By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Call it an identity crisis.
For 20 games of the regular season, the Greece Odyssey boys’ basketball team had to adjust its playing style to that of their opponents. With the post-season at hand Jim Guzielek and his Leopards can show their true selves.
Early returns indicate the change of pace suits Odyssey well.
Romell Griffin and Jaden Hartsfield scored 18 points apiece, and No. 5 seed Odyssey breezed to an 81-31 victory over No. 12 seed Bath-Haverling in Section V Class B opening round action Wednesday night.
“Throughout the year against all those (Class) A schools, we couldn’t play the game that way,” Guzielek said of his team which played in Monroe County Division IV. “Now we can change it a little bit where we can show our athleticism a little bit and the depth of our bench. We turned up the pace and were able to press. Got a lot of easy things off the press. Got a lot of easy buckets.”
Odyssey wasted little time establishing tempo.
Leading 14-6 after the first quarter of play, the Leopards scored the first eight of the second stanza on their way to a 40-12 advantage going into halftime.
“To get the first one out of the way is always the biggest thing,” Guzielek added. “We got the first-quarter lead, but we still needed to take that breath. That first sectional experience you always kinda have to relax yourself. We turned the speed up in the second quarter. We played the game where we thought we could be more effective which was playing fast.”
Darren Davidson opened the period with a pair of buckets. Travon Harper got ahead of the defense for a layup. Ronell Joseph converted a turnover into a bucket, and Hartsfield drilled one of his three 3-pointers on the night.
Odyssey led 25-8.
“We had a guy come off the bench who is our seventh man and he has 18 points,” Guzielek said referring to Griffin. “It shows our depth, and it shows how hard these kids have worked at practice.”
Any chance Odyssey would take its collective foot off the pedal was dismissed in the opening moments of the third quarter.
Hartsfield set up Aric Williams inside with a pretty no-look dime. Harper collected a steal and layup then the Leopard point guard fed Hartsfield on a two-on-one.
Hartsfield scored the next six, and Odyssey’s lead ballooned to 52-12.
“We reset it at 0-0 and came out just like we wanted to and finished the game early in the third quarter,” Guzielek said of his squad’s mindset to open the second half.
“Our schedule definitely helps us prepare for this time of year. Six of our seven losses were to (Class) A schools. We can’t play those games in the 70s and 80s versus those schools. They can outscore us. Where I feel now we can outscore people.”
Griffin connected four times behind the arc. Harper finished with 10 points. DJ Billings had nine points and Joseph scored eight.
“What we are is so many pieces, so many different parts,” Guzielek noted.
Ray Colbert (2), Dylan Burgio (2), Josh Wasula (3), Josiah Bowers (2) and Khyree Smith-Roberts (2) rounded out the scoring for Odyssey.
Stephen Ordway paced Bath-Haverling with nine points. Sam Arnts, Ethan Buckley and Alec Sestak added four apiece for the Rams.
The Leopards (14-7) advance to play No. 4 seed Hornell (16-5) in Saturday’s Class B quarter-final. Game time is to be announced.
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