Turning in a monumental 3-point play and calmly knocking down four straight critical free throws down the stretch, Clarence Nadolny authored a breakout performance en route to Scotland Campus’ 92-86 victory over Fort Union Military Academy at the FUMA tournament Saturday.
An explosively and deceptively athletic guard who has notably opened up his outside shot this season, Nadolny scored a team-best 26 points as Scotland (21-0) gutted out a double digit first half deficit and a sublime 26-point performance from jumbo Fork Union Military Academy forward/center Caleb Mauldin. Scotland overcame his interior play and a fleet of sharpshooters to remain undefeated at no.3 in the country.
Dequarius Nicholas scored 20 points and was gritty on the offensive glass throughout a pulsating second half that featured four lead changes.
Nicholas, a budding mid major prospect, hit a big transition 3-pointer in the second half and knocked down a jumper that gave the Knights an 82-75 lead with 3:18 to play in the second half. The 6-foot-9 Karim Coulibaly, one of the more highly coveted prospects in an event dripping with high end talent, finished with 13 points.
Nadolny was poised throughout the second half, exemplifying the leadership role with timely scoring and playmaking. After FUMA’s Antonio Watson (18 points) hit a timely trey, Nadolny answered with a 3-pointer of his own to give Scotland a 56-53 lead. Watson again dialed in from deep, as another 3-pointer knotted matters at 56-all.
The high-octane French guard again answered, drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt and sinking all three free throws as Scotland took a 59-56 lead with 16:23 remaining.
After Fork Union’s David Ware connected on 1 of 2 from the free throw line, Nadolny was able to snake his way into the teeth of the defense and finish at the rim for a 61-57 lead.
Nicholas caromed an offensive board on the ensuing possession, drew a foul on the putback, and stuck both free throws for a 63-57 lead.
“I just thought (Clarence) played very controlled, thought he took advantage of the matchups, took advantage of playing at different speeds like we’ve been telling him to do,” said Scotland Campus head coach Chris Chaney, who accomplished a milestone with win No.750 of his illustrious prep career.
“If he does that, he’s a high level player.”
Scotland went down by 10 early as Antonio Watson’s traditional 3-point play made it 21-11, pumping life into a historic bandbox gym that’s produced myriad Division-I and NBA players since the storied program’s inception. Akrum Ahemed scored on a putback, FUMA’s Jon Breeland scored on a drive, Scotland’s Austin Galuppo answered with a 3-pointer from NBA territory, and Mauldin turned in a traditional 3-point play that again pushed the hosts lead back to 10, 26-16.
Nadolny kick-started a 13-0 run on a traditional 3-point play. He wound up capping such a momentum swing with a 3-pointer, as Scotland seized a 29-26 lead with 8:31 remaining in the first half.
Akrum Ahemed, a reserve 6-foot-5 guard/wing with shot-making ability and crafty left handed finishing aptitude, catalyzed the Knights with 12 first half points.
The New Jersey native hit a deep corner jumper, bucketed a 3-pointer, and scored on a hard drive that gave the Knights a 37-34 lead with just a thread over five minutes remaining in the first half.
“I told the guys after the game, ‘without Akrum we would have been down 10-15 points,” Chaney explained.
“He was the spark we needed off the bench. Besides making shots, he got on the glass, played at different speeds, and made the right plays. With performances like that, his game is just going to keep blossoming.”
Chaney, who coached easily the best prep team ever with a memorable 2005 Laurinburg Academy team that went 40-0 with a national championship, attributed his 750th win to an immense supporting cast and a number of high level Division-I players who bought into his style over the years.
“A lot of great players, a lot of great assistant coaches, that will lead to a lot of wins,” Chaney said.
