Pickin' Splinters

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Hockey leads balanced Le Roy past Hornell

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By PAUL GOTHAM

LE ROY, N.Y. — Mitchell Hockey led four in double figures with 27 points as the Le Roy boys’ basketball team scored on its first possession and did not surrender the lead in a 75-62 win over Hornell, Wednesday night.

Hockey connected on four 3-pointers and converted 9-of-12 free throws. Merritt Holly, Jr. added 17 points while Tony Piazza and John Panepento scored 14 and 11 points respectively. Finn Shelby accounted for six points in the win.

“It’s nice to have the balance,” Le Roy head coach Matt Weinman said. “We have Merritt and Mitch who do a lot of our scoring. Finn’s kinda come along. It was nice to see Tony Piazza get in there and knock down some big free throws and get to the basket. Johnny made some big-time shots, the mid-range shots.

“That was huge for their confidence. As you get into sectionals, teams area going to hone in on certain guys. Those other guys are just going to have to step up., and they know it. They did a good job tonight.”

In each of the first three quarters, the Le Roy converted on its final possession of the stanza. The Oatkan Knights also opened the third quarter scoring on their first four trips down the floor to take a 41-23 lead.

“It’s been a point of emphasis this year,” Weinman said of the late execution. “We’ve always started out well. It’s just a matter of keeping our focus. There are great coaches in this league, and they’re making all adjustments on us. You got to try and stay one step ahead of them which isn’t easy.

Holly’s finish at the rim gave Le Roy an 18-8 lead heading into the second. The 6-foot-4 sophomore converted again to end the second for a 33-23 advantage heading into halftime

“We took some high-percentage shots which was nice,” Weinman said of his team’s overall approach on the offensive end of the floor. “Sometimes, we go a little early and take a shot that’s not our best in that scenario. I was proud of our guys tonight.”

The win snapped Le Roy’s five-game losing streak into head-to-head meetings with Hornell.

“The last three times we’ve played these guys they beat us by five points or less,” Weinman noted. “We knew it was going to be a battle. I’m sure they knew it too. It was just a matter of can we get over the hump against them. We were able to somehow do that.”

The Red Raiders Gennaro Picco scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter when Hornell cut the deficit to 11. Picco drilled 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. His drive to the basket and layup made it a 65-54 with less than four minutes remaining.

“Hornell battled back,” Weinman said. “They didn’t give up all the way until the end. Defensively, they’re really hard to guard. They got five guys on the court that can stick it. They all get to the rim. You’re trying to help and they kick it and shoot three. But if you don’t help, they get to the rim. They spread you out, and they’re really hard to guard. We did a pretty good job for the first half. We couldn’t stop them there in the fourth quarter. We got some big rebounds. They missed shots, thank God.”

The win was the second in three games for Le Roy (14-5). The Oatkan Knights close the regular season at Letchworth on Thursday. A 7 PM tip off is scheduled.

Noah Kraatz added 11 points for Hornell (11-8). Gates Miller had eight and Pasquale Picco had seven. Christian Babcok (6), Colin McCumiskey (6), Griffyn Baker (6) and Andrew Hoyt also scored for the Red Raiders. Hornell hosts Marcus Whitman on Thursday in the regular season finale for both teams. A 7 pm tip off is slated.

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