by TYLER HATHAWAY
VICTOR, N.Y– JJ Mastin Jr. knocked down a three-pointer at around the 6:30 mark of the first quarter that broke a 2-2 tie, and No. 3 Victor went on to never trail and win 66-55 over sixth-seeded Webster Thomas during AA1 quarterfinal action on Saturday night. It is the third win in the past four games for the Blue Devils (14-7).
“Webster Thomas is a good team, and it took a full team effort tonight,” said Victor head coach Tyler Roberts. “Everyone was playing as hard as they could, and that’s what we expect. Just really proud of our guys tonight.”
Victor knocked down four early three-pointers and took a 18-6 lead in the first eight minutes, with the quarter being capped off by a three-ball from Mastin from nearly 30 feet out.
“It’s always nice when you start fast,” Roberts explained. “That’s not always the case, and we know basketball is a game of runs, and sometimes you make the first run, and sometimes you don’t make a run until late in the second half. But we always know that basketball is about runs and we always just do our best.”
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“I think it was very crucial,” Mastin said about getting off to a quick start. “We were just looking to push the ball all game. Keep great energy, and push it up the court.”
The second quarter saw the Titans cut the lead to seven in the first few minutes, but the Blue Devils didn’t blink, finishing the half on a 10-2 run to give themselves a 33-18 lead heading to the locker room.
“I’m really proud of this group for the way they handle themselves when things start to go against us,” Roberts explained. “When things start to go against us, we usually come together. That’s really been a staple of this team all season.”
“We’re always just focused on the next play, and we’re not worried about what happened in the past,” said Mastin.
Webster Thomas threatened again in the third quarter, shortening Victor’s lead to 43-36 with 45 seconds left in the frame. Mastin came out of a timeout and knocked down a three-pointer, which helped spark an 11-2 run over the next three minutes of play.
“We just had to get a little bit tougher defensively and do what we do a little bit better on defense,” Roberts said he emphasized to his team during the timeout. “I thought in that stretch, for our offense, a lot of it comes from our defense.”
Mastin finished the game with a team-high 19 points.
“He was outstanding,” Roberts said of the junior. “He works really hard at basketball, and I’m really proud of the way he played tonight. He got some great paint touches and created a lot of offense for us.”
Victor would end up leading by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter. The final score was the same as when the two teams met in the regular season.
The Blue Devils went deep into their bench throughout the game, rotating three or four guys out every few minutes.
“Our whole team is committed in the offseason, and so they’ve earned my trust to go in the game and play real minutes, especially in the first half,” Roberts explained. “I think that’s something that gives our team a significant advantage over other teams.”
“It helps us cause we all get breaks,” Mastin said of Victor’s rotation. “We have a very deep team. They all deserve to get in the game. Everyone’s worked very hard this season.”
RJ Johnson II finished with 15 points for the Blue Devils. Timmy McAuliffe added 11 points. Benjamin Fell and Gus Pappajohn each ended with seven points. Ravi Chitre scored six points, and Gage Hay had a point.
“We just play together, said Mastin. “We’re all just working hard and focusing on what’s next, the next practice, the next game.”
Mateo Pietrantoni paced Webster Thomas (10-12) with 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Henry Bonn also supplied 19 points. Sean Griffin turned in six points. Jaden Kyles (5), Danny Check (3), and Gianni Stavalone (3) also scored for the Titans.
Victor advances to the AA1 semifinals Wednesday to face No. 2 seed Irondequoit. The two squads met once in the regular season, with the Blue Devils taking the matchup 92-62.
“I think we just have to have a great practice on Monday, and then we’ll go from there,” said Roberts.
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