By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Three scored in double figures, and the Batavia Blue Devils held off a late rally to defeat host Vertus Academy, 74-71 in non-league action, Wednesday night.
The win was the third straight for the Blue Devils (7-2/No. 19 NYSSWA Class B) and fifth in the past six games.
“That was intense the whole game,” Batavia head coach Buddy Brasky said. “This is a tough place to play. It’s loud. The fans are into it here. We played here about five years ago. It was the same type of deal.”
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Javin McFollins connected six times from behind the 3-point arc and finished with a team-high 19 points. The senior guard came out of the locker room at halftime and hit four triples in the third quarter – the second of which gave Batavia its largest lead of the game at 44-36.
Javin McFollins opens the third-quarter scoring. Batavia 41-36. pic.twitter.com/U0B3JtlTvt
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 12, 2023
“We’re a work in progress,” Brasky said referring to the success of the school’s football team which advanced to the NYS semifinals and subsequently delayed full team practices for basketball. “We’re still trying to find who we are at times. What are the best combinations of kids? That type of thing. What I learned tonight is my kids will compete. When the pressure is on, they’re not afraid of the moment. That was good to see.”
Carter McFollins connected four times from the floor and scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. His fourth basket of the frame gave the Blue Devils separation from a one-possession game at 66-61.
“We made a lot of mistakes down the stretch,” Brasky noted. “Carter McFollins had a great game for us and then he made a number of mistakes down the stretch, but he’s a gamer. He comes up with big plays as well.”
With Batavia clinging to a 72-71 edge in the final seconds, McFollins grabbed his 11th rebound of the contest and fired a baseball pass into the open court for Mikey McKenzie who sealed the game with a layup.
Mikey McKenzie gets ahead for two. pic.twitter.com/L4hW3eMsJx
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 12, 2023
“He’s got one of the biggest wills to win that I’ve ever seen in a kid,” Brasky said of the senior guard. “He hates to lose and it hurts him sometimes because he hates to lose so much. Then he tries to do too much. It’s an asset that he has that I don’t want to take out of him. He’s just got to learn now how to control it and when to go and when not to go. It’s going to come from him.”
Carter McFollins finds Aiden Bellavia on the break. pic.twitter.com/7M3obV08A6
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 12, 2023
Batavia opened the game on a 7-0 run. The Blue Devils produced points on 11 of their first 13 possessions. Aiden Bellavia scored on consecutive trips down the floor and the advantage was still seven at 16-9.
Vertus responded. E’Mere Fulton connected from long range and followed with another bucket to make it a two-point game at 16-14. Terrance Clark’s rebound and putback cut the deficit to one. Reginald Pough found space along the right side of the lane and drove to the basket for a layup and a 22-21 Vertus lead at the end of one quarter of play.
Reginald Pough gives @VertusAthletics its first lead of the night heading to the second 22-21. pic.twitter.com/khx56ZTFTO
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 12, 2023
The teams exchanged leads five times and were in a dead heat on three other occasions in the second quarter. Clark hit from long range and Fulton followed with a trey of his own to give Vertus its largest lead of the game at the 33-28.
Batavia closed the quarter on a 10-3 run, and Carter McFollins hit a runner in the lane late in the half to give the Blue Devils a lead they did not surrender at 37-36.
Sawyer Siverling gives Batavia a 35-33 lead. pic.twitter.com/sQVZMptqtU
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 12, 2023
Batavia finished the game scoring on five of its last eight possessions including a high-low post feed from Carter McFollins to Bellavia for a traditional three-point play and a 69-64 advantage with 3:12 remaining in the game.
“Our zone offense there in crunch time,” Brasky said of his squad’s ability to execute late in the game. “We were getting that ball into the middle of the zone. Carter was making good decisions and that kept us in the lead. The way we attacked with our zone offense was the difference.”
Javin McFollins finished with nine rebounds in the contest. Bellavia added 15 points and four rebounds. Sawyer Siverling (9), Rashawd Christie (7), McKenzie (5) and Cam McClinic (7) rounded out the scoring.
Fulton led all scorers with 22 points. Teammate Jayden Ridley-Smith had 13. Ali accounted for 12 points. Pough (7), Na’Shon Wade (6), Clark (5), Malachi Davis (4) and Dah’mere Brown (2) also scored for Vertus (7-6).
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