By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
PORTVILLE, NY – In his first game back from a months-long injury, Aidan DeFazio returned to the reins of the Portville boys’ basketball team. However, despite contributing 25 points, he was unable to lead the Panthers to victory as they suffered their seventh loss of the season to Randolph, 76-42.
During the fall, amidst Portville’s football campaign to the Section VI title game, DeFazio went down with a serious injury, breaking multiple vertebrae in his back. Sidelined to say the least, the healing process was slow yet steady and while his presence was dearly missed through the Panthers’ first six contests, his return was worth the wait.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” said Portville head coach Tom Yanetsko. “He’s our leader for this year and next year.”
Although he was finally stepping back onto the hardwood, the welcoming party was far from warm. Coming into town was the Cardinals, who, after losing their first game of the season, have responded with five consecutive wins by an average of 15 points.
“They have a great program in Randolph. Kevin (Hind) does a great job with his kids,” said Yanetsko. “We knew we had a tough game tonight.”
Randolph hit the ground running with fluid ball movement. Facing a Portville 2-3 zone, the Cardinals moved the ball inside and out, left and right as they forced the defense out of position. Finding open shooters on the wing, the Cardinals made the most of their looks as they jumped out to a 8-0 lead.
In the meantime, the Panthers struggled to find their footing initially. Unable to find stops on defense, their offense struggled to break through the Cardinals full-court-press – Portville gave up five turnovers in the first quarter. However, midway through the first, the Panthers found momentum in back-to-back 3-pointers followed by an offensive rebound score from DeFazio, cutting the deficit to just two points.
Closing out the quarter, Randolph would counter with a run of their own. Scoring six unanswered points to end the period, they would hold a 17-11 advantage after the first eight minutes.
Zach Green takes a shot from beyond the arc during Portville’s loss to Randolph on Monday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Both teams would score back-and-forth to open the second quarter. After giving up a layup to the Cardinals, DeFazio cashed in a deep shot from beyond the arc, to which Randolph responded immediately after. Although they were able to put the ball in the basket efficiently, Portville couldn’t stop the bleeding on defense and after the first several minutes, their scoring dried up.
While still able to get points in bunches, Randolph forced the Panthers into tough shots that came in the final seconds of the shot clock, most of which missed their mark. Despite a made triple from DeFazio at the buzzer, the Cardinals held their opponents virtually scoreless in the finals minutes, ending the half on a 16-5 run that put them in front by 17.
“I knew (Randolph) was going to play a zone trap and I have young kids who have never faced that before,” said Yanetsko. “The only ones who have seen that was Aidan and Chase (Armstrong) and they were sort of tentative. We have to work on that a little bit more.”
As in the second quarter, Portville came out of the break ready to score. Putting points on the board in rapid succession, the Panthers opened with an 8-2 run. However, once again, their offense sputtered to a halt, allowing Randolph to surge. With their offense struggling, the Panthers watched as the Cardinals sparked yet another run, this time at a 16-3 clip. Going into the final quarter of play, the lead had swelled to 22.
Having a mountainous margin on the scoreboard, Portville ultimately conceded. Rotating in their reserves, the Panthers watched as that first win of the season still remained out of reach, falling to 0-7 overall.
“I have a bunch of young kids and they’re working hard. That’s all I can ask for, and tonight they did. All 11 guys gave me what they had.” said Yanetsko, “I’m happy with the way they played and participated. I’m extremely happy.”
In his first game back, DeFazio led the Panthers with 25 points, knocking down six triples in his debut. Alongside him was Braedon Carter with seven and Chase Armstrong with three points.
AT PORTVILLE
Randolph (76)
McElwan 8 0-0 24, Hind 9 2-4 21, Nelson 5 0-0 10, Conley 3 1-1 7, Brooks 2 2-2 7, Huntington 2 0-0 4, Morrison 1 0-0 3. Totals: 30 5-7 76
Portville (42)
DeFazio 8 3-5 25, Carter 3 0-2 7, Armstrong 1 0-0 3, Van Buskirk 1 0-0 3, Loncher 0 2-2 2, Benson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 5-9 42
Randolph 17 38 58 76
Portville 11 21 36 42
Three-point goals: RD (11) McElwan 8, Morrison, Hind, Brooks, PV (9) DeFazio 6, Armstrong, Carter, Van Buskirk; Total fouls: RD 12, PV 5; fouled out: None.
JV: Randolph 48, Portville 18
