By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Tournament MVP Braeden Zenelovic scored 17 points, and Logan Blankenberg added 15 including a dagger three as the Wayne Eagles took the Section Five A2 Championship with a 50-43 victory over the Wilson-Magnet Wildcats.
The title was the first in Wayne boys basketball history.
Zenelovic hit five of 11 shots from the floor and six of seven from the free throw line including four in the final 25 seconds of the game.
“We just kept our poise,” Zenelovic said. “Leaders led. Coach did his thing, and we came out with a victory.”
Clinging to a one-point edge, Blankenberg’s three pointer with :51 remaining in the game proved to be the game-winner. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard used a Nick Carmichael ball screen at the top of the key to get enough space to connect on his third triple of the game.
“I saw that they were sagging because I had been driving,” Blankenberg explained. “I hadn’t been shooting many threes throughout the second half. The big guy was back, so I just let it go.”
Wayne led 44-40.
“Nick set a great screen,” Blankenberg stated. “He has all year.”
Blankenberg scored six straight in the final four minutes of Tuesday’s semi-final when Wayne knocked off Monroe, 53-49.
Logan Blakenberg off the window for @WCSD_Athletics pic.twitter.com/Im4KFHhwxY
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 4, 2017
“I wanted him to get to the basket,” Wayne coach Bill Thomson said. “If you attack the rim, you might get a call. You’re forcing the defense to play a little bit.
“How many kids can nail that shot in a sectional final? He’s a shooter. What are you going to do? He nailed it. That was a big shot.”
Wayne led as many as 12 in first half and seven early in the third quarter, but Wilson rallied.
Logan Blankenberg hits the pull-up jumper. End of 3rd: @WCSD_Athletics 37 @wildcats_wilson 35 pic.twitter.com/BI3923WM0p
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 4, 2017
Desi Floyd converted a rebound and putback. Joe Blanding followed with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, and Wilson trailed 41-40 with less than four minutes remaining.
“Coach always stresses that it’s a game of runs, and they went on a run,” Zenelovic noted. “They made it closer. It was kind of similar to the point that we were in against Monroe. It was a close game, and it came down to the wire.”
“All season long we’ve pretty much found a way,” Thomson stated. “We may not play pretty basketball, but the one thing that we do is defend. That’s our game plan. Our zone is very active. We slow teams down.”
Wayne outrebounded Wilson 38-31.
“We found a body every single time with (Wilson forward, Patrick) Phillips their big guy,” Zenelovic explained. “We got scrappy players. We really do. Some guys who aren’t necessarily called scorers, get scrappy and they get the loose balls. That definitely was the difference in the game.”
The Eagles converted 13 offensive rebounds into a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
“We were going away from their big,” Thomason said. “He was starting to come over to help and then it opened up to get some second-chance points.”
Carmichael added 10 points for Wayne. Billy Thomson grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Robert Davis led Wilson (11-13) with 13 points. Floyd had 10.
Desi Floyd doing Desi-Floyd-like things. @wildcats_wilson pic.twitter.com/dDy525fmLh
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 4, 2017
Blankenberg and Thomson joined Zenelovic on the All-Tournament team. Davis, Floyd and Phillips represented Wilson. Monroe’s Chris Gibson Jr. earned a spot on the team.
Wayne (20-3) moves on to play A1 champion Irondequoit on Wednesday.
WAYNE 50, WILSON MAGNET 43
WILSON MAGNET (11-13)
Robert Davis 5-17 1-1 13; Desi Flyod 4-10 2-4 10; Anthony Judray 3-7 0-0 7;
Joe Blanding 2-3 0-0 6; Patrick Phillips 1-2 1-4 3; Mehki Walker 1-8 0-2 2;
Richard Rollin 1-3 0-0 2; Jordan Major 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-50 4-11 43.
WAYNE (20-3)
Braeeden Zenelovic 5-11 6-7 17; Logan Blankenberg 6-15 0-1 15; Nick
Carmichael 3-14 4-7 10; Billy Thomson 1-2 3-6 6; Logan Holgado 1-1 0-0 2;
Max LaRocco 0-0 0-0 0; Tommy Bolt 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-45 13-21 50.
Wilson Magnet…………….. 6 17 12 8 – 43
Wayne……………………. 16 12 9 13 – 50
3-point goals–Wilson Magnet 5-18 (Joe Blanding 2-3; Robert Davis 2-8;
Anthony Judray 1-4; Mehki Walker 0-3), Wayne 5-14 (Logan Blankenberg 3-8;
Billy Thomson 1-2; Braeeden Zenelovic 1-1; Tommy Bolt 0-2; Nick Carmichael
0-1). Fouled out–Wilson Magnet-Patrick Phillips, Wayne-None.
Rebounds–Wilson Magnet 31 (Patrick Phillips 9), Wayne 38 (Billy Thomson
11). Assists–Wilson Magnet 9 (Robert Davis 3), Wayne 8 (Logan Blankenberg
2; Braeeden Zenelovic 2; Billy Thomson 2). Total fouls–Wilson Magnet 20,
Wayne 11. Technical fouls–Wilson Magnet-None, Wayne-None. A-2000
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