By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN – Top-ranked New York City prep basketball team Rice came back from a double-digit deficit to top Cardozo, 63-58, in the finals of the SNY Invitational this weekend at Long Island University.
Trailing by as many as 19 in the third quarter Sunday, the Harlem high school's full-court press helped force Queens' Cardozo High School into 15 second-half turnovers that brought the game into overtime, according to the New York Post.
Scotty Arias proved the hero for Rice, sinking a pair of free throws with less than 45 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game.
Tournament MVP Kadeem Jack led the Raiders during the comeback with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Junior Jermaine Sanders scored five of his 12 points in overtime. Sanders stepped up in the extra session, making a three-pointer and a fadeaway jumper to help seal the five-point victory.
"He's been doing that since his sophomore year," Rice coach Mo Hicks told the Post. “He hit some big shots for us last year down the stretch. This is something he’ll continue to do. He’s that type of player.”
Rice returns to action Tuesday against Harlem's Wadleigh.
