Seniors pave way as Rochester pulls away from Adams

[polldaddy poll=5768718]BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

Dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — As freshman, Rochester’s Taylor Perry and Paris Pereira took their lumps.

The Falcons finished under five-hundred those two years but began to turn the corner last year with a league championship, the school’s first in 11 seasons.

Rochester gained another marquee win Friday at home behind its senior-laden roster. Perry and Pereira outscored Rochester Adams alone and the Falcons rolled to a 56-41

OAA crossover boys basketball victory over the visiting Highlanders.

Signed with Western Michigan last month, Perry scored a game-high 22 points, including a pair of alley-oop dunks, to go along with 12 rebounds, while Pereira added 20 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists to pace the Falcons.

“We came out really strong and played with a lot of energy,” said Perry. “We just kept up the energy (the whole game).”

DRIVING FOR TWO: Rochester's Paris Pereira slips past Rochester Adams' Jack Twitty along the baseline for two of his 20 points in Friday's OAA crossover game. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Rochester out-rebounded Adams, 34-15, whiles seniors accounted for 47 of the Falcons’ 56 points.

“No doubt about it, our seniors stepped up,” said Rochester coach John Pleasant. “Taylor Perry and Paris Pereira, all of our seniors executed our game plan, in transition and our defensive game plan. There’s a lot at stake anytime you play Adams. I thought our kids executed our defensive game plan very well and we’re fortunate enough to have Paris and Taylor.”

Rochester’s defensive pressure only caused nine turnovers, but held the Highlanders were held to just 17-for-48 shooting (35.4 percent) and only allowed five Adams players to reach the scoring column. Rochester’s inside length blocked six shots and forced the Highlanders into taking bad shot the whole night.

Rochester (3-1), which has won three straight after a season-opening loss to Class C power Detroit Loyola Catholic, shot an impressive 50 percent from the floor, sinking 21-of-42 field goal attempts and never trailing in the second half.

SLICE AND DICE: Rochester's Taylor Perry maneuvers past his defender during the Falcons' win over Rochester Adams. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Adams used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 35-35 with 2:34 left in the third quarter on a runner-in-the-lane from Akhemji Wiliams. A sophomore guard, Williams did not score again after that point.

Rochester scored the final four points of the third quarter for a 39-35 advantage. The Falcons opened the fourth frame with a 10-3 run and outscored the Highlanders 17-6 over the final eight minutes.

“I thought we did a really nice job taking away their penetration,” said Pleasant. “I think Berger got free for some threes, but other than that we did a god job containing them.”

Williams finished with 16 points, four assists and three steals, while James Berger was 5-for-12 from beyond the 3-point arc and scored 17 points for Adams. No other players scored more than four points for the Highlanders.

Rochester’s size and experience caused problems for the Highlanders down the stretch, exposing some weaknesses in the Adams attack. The Highlanders do not have player over 6-4 and boast only three seniors.

“Rochester had a great game plan and their kids executed almost perfectly,” Adams head coach John Hall said. “We got outplayed, we got outcoached and we got outhustled. They just whooped us in every facet of the game.”

Rochester led 13-9 after the first quarter. Adams (3-1) took its first lead with 7:13 left in the second quarter on a Williams 3-pointer, setting up a wild second period where there were nine ties or lead changes.

The Falcons led 30-27 at the half.

The two rivals, which have playing its series since the 1969-70 school year, will play two more times this season. They will face each other at the Crosstown Showdown in mid-January at Oakland University, while the two drew first-round byes in the Class A district tournament and will face each other in a district semifinal at Adams the first week of March.

“We play them again in the first round of districts, so we had to bring the intensity,” said Perry. “We haven’t won a district since (1988), so that is something that we are building for.”

Tags: Basketball, boys basketball, High Schol Boys Basketball, OAA Boys Basketball, Prep Boys Basketbal, prep boys basketball, Rochester Adams Boys Basketball, Rochester Boys Basketball

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