Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Mendon goes on the road to get opening win

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BY PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Bob Nally didn’t plan on finding out what his squad could do with its best player on the bench for a long stretch.

But there he was less than three minutes into the 2021-22 season and the seventh-year coach had Jackson Green sitting on the bench among the Pittsford Mendon coaching staff. A pair of early fouls sent the junior guard to safe harbor.

Despite playing without the First-Team All-County/ All-State performer and trudging through a choppy first quarter, the Vikings held a lead at halftime when Green returned to action.

“We were definitely not expecting that,” Nally said after Mendon’s 65-51 win over host Hilton. “We forget he’s still young. First game of the season, picked up two early ones. It happens to young guys.”

Mendon’s Caleb Lewis scored 17 points. Matt Woods added 13 while Conner Rook accounted for 12 points.

Trailing by as many as six points in the early going, Rook’s bucket on the third possession of the second quarter gave Mendon a lead it did not surrender at 16-15.

“We’re a really talented ball club, but we haven’t had everybody together ever,” Nally said. “We’ve had people out with injuries all summer, all fall and pre-season. People have been sick, banged up. Because of injuries, because of sicknesses, we have not had the same starting five in pre-season for a scrimmage. We’ve had guys out non-stop.”

Add to the mix that the Vikings are playing their first basketball since the graduation of two-time league Player of the Year, Jacob Shadders, and one better understands the eight turnovers in the first quarter of play.

“Sloppy as that first quarter was, I’m really happy where we’re at right now,” Nally said. “I would have like to be a little further ahead right now, but we’re not. To get a win over a quality team like Hilton and not really think we’re anywhere near where we can be in a month or two or three, I’m sort of excited about it.”

Leading 29-23 after 16 minutes of play, the Vikings pushed the lead to double digits when Woods converted a steal and layup for a 36-25 advantage. Rook’s bucket on an inside cut late in the third quarter made it a 40-30 game. Hilton did not get within single digits for the remainder of the contest.

“I learned that we can defend,” Nally said referring to the Cadets 78-59 win over Churchville-Chili on Friday. “We held them to a good number today. They’re a good team, and I like mostly what we did on defense, but it’s going to take a while to figure things out post-Jacob.”

Green finished with eight points. He picked up his third foul with 6:21 to go in the third when he was called for a charge. Nally elected to leave the playmaker in the game. The decision proved to be correct. Green didn’t get whistled for another infraction until late in the fourth quarter.

“He’ll learn from it,” Nally said of the two-sport athlete who holds football scholarship offers from Penn University, Dartmouth University, Central Michigan and Buffalo. “I’m glad it happened now. He’s got the whole season ahead of him to learn.”

Hilton was facing its own dilemmas. With big man Carter Clark injured and on the bench, Preston Prince picked up his second foul on the first possession of the second quarter. Hilton head coach Troy Prince was forced to put his son back in the game with Mendon grabbing the lead midway through the second.

Prince scored 20 to lead Hilton. Greyson Trubia had 16. Derek Cavey and Michael Whelehan had five apiece while Ben Cronk scored four and Matt Mastowski one.

The win was the 16th straight for Mendon which finished last season undefeated. The Vikings last lost came on March 4th of 2020 in the Class A1 semi-finals.

Eric Krowl (6), Kidder Lindley (4), Ryan Deuel (3) and London Hoyser (2) rounded out the scoring for Mendon.

The Vikings host Greece Athena for a 7:15 p.m. tip off on Friday.

Hilton travels to Rush-Henrietta for a 7:15 p.m. start also on Friday.

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