By DONOVAN MOFFAT
After suffering a heart-breaking loss at the buzzer in overtime in their previous game, the Avon boys’ basketball team bounced back with a convincing win Friday night against rival LeRoy, 57-30.
“We came out with better energy,” Braves head coach Rob Fries said as he compared the game with the loss to Perry last time out. “Everybody played well tonight and our zone was much more active and we did a lot better rebounding.”
“Our big thing was pushing the ball and we did not do a good job of pushing the ball,” senior Connor Taylor said when talking about the loss to Perry. “It was a wakeup call for us and now we know how to play going into each and every week.”
LeRoy had a six-point lead at the end of the first that included two three-pointers and extended it to nine in the early stages of the second quarter.
First basket goes to LeRoy as Reece Tresco hits a three @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/YEzfgEfXz6
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
LeRoy’s Ethan Smith hits a pull-up jumper to end the first quarter. 14-8 LeRoy @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/1JrsZ0bIpN
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
With just over six minutes to play in the half the Braves came alive.
Avon’s Connor Taylor hits a deep three from the corner. 17-11 LeRoy with 5:10 to go in the half @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/fNTnFnhOSx
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
The Braves ended the second quarter on a 15-0 run and took a six-point lead into the half, 23-17, led by Taylor who scored 10, and juniors Nick Rowland who had two and Tyler Dailey added a three.
Connor Taylor hits the three to take the lead. Avon is on a 12-0 run @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/edY4PoCuwj
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
At the start of the second half, the Braves picked up where they left off and extended its run to 20-0, thanks to a Rowland lay-up and a three by Taylor before LeRoy senior, Bob Locke, managed to score his team’s first basket since the first minute of the second quarter.
Nick Rowland starts the second half off with a finish at the bucket @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/JUVsFcVH0W
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
The trio of Taylor, Rowland and Dailey scored 39 of the teams last 49 points of the game starting in the second quarter.
“We can’t take a game lightly,” Rowland said about the loss to Perry. “We stepped up defensively and Connor just kept finding me in the paint and the weak spots in the zone.”
“I kept feeding my shooters and Tyler Dailey is a heck of a shooter and Nick Rowland is the best big man in the county I think,” Taylor said about his teammates.
Nick Rowland with an inside bucket to extend the Avon lead @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/Sd5K4hNT1r
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
Taylor added to his impressive season by posting his seventh triple-double (18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds). He also had three blocks.
Rowland scored a game-high 22 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Dailey finished his night with nine points all on 3-pointers.
Defensively, the Braves held LeRoy to three points in the second quarter, four in the third and nine in the fourth.
LeRoy senior Reece Tresco led the Knights with eight points and Locke added six.
Reece Tresco cuts the deficit for LeRoy with a pull-up jumper @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/9Sw5oJ9pTw
— Donnie Moffat (@donniemoffat) January 19, 2019
“I think guys after the loss had some self-reflection and realized they didn’t play their best and they came back to play tonight.” Fries said.
Other scorers: Avon- Zach Colvin (4), Roman Volpe (2), Ian Reed (2).
Other scorers: LeRoy- Colm Roster (4), Ethan Smith (4), Jake Hill (3), Doug Irwin (3), Cody Lytle (2).
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