By PAUL GOTHAM
WEBSTER, N.Y. — With a calendar flip from January to February, Penfield boys’ basketball coach Jason Ellis hopes his squad’s best basketball is ahead of them.
The Patriots took a step in that direction, Wednesday night.
Three players scored in double figures and another handed out double-digit assists as Penfield defeated host Webster Schroeder, 70-63.
“It’s a different mentality now,” Ellis said as teams start to prepare for sectionals that begin later this month. “Tonight, was a game of possessions. We knew that they were similar to us. We knew that if we did our stuff better, we win. It was one of those things where it’s like why play fast when you can play smart.”
Tied at 26, James Stinebiser sparked a 13-1 run late in the second quarter with his only five points of the game. The junior guard connected from behind the 3-point arc and followed the next trip down the floor with two more points.
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Caden Harrington and Trevor Hofer hit threes on consecutive trips before Derek Torres finished in the lane to end the quarter.
The run was part of a stretch that saw Penfield score on nine of 10 possessions. At the same time, the Patriots’ defense limited Schroeder to three field goals over the final four minutes of the quarter.
Derek Torres finishes in the lane to cap the second quarter. @PenfieldBball closes the half on a 13-1 run to take a 39-27 lead into the locker room. pic.twitter.com/cJnOZPHP5h
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 2, 2023
“They were hitting threes early,” Ellis said of Schroeder. “We just said we got to stay down. The true key was to keep them off the glass and keep them out of the paint. When we made our run, that’s exactly what happened.”
Penfield (8-7) had a lead it did not surrender at 39-27.
The win came after a month of January that saw Penfield drop five of seven games. Three of those setbacks came by a combined eight points including a one-point loss at then-unbeaten Victor. Penfield had the ball with a chance to win that game at the end.
“Take a look at our scores,” Ellis said. “I know we’re right around .500, but we’re competing with everybody. It’s nice to close it out instead of give it away.”
Jackson Beganny connects on his second three in the early going. @PenfieldBball 8-3. pic.twitter.com/MZxaCsV3m8
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 2, 2023
Hofer hit four treys as part of an overall effort that saw the Patriots connect nine times from from behind the arc.
“That’s our offense; it’s funny how when we run it, it works,” Ellis said tongue-in-cheek. “Truth is, we have a lot of really good shooters. We got a lot of young talent. We just haven’t put it all together yet. When we got a couple of guys shooting well together, that’s the product.”
Hofer led Penfield with 18 points. Jackson Beganny found the range from distance three times and scored 13 points. Torres had six field goals and converted on a pair of free throw attempts for 14. Harrington had nine points and 10 assists.
Schroeder’s Gio Schillaci hit six threes and led all scorers with 20 points. The senior guard’s trey tied the game at 26. He hit from long range again late in the third quarter to help trim a 12-point halftime deficit to three at 43-40. It was as close the Warriors would get.
“They do such a good job here,” Ellis said of the Schroeder program. “This is a really good ball club.
“We’re hoping that this is the beginning of the sectional stretch. If we can play like that, watch out.”
Aiden Cook (6), Patrick Emling (4) and Scott Petre (2) rounded out the scoring for Penfield.
Jake Insley had 17 points for Schroeder. Jon McCaffrey added 10. Lance Becoats (5), Anthony DeRosa (5), Drew Pagano (2) and Jack Cannon (2) also scored for Schroeder (10-5).
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