Camden-Frontier at Pittsford – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 23, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Last night, the Bleacher Denizen made a trip to Camden to watch a girls’ game between Camden-Frontier and Pittsford. Here is a link to that play by play for anyone who may have not seen it yet.
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2022/02/23/pittsford-at-camden-frontier-girls-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-february-22-2022-by-chuck-krafft/?fbclid=IwAR3e2BkG0QRrdO3T70zDlKF68eSGYqt5RnqFQiBx-zQm83JNs0DBxafnJ_k

Tonight, I went to Pittsford to watch a boys’ game between these two teams. It was a great day; I actually had time to stop by Jerome Country Market, which is one of my favorite stores. We have a lot of fine stores in Lansing, where I live, but none quite like this one. I’ll be enjoying dill bacon, smoked pork chops and some great smoked salmon over the next few days! But enough about the Bleacher Denizen’s eating habits, we have a game to blog!!

This game is a SCAA-East Conference game. The Pittsford Wildcats have a 5-2 record in the SCAA-East and are 8-8 overall. Coach Mike Burger gave me the following information about his Wildcat players. Kaleb Spahr is a fine ball handler and perimeter defender who runs the point for the Wildcats. Patrick VanDusen provides strong defense, rebounding and scoring in the post. Gunnar Leggett is a versatile defensive player who is comfortable either on the perimeter or in the post. Blade Gore is an energetic, motivated perimeter defender. Kade Spahr can slash to the basket and also has an accurate three point shot.

Gavyn Carden is a strong perimeter defender who is a threat from the three point line. Legend Gore defends and rebounds well in the post. Mason Payne has a nice shot from the three point line. Gage Gore is another rebounder and defender in the post.

The Camden-Frontier Redskins (hereafter to be known as C-F to prevent excess wear and tear on your Bleacher Denizen’s aging fingers) are 3-5 in the conference and 4-12 overall. Coach Bryan Morrison was generous with his time and provided me with this information. Wade Brown is a good ball handler and three point shooter. Wade Keegan is a versatile defender who can be a factor either on the perimeter or in the post. Ethan Wickham rebounds and defends well in the post.

Beau Groves and Kaiden Conroy have good three point shots and handle the ball a lot on the perimeter. Rodney Weir and Alexander Hall play strong defense and rebound well in the post. Rodney Weir can also slash to the basket well. Mikey Roe is a good rebounder who slashes well to the basket and plays good perimeter defense. Jacob Stewart provides senior leadership. Dawson Shaw defends well either on the perimeter or in the post.

I was able to attend the JV game. Pittsford got off to a 17-4 first quarter lead. The two teams each scored 21 points over the rest of the game. The final score was Pittsford 38 Camden-Frontier 25.

Aarien Sanders led the Camden-Frontier JVs with 10 points. Darran Drake added 5 points. Ben Salyer scored 3 points. Sam Brown, Alex Hall and Blake Bever each tallied 2 points. Chance Cuff had 1 point.

Teagan Williams led the victorious Pittsford JVs with 13 points. Brady Hartman supported his teammate with 7 points. Eli LaBo, Anthony Governo and Bryce Williams each chipped in with 4 points. Lane Lewis scored 3 points. Alex Tice added 2 points and Ryan Evener tallied 1 point.

The Pittsford Band played the National Anthem and did a nice job.

It is now time to report the events of this contest through the somewhat alert and somewhat observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the ancient times of the previous century. His coaches were never happy about the Bleacher Denizen’s bricks destroying too many of the peach baskets we used to shoot at.

Pittsford wins the opening tap. Kaleb Spahr passes to Blade Gore, who hits a twelve foot shot from the baseline to give Pittsford the first two points of the game. C-F misses a fifteen foot shot form the baseline. Pittsford travels with the ball. Kade Spahr steals the ball for the Wildcats. Patrick VanDusen hits a layup to give Pittsford a 4-0 lead.

C-F misses a twelve foot shot in the lane and fouls on the rebound. Pittsford is whistled for a traveling violation. C-F turns the ball over. Ethan Wickham knocks the ball away from Pittsford, but the Wildcats are able to recover. Pittsford briefly loses the ball again, but Patrick VanDusen grabs the loose ball and lays it in the hoop to give Pittsford a 6-0 lead.

Patrick VanDusen blocks a C-F layup. Pittsford misses a driving layup. C-F misses a six foot banked shot from the side. The Spahr Connection comes through as Kaleb passes to Kade, who hits a three point shot from the side to boost Pittsford to a 9-0 lead.

C-F misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Ethan Wickham steals the ball for the Redskins. Beau Groves hits a three point shot from the side to give C-F its first three points. Pittsford misses a layup. C-F misses a threeball from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Redskins get another opportunity. C-F misfires on a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Pittsford misses a driving 6 foot banked shot. Dawson Shaw drives and hits a layup for C-F. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to trim the Pittsford lead to 9-6 with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Pittsford misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Dawson Shaw passes to Kaiden Conroy, who hits a layup to trim the Wildcat lead to one point. Pittsford misses a three pointer from the corner. C-F gets cited for a traveling violation. Alexander Hall gets his hand on the ball, but Pittsford recovers.

The Wildcats miss a three point attempt from the top of the key. Blade Gore gets the offensive rebound for Pittsford. The Wildcats are cited for traveling. Gunnar Leggett knocks the ball away from C-F and Kade Spahr picks it up for Pittsford. Kaleb Spahr hits a layup to give the Wildcats an 11-8 lead.

C-F misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Pittsford takes possession. The Wildcats miss a threeball from the wing at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Pittsford has an 11-8 lead.

C-F inbounds the ball to get the second quarter started. Kaiden Conroy passes to Beau Groves, who throws in a threeball from the side for the Redskins to tie the game. Kaleb inbounds the ball to Patrick VanDusen, who hits a three point shot from the wing to put Pittsford back on top. C-F misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Kaleb Spahr drives and dishes the ball to Gunnar Leggett, who hits a twelve foot shot from the side to give Pittsford a 16-11 lead.

A C-F pass receiver catches the ball with his foot on the baseline. Pittsford misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Kaleb Spahr steals the ball for Pittsford. The Wildcats miss a layup. The Redskins misfire on a triple try from the wing and foul on the rebound. Wade Keegan steals the ball for the Redskins. C-F commits a traveling violation. Pittsford misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Beau Groves drives and banks in a six foot shot to trim the Pittsford lead to 16-13.

Pittsford misses a three point shot from the wing. Ethan Wickham hits a fast break layup to trim the Wildcat lead to one point. Dawson Shaw knocks the ball away from Pittsford and Wade Brown picks it up for C-F. Wade Brown passes to Dawson Shaw, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for C-F to tie the game at 16-16 with 4:12 to play in the second quarter.

Pittsford misses a shot; Legend Gore gets the offensive rebound for the Wildcats. Mason Payne hits a short jump shot to give the lead back to the Wildcats. Kaleb Spahr draws a charging foul from C-F. Pittsford misses a driving layup. Mason Payne knocks the ball away from C-F; Beau Groves goes into the backcourt to recover the ball for the Redskins.

Kaleb Spahr knocks the ball away from C-F and the Wildcats grab the ball. Kaiden Conroy gets his hand on the ball and Pittsford loses it out of bounds. C-F is fouled on a driving layup, but misses both free throws. With 1:49 remaining in the first half, Pittsford’s lead remains at 18-16.

Pittsford is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. C-F misses a three point shot from the corner. Rodney Weir gets the offensive rebound for the Redskins. Kade Spahr blocks a C-F threeball from the corner; the ball goes out of bounds and C-F gets it back. Blade Gore blocks a C-F layup. C-F recovers the loose ball. Dawson Shaw passes to Beau Groves, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give C-F a 19-18 lead.

There is a double foul on the rebound; Pittsford gets the ball. (Without the double foul, they would have inbounded it after the C-F score.) Rodney Weir steals the ball for C-F. The Redskins miss a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Beau Groves steals the ball for C-F. Kade Spahr blocks the C-F buzzer heave.

At halftime, Camden-Frontier has a 19-18 lead.

Patrick VanDusen leads the Pittsford scoring at halftime with 7 points.

Beau Groves has 11 points to lead Camden-Frontier.

At halftime, the band entertains. They did a fine job with “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “We Will Rock You” and the Pittsford Wildcat fight song. As I have been a professional musician most of my adult life, I always enjoy saluting a student performance well done!

For those of you who may be curious, here is an ancient song from my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube channel. The song is over 100 years old; the musician is only 65, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUieaBvS38w

C-F inbounds the ball to start the third quarter. C-F misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Wade Keegan gets the offensive rebound for the Redskins. C-F misses a threeball from the corner. Pittsford reciprocates and misses a threeball from the corner. Kade Spahr runs down the long offensive rebound for the Wildcats. Blade Gore passes to Patrick VanDusen, who hits a twelve footer from the side to give Pittsford a 20-19 lead.

C-F misses a three point shot from the corner. The rebound goes over the top of the backboard and out of bounds. Pittsford misses a three point shot from the side. C-F misses a fifteen footer off the dribble from the side. Kaleb Spahr passes to Gunnar Leggett, who hits a three point shot from the side to boost the Wildcat lead to 23-19.

C-F misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Pittsford misses a jump shot from the side. Wade Brown blocks a Pittsford putback; the ball goes out of bounds and the Wildcats get another opportunity. Pittsford misses a three point shot from the corner. Patrick VanDusen hits a putback for the Wildcats. C-F turns the ball over. Kade Spahr drives and dishes the ball to Patrick VanDusen, who hits a ten foot shot from the side of the lane for Pittsford to push the Wildcat lead to 27-19.

Kaleb Spahr knocks the ball out of bounds; C-F retains possession. A technical foul is called on the Wildcats. Kaiden Conroy hits one of his two free throws for C-F. The Redskins inbound the ball (after the technical foul). C-F misses a three point shot from the side. Pittsford misses a driving layup. Patrick VanDusen blocks a C-F layup. Pittsford is fouled on a driving layup and misses two free throws. With 3:39 to play in the third quarter, the Wildcat lead is at 27-20.

Gavyn Carden steals the ball for Pittsford. Dawson Shaw steals the ball for C-F. C-F misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Rodney Weir gets the offensive rebound for the Redskins. Kaiden Conroy throws in a threeball from the wing to cut the Pittsford lead to 27-23.

Pittsford misses a three point shot from the top of the key. C-F misses a three point shot from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Dawson Shaw’s excellent defense forces Pittsford to throw a pass out of bounds. Mason Payne steals the ball for the Wildcats and draws a foul in the process. Pittsford misses a three pointer from the wing. Kade Spahr draws an offensive foul from the Redskins. Pittsford misses a three point shot from the wing. Legend Gore is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to boost Pittsford to a 29-23 lead with 1:30 to go in the third quarter.

Pittsford is given a technical foul. Beau Groves hits one of two free throws for C-F. C-F inbounds the ball (because of the technical foul.) Beau Groves is fouled on a driving shot and hits two free throws for C-F to shave the Pittsford lead to 29-26 with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Pittsford misses a three point shot from the side. Patrick VanDusen knocks a C-F pass out of bounds; the Redskins retain possession. Kade Spahr stelas the ball and throws a long pass to Kaleb Spahr, who hits a layup for Pittsford. C-F is not able to shoot before the third quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After three quarters, Pittsford holds a 31-26 lead.

Pittsford inbounds the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Pittsford is whistled for setting an illegal screen. Gavyn Carden steals the ball for the Wildcats. Pittsford commits an over and back violation. C-F misses a three pointer from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and C-F gets another opportunity. The Redskins miss a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Ethan Wickham gets the offensive rebound for the Wildcats. C-F is whistled for carrying the ball. Pittsford misses a layup. Gavyn Carden gets the offensive rebound and passes to Patrick VanDusen, who hits a layup to give the Wildcats a 33-26 lead.

C-F misses a three point shot from the side. Legend Gore makes a fantastic effort to try to save a Pittsford outlet pass the was thrown too long, but Pittsford loses it out of bounds. C-F commits a traveling violation. Beau Groves knocks the ball away from Pittsford; the Wildcats recover. Pittsford misses a three point shot from the side.

Kaiden Conroy passes to Ethan Wickham, who makes a great fake and hits a layup for C-F. Pittsford misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Rodney Weir is fouled and sinks both free throws in a one and one opportunity to cut the Wildcat lead to 33-30 with 4:48 left on the clock.

C-F misses a jump shot. Jacob Stewart makes a fantastic diving effort trying to save the rebound for C-F, but Pittsford gets the ball. The Wildcats are fouled and miss the first free throw in a one and one opportunity. Rodney Weir is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity to cut the Pittsford lead to 33-31 with 4:06 left in the game.

The rebound goes out of bounds and Pittsford takes possession. Pittsford misses a three point shot from the wing. Gavyn Carden knocks a C-F inbound pass out of bounds; the Redskins retain possession. Kade Spahr steals the ball and hits a layup for Pittsford to extend the Wildcat lead to 35-31.

C-F misses a three point shot from the wing. Pittsford scores a layup, but it is negated by a time out call. C-F blocks a layup. (Your aging Bleacher Denizen did not see who blocked the layup and apologizes to the C-F player who made this fine play.) Patrick VanDusen grabs the loose ball and hits a layup for the Wildcats. C-F loses the ball out of bounds. Pittsford is called for traveling. Blade Gore steals the ball for Pittsford and passes to Kaleb Spahr, who hits a layup for the Wildcats. Beau Groves is fouled and makes both free throws in a one and one opportunity to trim the Pittsford lead to 39-33 with 1:43 remaining.

Kaleb Spahr passes to Patrick VanDusen, who hits a ten foot shot from the side for Pittsford. C-F misses a double pumping layup. Dawson Shaw hits the floor to tie up the rebound for C-F. The Possession Arrow loves Mr. Shaw’s hustle and decides to award the ball to C-F. Kaleb Spahr steals the ball and is fouled; the foul is ruled to be intentional. Kaleb Spahr hits one of his two free throws to push the Pittsford lead to 42-33 with 1:02 to be played.

Pittsford inbounds the ball after the intentional foul. Kade Spahr is fouled and makes one of his two free throws for Pittsford with 50.8 seconds remaining. Kade Spahr knocks the ball away from C-F and Kaleb Spahr picks it up for Pittsford. Pittsford is fouled, but misses two free throws. C-F misses a forty foot fling at the buzzer.

Pittsford wins 43-33.

Beau Groves scored 16 points to lead Camden-Frontier. Kaiden Conroy pitched in with 6 points. Dawson Shaw and Ethan Wickham each added 4 points. Rodney Weir scored 3 points.

Pittsford’s Patrick VanDusen had 19 points to lead all scorers. Kaleb Spahr supported his teammate with 7 points and Kade Spahr tossed in 6 points. Gunnar Leggett added 5 points. Legend Gore, Blade Gore and Mason Payne each tallied 2 points.