By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Victor boys’ basketball team erased a second-half deficit and held off a late push to defeat UPrep, 54-48 in non-league action Tuesday night from Roberts Wesleyan College.
AJ Queri’s 3-pointer off an inbound pass gave the Blue Devils a six-point advantage at 49-43. Two possessions later, that lead was reduced to three with 1:48 remaining in the game.
“We try to work on situations a lot in practice,” Victor head coach Tyler Roberts said. “But you’re not going to get the same quality reps in practice that you will against a quality team like UPrep.”
AJ Queri gives Victor a 49-43 lead. pic.twitter.com/6enk1MrmCp
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 26, 2022
After both teams had empty possessions, Victor’s Cam Ryan and Nick Leonard converted a pair of free throws apiece to close out the game.
“We’ve got a really smart group of guys and they’ve played a lot of basketball together,” Roberts noted. “They work really hard. They put the time in. I feel like at the end of the game they’ve had a lot of experience that they can rely on, but every situation is different.”
Victor led 24-22 at half.
A Mylan Maxwell finish at the rim gave UPrep a 29-28 edge early in the third quarter. Andrew Edwards used a euro step in the lane to set up a bucket and converted a putback for a 35-30 Griffins’ advantage. Emmanuel Charley’s 3-pointer made it a 38-32 game with less than two minutes to go in the third.
Emmanuel Charley buries a corner 3. UPrep 38 Victor 32 late third quarter. pic.twitter.com/RtNtgtO0pY
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 26, 2022
Phil Nwugwo scored four and handed out two assists in a decisive 12-4 Victor run that followed.
Nwugwo started the run with a bucket. The 6-foot-6 senior then found Ryan open in the right corner for a three. His drop step in the lane tied the game at 42. Next trip down the floor he set up Leonard for the go-ahead basket with 4:20 remaining in the game.
Interior work: Phil Nwugwo and Nick Leonard. Leonard finishes to give @victorboysbball a 44-42 edge. pic.twitter.com/cCAz4RwF64
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 26, 2022
“We did a solid job down the stretch of taking care of the ball and rebounding,” Roberts stated. “We talked about it going into the game and they killed us in the first half in both of those areas.”
Cam Ryan connects from the corner to make it a one-point game at 40-39. pic.twitter.com/dh9eHkIh0t
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 26, 2022
Nwugwo led all scorers with 20 points. Ryan added 12 for Victor (14-1). Queri had six points, and Leonard five. Jonah Whittier (4), Brennan Hopkins (3), Rohan Chitre (2) and Ryan Dodge (2) also scored for Victor.
James Matthews hits the floater to pull UPrep within 2 at 24-22. pic.twitter.com/AHCzwEnMDe
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 26, 2022
Edwards led UPrep (6-6) with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Mathews had 16 points, five rebounds and two steals. Brandon Moore scored nine while Maxwell finished with eight points. James Powell accounted for four points.
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