HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Nichols tops Grover in OT
East, Sacred Heart win at Pastor-Cooper
Championship night of Western New York’s traditional tip-off of the basketball season went overtime Friday night, thanks to Nichols junior guard Andrew MacKinnon.
MacKinnon’s three-pointer with 35 seconds left allowed Nichols to send its game to overtime, where it beat Grover Cleveland, 80-75, in the Jerry Cooper Division final of the 23rd Pastor-Cooper Memorial Tournament.
In the previous two games of the finals tripleheader Friday night at Daemen College’s Charles L. & Gloria
B. Lumsden Gymnasium, East High of Buffalo beat Depew, 49-41, in the Al Pastor Division while Sacred Heart won its fourth straight girls championship with a 59-32 rout of Pioneer.
Nichols won a championship for the second straight Pastor-Cooper tournament by coming back from an eight-point deficit to start the fourth and a five-point hole with 55.5 seconds left in the game.
Grover had a 67-62 lead with 1:19 left. A steal by Ronald Canestro led to two free throws by Will Regan and a 67-64 game with 55.5 seconds left. After Ricky Alejandro (11 points) missed the front end of a one-and-one with 41.2 seconds left, MacKinnon hit an open three from the left side to tie it.
It was a fine finish to the game for MacKinnon, who scored 17 points and hit several drives down the lane.
“Andy was unbelievable tonight,” said Nichols coach Greg Plumb. “For him to respond like that was just unbelievable. The three at the end, calling out plays for himself, and finishing them, and to play so well being in foul trouble, too, is a testament to how hard he’s worked in the summer. Just an awesome job.”
Grover took the clock down and Chris Holland (17 points) drove the lane, but his floater in the final seconds bounced off the rim.
Canestro scored seven of his 17 points in overtime as Nichols (2-0) used a 10-3 run to take a 77-72 lead with 1:11 left in overtime.
Grover Cleveland (1-1) was led by Melvin Virgil (21 points) and Kenyon Edwards (14) along with Holland, who often found his big men on slick drives to the basket. Virgil and Edwards played very well against Nichols standout big man and tournament MVP Will Regan (26 points).
Grover used a 12-3 run to take a 34-31 halftime lead and the Presidents had a 55-47 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“Edwards and Virgil were just killing us — we couldn’t stop them for a while,” said Plumb. “We kept clawing back and these guys got it done.”
East, a Yale Cup rival of Grover Cleveland, won a defensive battle with defending ECIC III champion Depew as coach Starling Bryant earned his 199th career victory.
Dallas Gary earned MVP honors with 16 points while Deon Robinson had 15 and Wesley Hamilton 10 for the Panthers. Depew was led by Anthony Battaglia’s 18 points.
“Coach Bryant said whichever team got the most stops was going to win,” said Gary.
Sacred Heart used a 23-5 third quarter to dominate Pioneer. Alycia Pontello scored 14 points and earned MVP honors while Sarah Healy had
13. Post players Pontello and Healy finished very nicely inside after being consistently found by the Sharks guards as the Monsignor Martin power took a 47-21 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“I always say the first four minutes of the third quarter will decide the game,” said Sacred Heart coach Sister Maria Pares.
Pioneer, which starts four sophomores and junior in the first season of the post-Joelle Connelly Era, was led by Ashling Flannery’s nine points.
The name of the season-opening event — which was formerly known as the Al & Rose Pastor Memorial — was changed this year to honor Jerry Cooper, the son-in-law of the Pastors who ran the tournament its first 22 years. All eight of Jerry and Illene Cooper’s grandchildren were on hand to hand out trophies to players.
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