Section V Class A2 boys basketball: Sutherland's defense denies East

James Johnson
Democrat and Chronicle

At the end of a very competitive Section V Boys Basketball Class A2 Tournament, it was the Pittsford Sutherland Knights who wore the championship hats.

The Knights, the No. 6 seed, were the ones who emerged in a field where some said as many as eight teams were capable of winning the classification, knocking off East High 53-49 on "Championship Saturday at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial. 

"It's unbelievable. Everybody doubted us," Sutherland senior guard Matt Panara said. "We knew coming in, that we're better than everybody, and we proved it out there playing defense.

"We all love each other, and it showed out there." 

Kevin Ryan scored 15 points, one of four Sutherland Knights (16-8) who scored in double digits, to lead the Monroe County league team to its second sectional title in four years with coach John Nally.

After making two of his first eight shots, East senior point guard Chaz Washington got in gear to score 21 points. Zecharia Harris-Scott added 16 points and nine rebounds.

That was neutralized by 12 points from Sutherland's John Luther, plus 10 points each by Matt Panara and Ben DiGiovanni. The Eagles finished the season 21-2.

Sutherland was strong at the start, springing out to a 13-point lead by the end of the first quarter with a 15-2 run. 

East chipped the gap down to nine points by halftime, 28-19, as Harris-Scott scored five of his seven first-half points during the second quarter. 

East surged into the third quarter, scoring six of the first eight points of the second half, but Sutherland countered.

The Knights were up 11 points, 44-33, after a pair of free throws by John Messina late in the third quarter, before another surge by the Eagles.

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Washington made a 3-pointer and then turned a steal into a left-handed layup at the end of a fast break. A layup Harris-Scott made by cutting across the paint made it six unanswered points by East to close the third quarter.

Sutherland's lead was 44-40.

A layup by East guard Maurice Coney made the scorer 47-44 in favor of Sutherland with 4:09 remaining. That was the last field goal for East High for the next 3:43. 

East's final push reduced Sutherland's lead to two points, 51-49, with 19.5 seconds remaining, before free throws by Panara with 10 seconds later. 

All-tournament team

  • MVP: Kevin Ryan (Pittsford Sutherland)
  • Nick Carmichael (Wayne)
  • Ben DiGiovanni (Pittsford Sutherland)
  • Matt Panara (Pittsford Sutherland)
  • Dyllon Scott (East)
  • Zecharia Scott (East)
  • Chaz Washington (East)

 

Player of the game

Sutherland's Kevin Ryan, right, sprints down the court towards his bench as the buzzer sounds giving the Knights the win over East 53-49 in their Section V Class A2 championship final Saturday, March 2, 2019 in Rochester.  At left is East's Kaori Barley.

Kevin Ryan, Sutherland: A 6-foot, 6-inch senior, Ryan also had seven rebounds and blocked three shots to go along with his team-high point-total.

"We came out really hard, played really good defense and pushed the ball (upcourt)," Ryan said. "We tried to tried to slow them down as much possible. They are really explosive." 

Unsung hero

John Luther, Sutherland guard: All of Luther's points came on 4 of 10 shooting from 3-point range.

More than one seemed to interrupt runs by East, a large factor why the Sutherland Knights led the entire game.

Play of the game 

Sutherland's Matt Panara, right, hugs teammate Ben DiGiovanni as they celebrate their 53-49 win over East.

East was within three of Sutherland, 47-44, with 4:09 remaining.

The Eagles were heading upcourt with a chance to tie or reduce the lead again, when Panara intercepted a pass intended for Chaz Washington.

The Knights then turned that turnover into a backdoor-like layup for Ben DiGiovanni with 3:32 remaining. That basket came during East's long scoring drought in the fourth quarter. 

Key stats 

4 - The number of double-digit scorers for the Knights. 

49 - The number of points East High scored. It was the first time East failed to score 50 points in a game this season.

What's next

Sutherland plays town rival Pittsford Mendon, a runaway winner in the Section V Class A1 final, on Wednesday at a site to be determined.

The winner of that state tournament qualifier faces the Section VI champion during the state regional round next Saturday at Greece Athena.

JAMESJ@Gannett.com