By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Tajmir Mullins scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, and No. 4 Monroe defeated No. 13 Honeoye Falls-Lima, 70-38 in Section V Class A Boys’ Basketball action, Tuesday night.
Mullins connected seven times from the floor including once from behind the 3-point arc as Monroe used a 28-10 advantage over the final eight minutes of the contest.
“When our guys really want to get after it, they can get it done,” said Monroe head coach Matt McCormick. “It’s tough to go against Taj and Will (McKinney).”
Marcus Freeman and McKinney started the fourth-quarter scoring then Mullins accounted for the next 10 points including a flurry where he finished a bucket in the lane before taking advantage of a turnover on the ensuing inbound and converting that opportunity into a triple.
“Whenever we can get easy baskets, it helps a lot,” McCormick said. “Layups, foul shots are about the easiest. What eventually that turns into is an open three and a look.”
Cam Miller (11 points) and Jaron Shears (10) also finished in double figures for a Monroe squad which saw eight different players contribute to the scoring.
Taj Mullins layup and a three gives @JMHSRedjackets a 57-33 lead. @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/dsS5rc3xkJ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 21, 2024
Jaron Shears slices through the lane for an and-one. @RCSDRedJackets 42 @HFLCSDAthletics 28 after three quarters. @SecVBBasketball Class A pic.twitter.com/t0D7EQJuOQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 20, 2024
“They’re committed to making each other better,” McCormick said. “That’s good at this point of the year. We’ve gone through stretches this year where we haven’t shared the ball. At this point, they realize that’s what wins, sharing the ball. Getting that extra look.”
Monroe took a 12-point lead into halftime and stretched that advantage to 14 when Shears finished a reverse layup for a 31-17 lead.
HF-L countered with a 7-2 run.
Sam Jokl converted 1-of-2 from the free throw line and then was on the finishing end of a a high-low feed from Quinn Kailbourne. Wyatt Huff added a basket and then set up Jokl for two more to make it a 33-24 game.
Monroe answered with a 16-2 run that spanned the end of the third quarter into the fourth.
“I just think a little bit of pressure made the difference at that point,” McCormick said.
Huff and Jokl scored 12 apiece to lead HF-L which finished the season with a record of 7 wins and 14 losses.
Monroe (15-6) will host No. 12 School of the Arts (SOTA) on Friday. SOTA knocked off reigning NYS Class B regional champion, Newark, 68-58.
Sam Jokl takes a high-low feed from Quinn Kailbourne and finishes. @HFLCSDAthletics pic.twitter.com/dQcgnU3mRA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 20, 2024
HONEOYE FALLS-LIMA
Quinn Kailbourne 2 0-2 4, Aidan Neenan 0 0-0 0, Conor Finn 0 0-0 0, Matthew Meacham 2 0-0 4, Sam Jokl 5 2-3 12, Drew Angelo 2 0-0 6, Austyn Crego 0 0-0 0, Wyatt Huff 5 2-2 12 TOTALS 16 4-7 — 38
MONROE
DaiQuon McKinney 3 1-2 8, Cam Miller 4 3-7 11, Will McKinney 1 0-0 2, Tajmir Mullins 11 1-1 23, Marcus Freeman 3 0-0 8, Navarean Patton 1 0-0 2, Jaron Shears 4 1-1 10, Jermaine Montgomery 1 2-2 4 TOTALS 28 8-13 — 70
HONEOYE FALLS LIMA 4 7 17 10 — 38
MONROE 12 11 19 28 — 72
3-points goals: HONEOYE FALLS-LIMA 2 (Angelo 2); MONROE 6 (McKinney, D. 1, Mullins 2, Freeman 2, Shears 1)
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