Three first-round games open the Class A1 championship on Wednesday. Top seeds Irondequoit, Greece Athena and East High await the winners. Here’s the rundown:
No. 1 seed IRONDEQUOIT (18-1/Monroe County Division 2)
Players to watch: Zach Stenglein (13.1 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.5 steals, 7.3 deflections, 3:1 assist-turnover ratio), Gerald Drumgoole (13.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 4.5 deflections, 50.0 FG percentage), Alex Goldsberry (12.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Tysean Sizer (10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.5 deflections) and Jeremiah Zitz (5.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.4 deflections, 1.5 blocked shots).
Trend: Irondequoit has won six straight, and the Eagles’ only loss of the season came in the first game after Stenglein went down with a high-ankle sprain. The senior point guard has since returned. Irondequoit won the 2011 AA2 title.
Outlook: Five different Eagles have taken turns as single-game leading scorer this season. Irondequoit can beat opponents in advantage situations, on the break, half-court pieces and set pieces coming out of timeouts and on inbound plays. They are ranked second in the state for a reason. With all the talk about offense, it’s easy to overlook Irondequoit’s defense which allows few easy baskets. They will open against the Spencerport – Greece Arcadia winner.
No. 2 seed GREECE ATHENA (17-3/Monroe County Division 3)
Players to watch: Nigel Scantlebury (15.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 4 rpg, 6.0 deflections, 2.0 steals, 45.5 FG percentage, 41.6 3-point FG percentage and 79.0 Free Throw percentage), Kenny Speed (12.4 ppg, 2.0 apg, 3 rpg, 5.5 deflections, 2.0 steals), Chad Scorse (9 ppg, 6 rpg, 49.0 3-point FG percentage), Patrick Meisenzahl (8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 38.o 3-point FG percentage, 3.6:1 assist to turnover rate) and Ryan Kubanka (9 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.0 blocks, 47.0 FG percentage).
Trend: No. 19 NYS, Athena closed the season winning two straight and four of five. Under former coach Jim Johnson, the Trojans won the 2103 and 2015 A1 titles as well the 2014 AA championship. The Trojans have won eight Section Five titles all-time.
Outlook: Will play the winner of the Brighton – Eastridge matchup. If any team can beat Irondequoit, it’s Athena which went on the road and took the Eagles to overtime on February eighth. The Trojans have athleticism and balanced inside-outside scoring. They understand when to run and when to play half-court offense.
No. 3 seed EAST HIGH (14-6/RCAC Division A)
Players to watch: Zion Morrison (24.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.0 steals – 1,000 point career scorer), Windell Lucas (20.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.0 steals – 1,000 point career scorer) and Javar Collier (11.2 ppg, 6.0 steals and 8.0 rebounds).
Trend: No. 18 NYS, East won two of three to close the season. Their loss in the middle came on the road to a resurgent McQuaid team. East took the 2014 A1 title along with the 2010 and 2012 AA2 crowns. The Eagles hold the all-time record with 24 Section Five titles.
Outlook: Not many high school teams can boast a pair of 20-point scorers. Lucas and Morrison can get going and tilt the floor quickly. Collier did not play in East’s loss to McQuaid and his absence was obvious. The senior guard’s ability to anticipate passes and create steals is a key to East’s attack. Will play the winner of Canandaigua and Franklin.
No. 4 seed BROCKPORT (14-6/Monroe County Division 3)
Players to watch: Antonio Alvarez – 1,000 point career scorer and Amire Odey.
Trend: Brockport won three straight and four of five to end the regular season. The Blue Devils last won a sectional title in 1968 when the Blue Devils claimed the AA crown.
Outlook: Brockport gathered momentum with wins over HF-L, Pittsford-Sutherland and Pittsford-Mendon. Can the Blue Devils keep it rolling? They open against Pittsford-Mendon.
No. 5 seed PITTSFORD-MENDON (12-8/Monroe County Division 3)
Players to watch: Matt Powers (17 ppg, 6rpg), Jeremy Jacob (15.5 ppg, 3 apg), Taylor Genier (14 ppg, 5 rpg) and Connor Krapf (8 ppg, 4rpg).
Trend: Pittsford-Mendon opened the season 8-1 and closed going 4-7 including dropping its last five. The Vikings won the 2003 BB title.
Outlook: Can Pittsford-Mendon hit the reset button? When on their game, they are difficult to stop. Finding their way back to that team will be the key. The Vikings open against Brockport.
No. 6 seed CANANDAIGUA (12-8/Monroe County Division 3)
Players to watch: Carson Greene, Dan Herrick and Devin O’Dell.
Trend: Canandaigua won four straight before falling in overtime to Athena in the season finale.
Outlook: Are the Braves playing their best basketball of the season at the right time They start the sectionals against Franklin.
No. 7 seed BRIGHTON (12-8/Monroe County Division 3)
Players to watch: Isaac Nelson and Jack Tullio.
Trend: Brighton won five of six to end the regular season.
Outlook: Will host Eastridge to start the sectionals. Brighton swept the season series with the Lancers.
No. 8 seed SPENCERPORT (9-11/Monroe County Division 2)
Players to watch: Ryan Gentile and Josh Reding.
Trend: Won four straight before losing to Irondequoit to end the regular season.
Outlook: Will host Greece Arcadia first-round action. Rangers took both meetings with the Titans this season winning by a combined 21 points.
No. 9 seed GREECE ARCADIA (7-13/Monroe County Division 2)
Players to watch: Thomas Finnerty (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg) and Marcus Zappia (10 ppg, 3 apg, 3 rpg).
Trend: Arcadia won two of three to close the regular season. The Titans took the 2010 A1 title as well as the AA crown in 2005 and the 2004 A championship.
Outlook: After losing twice in head-to-head meetings, the Titans will look to turn the tables when they take on Spencerport to start the sectionals.
No. 10 seed EASTRIDGE (2-18/Monroe County Division 4)
Players to watch: Robby Salisbury and Kyndall Taggart.
Trend: Eastridge won its last game of the season.
Outlook: Plays at Brighton in the opening round. The Barons swept the season series with Eastridge.
No. 11 seed FRANKLIN (1-19/RCAC Division A)
Players to watch: Keeshman Hendrix (11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Nate Ellison (9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jam Michael Rodriguez (7.3 ppg, 4.9 pg).
Trend: Franklin ended the season on a six-game losing streak. The Quakers have won 14 sectional titles throughout the years including 2001 Class A title.
Outlook: Plays at Canandaigua to start the sectionals.
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