×

Another battle

Southwestern trips up Fredonia in Division 1

Fredonia’s Luca Gullo attempts to drive by Southwestern’s Judd Harris during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game at Fredonia High School. OBSERVER Photo by Ashleigh Brown

As Landon Hooks dribbled out the final seconds of Monday night’s Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 basketball game, his teammates on the Southwestern bench stood up in unison.

The Trojans had plenty to celebrate.

Chase Hartnett scored 26 points, Gavin Milner added 15 and Southwestern’s new-found 1-3-1 zone defense put on a clinic en route to a convincing 63-47 victory over Fredonia.

The win improved the Trojans to 7-10 overall and 4-7 in the division, while the Hillbillies dropped to 9-9 and 5-5.

“We needed that one,” Southwestern coach Aaron Emley said. “It’s been a tough, long season like most of them in CCAA 1.”

Southwestern’s Gavin Milner defends Fredonia’s Ashton Putney on a drive to the basket during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game at Fredonia High School. OBSERVER Photo by Ashleigh Brown

Southwestern led nearly from start to finish, and finally broke the game open for good in the third quarter. After Donovan Dowdy’s layup at the 6:58 mark trimmed Fredonia’s deficit to 29-26, the Trojans went on a 16-5 run during which Hartnett scored 12 points that included a 25-foot 3-pointer.

“He’s starting to see the fruits of his labor,” Emley said. “He’s put in the time.”

Armed with a 45-33 lead heading into the final period, Southwestern was never seriously threatened the rest of the way, thanks in large measure to its defense.

“We just started working on (the 1-3-1) last game against Olean,” Emley said. “We had some success with it, so they’ve adapted to it and have really thrived playing it. … I’ve never run it in the past and I’ve never been a huge fan (of it), but they’re playing well in it.”

The defensive switch, Emley noted, was due to having a couple players sidelined by illness.

“I just wanted to get guys in positions where they can move around the floor, help each other out and not put them in positions where they are isolated or in a tough matchup,” he said. “They’ve been flying around, playing it well, communicating in it and it seems to be working.”

RJ Koopman paced Fredonia with 13 points and Luca Gullo chipped in 11, but the Hillbillies were just 4 of 21 from the arc.

See SOUTHWESTERN, Page B2

In combination with Milner’s strong inside play, it was just too much for the hosts to overcome.

“Their gameplan, their transition, their offense, their defense, their intensity, they brought it tonight,” Fredonia coach Nick Bertrando said. “They just flat-out beat us down. They played very, very well tonight.”

For the Trojans, the bus ride home figured to be an enjoyable one.

“When we come out of here with a win, it’s always a good feeling,” Emley said.

SOUTHWESTERN (63)

Hooks 3 2 8, Young 3 1 7, Hartnett 9 7 26, JHarris 2 1 5, Larson 0 0 0, Hayes 0 0 0, Milner 7 1 15, OHarris 1 0 2. Totals 25 12 63.

FREDONIA (47)

Luce 1 0 2, Dowdy 2 2 6, Gullo 3 5 11, GPutney 1 0 2, Koopman 4 3 13, APutney 3 1 9, Lincoln 2 0 4, Hall 0 0 0. Totals 16 11 47.

3-point goals — Hartnett, Koopman 2, APutney 2.

Southwestern 16 13 16 18 — 63

Fredonia 12 12 9 14 — 47

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today