By PAUL GOTHAM
HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. — Trailing 23-6 after the first quarter of play, the Eastridge boys’ basketball team stormed back to beat Honeoye Falls-Lima, 76-62 in Monroe County Division IV action on Saturday.
Emmanuel Leftenant, Caquan Wester and Cordell Young combined for 23 points in the third quarter when the Lancers turned a five-point halftime deficit into a 13-point advantage.
Young finished a baseline drive for an and-one to give Eastridge a lead it did not surrender at 44-42 lead with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Emmanuel Leftenant finds Cordell Young along the baseline for the and-one to give @EastridgeHoops a 44-42 lead. pic.twitter.com/vh1MvxtdQQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 12, 2022
“As soon as we started playing unselfish basketball at both ends, we started getting stops,” Eastridge head coach Dan Roser said. “Then you get out and run, get easy buckets and the offense starts flowing. We need to be unselfish for 32 minutes.”
Wester followed with a 3-pointer. Leftenant took advantage of a turnover to get into the open court for a layup. Emmanuel Torres hit a runner along the baseline and 2:27 remained in the quarter. Eastridge had a double-digit lead at 55-45.
Emmanuel Leftenant takes advantage of the turnover and scores at the opposite end. @EastridgeHoops 51-42 pic.twitter.com/ufBohUtOkx
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 12, 2022
“As soon as they started playing, I didn’t have to do anything,” Roser noted. “Just let them go out there and do what they know how to do.”
JT Killenbec connected on three 3-pointers, and Nolan Smith scored six of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter when HF-L grabbed the early lead.
Nolan Smith gets the and-one to fall. @HFLCSDAthletics has a 37-32 lead at half. Smith has 15 points. pic.twitter.com/UtTrTjMvYH
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 12, 2022
“We just came out super-flat,” Roser noted. “We didn’t have any energy or emotion. You come out like that against HF-L, that’s what’s going to happen. They’re going to take it to you.”
Young finished with 19 points. Torres and Wester scored 18 apiece. Leftenant added 12 points. JuJu Pittman chipped in two points.
“The kids responded for the most part,” Roser said. “They brought us back.”
The win was the seventh in the past eight games for the Lancers (15-2) whose only loss during that stretch came in their most recent outing against reigning Class A1 champion Pittsford Mendon. Eastridge has already wrapped up the Monroe County Division IV title and currently has the top seed in the upcoming Class A2 tournament.
“They’ve taken on the mantra that we have a target on our back,” Roser said of his team. “It’s made us tougher, and we’ve had it every game for the most part. But then games like tonight we come out here and didn’t really play that well. It’s one thing for them to say it. They have to come out here and play that way every game for 32 minutes.”
Killenbec scored 19 points for HF-L (11-8). Ben Carson contributed 13 points while Drew Angelo and Sam Vogt accounted for six points and one point respectively.
Leave a Reply