By PAUL GOTHAM
MENDON, N.Y. — For the first time this season, the Pittsford Mendon girls’ basketball team successfully executed its set play off the opening tip of a game.
Junior guard Anaya Coleman won the jump. Teammate Danielle Strauf grabbed the ball and hit a cutting Lexi Green on the opposite side of the floor for a right-handed layup.
Barely four seconds had passed, and Mendon had the lead.
Opening tip Class A Girls Final: @BCSDBlueDevils and @mendonGVBB Lexi Green wastes no time getting the scoring started. Assist from Dani Strauf. pic.twitter.com/VN49RKvIMS
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 13, 2021
It might have been the only first of the night for this team, this program that has accomplished so much over the past two decades.
Green finished with a game-high 26 points, and Mendon won its fifth straight Section V title with a 61-41 victory over Brockport, Friday night.
“It never gets old,” said Mendon head coach Todd Julien who celebrated his 400th career victory with the win. “The feeling never gets old.”
Friday’s win was the 27th straight for Mendon dating back to January 14th of last year, a season that was cut short by the pandemic. Two years removed from claiming the Class A Federation title, Mendon finished this year 15-0 with 13 of those victories coming by double-digits. The Vikings amassed an average scoring margin of nearly 27 points per game.
Earlier this season after a 29-point win, Julien commented “That’s not our ceiling.” Friday night, Mendon looked like a team that was just getting started.
“They embraced the challenge,” Julien said of his squad’s ability to focus during a COVID-19 shortened season. “This team looks for mountains to climb. They really do. Honestly, standing here I wish we had another one, a state mountain to go climb because we’re built for it. We’ve got the right kids. We’ve got good guard play. We’re gritty enough to get it done, and we have experience being there. We had a lot of things going for us.”
Green collected seven points and an assist during a 13-0 first-quarter run to take a 16-6 lead. The Vikings did not allow Brockport to make it a single-possession game again for the remainder of the contest.
They led 18-9 after a first quarter in which they handed out seven assists on eight made field goals. By halftime, it was a 31-19 advantage.
GG Allen and Ella Fadale hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to pull Brockport within seven at 37-30.
A pair of Lily Kennedy free throws two minutes later made it double-digit game at 41-30. Brockport was not able to get within single digits again.
“Usually you can hang around for a couple quarters with them, but they wear you down,” Brockport head coach Justin Laureano said. “They’re going to run their sets, and they’re going to be successful.”
Anaya Coleman to Bridget Miller back to Coleman on to Lexi Green. Mendon 37-24 5:30 remaining in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/FGLnJ9d4TU
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 13, 2021
The Blue Devils (10-4) had won four straight coming into the game. Mendon held Brockport more than 16 points under its season average of 57.7 points per game.
“Their defense is phenomenal,” Laureano added. “I’d like to think over the course of the last two games our defense has been tremendous, but when I look at what Mendon is able to do defensively our team’s not there yet.”
Strauf used a a spin move to set up Kennedy for a 3-pointer to end the third quarter with a 48-32 lead.
“We play team basketball, not one person,” Strauf said. “That’s how we’ve been successful all the time. Sharing the ball, that’s what other teams don’t do and what we do so well. That’s why we score so many points.”
Dani Strauf breaks out the spin move to set up Lily Kennedy before the 3rd quarter horn. Mendon 48 Brockport 32 pic.twitter.com/i55EK056N8
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 13, 2021
Two months ago, a season didn’t seem possible. Then Green took to social media, and her movement gained support. The state loosened its restrictions on high-risk sports.
On Friday night, Green capped one of the most successful careers in Section V history compiling a personal record of 111 wins and 7 losses over five varsity seasons.
“This program is really unbelievable,” she said. “To be able to be a part of something like this is a feeling everyone should be able to be experience. It means so much to me. Mendon basketball is just amazing. To be a part of that for five years it’s so exciting.”
She reached the 1,000-point plateau last season and in the fall will continue her academic and athletics careers at Cornell University.
“As soon as I came off the court, I started to cry. Coach and this program have been such a big part of my life for so long. To be able to go out on a win in sectional finals on our home court, it’s amazing. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Kennedy scored 17 points for Mendon. Coleman added seven. Bridget Miller scored six, and Strauf had two points. Caroline Miller (2) and Ellen Henry (1) also contributed.
“We’re extremely grateful especially with this group,” Julien said of the opportunity to play this season. “I can’t imagine these kids not getting the opportunity to play at all.
“These kids have been locked-in for basketball for six straight weeks. Locked in with basketball, with a goal in mind of this. This was the biggest mountain we had to climb, a sectional title. They’ve been focused on it for six weeks and it’s a great to play a small part in helping to accomplish that.”
Ava Velletri paced Brockport with 13 points. Fadale finished with 11. Emma Laureano had eight. Allen scored five and Emma Sodoma had four points.
AvA Velletri gets the runner to fall, but Brockport GBB trails Mendon at the half, 31-19. Mendon’s Lexi Green leads all scorers with 14 points. Lily Kennedy has 6. Emma Laureano leads Brockport with 6 on 2 3-pointers. pic.twitter.com/4qWLQTixi0
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 13, 2021
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