Boys basketball: Amherst makes closing statement, dominates fourth quarter to beat Orange in DiFranco opener

EATON TWP. — What a start to the season for Amherst. In a game filled with double-digit scoring runs, the Comets got the last one, outscoring Orange 15-3 in the final quarter for a 65-50 victory in the opening game of the 23rd DiFranco Memorial Classic at Midview on Saturday afternoon. "(Orange) played last night so we knew they were going to have some tired legs," Amherst coach Pat Bray said. "We knew we had to get after them, and they were gonna be hyped after a loss last night. We have to tread water to get through those times, once their legs got tired, we started to take advantage of that." After a 9-9 start, Amherst put together the first big run of the game by scoring 11 straight points, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Ryan Yoder, who finished with 17 points, a 3-pointer by Stanley Robinson (nine points) and a jumper by senior guard Landen Bray to open the second quarter for a 20-9 lead. That lead was short-lived as the Lions (0-2) came back with a 17-5 run with Ernie Pryor scoring eight of his game-high 27 points and Major Calhoun scoring the final five points to give Orange a 26-25 lead with 3:53 left in the first half. The Comets swung momentum back as Bray hit two of his four 3-pointers along with another Yoder 3-pointer for a 39-34 Comets lead at the half. "We came in just trying to go at it and do what we can. We didn't come out as aggressive as we wanted to at the beginning," Landen Bray said. "The big talk at halftime was defense. We had to make sure we were boxing out and make sure we were going after the ball." Pryor dominated in the first three minutes of the third, scoring eight straight points in the paint and tying the game at 42 with his short jumper at 5:08. The Comets held Pryor without a point for the rest of the quarter and grabbed a 50-47 lead thanks to four inside points from Tristyn Young (10 points) and a coast-to-coast basket off a steal by Bray. Robinson came off the bench again for the Comets and drained two more 3-pointers wrapped around Pryor's last basket and the only field goal for the Lions in the fourth quarter for a 56-49 lead. Amherst was content to slow things down, trying to pull Orange out of its zone and it resulted in a 13-point run for the Comets as Yoder added five points to go with four more by Young to seal the season-opening victory for the Comets. "When we have energy, we are too hyped and do dumb things," Pat Bray said. "Once we get a little tired, we settle in and think a little more and that's what these guys are starting to learn. "What Troy (DiFranco) meant to basketball and the whole DiFranco family and what great people they are. It's a blessing to be part of this and represent him and the DiFranco family." Contact James Brady at (440) 329-7135 or jbrady_ct@yahoo.com. Amherst 65, Orange 50 ORANGE (50): Major Calhoun 4-1-11, Ernie Pryor 10-5-27, Jhamir Smith 0-1-1, Anthony Shablovski 0-0-0, Ryan Doerner 2-0-5, Luke Schmotzer 0-0-0, Luke Daberko 0-0-0, Deepkamal Gill 0-0-0, Dominic Anekwe 2-2-6. Totals 18-9-50. AMHERST (65): Ryan Yoder 5-3-17, David Dudziak 1-2-4, Ashton Draga 1-0-2, Stanley Robinson 3-0-9, Landen Bray 7-0-18, Tristyn Young 5-0-10, Logan Farlow 1-1-3, Andrew Balicki, Hunter Farlow 0-0-0. Totals 24-6-65. Orange&emsp; 9&emsp;25&emsp;13&emsp; 3&emsp;—&emsp;50Amherst&emsp;18&emsp;21&emsp;11&emsp;15&emsp;—&emsp;65 Three-point goals: Orange 5-14 (36 percent, Calhoun 2, Pryor 2, Doerner), Amherst 11-23 (48 percent, Yoder 4, Bray 4, Robinson 3). Field goals: Orange 18-36 (50 percent); Amherst 24-60 (40 percent). Free throws: Orange 9-10 (90 percent); Amherst 6-9 (67 percent). Rebounds: Orange 28, Amherst 30. Turnovers: Orange 17, Amherst 11. Fouled out: Shablovski.