By BILLY HEYEN
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Considering the dramatic comeback that had preceded it, Irondequoit’s game-winning hoop Wednesday night seemed pretty simple. Luke Melidona drove right off a Keenan Robertson screen. Connor Shafer positioned himself at the left block, in case a defender slid to help on Melidona.
That’s what happened: Melidona read it correctly to feed Shafer, who converted a righty layup.
“(Shafer) made a great cut to the basket, I dished off to him and he finished,” Melidona said.
Melidona to Shafer and a 53-51 @wieagles @itownhoops lead with 2.0 to play. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/ysJ0O7lyjX
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) March 5, 2020
Shafer’s bucket pushed top-seed Irondequoit past four-seed Pittsford Mendon, 53-51, on Wednesday night at Webster Schroeder High School. After trailing 51-40, the Eagles scored the game’s final 13 points to win. Keenan Robertson scored 22 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, while Luke Melidona added 11 with eight coming in the fourth. The comeback sets Irondequoit up for a rematch with rival and three-seed Eastridge in the Class A1 Section V final on Saturday night.
“That was just Irondequoit basketball,” Melidona said. “Bringing everything that we had.”
MORE: Eastridge’s defense leads Lancers to sectional final
For three quarters of action Wednesday, Mendon looked likely to pull off the upset. The defending sectional champs retooled this season around standout point guard Jacob Shadders, and no matter the defense the Eagles threw at him in the first 24 minutes, he solved it.
Shadders scored from beyond the arc, hitting deep, contested, high-arcing 3s. Then when closeouts came too hard, he attacked into a swarm of help defenders and knocked down floaters and layups. Shadders finished with 22, 19 of which came in the first three quarters.
“I was looking for Jacob Shadders after the game,” Irondequoit coach Chris Cardon said. “Holy mackerel, he’s amazing.”
Another bucket pic.twitter.com/nyMlYF0EBD
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) March 5, 2020
It was Shadders’ final bucket, a floater from the right side, that put Mendon up 51-40 with 3:38 to play. Irondequoit had trailed before this season at similar points in contests, including a five-point deficit to Webster Thomas in an eventual February win.
Making up 11 points in less than four minutes against the defending sectional champs was a whole different task altogether, but the Eagles didn’t stop believing.
“That’s just been all season,” Melidona said. “We’ve just believed in ourselves, the team, we’ve all believed in each other. That’s just heart.”
Melidona had scored three points through three quarters, but he began to attack the lane consistently in the fourth. Robertson opened his fourth quarter scoring by hitting a left wing 3, but then he attacked for a floater and two foul shots.
Robertson’s final bucket came with 2:04 remaining when he finished in transition off a pass from Melidona. It brought Irondequoit within 51-47 with 2:04 to play.
“(Keenan’s) just a playmaker,” Melidona said. “He’s just a hooper. He goes and gets buckets.”
Bucket from Keenan Robertson, who’s up to 22 himself, forces a Mendon timeout. Mendon leading @itownhoops @wieagles 51-47 with 2:04 to play. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/AtMivxTemX
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) March 5, 2020
Defense, including a full-court press, had already keyed the Irondequoit surge, but the Eagles would need a few more stops. First, they intercepted a Shadders pass into traffic.
Melidona attacked immediately at the other end and extended his right arm to put the ball off glass while a whistle blew. He cashed the free throw to pull within one.
“(Melidona) just did not want to be denied,” Cardon said.
Following a Shadders miss and a charge committed by Robertson drawn by Shadders, Mendon had the ball with 25.6 seconds to play and 12 seconds on the shot clock.
As the Vikings had all game, they put the ball in Shadders’ hands. He attempted a righty layup on his initial drive, but Robertson swatted it out of bounds. Off the inbounds, Shadders tried a leaner in the lane, but Robertson blocked it again.
“We just needed to play hard defense,” Robertson said. “I was reacting to the play. I was in help defense, and we came out with the stop.”
Second one pic.twitter.com/IQFsACXq99
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) March 5, 2020
Melidona was fouled heading the other way off the second block, and he made the first foul shot. His second came up short, but Robertson rose up to snatch the offensive rebound. Following an immediate timeout, Melidona set up Shafer for the winning bucket.
With two seconds to play, all Shadders could do was throw up a heave from beyond halfcourt. Irondequoit’s Nick Leonardo said it seemed like the ball was in the air for an hour. It was on line, but it hit front rim and didn’t fall.
Irondequoit’s students stormed the court. Shafer leaped to chest bump one and was knocked to the ground. Melidona hugged a few. For the second-straight game, the Eagles weren’t ensured a win until the final buzzer, but both times, they were on the right side of the scoreboard. Irondequoit won’t mind if that’s the same recipe on Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena.
“Irondequoit rivals, it’s gonna be loud and we’re ready to play,” Melidona said.
Thank you for an awesome play by play editorial.