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Boys' Hoops: Cocalico downs Lancaster Mennonite, 66-54


DENVER – When playing alongside your school’s all-time leading scorer, it might be easy to slip into the shadows and go unnoticed.

But Cocalico’s streaking Eagles detest the shadows, and some impressive balance was on full display in Wednesday night’s 66-54 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3-4 crossover victory over Lancaster Mennonite.

Sophomore Aidan Trynosky bucketed a career-high 23 points (7-of-14 shooting), and senior point guard Moses Ulysse produced a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as the host Eagles (12-3, 8-2 Section 3) stretched their winning streak to four games and remained a game behind Lampeter-Strasburg in a tight section race.

Tucker Lescoe, Cocalico’s recently anointed career scoring leader, bucketed a season-low seven points but dished out a game-high seven assists. D.J. Fabiani added 10 points, and the fifth starter, Ian Arcudi, scored seven. The team’s first five buckets were shared equally among the five starters.

"I think we have a lot of guys who want to compete,” Eagles coach Travis Wealand said. “When [Lescoe’s] not scoring or getting some rest on the bench, other guys need to step up, and I feel like they did that. They earned that tonight.

"[This win] gives other guys some confidence. Good experience on the floor and in different situations they might not normally be in, different guys handling the basketball, being leaders out there. Definitely good for our team."

Richard Rosas scored 15 points for the Blazers (7-8, 6-4 Section 4), who fell a game behind section-leading Lancaster Catholic. Carter Hurst added 12 points off the bench.

"As I told our guys in the beginning, Tucker is a very good player,” Mennonite coach Geoff Groff said. “But the rest of their guys are pretty good, too. He makes a lot of things happen, and we have struggled with the concept of help defense and containing the basketball. [With] their other guys, Tucker didn't have to do as much. Their other guys were able to get to the basket, and we just didn't rotate. That's to their credit. I thought right from the get-go, they were more aggressive than us."

Cocalico raced to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed. The advantage reached 15 points in the first half (26-11 after a Trynosky 3-pointer), though the Blazers closed to within eight (33-25) by intermission.

Ulysse and Trynosky shared 16 of the Eagles’ 18 points in the third quarter – including six straight from Trynosky in the final 73 seconds – to build an 18-point lead (51-33) into the fourth.

"I just know I had to step up for my team,” said Trynosky, who added six rebounds and sank seven of his eight free throws. “My teammates rely on me, and that's just how it went. I scored a couple buckets. Got the ball and looked for the open shot."

The Eagles moved the ball well, found room driving to the hoop, and finished 52 percent (24 of 46) from the floor. Lescoe didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. While attempting only eight shots, it was his lowest scoring output since totaling six points in a Jan. 9, 2015 game vs. L-S.

"We have major goals,” Ulysse said. “We're experienced, and I just feel like our team has a sense of urgency. We feel like we can go get it, and I feel like we have a chance to win the section. We're taking it one game at a time."

Cocalico, behind Ulysse, finished with a 32-29 advantage on the glass. The Blazers, who shot just 34 percent (18 of 53), won the turnover battle by a 17-15 count.

Morrow on Twitter: @RageAgainstGMo

BOX SCORE

Cocalico 66, Lancaster Mennonite 54

LANCASTER MENNONITE (54)

Kyle Kerr 3 0-1 7, Cody Hurst 2 3-4 8, Jonathan Gillespie 2 2-2 6, Richard Rosas 5 2-2 15, Tim Stefenosky 0 0-0 0, Ezra Buckwalter 0 0-0 0, Carter Hurst 3 5-7 12, Wadolo Erjabo 2 0-0 4, Nate Jean-Philippe 0 0-0 0, Cole Forte 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Sauder 0 0-0 0, Ben Barley 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 12-16 54.

COCALICO (66)

Ian Arcudi 3 0-0 7, Tucker Lescoe 3 0-0 7, D.J. Fabiani 5 0-0 10, Moses Ulysse 5 4-4 15, Aidan Trynosky 7 7-8 23, Matt Miller 0 0-0 0, Demetri Whitsett 0 1-2 1, Tyler Keppley 0 1-2 1, Austin Harven 0 0-0 0, Nick Monteleone 0 0-0 0, Billy Paiano 0 0-0 0, Brad Heck 1 0-0 2, Jake Fester 0 0-0 0, John Landis 0 0-0 0. Totals — 24 13-16 66.

Lancaster Mennonite _ 9 _ 16 _ 8 _ 21 _ — _ 54

Cocalico _ 17 _ 16 _ 18 _ 15 _ — _ 66

3-point goals — LM 6 (Rosas 3, Kerr, Co.Hurst, Ca.Hurst); Coc 5 (Trynosky 2, Arcudi, Lescoe, Ulysse).

JV — Lancaster Mennonite 31, Cocalico 28.