STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — St. Joseph by-the-Sea’s Nick Rebracca only needed to score roughly half his points-per-game average entering Thursday’s 32nd annual Borough President Vito Fossella SIHSL Tournament championship game against St. Peter’s.
And if you had to place a bet, chances are the high-scoring junior would reach the coveted mark by draining a three-pointer — he currently has 51 this season — or hitting a free throw since he is approximately a 90% shooter from the charity stripe.
But on this night, you would have lost on that wager.
Rebracca was actually retreating on defense when he made a steal at halfcourt in the third quarter. The three-year varsity player then pushed the ball toward the right baseline. With a sea of St. Peter’s players converging on him, Rebracca pumped faked before freeing himself up for a 10-foot jumper in transition.
“I’m really happy for him because that’s obviously something we need him to keep adding to his game. Everybody knows he can shoot from the outside and that when he gets to the line, he’s a 90% free-throw shooter,’’ said Sea head coach Mike Cortese, who watched Rebracca finish with a game-high 18 points during the Vikings’ 48-37 title-game loss to St. Peter’s at Petrides HS in Sunnyside. ”But I love the irony of it because that’s something that he’s adding to his game, getting out and using that mid-range form. It was nice — right in front of his parents (Christie and Steve) too. It had a nice snap shot moment to it and I’m really happy for him.’’
St. Joseph by-the-Sea junior Nick Rebracca sprints back on defense after nailing a transition jumper that helped him eclipse the 1,000-point plateau during Thursday’s SIHSL Tournament championship against St. Peter’s.(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
The Huguenot resident said he wasn’t thinking about eclipsing the 1,000-point mark when he stepped in front of the pass and started dribbling the other way.
“I really didn’t envision how it would happen. It would have been cool if it was a three-pointer, but at the moment I was just looking to score and help my team win,’’ acknowledged Rebracca.
“I’m pretty sure (on the play I scored), Peter’s got the rebound and they were looking to (transition) against us. They made a pass and I was able to step in front of it on instinct. Then I just dribbled, dribbled before I was able to create my own shot. I used a pump fake, I was open and just shot it.’’
Rebracca, who needed just 10 points to reach 1,000 entering the game, became the ninth Vikings player to hit a grand. The junior, who currently has 1,008 markers, joins Devin Nicholson (1,342), Gerard Nicholson (1,255), Ed Pavia (1,214), Gregg Testaverde (1,150), Ryan Hennessey (1,073), Mike Kuhens (1,061), Joe Stabach (1,051) and Mike Matrangolo (1,001) on Sea’s list.
“It’s obviously a great accomplishment to be with everyone else who (scored 1,000 points) and a lot of it was just me staying focused and determined because it’s obviously been a big goal for me,’’ said Rebracca. ”My teammates and coaches were helpful to me during the process and I’m thankful for them.
“The most important thing to me is winning the whole entire year and it still is. I’m hoping to get a championship in the (CHSAA A division playoffs), but it was great to achieve this goal.’’
“We’re proud of Nick. The whole program is proud of him and I know he’s appreciative of all the guys who helped him along the way — the guys who got him the ball and believed in him from the time he was a freshman,’’ added Cortese. “We’re definitely proud of his accomplishment, but this is also a program accomplishment and I know all of his teammates, former and current, are very proud of him.’’
Rebracca, of course, had enough pressure competing in a championship game and knowing St. Peter’s was going to throw everything at him but the kitchen sink in an effort to stop him.
The Eagles turned in a strong first half defensively, but the 6-foot-4 Rebracca scored 16 points after halftime, including a 9-for-9 effort from the free-throw line.
“There had to be some pressure, we’re humans. He’s a junior in high school, how can there not be pressure?’’ said Cortese. ”Ten is a tough number, right? Eleven was his low (this season) and, if anything, it’s a motivator for the defense. No excuses, but it’s definitely a mental challenge for him, but there were zero talks about it in the locker room. Nobody brought it up.
“It doesn’t help that he’s playing one of the toughest defenses on the Island, but it had it’s mental challenges,’’ the coach added. ”Once the second half comes, it’s nice as a coach to be pacing on the sideline and thinking about what’s next instead of the ball going through the hoop (as a team). He was comfortable, especially going to the free-throw line.’’
St. Joseph by-the-Sea’s Nick Rebracca, left, who currently has 1,0008 career points, believes No. 3-seeded Vikings can make a run in the upcoming CHSAA A division playoffs.(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
Rebracca said he was aware he was close to the mark, but wasn’t dwelling on it. His main concern was helping the Vikings beat St. Peter’s.
“Going into it, I knew I was close, but (getting to 1,000 Thursday) wasn’t my direct goal,’’ the 18-year-old said matter-of-factly. ”My direct goal was to win the game. And then I wanted everything else to fall into place and let the game come to me.’’
Rebracca is confident the Vikings, who have one last regular-season game Wednesday against New Dorp, can make a run in the city playoffs.
“We’re going to keep moving forward and stay focused,’’ he said. ”Obviously, we had a tough loss, but you got to keep moving forward and just try your best when you get to the city.
“I 100% think we’re capable of making a run. We’re very good at defending. In the Peter’s game we came out very slow on offense, but still contained them for the most part and I think we will continue that. We’ll look to push the pace and get out in transition. We’re gritty, tough and close and I think we’ll be fine.’’