Pittsford Sutherland holds off East for Section V Class A2 title

ROCHESTER — Pittsford Sutherland held off a late surge from East High to capture the Section V Class A2 championship with a 53-46 win Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena.

Thanks to some clutch shooting by Sam Pisanelli late in the game, Sutherland coach John Nally's fourth-seeded Knights captured their first title since 2019, winning a rematch of last year's final where East High was triumphant.

Zymier Jackson's free throws gave No. 2 East a 42-41 lead midway through the fourth. It would be the Eagles' final lead as the Knights finished the game on a 12-4 run. Sutherland credited its tough Monroe County league schedule for how well they played in the fourth.

"I thought that experienced carried us," Nally said. "We weren't rattled in the end. They took that quick lead, we held our nerve and finished it out."

More:Section V boys basketball scores for the 2022-23 season

What it means for Pittsford Sutherland

The win marked the 10th overall championship for Pittsford Sutherland (16-7). In the 2022 final, the Knights fell 59-54.

East High coach Darrell Barley's Eagles season ended at 18-4. They won championships the previous two seasons.

Player of the Game

Sam Pisanelli

The Pittsford Sutherland senior scored a game-high 17 points. He scored nine points in the first half, then the Knights' final five points to extend their slim lead.

"This guy right here's a stud," Sutherland senior Everett Wilcox said.

Play of the game

Sutherland's sequence in the final 90 seconds won the game.

The Knights led by two when crisp passes from Max Michalski and Wilcox found Pisanelli wide open on the weak side for 3 with about 1:30 remaining. On the other end, Wilcox stripped East's Quentin Gordon-Smith, then fed Pisanelli on the fast break, who finished a tough left-handed layup to take a seven-point lead with about 15 seconds left.

By the numbers

14 - East High sophomore Micah Johnson-Breedlove scored a team-high off two 3-pointers and 4 free throws.

10 - East High freshman Zion Parson was the only other Eagle that scored in double figures.

12 - Sutherland junior Max Michalski was the only other Knight who scored in the double digits.

11 - Free throws missed by Sutherland. The Knights finished 7 of 18 from the line. East made 11 of its 13 free throw attempts.

7 - Combined 3-pointers made by both teams. Sutherland made four while East drained three.

Class A2 awards

All-tournament team: MVP Max Michalski (Sutherland), Sam Pisanelli (Sutherland), Zion Parson (East), Quentin Gordon-Smith (East), Micah Johnson-Breedlove (East), Davion Jones (Monroe), Alec Gilbert (Wayne).

Sportsmanship awards: Nigel Copeland (East), Everett Wilcox (Sutherland).

Tom Downey Coach of the Year: John Nally (Sutherland).

They said it

Max Michalski, Sutherland: "East traps very well. We just had to find the open man … jump stop, limit turnovers, and just play the game and be smart."

Everett Wilcox, Sutherland: "This is our last year. Basically the same team, minus two players . … We got to the same stage last year, just didn't come through. This year we had to. And we did."

Coach John Nally, Sutherland: "Most of our preparation was taking care of the basketball and negotiating that trap. We just played a lot of four versus eight, tried to work on our reads and handle it in tight spots, and they did a good job overall with the turnovers tonight."

What's next

Pittsford Sutherland will play A1 champion Irondequoit in Wednesday's overall Class A final. The winner advances to regionals.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Pittsford Sutherland beats East for Section V boys basketball title