by TYLER HATHAWAY
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y– Third-seeded Canandaigua turned an eight-point halftime lead into a 52-21 win over No. 6 Brockport during Section V girls’ playoff basketball on Friday night. It’s the seventh win in the past eight games for a Gray Wolves squad that is in the sectional semifinals for the first time since 2023, a year that saw them reach the Class A state championship game.
A slow start on offense caused Canandaigua to only muster seven points in the opening eight minutes. However, a stifling performance on defense helped the Gray Wolves head into the locker room with an 18-10 advantage.
“I think in the first half, we had a lot of energy and played tremendously on defense,” said Canandaigua head coach Mike Brennan. “One of the really tough things about basketball is when you got so much energy and intensity on defense, it could kind of hinder you on offense.”
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Canandaigua led 21-14 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter when the offense finally started to find a groove. A 12-1 run midway through the third quarter helped the Gray Wolves seize control of the game. Brennan cited a small change in the gameplan at halftime helped spark the scoring outburst while the defense was still generating pressure and missed shots.
“We felt our guards could get into the paint then their (Brockport’s) bigs would have to help out,” the coach explained.”We hit several pocket passes, so we made a small change there instead of trying to get our centers of the ball when their back was to the basket. We got them on a weak side pass and that seemed to help us. Then we got a few steals that sparked us, turnovers for touchdowns.”
“During halftime, we really talked about how the first few minutes matter the most, and how it starts on defense,” said senior Leah Sheridan. “So we put a lot of pressure on them (Brockport), and then it really helped us start making shots on offense.”
The teams traded a few punches to finish the third quarter, but the fourth quarter was all Canandaigua. Sheridan scored the first four points of the frame and assisted on a few of the next couple of buckets to help the Gray Wolves outscore Brockport 17-2 in the final eight minutes.
“We know that if we generate a lot of pressure while we’re on defense, that we can eventually start getting steals and causing turnovers, which allows us to trust our offense more and generate momentum,” said Sheridan.
“It was just a matter of being able to continue to play really good defense,” said Brennan. “I thought we did a good job of giving them one shot. They (Brockport) have a fabulous scorer in Lydia Childs. I thought we did a great job of playing team defense on her. We had Lola (Schorr) mainly on her, but we played really great team defense. Limiting them to one shot, and then you find when you start to hit some shots, instead of going on a 12 to 8 or 12-6 run it’s a 12-1 run. It’s a big deal.”
Defense has been a hallmark of the Gray Wolves’ identity as a team. Canandaigua limited their opponents to an average of 37.8 points per game in the regular season, good for the best in Class AA2. Friday night was the sixth time this year that the Gray Wolves has held the opposing team to 30 or less points.
“I would say this team is a little different defensively because we can take more risks on the front end,” said Brennan of what makes Canandaigua so successful defensively. “On the back end, we have a few kids who can really protect the rim. We’ve played more zone defense this year than we have in my previous 13 years combined so we can keep them close to the basket. We’re not a team that can go out and score 75 a night, so it’s paramount to play well on defense to try and keep teams under 10 points a quarter.”
Sheridan finished the night with 16 points while being the main presence of Canandaigua full-court press, face-guarding the opposing ball-handler. All told, she generated multiple turnovers and even drew a couple of offensive fouls.
“It’s how she’s been all year,” Brennan explained. “If she put skates on, she’d be a tenacious hockey player. If she wrestled, she would be a kid no one wants to wrestle. She just has that Canandaigua grit and hates to lose more than anything. Offensively, she’s also taken a step forward, but the defense is really good.”
“This win was very important for us,” said Sheridan. “Holding them to 21 points really gives us more confidence going into the rest of sectionals.”
Sophia Frayne led the Gray Wolves with 18 points. Gianna Buchiere added a dozen points. Lola Schorr scored four points, while Kadyn Chapman had two points.
Lydia Childs led Brockport with six points. After her first basket in the first quarter, the senior eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark.Stella Szabo added five points. Hannah Carpenter and Olivia Keels each totaled three points. Alexis Hassall had two points.
Canandaigua will face second-seeded Pittsford Mendon in the Class AA2 semifinals on Monday. The two squads met once in the regular season, with Pittsford Mendon taking it 47-40.
“Defense travels,” Brennan said is most important for the Canandaigua throughout the rest of sectionals. “If you’re not making shots but you can hold a team to 10 points in a quarter, you can afford to be patient on offense until shots start to fall.”
“I think that we just got to believe in ourselves, and know, and trust in our defense,” Sheridan explained. “If we keep working hard in practice, and with this win, it’s gonna make us more confident.”
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