Boys Basketball
Class AA Semifinals
(1) Victor 66, (4) Schroeder 51
A strong second quarter gave the top-seeded Blue Devils a large lead at the half, which they held throughout the rest of the game to advance to the Class AA championship game.
After leading 14-11 heading to the second quarter, Victor outscored Schroeder 17-6 to take a 31-17 lead into the final 16 minutes. Six players scored in a balanced attack in the frame.
Schroeder cut into the lead, trailing 47-36 after the third quarter and making it just a six-point game early in the fourth. But that was as close as they’d get, as Nick Leonard scored ten of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Garrett Clar led the way, scoring 18 for the Blue Devils, 13 coming in the second half. Brennan Hopkins contributed nine points in the win.
Gio Schillaci topped Schroeder, netting 18 points as he hit four three-pointers in the second half.
Victor will take on Fairport in the Class AA championship game. The two teams met twice in the regular season. The Blue Devils took both matchups, winning 61-50 on December 9th, and on February 8th by a score of 66-55.
(6) Fairport 78, (10) Edison Tech 43
Edison’s Cinderella run crashed out hard in a Class AA semifinal loss Tuesday night at Gates-Chili.
Fairport led 13-5 after the first quarter, 23-11 halfway through the second and went to the locker room up 34-16.
Then, the Red Raiders really started to play.
Fairport won the third quarter 30-8 and finished the frame with a 64-24 lead.
The win was the sixth in a row for Fairport and improves their record to 14-9. They will face number 1 Victor for all the AA marbles Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena. The championship game is scheduled for 9 pm.
Edison ends their season with a record of 9-14, but may also have authored the biggest upset in any sectional bracket with their win over number two Franklin in the quarterfinals.
Class A2 Semifinals
(4) Sutherland 73, (1) Monroe 69 Final/2OT
Sam Pisanelli and Max Michalski combined for 43 points as Sutherland won a double overtime thriller.
After trailing 28-21 at the half, Monroe outscored the Knights 21-12 in the third quarter to take a 42-40 lead heading to the fourth.
The Red Jackets stayed hot to start the fourth, building their lead up to 51-42 with 3:30 left in the game. However, the Knights fought back.
With less than a minute remaining, Pisanelli banked in a three-pointer to cut the lead to three at 52-49. After Monroe made a free throw, a Pisanelli layup made it 53-51 with 25 seconds left.
After Monroe made two trips to the free throw line, separated by a Sutherland journey to the charity stripe, Monroe led 55-53 with 12 seconds to go.
Pisanelli raced down the court and hoisted up a three for the win. It bounced off the back iron, but Luke Fliss popped in the rebound to send the game to overtime.
Both teams traded buckets in the first overtime, but after the game was tied 63-63 with just over a minute remaining, neither team could score sending the game to a second overtime.
In double overtime, Michalski started the scoring with a hook shot, which was the only field goal that Sutherland would score in the period. However, that was enough as they would play stellar defense and ice the game at the free throw line to win by four.
Michalski finished with 21 points and 21 rebounds. Pisanelli had 22 points, Luke Fliss scored ten, while Chandler Reynolds was clutch in the second overtime, sinking five free throws.
Monroe’s Davion Jones led all scorers with 27 points, 13 coming in the third quarter.
Sutherland will play East in the A2 championship game, a rematch of the 2021 title game which the Eagles won 59-54. The two teams did not meet in this year’s regular season.
(2) East 51, (3) Wayne 41
Freshman Zion Parson led East past Wayne scoring 15 points in a gritty battle of Eagles at Aquinas Tuesday night. The win punched East a ticket to the Class A2 final.
Both teams pressed much of the second half and both struggled to get much offense going. It was the least points East has scored all year and only the third time they’ve been held under 60. Wayne’s total was their third-lowest of the season.
East was up 26-16 at the half, but could never deliver the knockout blow. Wayne pulled to within six on an Alec Gilbert jumper early in the fourth quarter.
Parson’s three-point play highlighted a 7-0 East run that pushed the margin back to 13. Wayne never went away, but also never really threatened after that.
Quentin Gordon-Smith added 10 points, including three three-pointers, for East (18-3) who moves on to Saturday’s championship game at Blue Cross Arena. They will face (4) Sutherland after the Knights surprised top-seeded Monroe in double overtime. The Class A2 title game is scheduled to tip at 5 pm.
Gilbert led Wayne with 15 points while P.J. Ostrowski chipped in with 12. Wayne finished their season at 17-5.