Boys Basketball

Class AA Quarterfinals

(1) Victor 51, (8) McQuaid 44

For a moment in the fourth quarter, it looked like Victor was teetering towards getting upset for the second straight year as the top seed in the quarterfinals. However, history did not repeat itself as the Blue Devils powered ahead on an 11-1 run to seal the game.

Victor had a hot start, leading 14-8 after the first quarter. The Blue Devils kept in front, leading 21-17 at halftime and 35-28 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, the Knights scored the first four points of the fourth, cutting the lead to 35-32 with 6:45 to play.

That’s when the Blue Devils took over. Victor played swarming defense, turned steals into points, and converted a pair of buckets through fouls to go on their 11-1 run, putting the game and McQuaid’s upset hopes to bed.

Victor will play Schroeder in the semifinals on February 28th at Rush-Henrietta High School. The two teams met in the regular season on January 14th, with the Blue Devils winning 67-41.

McQuaid’s season ends with an 8-14 record.

(10) Edison Tech 78, (2) Franklin 69

The trio of Tyler Bethea, Davijon Lipscomb, and Chris Taggart combined for 70 points to send the Inventors to the Class AA semifinals and take down their RCAC rivals.

It was a back-and-forth first half as it was tied at 35 after 16 minutes of play. Neither team could pull away in the third quarter as the Bulldogs held a 53-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the final frame, Edison Tech turned up the intensity as they outscored Franklin 28-16 in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Bethea, Lipscomb, and Taggart were responsible for all 28 of the Inventors’ fourth-quarter points.

Lipscomb had a game-high 30 points while Taggart added 27 points. Bethea was a force inside with 13 points.

For Franklin, Sha’mere Freeman led the way with 26 points. Terence Thompson knocked down two three-pointers on his way to 17 points. His twin brother, Clarence, finished with 10 points.

Edison Tech (9-13) will take on Fairport in the Class AA semifinals on Tuesday, February 28th at Gates Chili High School. Franklin had their nine-game winning streak snapped as they ended the season 15-6.

(6) Fairport 47, (3) Brighton 30

The Red Raider defense stifled the Brighton offensive attack as they limited the Bruins to their lowest output of the season. This comes after Fairport held UPrep to just 33 points in round one of sectionals.

Sophomore guard LaShard Lowery led the Red Raiders with 17 points while senior forward Zac Ditzel was right behind him with 16 points. Wallace Rahmaan added 12 points. For Brighton, Reggie Smith, Jr., had 12 points while Troy McPherson had eight.

Fairport (13-9) will face Edison Tech in the Class AA semifinals. The two teams have not met this season. Brighton ended their season with a 14-7 record.

(4) Schroeder 50, (5) Aquinas 41

The Warriors stormed ahead in the fourth quarter, knocking off the defending Class AA champions.

Trailing 41-39 heading into the fourth quarter, Schroeder outscored Aquinas 21-10 in the final frame, led by Gio Schillaci. He scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to power his team to victory.

Jake Insley matched Schillaci in the scorebook, also scoring 15 points.

Chris Leysath led the way for Aquinas with 14 points, while Jayon Alexander netted twelve.

Schroeder will take on top-seeded Victor on Tuesday in the semifinals, hoping to avenge a 67-41 loss in the regular season. Aquinas finishes the year with a 15-7 record.

Class C1 Quarterfinals

(5) Northstar Christian 50, (4) East Rochester 43

A late three-point barrage pushed the Knights past the Bombers and into the semifinals.

Trailing 38-34 with less than four minutes to play, Northstar made three straight three-pointers, turning their four-point deficit into a five-point lead that they would carry for the rest of the game. It was underclassmen getting it done for the Knights, as freshman Justin Robinson made the first triple, followed by eighth-grader Jacob Rybcznski who made the final two.

Andrew Eschner led the way for Northstar, scoring 23 points with 15 rebounds and six blocks. He also picked up his 1,000th point for his career in the game. Robinson was the only other Knight in double figures, scoring eleven points.

Eli Tanner led the Bombers with nine points as seven players found the scorebook.

Northstar will take on Rochester Academy in the semifinals on Monday, February 27th. The two teams split their regular season series.

East Rochester finishes the season with a 14-8 record.

(3) Geneseo 77, (6) Canisteo-Greenwood 65

The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half to grab the fifth win of their last five outings.

The game was tied 43-43 with two minutes left in the third quarter. However, Geneseo pulled ahead with an 11-2 run to end the frame, giving them a margin they would hold onto for the rest of the game.

Geneseo (17-4) moves onto the C1 semifinals where they’ll face the two seed, Avon. The two teams split the season series 1-1. Canisteo-Greenwood finished the season with a 12-10 record.

Girls Basketball

Class A Quarterfinals

(1) Sutherland 44, (8) Mendon 38

The Knights swept the season series over rival Mendon to advance to the Class A semifinals.

Knights guard Ellie Bergin led all scorers with 19 points. The senior also corralled in five rebounds and two blocks. Leora Cook had nine points while Cecilia Peinado Calvo chipped in six points.

For the Vikings, Emma Giordano led the way with 17 points while Brooke Bowler had eight.

Sutherland (18-3) will face Mercy in the Class A semifinals on Monday, February 27th at Victor High School. Mendon, who had won the last six Class A championships, finishes the year with an 11-11 record.

(11) Irondequoit 51, (3) East 39

Ella Brennan’s double-double powered Irondequoit to a strong second half and another playoff upset.

Irondequoit led by ten after the first quarter, but East found its footing and found themselves up 27-25 early in the third quarter.

However, IQ proved to be the stronger Eagles on Friday as they scored the next ten points to pull in front for good.

Brennan finished with 21 points and eleven rebounds, while her sister Maeve tallied 14 points, ten rebounds, and five blocks.

Gabby Brown-Sturdivant led East with 13 points, while Jaylen Giles scored eleven.

IQ will take on Canandaigua on Tuesday, while East’s season ends with a 14-7 record.

(12) Mercy 68, (4) Honeoye Falls-Lima 62

Audrey Hintz dropped a career-high 33 points including nine in a pivotal fourth quarter to pull the upset over HF-L. The senior finished with seven rebounds and five blocks.

Natalie Casale and Mia Lusardi each pitched in nine points for the Monarchs. Brooke Wormley scored all of her seven points in the final frame. Anna Lynch was a force down low with four points, ten rebounds, and five blocks.

Caroline Smith did her part for the Cougars with a team-high 24 points. Marlee Green and Shaye Angelo finished with nine and eight points respectively.

Next up for Mercy (10-12) is a date with the top seed, Sutherland Knights in the Class A semifinals. The Knights pulled away a close 50-47 win over the Monarchs on January 19th. HF-L ends their season with a 15-7 record.