One team holds the longest winning streak in New York State. Both teams are looking to add to a consecutive streak of titles. Steuben County meets Genesee Region when Avoca/Prattsburgh and Wheatland-Chili face each other in the 2022 Section V Class D1 championship. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 seed AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH (22-0/Steuben County) vs. No. 2 seed WHEATLAND-CHILI WILDCATS (19-3/Genesee Region II)
Scoring offense: Avoca/Prattsburgh (87.3 PPG), Wheatland-Chili (59.7 PPG)
Scoring defense: Avoca/Prattsburgh (47.6 PAPG), Wheatland-Chili (47.2 PAPG)
VIEW MORE DENNIS JOYCE PHOTOS HERE.
Current streak: Avoca/Prattsburgh has won 32 straight games dating back to last season. W-C has won five in a row.
How they arrived here: Avoca/Prattsburgh opened with a 114-24 win over Arkport-Canaseraga before beating Marion 82-34 to reach the finals. W-C defeated C.G. Finney (66-37) in the quarter-finals and Fillmore (75-52) in the semis.
Last time they met: These two programs have not met since Avoca and Prattsburgh merged following the 2019-20 season.
Players to Watch for Avoca/Prattsburgh: Haden Abbott Jr. F 11.7PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.2 SPG; Sawyer Devoe Jr. F/G 16.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 3.2 SPG; Pacey Hopkins Sr. G 16.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.7 APG, 4.7 SPG; Caleb Johnson 9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPH, 3.0 APG, 2.2 SPG; Macoy Putnam 16.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.7 APG, 4.8 SPG. As a team, A/P averages 26.4 assists and 19.6 steals per game.
Players to Watch for Wheatland-Chili: Terry Bayly-Henshaw Jr. F 9.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 APG; Jahmere Cooper Sr. F 8.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG; Aaron Lund Sr. F 20.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG; Brendan Moore Sr. F 9.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG; Leighton Williams 9th-grade G 9.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.2 APG.
Coaches: Brian Putnam (Avoca/Prattsburgh), Scott Lund (Wheatland-Chili)
History 101: Avoca won the the 2020 Class D1 title and Prattsburgh claimed the D2 championship the same year (the program’s 11th in history). The two schools merged last year and took the D2 title. W-C’s D1 championship a year ago was the program’s first since the 1985 Class B title. A/P’s Pacey Hopkins was a member of the 2019-20 Avoca team that finished 23-1 after dropping its first game of the season that year. Add in the current winning streak and Hopkins is 56-1 during his varsity career.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Far West Regional Qualifier against the winner of the D2 championship between Elba and Notre Dame-Batavia.
A 2 p.m. tip off is scheduled Saturday, at Letchworth High School.
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