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Blue Devils win home opener

By Brian Hillabush

 The biggest challenge facing the Batavia boys basketball team this season is taking on teams with size.

Victor has plenty of size, especially 6-foot-10 center Rob Page.

But the Blue Devils used an up-tempo pressure defense, with some zone mixed in, and a fast paced offense to overcome a second-straight slow start to beat the visiting squad 67-54.

Victor jumped out to a quick lead though, as Lee Lomenzo hit two quick baskets and Page dumped one in, giving their team a 7-2 advantage in the opening four minutes of the game.

Each of the three Hoy brothers had a basket in the next four minutes as Victor led 15-11 after the first period of play. It was the second consecutive game that Batavia has trailed after the first quarter.

Joe Schlossel and Robert Hoy had two straight baskets, with Hoy hitting an and-one, and Batavia took a 16-15 lead early in the second quarter, and never fell behind.

Schlossel hit two more baskets in the second quarter, Adam Pettinella nailed a 3-pointer and Andrew Hoy scored nine of his 15 points with eight rebounds and three assists as the Blue Devils took a 32-23 lead into the half.

Victor went on a 6-2 run near the end of the third quarter and cut the lead to 44-43, but Marcus Hoy drained a 3 at the buzzer to give Batavia a 47-43 lead after three quarters of play.

After a Pettinella 3-pointer gave the Blue Devils a five point lead, Victor was never able to get any closer than that the rest of the way.

While Andrew Hoy led the Blue Devils in scoring for the fourth-straight game, his supporting cast came up huge in this game.

Robert Hoy scored a season-high 15 points and Schlossel added 14 points, playing much bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame. Schlossel and the rest of the forwards held the 6-foot-10 Page to just four points.

Marcus Hoy had eight points with 12 dimes Dakota Irvin had five points with seven boards. Pettinella pitched in eight points.

David Vistocco led Victor (3-1) with 17 points, with Lomenzo getting 14 and Tyler Brooks finishing with 13.

Batavia beat two defending state champions and opened up with a win in the Olean Tournament, then beat Pittsford Mendon on the road before this game. That makes the Blue Devils 2-0 in the Monroe County League and 4-0 overall.

Batavia is at Pittsford Sutherland on Wednesday.

 

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