By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Robb Delisanti knew better than to exhale.
Staked to an early double-digit advantage, the Honeoye boys’ basketball coach resisted the temptation to get comfortable.
Especially when considering the first two meetings of the season with league rival, South Seneca (20-3).
The concern proved to be unwarranted.
Delisanti’s Bulldogs took an 11-point lead into halftime and ran it to 15 heading to fourth quarter on the way to a 54-27 victory, Friday at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial.
With the win, Honeoye (22-1) clinched the 2025 Section V Class C3 Boys’ Basketball championship.
“They were our only loss this year,” the seventh-year head coach said. “We were up about 15 or 16 on them, and they came back and won at their place.
“They’re able to score in bunches. I looked up at one point and there were only two minutes left. I was like ‘Really?’ I was still coaching like it was a four-point game.”
Landon Washburn led the way as the Bulldogs made sure there was no comeback this time.
The sophomore who eclipsed the career 1,000-point mark earlier this season was held scoreless in the second quarter and had six points heading to the locker room at halftime.
“I knew we had the lead, so I wasn’t trying to do too much,” he said. “I was trying to help the team win, but when I get my opportunities to score I know I can. Help the team out. That’s the whole goal.”
The tournament MVP scored seven of his game-high 17 points in the third quarter when Honeoye pulled away.
“He’s a very smart player,” Delisanti said. “Sometimes, it just takes him a while to figure it out.
“He’s seen everything this year: triangle and two, box and one, double teams. He’s seen every zone defense known to man. Sometimes, it just takes him time to feel out what he can do and what he can’t do.”
Honeoye opened the game on an 8-2 run and had a double-digit advantage at 14-4 with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Washburn credited the experience earlier this season when Honeoye played a game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
“That’s another big arena,” Washburn said. “That helped us because of the shooting.”
Owen Reynolds set up Braiden Schneider for a lay-in. Next trip down the floor, Reynolds took advantage of an open lane for a layup of his own. Dylan Washburn added a bucket and Honeoye led 14-4.
“Nothing behind the backboard is the biggest thing,” Delisanti said of the experience between the arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers play and Rochester’s “Big House.” “Most of the high school gyms you got a wall that’s 5, 10, 15-feet behind. That experience at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse really helped us.”
The championship was the first for the program since 1997 and was a full-circle experience for Delisanti who earned MVP honors when Honeoye won its previous title.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” Delisanti said.
Delisanti’s longtime friend John Mastin had the honors of handing the sectional block to the Honeoye team.
“I’ve known him since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. That was pretty special.”
South Seneca had won eight straight heading into Friday’s matchup. The Falcons were looking to win their first sectional title since 2001.
“I told the guys in the locker room that I thought it was going to be a 12 or 14-win season,” said South Seneca head coach Ryan Clemenson. “We exceeded expectations getting to the 20-win mark. Obviously, our preparation and off-season work really paid off.”
Honeoye advances to the regional qualifier next Wednesday. The Bulldogs will await the outcomes of the Class C1 and C2 before knowing their next opponent.
All-Tournament team: Leighton Williams, Jr. (Wheatland-Chili), Braelen Broome (C. G. Finney), Owen Cuba (Honeoye), Kyan Miller-Hopkins (South Seneca), Owen Reynolds (Honeoye), Kenny Halsey (South Seneca).
Tournament MVP: Landon Washburn (Honeoye).
Leave a Reply