B-R gives top-seeded Pembroke 1st half battle, but Dragons shake off halftime deficit to deliver epic defensive stand to hold No. 5 Wolverines at bay in 61-39 win in Class C2 Semifinals

GAINESVILLE — No matter what the end result would come out to be between No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg and top-seeded Pembroke, there was going to be representation from Allegany County at Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester this weekend, in some way.

The coaching matchup was composed of old high school combatants during their time playing basketball in the county back in the day. For the Wolverines, Justin Thomas — a Class of 2003 graduate from Fillmore. Across the way on the other sideline, Matt Shay — Pembroke’s head coaching mastermind, who also is a Class of 2004 graduate of Andover.

There have been times where the two former basketball hoopsters have crossed paths on the hardwood, but the battle for the Class C2 Finals was on Monday night at Letchworth when the two crossed paths as opposing coaches, as the Wolverines and Dragons came together to decide who would punch their final one-way ticket to the region’s big dance.

For a good portion of time, Bolivar-Richburg stood the test of time that Pembroke had presented throughout the first half, ultimately ending with a one-point lead at halftime to control. But when the second half came around, the Dragons emerged from the den.

They began to take flight.

With a narrow 30-29 deficit to make up, Pembroke went on to run the table on both ends of the floor across the 16 minutes of time left in the night, as the offense fed off of their overwhelming defensive success in an effort that saw them hold Bolivar-Richburg to just nine more points, using the momentum to continue charting their course to glory with a 61-39 win to officially claim a spot in Friday’s Class C2 Finals.

“They're number one for a reason. They gave us a taste of our own medicine in the second half, and that's something that we've done ourselves to other teams this year,” Wolverines coach Justin Thomas said. “I told the guys that if we can keep it within knocking distance in the first half, and play like we have in the second half recently, this could have very well been our game. Unfortunately, they came out and attacked us where we were strongest. They just turned our strengths against us, forced fouls against us and we got really stagnant on offense. All those things at the same time, it created a nightmare.”

The Wolverines (18-5) gave the top seeds an incredible battle in the first half to begin the night, as the two foes weaved their way through a back-and-forth battle that saw multiple ties come about, including one that developed after a flagrant foul against Chase Guzdek that gave an extra burst of momentum to fight back with. As a result, Landon Barkley went on to knock down the first of his three triples to deadlock the contest at 12 with two minutes left in the frame.

Right as the Dragons regained a four-point lead a short time later, the Wolverines came right back and trimmed the deficit back down to within reach again right before the buzzer, as Barkley landed another triple under immense pressure from the team in white and green, banking his trey straight off the center square and down through the twine to create a narrow 16-15 deficit to make up.

The momentum that Bolivar-Richburg created would carry over into the second quarter, where they would go on to record the biggest of jumps on Pembroke by scoring 10 of the frame’s first 12 points, knocking down his final triple of the game to help jumpstart their large run which saw a lead as big as seven develop. But the Dragons would not back down, as they shook it off and bounced right back to within reach themselves, with a three from Owen Hootman and a three-point conversion at the stripe by Cayden Pfalzer leading the way.

“It was unbelievable to get the run that we did against them to start the game,” said Thomas. “I knew in the back of my mind that the Pfalzer kid wasn't going to go 1-for-6 the whole game. He's just too good of a player, and he eventually did a ton of great things for them as time went on, but I was thrilled with the position we were in. We answered the bell right off the bat before we got into the trouble that we did.”

Back and forth exchanges between both squads would help wind down the time remaining in the first half, including a triple from each side, as the Wolverines went into the break with a 30-29 lead in hand. But it was an advantage that soon evaporated into thin air.

The Dragons went on to run the table in the second half against Bolivar-Richburg, starting the action with nine straight points to garner the advantage that they would never lose until the end of time, building onto it as time went on, including a buzzer-beating lay-in by Pfalzer at the end of the third quarter to maintain all momentum going into the last eight minutes.

In turn, the Dragons defense would only allow nine points by the Wolverines across the entire second half — something Thomas says that cannot happen.

“You can’t give a team like Pembroke way too many second chances, like we did in the second half,” he said. “This is what will happen if we can’t find ways to rebound and if we can’t take care of the ball. They took around 25 more shots, and for a team that’s that good, I wish them all the best. I wish we had more to give in the second half, but Pembroke was too good. It just wasn’t in the cards tonight unfortunately.”

Aydin Sisson was Bolivar-Richburg’s leading scorer, recording a team-high 17 points to help wrap up what has been a magnificent season for the Wolverines junior. Following behind was Evan Pinney, who had 11 points. Barkley and Baldwin rounded off the scoring with nine, and four points respectively.

The season has come to its conclusion for the Wolverines, as they put a bow on Thomas’ first season back with the boys basketball program with a record of 18-5 overall. In the locker room at the end of the game, the coach reminded his kids to never allow the outcome of their final game alter what was a phenomenal season all year long.

“I told the guys after the game to not let this game blemish what a fantastic season we had,” he reflected. “I’ve been here since 2009 and we were able to accomplish things that we couldn’t have accomplished before. We haven’t beaten Wellsville, we haven’t made it to a Semifinal, let alone win two Sectional games across that span. Those are things that we should be really proud of. This program has come a long way, and they’ve helped resurrect our student section. They know how hard these guys work, and how exciting they are to watch. I had a great time with these guys this year.”

After it’s all said and done, the majority of the squad will be back next season to do it all over again with the exception of their two senior leaders — Pinney and Baldwin, who have become centerpieces behind the team’s massive amount of success they were able to achieve this season.

“They wanted to fight until the end. That’s just who they are. They are two kids who were a big part behind why we were so successful this year,” said Thomas. “We’re going to miss them incredibly next year. There’s a lot to make up for, but we also lost a lot last year to come in this season with a nice showing. I’m excited to see what the boys can do during the offseason, and who knows? Maybe we’ll be right back here again next season.”

Bolivar-Richburg 15 15 5 4 – 39

Pembroke 16 13 18 14 – 61

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Aydin Sisson 7 0-0 15, Landon Barkley 3 0-0 9, David Baldwin 1 2-2 4, Evan Pinney 4 0-0 11. Totals: 15 2-2 39.
PEMBROKE: Chase Gudzek 3 3-4 9, Cayden Pfalzer 9 1-2 21, Avery Ferriera 4 0-0 8, Owen Hootman 1 0-0 3, Tyson Totten 5 3-3 14, Jon Suro 2 0-0 4, Nate Duttweiler 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 7-9 61.
3-point goals: B-R 7 (Barkley 3, Pinney 3, Sisson), Pembroke 4 (Pfalzer 2, Hootman, Totten).
Total Fouls: B-R 13, Pembroke 7. Fouled out: None.