By BOB CHAVEZ
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — When the opening tip and the first basket of the game went for Canandaigua Academy, the thought was natural: Here we go.
After all, it was just over a month ago that the Gray Wolves pressed Greece Athena to a surprising overtime game that the Trojans eventually won.
But in Wednesday’s rematch at The Academy, Athena didn’t need overtime. It barely needed four full quarters. The Trojans had the energy and the shooting to lead comfortably throughout and travel home with a 73-60 victory.
Indeed, when Nathan Brinza’s basket dropped, the 2-0 lead was the only lead of the game for the Gray Wolves. I’Zick Reaves responded with a 3-pointer and following a free throw by Brinza, Reaves dropped another 3. That was followed by a Dominic LaMar basket for an 8-3 lead and the Trojans were on their way.
The lead in the first quarter grew to 13-5 and by the end halftime, it was another 3-pointer from Reaves – this one at the horn – to make it a 36-27 game.
Throughout the first half, Athena’s shooting, rebounding and pressure defense were on display that forced Canandaigua off its game and into plenty of missed opportunities.
“They have a way of speeding you up and that threw us off a little,” said Jim Davern, the fourth-year Canandaigua coach who spared no praise for the Athena effort. “We were getting our looks, we just didn’t connect on anything.”
Reaves finished the first half with 14 points but CA obviously discussed intensity during the break and it showed early in the third. The Gray Wolves went on a 6-2 run to close the gap to seven points at 42-35 but – who else? – Reaves came through with another 3 to restore the momentum for Athena. He finished with 21, but coach Mike Setzer rightly pointed to the balance throughout his lineup that kept The Academy at bay.
“The kids did a good job reading the scouting report,” he said. “They did a really good job of taking (Canandaigua) out of their sets and played great team defense.”
After the Reaves 3-pointer pushed the Athena lead to 10, the Trojans knew they still had a problem. Because Canandaigua still had senior Connor Chapman on the floor, along with freshman Finnan Damann. Chapman, who scored a game-high 24 points, came through with another 3-pointer while Damann used his size and quickness to add six more points for the Gray Wolves.
“You can’t leave No. 11 alone for a second,” Setzer said of Chapman.
But the Athena defense turned it up and grabbed some key rebounds to spark a 9-0 run on three straight 3-pointers to open a 60-42 lead early in the fourth. And when Reaves dropped his fifth 3 of the game, it was a 60-49 lead.
A few minutes later after a 7-0 run to make it a 67-49 game, Canandaigua pulled its starters and Athena followed suit.
Now, the attention for both turns to the Section V Tournament. Athena will open as the No. 1 seed in Class AA2, just like it did last year. But this year is different.
“It’s a position we’ve been in before,” said Setzer, whose team lost in last year’s Class AA championship to Victor. “But this year, it’s about finishing the job. Every game has got to have a championship mentality now.”
Canandaigua isn’t about to settle for the “happy to be here” mentality, but to think it would be a No. 3 seed with a 16-win season is cause for celebration. Just five years ago, it turned in a five-win season and the season before that, it was a one-win season.
“Four years ago, (Athena) came here and on Senior Night and whooped us by 40,” said Davern. “Tonight, we were playing them for a league championship.”
Greece Athena (18-2)
Na’Sean Fowlks 3 0-0 8, I’Zick Reaves 8 0-0 21, I’Zayah Reaves 3 0-0 6, Dominic LaMar 3 0-0 6,Travis Mack 4 0-0 8, Xaviel Lewis 0 0-0 0, Russell Ellis 6 1-1 14, Carter George 0 0-0 0, Ethan Gorham 0 0-0 0, Jacob Curatalo 0 0-0 0, Josiah Dueker, Cole Poth 1 0-0 2, Caleb Brown 3 2-2 8. TOTALS: 30 3-3 — 78
Canandaigua Academy (16-4)
Jaiden Pierce 1 0-0 2, Chase Senn 2 0-0 4, Jackson Fiorentino 0 0-0 0, Tate York 1 0-0 3, Connor Chapman 8 5-6 24, Drew Williamee 0 0-0 0, Lewis Rhyden 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Laird 1 0-0 2, Finn Damann 7 2-2 16, Kobe Maroney 0 2-2 2, Nate Brinza 3 1-2 7. TOTALS: 23 10-12 — 60
3-point goals: GREECE ATHENA 8 (I. Reaves 5, Fowlks 2, Ellis 1); CANANDAIGUA 3 (Chapman 3, York 1).
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