By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Khorie Reaves scored the go-ahead basket as part of nine unanswered points for Greece Athena which rallied to beat host Franklin, 73-67 in non-league action, Thursday.
Coming out of a timeout with 3:37 remaining in the game, Reaves connected on a baseline jumper for a 68-67 lead.
“I’m really confident with my mid-range shot,” the 6-foot-4 senior guard said. “This summer I was working on it with my dad. I got the defender in the air. I felt like that’s my shot, so I took it.”
The Trojans had a lead that they did not surrender.
“Once I hit that shot, we couldn’t let them come back. It was play intense defense and get the stops we needed.”
Athena (6-0 and ranked No. 10 in the New York State Sportswriters’ Association/ NYSSWA poll) stopped a Franklin team (4-2) that had won four straight entering Thursday’s action. Earlier in the week, the Trojans handed Monroe its first loss of the season.
“These kids have responded to every challenge I have put in front of them,” said Athena head coach Mike Setzer. “They keep rising to the occasion. These are great teams. This time we had to come back. I think that’s the first time we had to play from behind for a little bit. We lacked composure in the first half, but we got it back in the second half. I’m really proud of that. We accepted and responded to this challenge.”
Khorie Reaves makes it a three-point game heading into halftime. @boys_franklin 35 @GAHSBoysHoops 32 @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/rcPP24U3wI
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 22, 2023
When trying to decide how to stop Franklin over the final minutes of regulation, Setzer turned to his team.
“We had to commit to defense,” the seventh-year head coach said. “We threw a lot of different looks at them today. We had two zone presses we used. We had man (to-man). We had 2-3 (zone defense). I just wasn’t satisfied with the looks that they were getting. Even when they missed shots and we were getting the rebounds, they were getting open looks.
“I asked them ‘what is our best defense?’ The first guy to speak up was Connor (Osier). He said ‘we’re going man, coach.'”
Connor Osier follows his own miss for 2 and a 70-67 @GAHSBoysHoops lead. pic.twitter.com/gTbZxuq5Gv
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 22, 2023
The Trojans responded by forcing three turnovers and not allowing a basket over Franklin’s final seven possessions.
“Our defense sparks our offense,” said Osier, a 6-foot-5 senior forward who is committed to play baseball at the University of Houston. “We got three stops in a row, and we had three buckets.”
Osier drew the biggest assignment on the defensive end having to match-up with Franklin big man Terence Thompson.
“I wanted the big player in a big-time moment,” Osier said. “I wanted to cover him. That’s the position we were in.”
More importantly, Athena did not allow Franklin to get any offensive rebounds over the final three minutes of the game.
“In man-to-man, you can rebound better than in zone,” Setzer said. “I was happy we got the rebounds.”
Franklin led by as many as eight points in the second quarter. Athena cut that deficit to one early in the third when Reaves scored back-to-back baskets.
The teams battled back-and-forth with Athena making it a one-point game on six different occasions in the third. It wasn’t until I’zayah Reaves converted on consecutive possessions that Athena had its first lead of the second half at 57-55.
I’zayah Reaves grabs the rebound and goes the length to tie the game at 55. Reaves scores on the following possession to give @GAHSBoysHoops a 57-55 lead heading to the fourth. pic.twitter.com/OdQpEmdm7B
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 22, 2023
Three lead changes ensued before the Trojans took control of the game.
Osier grabbed his own miss and scored for a 70-67 lead. Khorie Reaves hit a pair of free throws. Osier sealed the win with one of two from the stripe.
“We did a really good job of time and shot toward the end,” Setzer said. “We took it right down to the end of the shot clock two times. We did a good job of getting the ball in. They’re tough. They’re a fast team.”
Franklin’s Thompson finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. The 6-foot-7 center set up teammate Kollin McCullough with an inside-out feed for a three-pointer and 61-60 Bulldogs’ lead. Two possessions later, he led a cutting Shawn Goins for a layup and a 65-62 edge.
Terence Thompson finds Shawn Goins for 2. @boys_franklin 65-62 pic.twitter.com/h0DXJMZDoH
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 22, 2023
“We have nothing but respect for Greece Athena,” said Franklin head coach Joe Jackson. “They fought hard. They pushed my guys. It was exactly what we thought it would be. We just ended up on the wrong side of it. Khorie Reaves is an amazing player. He kicked it in in the second half.
“I’m proud of my guys because we came out and fought. They left it all out on the floor. The gym was packed, and everybody that came got their money’s worth.”
Clarence Thompson (twin brother) had 13 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Khorie Reaves grabbed 10 rebounds to go with 21 points for the double-double. He connected on 9-of-18 shots from the floor while making three steals and handing out two assists.
Osier scored 17 on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He had nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.
GREECE ATHENA
I’zick Reaves 3 0-0 7, Khorie Reaves 9 4-4 21, I’zayah Reaves 5 2-2 12, Zee Johnson 5 3-4 14, Connor Osier 6 5-6 17 TOTALS 25 14-16 73
FRANKLIN
Shawn Goins 7 0-4 14, Clarence Thompson 4 1-4 13, Kollin McCullough 4 2-2 12, Curtis Bell 2 0-0 4, Terence Thompson 6 4-5 16, Lavante Brown 3 0-0 8 TOTALS 26 7-11 67
ATHENA 17 15 25 16 — 73
FRANKLIN 16 19 20 12 — 67
3-point goals Athena 4 (I’zick Reaves 1, K. Reaves 1, I’zaya Reaves 2, Johnson 1); Franklin 8 (C. Thomas 4, McCullough 2, Brown 2)
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