PELLICANO PULLS DOWN 500TH CAREER REBOUND IN WIN
Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — Sayre celebrated its seniors Wednesday night and used a big second quarter to top Cowanesque Valley, 67-53, in NTL Small School Division boys basketball action.
"We had a lot of fun tonight as a group of guys who have played together for a long time," said Sayre coach Paul Blythe.
"We played some guys who have been a part of our program all four years, but maybe didn’t see the floor as much as others," he noted. "We were able to start Edwin Rivera, Donte Rubeck, Mason Rucker, Yoel Cardona and Theo Molina — guys who are there every day in practice, but just don’t get as much time as I’m sure they would like.
"It was nice to get them some minutes and see them have fun and cheer one another on.
"It was a good night for the program, the district, and our fans," added Blythe. "I just want to say thank you for all the support from everyone who came tonight ... it means a lot to us."
Senior Zach Senese and junior Karter Green each knocked down 3-pointers in the first quarter, but Cowanesque Valley led 14-9 after the opening stanza.
Senior Nick Pellicano scored six points in the second quarter, while Senese scored five, and senior Hudson Trump added four points to fuel Sayre's 19-4 blitz that gave the Redskins a 28-18 lead at the halftime break.
Senior Dalton Forrest drained a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter, while Trump added five points, and Senese chipped in with four points as Sayre outscored CV, 19-11, to up its advantage to 47-29 heading into the final eight minutes.
The fourth quarter was an up-tempo horse race with CV outscoring Sayre, 24-20. Pellicano pumped in 10 points to help the Redskins nail down the win.
Pellicano, who pulled down his 500th rebounds in the third quarter, led Sayre with 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one blocked shot, while Senese had 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and Trump had 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot.
Senior Ryan Ressler had six points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots, while Forrest had six points, three rebounds, and four assists, Green added five points and three steals, and senior Mason Rucker grabbed four rebounds.
Levi Stahl led CV with 17 points, while Ashton Burdick and Carsyn Kemp scored 10 points apiece.
Sayre, now 14-7, wraps up the regular season Friday when it hosts NEB.
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre's Karter Green. IN TOP PHOTO: Sayre's Hudson Trump. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
