BOYS BASKETBALL: TIOGA RALLIES TO TOP SAYRE, 52-40, IN CONSOLATION GAME OF VALLEY CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT (24 PHOTOS) (2023-12-28)
Valley Sports ReportATHENS - Tioga weathered a fast start by Sayre, and rallied for a 52-40 win — the program’s first-ever in the Valley Christmas Tournament — in the consolation game here Thursday night.
"We played a scrappy, hustling Sayre team tonight, and got behind early," said Tioga coach Dave Sickler. "I’m proud of the boys for staying composed and battling through a couple of tough stretches.
"Our bigs did a nice job of getting into good position and battling on the offensive boards for second-chance opportunity points," added Sickler.
Junior Zach Senese buried a pair of 3-pointers, and scored eight points in the first quarter, while junior Nick Pellicano had six points, including a trey, and sophomore Karter Green added a 3-pointer to fuel a 17-9 run in the first eight minutes.
The Redskins scored just 21 points over the final three quarters.
"It was a lot like last night versus Athens, we hit a lull in our offense," said Sayre coach Paul Blythe. "We got great looks, had some shots rim in-and-out, and just couldn’t close the gap.
"Overall, I’m incredibly proud of our game play in the holiday tournament," he added. "We have some things to clean up for sure, but we are not far off from where we know we can be."
Senior Valentino Rossi scored six points in the second quarter, while senior Karson Sindoni had four points, and seniors Evan Sickler, and Gavin Fisher each canned 3-pointers in a 16-9 second-quarter run for the Tigers to close the game to 26-25 at the half.
Sickler connected on a pair of 3-pointers, and scored eight points in the third quarter, and Rossi added four points as Tioga’s 15-9 run gave them a 40-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes. The lead would have been bigger, but the Tigers made just 3 of 10 free-throw attempts in the stanza.
Sickler canned a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, and Tioga was 6-for-6 down the stretch at the charity stripe, including a 4-for-4 effort from junior Shea Bailey to seal the victory.
Sickler led Tioga with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Rossi scored 15 points, Bailey had nine points, Fisher added five points, and Sindoni chipped in with four points.
Senese knocked down five 3-pointers, and scored a team-high 17 points for the Redskins, while Pellicano added 15 points. Karter Green added six points.
"Nick Pellicano and Zach (Senese) have become the 1-2 punch we expected," said Blythe. "And, we got two huge 3s tonight from Karter Green, who played his best all round game for us this season."
Tioga, now 4-3, travels to Vestal Saturday afternoon, while Sayre, now 3-5, returns to action Jan. 5 when it hosts North Penn-Liberty.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Gavin Fisher. IN PHOTO 2: Sayre’s Zach Senese. … PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
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