GALLERY: Carson Chaffee continues to “charge” past defenders, scoring 33
From Hornell High School Athletics, Photos by JC’s Photography
Canisteo-Greenwood – 72, Hornell – 56
The Hornell Red Raiders picked up their third straight loss to neighboring Canisteo-Greenwood Thursday night on the road.
The atmosphere was perfect for a matchup between neighboring towns – a packed gymnasium with fans from Canisteo and Hornell alike. The first half of play was anyone’s game with the Chargers up by two going into halftime.
Canisteo-Greenwood came out strong in the second half and had a big 3rd quarter, scoring 25 points to extend their lead to 16 going into the finals 8 minutes. That scoring difference proved to be all the Chargers needed in the 72-56 win.
Carson Chaffee had a big night for the Chargers, leading all scorers with 33 points. Kevin Sirianni hit 4 big threes and ended the night with 14 points, while James Smith added 10 points in the win.
While the Red Raiders didn’t get the win, coach Scholes liked the way his boys played. He commented, “Tonight we got back to playing like Red Raiders! We played with an intensity, and we fought hard. It wasn’t perfect and we need to get better in several areas, but overall, I thought we battled and played really well for three quarters. The 3rd quarter was our downfall, and credit to CG for making a few adjustments on how they were going to attack us. They also picked up their defensive intensity, and we turned over the ball and stopped running good offense for a big stretch in the 3rd quarter.”
Hornell was led by seniors, Marco Picco (24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Demayne Dixon (17 points, 9 assists, & 6 rebounds). Ben Woolever added 13 points, 3 rebounds, & 3 assists. “Marco was fantastic tonight,” continued Scholes. “He did a great job of cutting and moving without the ball. He finished well and got into spots where he is really good. I thought he was really active at both ends and played very well. It was, in my opinion, his best game. Demayne aldo did a lot of things well and played with great energy. He got into gaps vs. man and zone. He was assertive and aggressive all night. I saw leadership from him before the game when we were communicating. He also asked questions and was very in-tune with the game plan, and I could tell he was locked in!
“We just need to stay the course. I know if we play with the energy, focus, and competitiveness that we did tonight, we will give ourselves a chance at the end. We need to focus on execution in the half court. Taking care of the ball will be crucial down the stretch. Learning how to be consistent night to night and quarter to quarter is one thing we are trying to be better at.”
Hornell falls to 9-5 on the season, while Canisteo-Greenwood improves to 11-2. The Red Raiders travel to Rushville to take on the Marcus Whitman Wildcats Saturday afternoon.
