SCAA boys hoops: Pittsford wins homecoming; Litchfield and the Academy cruise to wins
HILLSDALE COUNTY — The SCAA boys basketball teams in Hillsdale County had success and mixed results from their Friday night contests. Pittsford earned a thrilling homecoming victory over the Colon Magi. Litchfield scored 80 points to defeat Athens. Hillsdale Academy defeated a tough Camden-Frontier team for their eighth win of the season. Waldron earned their second win in a row against Climax-Scotts.
Here is a recap and scores from each of those matchups on Friday night.
Pittsford wins homecoming night in 50-48 thriller over Colon
Head coach Mike Burger and the Pittsford varsity boys basketball team took a setback with a loss to Hillsdale Academy on Jan. 12. Since then, the team is 2-0 with victories over Camden-Frontier and now the 7-5 Colon Magi.
It was homecoming night for the Wildcats, and the team gave the students and fans a reason to celebrate. The game came down to the wire for the Wildcats, but free throw shooting and clutch shooting helped Pittsford add win number 10 to their resume in a 50-48 final.
The Wildcats led 25-21 at the halftime break. Junior Gavyn Carden scored 14 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats at halftime. The Wildcats led 37-34 at the end of the third quarter. Simon Vinson had six points in the fourth quarter to keep the Magi neck-and-neck with Pittsford heading into the final minutes of play. Vinson had 22 points for the Magi on the night.
The Wildcats used a 3-pointer from Mason Payne, four points from Legend Gore and free throws from Kade Spahr and Pat VanDusen to secure the victory. In addition to his 16 points on the night, including three 3-pointers, Spahr won Homecoming King. Emilee Jagielski was named the Homecoming Queen.
Gavyn Carden had a total of 19 points, including two 3-pointers. Legend Gore had six points. Mason Payne had three points. Pat VanDusen had four points. Lane Lewis had two points.
The Wildcats are now 10-1 overall on the season. They will look to secure two more wins next week with road games against Burr Oak on Feb. 1 and St. Phillip on Feb. 3. They will host the 9-1 Bellevue Broncos on Feb. 8.
Litchfield scores 80 to defeat Athens
Litchfield started the night off with precision accuracy from the three-point line to help secure a demanding lead over Athens. A stronger defensive second half would put win number eight in the books for the Terriers as they would go on to win 80-52.
The fourth quarter turned into a ballet of scoring for both sides as defense became a secondary concern. Coach Joey Collins said that the Terriers, "Need to get better at putting teams away when we have a big lead and work on the little things that matter to finish games strong."
Several Terriers had strong nights on the stat sheet. Junior Alvarez led the team with six successful 3-pointers for a total of 20 points. The Terrier also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tyler Bills had 16 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and five steals. Logan Buehrle had 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Simon Collins had 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal. Brandon Campbell had nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Miguel Pedroza had nine points and six rebounds. Ricky McCafferty had two points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Terriers are now 8-3 on the season. They play Tekonsha on Feb. 1 before hosting Hillsdale Academy on Feb. 3.
Hillsdale Academy's defense holds back Camden-Frontier for a 63-44 victory
Head coach Zach Miller and Hillsdale Academy varsity boys basketball earned another SCAA road win over rival Camden-Frontier in a 63-44 final. The Colts maintained their spot in the SCAA league standings, now at 7-1 overall this season. The Colts are 8-3 overall.
Leading scorers for the Academy were Dominic Scharer with 23, Mikey Plemmons with 19, and Conner Welden with 15. (Camden-Frontier stats will be updated when available.)
Camden-Frontier drops to 3-10 overall on the season. The team hosts Jackson Christian on Feb. 1, starting at 7:30 p.m. They will travel to Tekonsha on Feb. 3.
The Colts have one game next week, a Feb. 3 matchup on the road against the 8-3 Terriers. Game time is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Waldron wins second straight game with 52-46 victory over Climax-Scotts
The Waldron Spartans inched back closer to even in their overall record this season with another win, this time against Climax-Scotts.
The Spartans defeated Burr Oak 35-22 to close out last week after losing two straight games. The Spartans' unique combination of size and strength was to much for the Panthers, who could not complete the comeback attempt.
Waldron is now 6-7 overall on the season. They host three games next week, starting on Feb. 1 against St. Phillip. They host Colon on Feb. 3. They end the week with a matchup on Saturday evening against Will Carleton Academy. Game time is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (Spartan stats will be updated when available.)
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Pittsford boys basketball wins thriller on homecoming night
