Blue Streak: Rochester rallies past Athens for 11th straight win
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
TROY — When Rochester faces adversity and seemingly is stuck in the mud, the Falcons have learned to somehow find another gear.
Rochester, which has played several close games this season, rallied back from a two-point deficit in the third quarter to turn back Troy Athens, 49-42, in a key OAA Blue Division boys basketball contest Friday.
The Falcons overcame a 20-for-48 shooting night (41.7 percent) by holding the host Red Hawks to an 18-for-50 shooting performance (36 percent) to win its 11th straight game — also the best start since the 1988-89 season ( a 21-0 start) and the 1993-94 campaign (an 11-1 start).
“Our leadership has been outstanding,” beamed Rochester coach John Pleasant, whose team won the OAA Blue Division last season and returned nine letter-winners this season.
Western Michigan-bound Taylor Perry scored a team-high 17 points with six rebounds and senior guard Paris Pereria added 15 points, but by far are the Falcons only two-trick ponies.
QUICK RELEASE: Rochester senior guard Sean McCann (No. 5) pushes the ball up to a teammate ahead of Troy Athens senior Marcarious Coakley. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
Senircaor guard Mike Klotz followed with four points, six steals and four rebounds, 6-foot-7 junior Armen Camaj picked up five points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots, and 6-3 junior Manny Medoza, a transfer from South Bend, Indiana, supplied six points and some fine interior defense on Athens’ leading scorer, Marcarious Coakley.
The 6-4 Coakley, who already owns a 38-point game this season, was held in check with only two points on a 1-for-7 shooting night with three rebounds. Senior guard Caleb McIntosh scored a game-high 19 points with five boards, while 6-8 junior Jeff Koch chipped in with 11 points for Athens.
“Taylor Perry and Paris Pereria have done everything for us,” said Pleasant of his two standout players, both fourth-year varsity veterans. “Those guys lead us in every way.
“But we had so many guys step up tonight, which I think which makes us such a good team,” added Pleasant. “Manny Mendoza only had (six) points, but his defense on Coakley was amazing.”
Athens trailed 27-21 at the half, but used a 14-12 edge in the third quarter to grab a 35-33 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Holding Rochester to just three third-quarter field goals, the Red Hawks were able to take its first lead with 15 seconds left in the frame on a steal and layup from senior Robert Dema.
The Red Hawks could not hang on down the stretch. Rochester went ahead for good when Perry hit a short-range jumper with 6:49 to put the Falcons up 37-36.
Rochester outscored 14-6 in the final seven minutes.
“The ball wasn’t falling for us (in the middle two quarters),” continued Pleasant. “We had a lot of good shots in the second half. We had a lot of good looks. What we told them is that (Athens) is going to make a run. We had to respond to it.”
The loss dropped Athens back to 1-2 in the league and 9-3 overall.
“Rochester has a great team,” said Athens coach Dave Scott. “This is something we’re still learning, that Rochester plays hard all the time. They play hard for the entire 32 minutes and I think at times our effort wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Rochester came out of the gates and made their first five shots from the floor to aid a 20-11 first-quarter advantage. The Falcons (11-1, 3-0) only scored 13 points during the middle two frames before getting untracked again in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve had some close games and no doubt theat helped us,” added Pleasant. “It all goes back to our leadership. It all goes to those (seniors).”
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