Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Zachery connects from half court; West Genesee nips Bishop Kearney at buzzer

by Leave a Comment

Malik Zachery finished with a game-high 28 points including a 45-foot shot at the buzzer as the West Genesee Wildcats defeated the Bishop Kearney Kings, 73-72.

By PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — No timeouts remaining. The length of the floor to cover. A bandaged thumb. The flu and a 45-foot heave.

With 3.5 seconds remaining on the clock, Malik Zachery took an inbound pass, raced along the right sideline and connected from just on the other side of the center court line as the West Genesee Wildcats (III) defeated the Bishop Kearney Kings, 73-72 in non-league action at Ed Nietopski Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Zachery’s buzzer beater ended a back-and-forth contest which saw seven lead changes and six ties in the final 10 minutes.

“That’s the first buzzer beater I’ve ever had,” said the senior guard. “I didn’t even look at the clock. I just let it go. I got my feet planted and just let it go. It went in.”

Zachery scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a playmaker, a super-talented kid,” West Genesee coach Fred Kent stated. “You want the ball in his hands at that point of the game.”

West Genesee trailed by as many as 10 in the first half when they made a defensive adjustment.

“They were awesome in transition,” Kent said of Kearney. “I felt like any mistake we made, a turnover or missed shot, they were down the other way with layups.

“We set up the zone, slowed the tempo down a little bit. We usually like to play fast, but they were a little bit closer to the rim and getting to spots. We just had to slow the pace down.”

Zachery netted eight in the latter stages of the second quarter as West Genesee cut the deficit to three at 37-34 going into the locker room.

That he was even on the court was doubtful earlier in the week.

“He played with the flu,” Kent said. “He didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday; he wasn’t in school. We didn’t know if he could go. He showed up.

“He might have a jammed or sprained left (non-shooting) thumb. Tough, tough kid. Can’t say enough about how tough he is and how competitive he is.”

“I couldn’t get out of bed,” Zachery said. “A lot of aches. I’m still sick right now, but good thing we had a snow day yesterday because I was going to play yesterday too. I was going to play through it regardless. I don’t like to lose. I know my team needs me, and I need them. I do everything I can do to win.”

He looked sharp early getting ahead of the defense for a layup and knocking down a three four possessions later to give the Wildcats their only lead of the first half at 15-13.

But Kearney, winners of three straight coming into the contest, took over from there. Shykell Brown had a steal and layup. Patrick Thomas finished underneath. Brown led Nahziah Carter with an alley oop, and the Kings led 21-15 after eight minutes.

Jamal Fennell scored back-to-back baskets to push the lead to 10 at 25-15. The Kings still had a double-digit advantage at 27-17 when Thomas converted a rebound and putback.

“We know Carter is awesome, but man that Thomas kid is a player too,” Kent said. “He’s a heckuva an athlete.”

West Genesee (16-2/ ranked No. 16 NYS Class) chipped away from there. Jack Bova connected from behind the arc to give the Wildcats their first lead of the second half at 51-49. Will Amica converted a two on one with Zackery for a 53-52 West Genesee edge after three quarters.

“That was a good battle,” Bishop Kearney catch Kevin Goode said. “The ball down the stretch didn’t bounce our way.”

Tyke’r Harley converted two free throws to give BK a 72-70 lead setting up Zachery’s heroics.

“We wanted to double and trap the shooter (on the last play) to make it hard for him,” Goode explained. “The trap never came.”

Buzzer beaters decided the most recent games for both teams. West Genesee fell victim to Liverpool and Nas Johnson on Tuesday.

“It’s good to be on the other end of it,” Kent commented. “It’s the first time I ever experienced that. I was out of control. Kids are picking on me. I guess I tackled Malik. I didn’t know what to do. It was exciting. It was a great moment. I’m just appreciative of the moment. It’s a good group, nine seniors. It’s a great moment.”

Also on Tuesday, Shykell Brown went the length of the floor to send Bishop Kearney into overtime where the Kings beat UPrep.

Carter finished with 20 points on Saturday for Kearney. Thomas added 15. Harley had 11 and Brown 10. Fennell finished with nine.

Bishop Kearney (12-6) hosts McQuaid next Tuesday.

West Genesee’s Bova scored 19. Lucas Sutherland had 12.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *