One team is seeking its second regionals appearance in as many attempts. The other is looking to officially play in the state quarter-finals after advancing there two years ago. Section V Class A1 champion Pittsford Mendon and Class A2 champion East High will meet Wednesday to decide a spot in the 2022 New York State Far West Regional. Here’s the breakdown:
Class A1 champion PITTSFORD MENDON VIKINGS (22-1/Monroe County Division III) vs. Class A2 champion EAST HIGH EAGLES (14-3/RCAC Division I)
Scoring offense: Pittsford Mendon (71.6 PPG), East High (77.8 PPG)
Scoring defense: Pittsford Mendon (49.4 PPG), East High (62.9 PPG)
Current streak: Pittsford Mendon has won 10 straight. East High has won six straight.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM RON ANDREWS HERE.
How they arrived here: Top-seeded Pittsford Mendon defeated No. 8 Churchville-Chili, 84-53, in the quarterfinals before downing No. 4 Irondequoit, 62-47, in the semis. The Vikings beat No. 3 Webster Schroeder, 63-49, to win the Class A1 title.
No. 2 seed East High defeated No. 10 Brockport, 76-57, in the quarterfinals before downing No. 3 Wayne, 60-56, in the semis. The Eagles beat No. 5 Pittsford Sutherland, 59-54, to win the Class A2 title.
Players to Watch
Pittsford Mendon: Ryan Deuel So. G 4.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG; Jackson Green Jr. G 17 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.8 SPG; London Hoyser Jr. G 6.1 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.1 RPG; Eric Krowl Sr. F 6.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.4 APG; Caleb Lewis Jr. G 15.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.4 SPG; Kidder Lindley Sr. G 12 PPG, 6.0 RPG; Matthew Woods Jr. G 7.5 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG
East High: Damani Barley 6-foot-5 Sr. G 27 PPG, 8 APG, 4 SPG; Shamir Caruthers 5-foot-8 Sr. G 12 PPG, 7 APG, 7 SPG; Kai McCullough 6-foot-3 Sr. G 17 PPG, 11 RPG, 5 SPG; Zion Parsons 6-foot-3 8th-G. G 9 PPG, 9 RPG, 3 APG
Coaches: Robert Nally (Pittsford Mendon), Darrell Barley (East High)
History 101: Pittsford Mendon is coming off its second straight sectional title and seeking its fourth regional appearance in program history. The Vikings appeared in the most recent Far West Regional in 2019 when, after taking down their crosstown rival Pittsford Sutherland in the regional qualifiers, accounted for Section V’s lone victory with an 87-55 win over Section VI champion Lewiston-Porter. The Vikings advanced to the state championship in Binghamton before falling to Section I champion Poughkeepsie.
East High is coming off its third consecutive sectional title and seeking its 10th regional appearance in program history. This would tie Lyons and McQuaid for the most appearances by a Section V school since the state tournament’s inception in 1978. The Eagles had advanced to regionals in 2020 with a 71-64 victory over Eastridge in the qualifiers before the cancellation of winter sports due to the COVID-19. The Eagles’ last official regionals appearance was in 2014 when they defeated Section VI champion McKinley. Barley’s squad advanced to the state championship in Glens Falls before falling to undefeated Section II champion Scotia-Glenville.
A 7 p.m. tip off is scheduled at Gates-Chili High School.
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