STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — McKee/Staten Island Tech head coach Charlie Donohue is not one to shy away from exhibiting tough love.
Jayden Chen found out the hard way Thursday.
The second-year varsity player was dinged up and signaling for a breather during overtime when Donohue denied the request. Simply put, the long-time coach wasn’t going to sit his team’s most productive player.
“He was a little banged up,’’ admitted Donohue with a laugh. ”He was signaling he needed time and I was like, ‘no, this isn’t the time.’ Fortunately, he sucked it up and held it together.’’
The move paid dividends.
Chen finished with career highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds and he also got the Seagulls off to a quick start in the second overtime as they registered a 92-80 PSAL 3A division victory over visiting Petrides in New Dorp.
Chen was one of a whopping seven players between the teams to finish in double figures. Terence Legrand (20 points), Dalton Cherubin (13 points) and Nizayah Jordan (13 points) also contributed offensively for MSIT, which improved to 4-2 in PSAL play (4-5 overall).
The Seagulls’ victory overshadowed an outstanding performance for Petrides junior Daynell Rowland, who poured in a game-high 34 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine. Kareem Nesbitt and Darien Niles added 22 and 11 points, respectively, for the Panthers (2-6, 1-5).
“Finding a way to win is a mentality we’re trying to build with this team,’’ said Donohue. ”We’re learning how to finish and I applaud the kids because they kept fighting, but we do have to get way better at polishing things up and avoid getting in situations (where we blow a double-digit lead).’’
With the score tied 77-77 entering the second overtime, Chen opened the new four-minute period by canning a pair of free throws, then later hit a layup off a drive that helped give the hosts an 84-80 advantage with 1:55 on the clock.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous,’’ the junior said with a smile. ”I just wanted to go home with a win. It really feels good knowing I did something for the team.’’
“Not only did (Chen) come through, but I’m impressed that he played through after getting hurt,’’ added Donohue. ”That was the most impressive thing for me. He really made some big plays for us down the stretch.’’
McKee/Staten Island Tech’s Jayden Chen, left, makes a pass to an open teammate while Petrides’ Kareem Nesbitt (0) defending during a PSAL 3A division contest on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Charlie De Biase Jr.)
After Javen Marque and William Slocum sandwiched a Christian Evans pull-up jump with one free throw apiece, Evans and Jordan connected for buckets in the final minute to provide the final score.
“I give a lot of credit to the guys coming off the bench, especially those who came in cold, because they gave us a big lift,’’ added Donohue, who saw two starters foul out. ”It says a lot about them being ready and it makes winning this type of game that much better.’’
Thursday’s contest was a track meet at times, yet the teams combined for a whopping 72 trips to the free-throw line.
MSIT was running like a well-oiled machine when it opened the second half with a 13-4 run that was capped by Legrand’s top-of-the-key trey that made it 50-35 with 3:38 left in the half.
But the Panthers switched to man-to-man late in the quarter and it fueled a 13-4 Nesbett-led run. Nesbett, in fact, scored 11 points in the period and cut MSIT’s lead to 54-50 entering the final period.
When Rowland and Nesbitt opened the fourth with back-to-back buckets to tie the score at 54-54, it set the stage for a nip-and-tuck period in which neither team took more than a four-point lead.
After Legrand hit a layup and Jordan hit 1 of 2 free throws in a four-second span, the Seagulls held a 70-68 advantage with just 7.7 ticks left in regulation.
However, Rowland raced the ball upcourt and hit a drive in the lane as time expired to force the extra sessions.
The teams followed a similar script in the first OT. Rowland opened the period with his fifth and final trey, but MSIT responded with a 7-3 run, including a Slocum interior bucket that gave the hosts a 77-76 lead with 40 ticks left.
However, Rowland answered again, this time burying 1 of 2 freebies with 34.7 seconds left to tie the score at 77-77 and force the decisive second overtime.
NOTES: The teams combined for 114 rebounds. The Gulls won the battle of the boards, 66-48, behind Chen, Lucas Gavin (12), Cherubin (nine), Evans (eight) and Legrand (seven). The Panthers were paced by Rowland, Darien Niles (nine), Nesbitt (seven), Aiden Gonzalez (seven) and Sonyboy Zintamus (seven) … The Seagulls and Panthers took 36 free-throw attempts each and struggled from the charity stripe. The Panthers connected on 19 (Nesbitt 8 for 11); the Seagulls hit 16 (Chen 6 for 11) … Petrides committed 17 turnovers, MSIT 28 … Legrand and Niles took two charges each while MSIT’s Lin and Petrides’ Ethan Hughes also drew offensive fouls.