all easy points inside but I kept telling them ‘keep digging, keep digging. If we keep the pace up in the second half, they’re going to get tired and those aren’t going to go.'” Kevin Cayea, the head coach of Red Hook said. “In the second half, we closed the rebounding gap tremendously… I’m proud of them for that.”
The win doesn’t necessarily create confidence for the Raiders, who have only lost two games this season, but it definitely came at a time when the program needed it. Following Red Hook’s upset loss to Spackenkill in the MHAL Championships, the Raiders have rattled off two straight home playoff victories to earn their spot in the final.
It’s do-or-die regardless at this point of the season, but a comeback win like this should energize the program even more. Especially with what’s coming up next.
“Everybody has been watching the standings all year, hoping and anticipating for a Beacon-Red Hook matchup,” Cayea said. “I just hope we bring the same energy Friday.”
In almost any other scenario, Red Hook would be considerable favorites to go on and win its first sectional title since 2016 with their record, résumé and talent across the board. Here, though, not so much.
If there was any other school to match up with the Raiders, it’s Beacon. The one-loss Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in Class A and will be a massive test. Either way, it’s a clash between two top-tier programs that have been finding ways to win all season long. One will have to.
The Class A Section final is set for Friday evening at Mt. Saint Mary College in Newburgh, with first-tip set for a 5 p.m. start.
For one moment though after Wednesday, Simmons can enjoy becoming the 20th player in Red Hook history to establish himself in the 1,000-point club. And even go hug his friends, this time after the game.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Simmons pours in 1,000th point as Red Hook advances to section final
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
