One team will look to win its fourth title in five years while the other seeks its second title in four years and third in program history. Avon and Marcus Whitman will square off in a rematch of the 2021 Class C1 sectional finals. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 seed AVON BRAVES (21-1/Livingston County Division II)
vs.
No. 3 seed MARCUS WHITMAN WILDCATS (16-6/Finger Lakes East)
Scoring offense: Avon (63.7 PPG), Marcus Whitman (52.2 PPG)
Scoring defense: Avon (48 PPG), Marcus Whitman (44.0 PPG)
Current streak: Avon enters on a nine-game winning streak and has won 21 of the 22 games they’ve played this season with the lone loss coming to Class C1 No. 1 seed and sectional finalist Lyons. Marcus Whitman has won four of its last five and eight of 10 games entering the finals.
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How they arrived here: Both teams had a bye into the quarterfinal round. Top-seeded Avon opened with an 81-37 victory over No. 8 Addison before rallying past No. 5 Le Roy, 68-64 in overtime. The Wildcats knocked off No. 6 Rochester Academy Charter School, 78-71, and followed with a 44-33 semifinal win over Class B2 defending champion No. 7 Wellsville to move into the title bout.
Players to Watch
Avon: Trevor Stroud Jr. G 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.7 APG; Michael Rowland Sr. G 16.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.5 APG; Josh Harter Jr. G 16.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.8 APG; Ryan Hillman Jr. F 4.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 APG; Kal Dolgos So. G 4.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG
Marcus Whitman: Brody Royston Jr. G 17 PPG, 6 RPG, 5 APG; Myles Prendergast Jr. G/F 13 PPG, 10 RPG; Logan Storms Jr. G 10 PPG; Brayden Amadeo Jr. G 7 PPG, 4 RPG; Tariku Blueye So. G 6 PPG; Melkamu Blueye Sr. G 5 PPG, 5 RPG
Coaches: Rob Fries (Avon), Greg O’Connor (Marcus Whitman)
Last time they met: The last meeting between the two programs came in the shortened 2021 season in the sectional finals. No. 2 Avon emerged as the winner over No. 5 Marcus Whitman, 63-56, to claim the Class C1 crown in that matchup.
History 101: Avon has won nine sectional titles in its program history. The Braves have appeared in the finals five consecutive seasons including three straight championships from 2020-2022. Marcus Whitman won the C1 title in 2020 and Class B crown in 1976.
What’s next: The winner will face the Class B1 champion (either Hornell or Mynderse) in the NYS Class B Far West Regional qualifier on Wednesday, March 6.
A 5 p.m. tip-off is scheduled at Blue Cross Arena on Friday.
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