It may have just been a consolation game, but for the Batavia boys basketball team it was a must win.
The Blue Devils had lost to rival Pittsford Sutherland twice during the regular season and didn't want to head into the Section 5 Class A playoffs with two straight losses. So Batavia came out and had a 15-2 first quarter advantage and held on to beat Sutherland 55-52 in the consolation game of the Monroe County League Tournament.
"If we would have lost both games it definitely would have been a set-back heading into sectionals," Batavia coach Buddy Brasky said. "It is a positive getting the win because when you lose, doubt starts to set in. It was just a consolation game, but it was an intense game. It was definitely a good way to end the regular season and it gives us momentum heading into sectionals."
Joe Schlossel had another big game for Batavia and has turned into the team's second scoring option. Early in the year, Brasky believes Schlossel wasn't scoring this much because he played football and took time away from basketball. But now he's hitting his stride.
The senior forward scored eight of his 13 points with eight rebounds in the first quarter to get the Blue Devils out to the big lead.
"He's playing with more confidence," Brasky said. "Joe played football and it took him a while to get rounded back into basketball shape. He was playing well during the summer and football was a major commitment. He didn't touch a basketball for three months."
Just like any other Sutherland game, it wound up being a battle.
Batavia missed a few easy layups in the second quarter and Brian Lewis, Wayne Dillworth and Dan O'Keefe hit 3-pointers to get the Knights back into the game. Sutherland was back within three points near the end of the first half, but Andrew Hoy hit a 3-pointer to give Batavia a 27-20 lead at the break.
The third quarter was even and Sutherland cut the deficit to three points with two minutes left. But Hoy hit a 3-pointer, Schlossel had two free throws and Marcus Hoy hit 1-of-2 attempts and the Blue Devils held on for the three point win.
Hoy led all scorers with 21 points as Batavia (17-3) will be hosting Marshall in sectionals on Saturday, Feb. 28. In the meantime, Batavia will be scrimmaging East High and C.G. Finney to prepare for the tournament.
