By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Joe Tisa had one trick left up his sleeve, and it was enough to change the momentum of a game.
After Tisa’s Greece Olympia boys’ basketball team fell behind 17-5 in Friday’s Class B1 quarter-final, Tisa knew a change was in order.
The eighth-year coach made the right move.
Anthony Starks scored 24 points, and Jahod Faison added 21 to lead the No. 3 Spartans past No. 11 Bishop Kearney, 77-74.
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“We got out of our 2-3 (half-court zone defense) and press and went 1-3-1 to give them a different look,” Tisa said of the in-game adjustment. “That’s not something that we’ve played in a game this year. We put that in over our last two scrimmages. We knew that they have a lot of young guys, give them a different look that they haven’t seen. I think we dictated pace after that.”
Faison drove the lane and dished to Starks for a bucket and a 54-53 Olympia lead early in the fourth quarter. The Spartans had a lead they did not surrender and went on to score the next eight points.
“We ran our sets much better,” Tisa said of his team’s effort in the second half. “We emphasized with Jahod attacking the gaps from the wings.”
Jahod Faison drops it off for Anthony Starks, @Oly_Athletics has a 38-36 lead. pic.twitter.com/JajxZLoAHc
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 26, 2022
Olympia’s defense forced turnovers on the next three possessions. Starks converted a rebound and putback for a 62-53 lead.
“Our energy level increased on defense as the game went on,” Tisa noted. “We got more comfortable in what we were trying to accomplish. What we want to do is not necessarily get a steal. We wanted to make them pass the ball more, so they’re not attacking the gaps. They hurt us attacking the basket. We really tried in the second half emphasizing turning them and getting them to pass the ball a lot. We weren’t looking for a steal. We got lucky on a couple.”
A Ricky Hill 3-pointer gave Olympia its largest lead of the day at 71-60 with 2:12 left in the game.
Bryce Long, euro @Oly_Athletics 50-44 pic.twitter.com/SdT6V1MF7Y
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 26, 2022
“We were much more effective getting the ball in the high post (during the second half),” Tisa said. “Even though Anthony wasn’t getting all the touches we wanted, getting the ball in the high post we thought that’s where the weakness was.”
The game was the first sectional contest the Olympia boys’ program has hosted since 2010 and the second sectional win in Tisa’s tenure.
And-one from Jahod Faison. Olympia 68-60 pic.twitter.com/zuQEoP4igP
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 26, 2022
“We’re changing the culture here,” he said. “It’s taken a long time. We got players coming in. We got players now. We came out a little jittery even though we had two scrimmages. It’s tough when you have an expectation to win. It’s different.”
Landen Evans added 17 points in the win. Hill scored six. Bryce Long had seven, and Ayden Gorham scored two.
Olympia (14-7-0) will play the winner of the No. 2 Newark and No. 7 Geneva.
Zee Johnson breaks out the hammer and Kearney has a 29-24 lead with 1:44 remaining in the second quarter . pic.twitter.com/J95FIeLAgv
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 26, 2022
Kearney’s Zee Johnson led all scorers with 29 points. Colin Gentile had 16. Alejandro Aguilar had nine. Zach Bordeaux (8), Trevor Bonham (6), Re’Shaun Beason (3), Geo Rosa (2) and Edy Marlin (1) also scored for the Kings.
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