By SAM BERGER
GENESEO, N.Y. — Nearly pulling off a comeback for the ages the Geneseo Blue Devils fell short against Avon High School.
Coming off their most successful season in recent memory, the Geneseo High School boys’ basketball team opened their season up against Avon. Losing to the Blue Devils in their home opener a season ago the Avon Braves gained revenge with a 44-39 victory over their Livingston County opponent.
A strong all-around showing for the Blue Devils early on in the first quarter as an early three from junior guard Nicholas Hammond opened the scoring for an early lead. On the opposite side of the ball, returning senior Aaron Ghent showed from the get-go he was a force to be reckoned with in every aspect of the game. Ghent finished the quarter with four points and an impressive performance on the boards.
The story in the first quarter though was the defense, which stole the show in this one. The Blue Devils led by the active hands of senior point guard Daniel Kaye and freshman forward Adam Wright were at the core of the stifling defense. A stretch extending from midway through the first the second saw the Geneseo defense cause nine straight stops including two key turnovers to give them an 11-8 lead following the first.
Looking to flip the script the Braves were able to push it into second gear following a Connor Taylor layup to break up their scoreless streak. A turnaround that saw them outscore the Blue Devils thirteen to four. In the final minutes of the half with the full court press in full swing, the Braves led by their defense came to life giving them a 21-15 lead going into the half.
Head coach Rob Fries credited the athleticism of his defense for the turnaround.
“I think our press helped them relax a little bit. Honestly our press had been really bad in the pre-season so it surprised me. We tried to do something just to get a little more energy so I think that helped us respond.”
Taking it coat to coast Connor Taylor makes it a 35-22 game as @AvonHSAnnounce leads over @GeneseoCSD I️n the fourth @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/m7sms4DxHt
— Samuel Berger (@UnfilteredSB) November 30, 2017
Leading the way in the first half offensively was Ghent who racked up nine points including a deep three from behind the arc and a couple of steals defensively. Richard Schifino added five of his own for the Braves as well. The offense for the Blue Devils saw Adam Wright put up eight points in the half as he showed off his strong inside game as well as his range from deep hitting from all over the arc.
The momentum for the Braves continued out of the half as they rolled to a 9-0 run, seven of which coming from Ghent. The combination of Ghent offensively with the press on defense provided gave the Blue Devils little to work with as the third quarter was nearly as worrisome as the second. Improving ever so slightly they managed to put up five in the quarter, the majority on a Wright three, as they would extend their deficit 32-20 heading into the final quarter.
Not to be counted out, thanks in large part to the Daniels, Kaye and Kelly, the Blue Devils made a run of their own. With just a tick under five minutes left in the fourth, layups made by the sophomore Kelly and Senior Kaye brought the deficit back to single digits, 37-28. Continuing to claw back following a trio of Braves free throws, Kaye was able to connect on a floater in traffic and a contested three in back-to-back possessions. A big steal a half court by the senior point guard set up an Adam Wright uncontested layup making it a five-point game and a 40-35 Braves lead. Another turnover for Avon, this time at the hands of Schifino would set up the Kaye and Wright tandem once more as they each converted on shots in traffic making it a one-point game with 1:06 left on the clock.
A costly turnover by the freshman Wright would prove pivotal, however, as an overthrown pass on the next possession would put the Braves as the line with a chance to clinch the game. With the clock ticking down, none other than Aaron Ghent sealed the game with two foul shots.
Rising to the moment is nothing new for Ghent as Fries explained.
“We expect Aaron to be one of our best players. He averaged a double-double for us last year, he is a super athlete, and we just try to get him the ball near the rim as much as possible. He can shoot but he is so hard to guard in the half-court. He really played well for us.”
Following the victory, the Avon Braves will aim to put together a win streak when they take on Mynderse on December 4th. Geneseo will look to pick up their first win of the season at Livonia on December 1st.
Leave a Reply