By JOHN LIKANJE
Avon used relentless defensive pressure and produced enough offense to defeat division rival Geneseo, 50-37, in the Boys Class C1 sectional semifinals at Le Roy High School.
The Braves’ full-court press and consistent doubling of ball-handlers resulted in 27 missed field goals and 18 forced turnovers in 55 possessions. Rob Fries’ squad held the Blue Devils to single-digit scoring in each of the first three quarters as well: nine in the opening stanza, eight in the second and seven in the third.
After the Blue Devils trimmed their deficit to 35-24 at the end of the third period on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Braves started the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run to pull away. Senior guard Andrew Rowland finished a pair of layups. Michael Rowland and Hudson Volpe both made a layup as well for a commanding 43-26 advantage with three minutes remaining. The Braves forced seven missed field goals and a turnover in eight possessions during that span.
VIEW MORE CAROLE VOLPE PHOTOS HERE.
Andrew Rowland ignited the squad with all 12 of his points in the second half as the Braves outscored the Blue Devils, 30-20. Along with his two layups, the senior guard dropped in a floater, drilled a three-pointer and hit 3-of-4 free throws. Rowland’s three-pointer, which came with two minutes left in the third period, gave the Braves their first double-digit lead of the match, 33-21. The senior guard added five assists and three rebounds as well.
Zach Colvin posted a game-high 13 points, including 11 over the first three quarters. The senior forward connected on a pair of shots from the charity stripe and a floater as part of a 13-2 run in the third stanza in which the Braves extended their lead to 35-21. Overall, Colvin’s scoring consisted of two layups, a mid-range jumper, a floater and five free throws in six attempts. The senior forward grabbed seven rebounds as well.
Jack Browne (8), Lee Hartke (6), Michael Rowland (6), Trevor Stroud (3) and Volpe (2) rounded out the scoring for the Braves. Rowland added seven rebounds.
For Geneseo, Ryan Whitney led with 11 points. The junior guard led an attempted late rally with seven points in the final three minutes of the game on two layups and a three-pointer. Whitney added a layup and a pair of foul shots as part of his scoring as well.
Eghosa Okpefe (8), Josh Perez Silva (6), Ethan Bennett (5), Sebri Fantauzzo (4) and Mykola Prokhorenko (2) rounded out the scoring for the Blue Devils.
Avon advances to the sectional final and will take on top-seeded Rochester Academy, Friday night. The Racers defeated No. 4 seed Canisteo-Greenwood, 54-41, in their semifinals matchup at Mount Morris High School to remain undefeated.
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