By PAUL GOTHAM
LE ROY, N.Y. — Merritt Holly, Jr. highlighted a 15-0 first-half run with 13 of his game-high 33 points, and the No. 3 Le Roy boys’ basketball team advanced to the Section V Class B2 semifinals with a decisive 77-47 victory over the No. 6 Haverling Rams, Saturday.
With the game tied at 14 late in the first quarter, Holly scored five points including an and-one before setting up teammate Andrew Pocock for a bucket to give the Oatkan Knights a seven-point advantage after eight minutes of play.
Merritt Holly, Jr. grabs the defensive board and finds Andrew Pocock ahead of the defense. Heading to the second quarter LeRoy 21 Haverling 14 @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/fVvOaIziZa
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 25, 2023
The junior forward scored the first eight points of the second quarter. Le Roy had a double-digit lead and did not allow Haverling any closer for the remainder of the contest.
“Merritt was tremendous today,” Le Roy head coach Matt Weinman said. “He was a difference-maker for sure.”
Merritt Holly, Jr. hets baseline @LeRoy_CSD 29-14 pic.twitter.com/p1A8Ysk4iG
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 25, 2023
Holly got ahead of the defense for a layup to force a Haverling timeout with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter. Next trip down the floor, he drove baseline and scored for a 29-14 advantage.
The 6-foot-5 Holly connected on 14-of-20 shots from the floor for the game. He grabbed seven rebounds to go with five assists and two steals. His bucket seconds after the opening tip set the tone for the game.
“I actually didn’t see the tip,” Weinman said with a smile. “I was giving our guys knuckles on the bench, so I had no idea what happened. I just turned around and the guys were cheering.
“It was nice to get him going. Tough guy to stop.”
Opening tip Class B2 Boys Haverling and @LeRoy_CSD Merritt Holly, Jr. wastes no time starting the scoring. pic.twitter.com/uuQGUy08FQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 25, 2023
Teammate Jean Agosto scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Agosto accounted for six points in the first quarter and scored eight more in the fourth to help put the game away. The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward connected on a 9-of-10 attempts from the floor.
“Jean around the basket is really good,” Weinman said. “He’s still working on his fundamentals. Around the basket is a big body for screening. He can get guys open that way and get himself open. Having that option with Merritt just another guy to dump down to if he gets doubled. He keeps teams honest that way.”
Merritt Holly, Jr. finds Jean Agosto ahead. Le Roy 66-45. Class B2 @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/IHPf6XUsaP
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 25, 2023
Haverling came into Saturday’s contest averaging nearly 60 points per game over their previous 10 contests. Le Roy limited the Rams to 16-of-44 (36 percent) shooting from the floor.
Jacob Hagadone entered play averaging 16 points per game for Haverling. Le Roy limited the sophomore big man to 12.
“He’s a beast, extremely physical,” Weinman said. “We just tried to keep the ball out of his hands down there. He’s an extremely good free-throw shooter. If he gets the ball, he’s good at scoring it. He’s so strong. He gets good position, so we really wanted to get around him and front him in the post. Our guys overall, did a pretty good job. He battled and got the ball down there and got fouled and scored a few times. But overall, it was good.”
Jake Hagadone feeds Justin Yehl for 2. pic.twitter.com/2imvuVa9qD
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 25, 2023
Pocock and Cal Koukides finished with seven points apiece in the win. Aaric Luce (6), Parker Dowell (2), Jace Jedrewski (2) and Zander Staba (2) rounded out the scoring for Le Roy which shot 32-of-51 (62 percent) from the floor.
“Overall, I’m really proud of our guys and the way they played,” Weinman said. “Our guys played within their roles. They got the ball to guys where they could score. We executed what we wanted to do offensively.”
Austin Durand and Kobe Moore added 12 apiece for Haverling (10-12) which opened sectionals with a win over Early College on Thursday. Justin Yehl (7), and Gavin Price (4) also scored for the Rams.
The same two teams met in the quarterfinals last season. Le Roy won that encounter, 67-50. Holly had 31 points in that game. The four-year varsity player scored the 1,000th point of his career earlier in the season.
Le Roy (12-9) will play No. 2 Dansville in the semifinals. Dansville defeated Le Roy, 65-58 when the two teams met on January 26th.
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