Rochester improves to 3-0 in the early going.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After a hard fought battle, the Rochester RazorSharks were able to defeat the Providence Sky Chiefs, 107-92, on Thursday night to improve their record to 3-0 on the season.
After their first scheduled game was snowed out last week in Rhode Island, the Sky Chiefs traveled to the Blue Cross Arena to take on the Premier Basketball League’s top team. After making quick work of Chautauqua and Washington, the Sharks came into the game ready for their first true test. The Sky Chiefs gave them just that.
The first quarter was tight, constantly going back and forth with multiple lead changes. Neither team was able to push its lead past four points at any point.
Corey Allmond got off to a quick start with a couple three-pointers, and James Helton showed off his athleticism with some nice drives to the rim and a handful of rebounds. At the end of the first, Rochester led by just two, 25-23.
The second quarter began very similarly, with the two teams fighting it out for a while, before rookie John Ivy hit a big three, giving some momentum to Rochester. The Sharks exploded to an 18-point lead, but cooled down a bit and went into halftime with a 12-point margin, 55-43.
In the second half, the Sky Chiefs gave it a valiant effort, narrowing the lead to only three, but just were not able to keep up with Rochester’s depth and stellar conditioning. The RazorSharks were able to pull away from Providence with consistent shooting at 41% on the game and great post play, out-rebounding the Sky Chiefs by 19.
Veteran guard, and recent Section 5 Hall of Fame inductee, Melvin Council was the star of the game with 19 points, 4 steals, and 5 rebounds. Allmond was right behind him in scoring with 17. John Ivy and reigning PBL MVP Jerice Crouch each had 15 points. Ivy also contributed 7 rebounds.
Rookie Dominic Woodson led in rebounds and blocks with 12 and 3, respectively, including 2 huge pins to the backboard. The Sharks broke the century mark for the third straight game, while holding the opponent below that mark.
Rochester will hit the court again at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, when they take on the Dubois Dream at the BCA. Tickets are on sale now at the BCA box office, or tickets can be reserved by calling the office at 585-232-9190.