VVS clips Marcellus in thriller to advance

VERONA>> Six and four-tenths seconds.

Leading 58-57, the entire Vernon-Verona-Sherrill boys basketball season came down to 6.4 seconds on Tuesday night during a Section III Class B quarterfinal playoff game against Marcellus.

VVS had come roaring back from a 57-49 Marcellus lead during the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs and point guard Nate Kellar had one last opportunity to drive to the basket and either draw a foul or convert a tough layup like he had done throughout the game.

Operating off of an inbounds play, Kellar sliced into the lane, launching the potential go-ahead basket.

The ball had hardly left Kellar’s fingertips before VVS’ Andrew Roden swatted the last second attempt into the floor as time expired, securing the Red Devils a 58-57 victory and place in the Section III Class B semifinals.

“At the end, we knew [Kellar] was going to go to the basket, so I said when he puts it on the floor and puts his head down,

help out,” VVS head coach Andy Cossette said after the game. “Dewey stepped right in front of him, got his hands up and blocked the shot.”

While Roden had the big defensive play for the Red Devils, teammate Davey Moffett led the way offensively for VVS, making five 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 29 points. Jake Eagler chipped in with 13 points for the hosts, including the go-ahead 3-pointer.

“He was unbelievable,” Cossette said of Moffett’s performance. “He stepped up tonight. He didn’t want the season to end, and he showed it.”

Tom Fiacchi led the Mustangs with 16 points and Kellar finished with 11.

Though VVS held a 28-22 lead coming out of the half, Marcellus used a dominant stretch in the third quarter to take the lead and control of the game. After standout Marcellus big man Nick Femano went to the bench with four fouls just 11 sec- onds into the second half, Kellar took over for the visitors, scoring or assisting on seven consecutive scor- ing plays.

Kellar connected on a layup, earned an assist on a Jerrod Gates make, and hit a reverse lay-in on three consecutive offensive possessions in the beginning of the third quarter to knot the score at 2828. Moffett answered back with a strong post move and score for VVS before Kellar assisted on another Gates shot and hit another layup to give Marcellus a two point, 32-30 advantage. VVS responded yet again with a Moffett three-pointer to briefly retake the lead, 33-32, before two more Kellar assists on a Ben Fedorenko lay-in and Fiacchi three-pointer put the visitors back on top, 3733 with three minutes to go in the quarter.

Aminute later, VVS point guard Nate Palmer picked up his fourth foul, forcing him to the bench as Marcel lus expanded its lead to 4235 with less than two minutes remaining in the third. Moffett kept it close for the hosts however, hitting two shots from behind the arc in the closing minutes of the quarter to bring VVS within striking distance as it trailed 44-41 heading into the final quarter.

Marcellus opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 scoring run, capped by a Fiacchi three-ball, to balloon its lead to the largest of the contest, 52- 43, but backto-back three point shots by Jake Engler and Moffett closed the gap to 5249 with 4:36 remaining in the game. Following a timeout, Marcellus regrouped to push its lead back to eight points, 57- 49, on yet another Fiacchi make from distance.

With less than three minutes left in the game and the season, the Red Devils made their run.

“They are just a hardworking bunch. We amped the pressure up and it seemed to help us,” Cossette said of his team’s comeback. “I give them all the credit. They didn’t give up".

Engler knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 57-51 with 2:27 remaining. Following a Marcellus turnover, Roden grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up to trim the lead to 57-53. After another empty offensive possession by the Mustangs, Moffett earned a bucket and a trip to the line after being fouled in the paint to inch VVS even closer, 57- 55. The gamehigh scorer failed to convert on the and-1 play, but Engler collected another VVS offensive rebound and then knocked down a deep three to give VVS the lead and the go-ahead bucket, 58-57 with less than a minute left. Marcellus failed to take the lead on its next possession, but Roden missed two from the charity stripe to keep the score 58-57. The Red Devils snatched the offensive rebound following Roden’s second miss from the foul line, but turned the ball over to give the Mustangs their final chance at victory.

Thanks to Roden’s redemption and game-sealing block, VVS punched its to the next round.

VVS will take on No. 2 seed Chittenango on Saturday at LeMoyne College at 7 p.m. in the Section III Class B semifinal.