ST. JOHNSVILLE – It was one of those nights when pretty much everything went right.
The St. Johnsville boys basketball team was firing on all cylinders Wednesday, rolling to a 76-33 win over Heatly in the first round of the Section II Class D Tournament.
The eighth-seeded Saints blitzed the ninth-seeded Hornets from the opening whistle, using a high-energy press and crisp passing to surge to a 26-11 lead in the opening quarter.
“I’m pleased with our effort,” St. Johnsville coach Jason Brundage said.
Johnny Vicciarelli got the Saints rolling in the opening quarter, scoring nine points on three 3-pointers, while Alex Hart added eight points in the first eight minutes.
After trading baskets to start the games, St. Johnsville used a 16-5 run to grab an 18-7 advantage on its way to a 26-11 lead after one quarter.
“We couldn’t find our rhythm tonight,” Heatly coach Terrance Florence said. “If we get off to a good start, we’re usually OK. If not, we play catch up.”
In the second quarter, the Saints closed the half with a 12-2 run to take a 45-20 lead into the half. The surge was punctuated by Dylan Klock, who banked in a 3-pointer as time expired.
“It was nice for one of those to go our way,” Brundage said.
Vicciarelli finished the first half with 13 points for the Saints, while Alex Hart had 10. Klock added nine and Kyle Smith scored all eight of his points in the first half for St. Johnsville.
The Saints continued to roll after the break, outscoring the Hornets 16-6 in the third quarter to take a 61-26 lead into the final quarter. As it did in the first half, St. Johnsville finished with a third quarter with a flurry, closing the frame with a 14-2 surge.
“When we’re playing right, we pass the ball well. We did a good job of that tonight,” Brundage said. “I think we got out into transition and that helped us as well.”
St. Johnsville stepped off the gas pedal early in the fourth quarter, going without a point for the first three minutes before ending the game with a 15-2 flurry to make the final scoring 76-33.
Andrew Hart scored all six of his points in the final five minutes for the Saints, who had every player score.
Vicciarelli led St. Johnsville with 18 points, while Klock finished with 17. Alex Hart added 15 points for the Saints, while Ricky Jasewicz and Smith each scored eight points.
Jesse Sullivan led Heatly with 11 points, while Austin Horton finished with nine points.
“The kids battled and worked hard,” Florence said.
St. Johnsville (10-9 overall) will face top-seeded Argyle (18-0 overall), which is ranked first in the latest state Class D poll, in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Stillwater High School at 6:30 p.m.
“Now, we’re going to play the No. 1 seed. I don’t think we’re the eighth seed, but it is what it is,” Brundage said.
Argyle is led by high-scoring guard Joey Lufkin, who leads all of Section II with an average of 34.8 points per game.
“Nobody’s figured him out yet,” Brundage said. “We’ve got two days to figure something out. I know my guys will play hard and give it all they’ve got.”
Heatly finished the season with 7-12 overall record.
St. Johnsville 76, Heatly 33
Heatly11 9 6 7 – 33
St. Johnsville26 19 16 15 – 76
Heatly
Horton 3-1-9, Chapman 1-1-3, DeCianni 2-0-4, Sullivan 5-1-11, Miller 2-0-4, Ackerly 1-0-2. Totals 14-4-33.
St. Johnsville
Klock 7-2-17, Vicciarelli 7-1-18, Jasewicz 3-1-8, Al. Hart 7-1-15, Smith 3-0-8, An. Hart 3-0-6, Blair 1-0-2, Campione 1-0-2. Totals 32-5-76.
3-point goals: Heatly 1 (Horton); St. Johnsville 7 (Vicciarelli 3, Smith 2, Klock, Jasewicz).
