By: Liam Hoffmann
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Alexander Trojans boys’ basketball team brought home their first sectional championship in program history in the Section V Class C1 title game. The Trojans used a 17-7 second-half run to build an insurmountable lead and down the Geneseo Blue Devils 60-55. Alexander’s Dylan Pohl scored a team-high 17 and was named tournament MVP.
“I haven’t played very good in games like this in the past,” Pohl said. “Last year I didn’t play great. Semi-final game this year, I didn’t play very good. Coming in and hitting the first eight points of the game really boosted the team’s spirits and they knew I was in the game ready to win it.”
The senior center was on Alexander last year when the Trojans fell short in the Class C2 championship, losing to Byron-Bergen 52-46. Trojans head coach Jalen Smith tasted that loss as well.
“I was really big on explaining to the guys that we felt the worst we can feel being here at Blue Cross last year, and that this time it would be different if we just had fun,” Smith said. “Last year was a lot of pressure for us. It was a tough journey, it was something new for us. This year, I know a lot of the guys were vets, and they played on the floor. It just helped us and I thought everyone stepped up today.”
Before the Trojans’ test in the C Playdown, they’ll savor the program’s first sectional crown.
“It means a lot,” Smith said. “These boys have worked hard; they worked hard last year to get here, they worked even harder to get back here and win. I’m really proud of them.”
Geneseo’s Oren Ray beat Pohl down low for a third-quarter game-tying layup at 36-36. Then, Alexander went to work.
Austin Wakefield drained back-to-back 2-pointers before Mason Snyder drilled a corner three and turned another corner touch into a made floater. Pohl split a double team and scored a layup to get to 15 points on the night and give Alexander its biggest lead, 47-40. Snyder knocked down another corner 3-pointer before Alexander called timeout up 49-43.
Out of the timeout, Pohl added a put-back layup and Kingston Woods scored a crafty two late in the shot clock. The Trojans led by 10, 53-43, with plenty of time left in the fourth. The offense was firing on all cylinders.
Snyder scored all nine of his points in the second half, including a late free throw to help seal the win.
“Hitting your kick-out man, trusting them to knock down the shots,” Snyder said. “Our bench was so hype, and it got us all hyped.”
Geneseo never retook the lead. However, they controlled the game early.
The Blue Devils began the game up 9-2. But, after a Trojans timeout, Alexander went on its own 9-2 run before ending quarter one ahead 15-14. Pohl had eight in the frame and Jake Brooks, Wakefield and Woods added baskets.
“We knew that it was going to be a battle of possessions and we had to get stops,” Smith said. “Early in that game we weren’t getting the defensive rebounds right away, we were giving them extra chances, and I thought we really tightened it up down that stretch.”
The second quarter saw one tie and nine lead changes. For Geneseo, Ray accumulated 16 points in the first half. However, with Wakefield’s buzzer-beating jumper, Alexander led 29-26 at halftime.
After Alexander established its 10-point fourth-quarter lead, Geneseo managed a 7-0 run. Jackson Willis and Reece Byrnes scored from inside the arc before Avery Hepler knocked down a right-wing three.
In the final three minutes, Brooks, Woods and Snyder went a combined 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to close out the win for Alexander.
“To be honest, this group is not going to like it, but we were not a good free throw shooting team leading up to today, or leading up to sectionals,” Smith said. “But, I thought we put in the time, started to believe in each other again, and we believed in ourselves to get to the line and knock them down, and that’s what we did.”
The Trojans look ahead to a date with Honeoye or York next week.
Class C1 All-Tournament Team:
MVP Dylan Pohl (Alexander)
Cooper Bresdell (Gananda)
Jacob Brooks (Alexander)
Austin Wakefield (Alexander)
Jackson Willis (Geneseo)
Kingston Woods (Alexander)
Oren Ray (Geneseo)
Comments