Team in state rankings has family ties
BATAVIA — Senior night was successful at Batavia Notre Dame on Tuesday.
Not only were seniors Jay Antinore, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mavrik Hall, Jaden Sherwood and George Woodruff properly recognized, but also they appropriately led second-year coach Mikey Rapone’s Fighting Irish to a much-needed win.
State-ranked Notre Dame improved to 13-4 after a 17-point win over Elba — its second straight win following a stretch of three straight losses that swelled into February. In his second season officially following the footsteps of his Hall of Fame father, Mike, coach Mikey Rapone hopes the late season losing skid was a “wake-up call” with the Section V postseason on the horizon.
“I keep telling them, ‘Eyes on the goal,’ which is the sectional block,” coach Rapone said.
Batavia Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame will go as far as its senior class goes.
Rapone is very proud of his seniors, Antinore, Fitzpatrick, Hall, Sherwood and Woodruff. They are Notre Dame’s first senior exclusive starting lineup to start every game. Antinore, Fitzpatrick and Sherwood won a Section V championship in 2022 and logged major minutes during the Irish’s 2023 finals run.
Junior Maykell Walker and freshmen Chase Aminore and Evan Fitzpatrick round out the Irish’s eight-man rotation. Rapone specifically pulled the freshmen up so they could witness the seniors’ leadership firsthand.
“I want them to not only get minutes, but see these seniors and be around them. Let’s baptize them by fire and experience how driven the seniors are. Hopefully that has an impact on them,” coach Rapone said.
The Irish hit a rut with consecutive losses to Pembroke, Batavia and
Alexander in a weeklong span that began Jan. 25. They’ve since found their groove with wins over Akron and Elba, using their athletic builds to overwhelm teams with man and full court pressure defensive sets. Offensively, Hall is a huge paint presence surrounded by shooters. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sherwood and Woodruff combined to make 13 3pointers Tuesday.
“I tell the guys all the time, ‘If you want to have fun, you have to play defense.’ You can’t get layups and run the floor if you don’t. They take a lot of pride in their defense. It’s something I’ve preached the last few years,” Rapone said.
Like Mike
Former Notre Dame coach Mike Rapone didn’t go far.
How could he after 34 years? The legendary bench boss is still Notre Dame’s athletic director. He sat by the baseline of Tuesday’s game with his grandchildren.
The older Rapone’s name is forever etched in the Notre Dame court’s hardwood for good reason. Coaching from 1980-2022, he’s in the Section V Hall of Fame, and will be inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in March, after winning two state championships (1992, 2001) and his 10th section title in his final season. Not to mention former coach Mike Rapone’s 728 wins are the most in Section V history.
Current coach Mikey Rapone was born into basketball. He was born during his father’s fifth year at the helm and eventually won a state title under him. The younger Rapone coached Notre Dame’s junior varsity for many years, handing the job to his uncle Rick to assist his father on varsity. He’d stand much of his dad’s final season before officially taking the post in 2022-23, when he guided the Fighting Irish to the Section V Class D1 final.
“I’ve spent my life here, and hopefully my sons do,” coach Mikey Rapone said.
Notre Dame is in Class C3 now and appears to be one of the serious contenders. The Irish edged Genesee Region Division II foe Wheatland-Chili (16-2) by one in December. They’ll visit the Wildcats in the Feb. 14 season finale that may have implications for the league title and sectional seeding.
The Irish hope their tough league slate and losing skid will prepare them for sectionals. Each of Notre Dame’s losses during its recent three-game losing streak featured one poorly played quarter paired with low free throw percentages. Alexander coach Jalen Smith’s Trojans are 2-1 against the Irish, beating them once in a tournament and again in an official league bout. Notre Dame discovered Chase Aminore was quite the defender against Alexander star Dylan Pohl in their latest contest.
“To be honest, sometimes as a coach you want to lose one of them to use as a wake-up call and teaching moment,” coach Rapone said.
Section V in NYS rankings
NYSSWA rankings and records through Feb. 4.
Greece Athena (17-0) is not only the only undefeated Section V program, the Trojans are the only Class AA team in the entire state with a perfect record. No wonder why NYSSWA voters named Athena the state’s top Class AA team for a second straight week.
The Trojans won yet another nail-biter Tuesday. Ne’Sean Folks nailed a corner 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left to drop Hilton 59-56. Athena coach Mike Setzer’s Trojans’ largest hole against the state-ranked Cadets was 16 points. Athena has overcome many double digit deficits to remain unblemished.
Class AAA
● Honorable mention: Aquinas (15-3), Fairport (13-4), Franklin (9-6), University Prep (8-7).
Class AA
● No. 1 Greece Athena (17-0).
● HM: Canandaigua (12-4), Hilton (11-6), Irondequoit (9-6), Penfield (12-4), Victor (10-6), Webster Schroeder (11-5). Class A
● No. 1 East High (13-1).
● No. 6 Monroe (12-3).
● No. 15 Wayne (15-2).
● No. 22 Pittsford Sutherland (13-4).
● HM: Bishop Kearney (9-7), Eastridge (10-7), Geneva (11-5), Newark (13-4).
Class B
● No. 3 Avon (17=1).
● No. 7 Hornell (14-3).
● No. 8 Canisteo-Greenwood (15-1).
● No. 17 LeRoy (13-3).
● HM: Attica (14-3).
Class C
● No. 6 Lyons (15-2).
● No. 10 York (13-4).
● No. 13 Wheatland-Chili (13-3).
● No. 16 Byron-Bergen (13-4).
● No. 17 Pembroke (12-4).
● No. 20 Alexander (13-4).
● No. 24 Batavia Notre Dame (13-4).
● HM: Arkport/Canaseraga (13-3), Bolivar-Richburg (10-5), Finney (10-6), East Rochester (15-2), Fillmore (16-2), Gananda (14-4), Harley Allendale Columbia (13-3), Mount Morris (11-6), Sodus (10-4).
Class D
● No. 3 Avoca-Prattsburgh (9-8).
● HM: Andover/Whitesville (8-8), Jasper-Troupsburg (8-8).
Marquel Slaughter is a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle, specializing in high school sports.He has been reporter for 14 years. Follow him @MarquelSports on X or on Instagram. You can contact him at mslaughter1@gannett.com.