Sharon Boys Headed to Barre Aud

By Laurie-Jean B. Gauthier

Sharon's Sam Wood gets the jump on Rochester's Taylor Fuller in action in the Division IV state basketball tournament. Sharon Academy won 59-57 and was headed to the Barre Auditorium for the first time in the school's history for a semi-final game Wednesday night. (Herald / Joyce Hunt)

It was on to the quarter-finals for The Sharon Academy as the #3 Phoenix dispatched the #13 Richford Eagles handsomely 70-38 last Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Hazen Union High School in Hardwick. In a game that was never in doubt, TSA led 17-9, 34-19, and 54-29 before finishing with a 32-point advantage for the victory.

Four players scored in double figures for Sharon with Michael Young-Ward leading the way with 14 points. Both Otto Pierce and Colin Pope finished with 12 points apiece and Evan Frank had 10 points. Sharon then hosted the #11 Rochester Rockets, who upset the #6 Black River Presidents opening night of the playoffs, 51-45.

Quarter-final Win

It was loud! It was raucous! It was awesome! It was the type of game where you wished both teams could win. Unfortunately for Rochester, Sharon emerged the winner, 59-57, in a great game.

After Young-Ward opened the contest with back-to-back hoops, the Rockets blasted into action. Double treys by Taylor Fuller put Rochester up by two. A one-of-two toss-in by Colin Pope followed before Rochester sunk three hoops and then their third three-pointer, this time by Alex Kelley, for a 10-point lead over Sharon. Both Pope and Young-Ward combined for the last six points of the quarter, but Sharon still trailed the Rockets 15-11 after one.

Two quick foul shots at the top of the second had TSA down by just one, but that was short-lived, as Ethan White returned to the game after sitting out half of the first period with two early fouls and cleared the strings from downtown. Two more Sam Wood freebies followed for an 18-16 Rocket edge. Back-to-back triples by Rockets White and Kelly came next. Evan Frank scored a basket before White buried his third three-pointer of the game. At the break, it was Rockets 31 and TSA 23.

Kelly’s third three-pointer started the third quarter. Three consecutive Pope hoops followed, along with one by Wood, as the Phoenix cut the lead down to three. Rochester finished the third with two baskets and Sharon added three points, for a score of 38-35, entering the final period.

An Otto Pierce hoop cut the lead to one, but Liam McKinley put it back up to three with two free throws. Frank cut the lead back to one a second time, and Michael Landry tied the game, and then put the Phoenix up by one with two from the stripe at 6:07. A Doug Kingsbury trey and a McKinley hoop had Rochester back up by four on the next two possessions.

Young-Ward and Pope scored the next two baskets and the game was tied again at 5:06. Fuller and Pope matched hoops, then Pope had TSA back in the lead at 3:41, 49-47.

Kelly put Rochester back ahead by one with three free throws. Landry, Frank, and Wood all scored as Sharon pulled ahead by four, 54-50 at 1:14.

Fuller’s third three had Rochester down by two, and yet another Fuller trey retied the game with 21.3 seconds left. A Pope basket had Sharon at 59 with 2.9 showing on the clock. Rochester threw long, hoping to get a shot off, but Wood corralled the ball and held on for the two point, 59-57, victory.

Rochester was unstoppable from three-point land, as the Rockets cleared the strings 11 times from downtown for 33 of their 57 game points.

Phoenix’s Colin Pope, along with Rockets’ Fuller and Kelley, all had 18 points, Young-Ward had 12 points, Wood had 11, and White finished with 9. Rochester ends the season at 8-13, while The Sharon Academy improves to 16-5, and heads to the Barre Auditorium for semi-final action against the #2 Websterville Warriors, who defeated the #10 Arlington Eagles. Websterville improves to 19-2. TSA faced the Warriors once this season and lost 41-25.