Boys Basketball: Troy Athens Falls 49-42 to Rochester

Rochester held Athens' leading scorer Marcarius Coakley to only two points Friday and squashed the Red Hawks 49-42 in a key Oakland Activities Association Blue boys basketball division game.

Paris Pereria was Rochester’s closer Friday night. The senior guard was spectacular in the final minutes of the Falcons' win at .

He scored eight straight points down the stretch to help his team hold off the Red Hawks in a key Oakland Activities Association Blue division game.

“He’s a warrior,” Rochester coach John Pleasant said. “He battles. That’s why he should be playing at the next level next year; he’s undersized, but his heart is huge. He finishes with contact and he’s done a lot for us.”

Pereria’s skills were on full display in the final three minutes. With the Falcons up 39-36, he used his quickness to push the ball up the court and score fast break layups on three consecutive plays despite some heavy contact.

On the second shot, he dazzled the crowd with a fake behind-the-back pass to create space between the defender and the basket.

His scoring burst extended Rochester’s lead to five points, 45-40, with 1:40 to play.

He hit two free throws in the final minute to push the Falcons' lead to seven and then Mike Klotz stole the ball from Athens with 22 seconds left on the clock. He scored a layup off the turnover to seal the victory.

“Rochester has a great team,” Athens coach David Scott said. “The biggest thing is, and it’s something we are still learning, is they play hard all the time, they play hard for 32 minutes. At times our effort wasn’t where it needed to be.”

Scott’s team only showed that kind of intensity in spurts. The Red Hawks made a 14-6 run in the third quarter to erase a six-point halftime deficit.

Rochester (11-1; 3-0 OAA Blue) came out of the break cold from the floor and a little loose with the ball. Athens forced a couple of turnovers to start the quarter and then Caleb McIntosh and Jeff Koch helped their team make a run.

Koch had six of his 11 points in the third and McIntosh did a little bit of everything. The Red Hawks (9-3; 1-2 OAA Blue) went on a 6-0 run to close the quarter to take their first lead of the half at 35-33.

“We told them they were going to make a run,” Pleasant said. “It’s their home gym, it’s an exciting atmosphere, but we had to respond. Fortunately, our kids did.”

Taylor Perry helped right the ship with a couple of baskets early in the fourth before Pereria took over. Perry finished the game with a team-high 17 points and Pereria had 15 points. McIntosh had a game-high 19 points.

Coakley struggled shooting the ball all night and then in the fourth quarter hurt his ankle. The senior did finish the game for the Red Hawks after missing about half the fourth quarter.

“He was with the trainer (after the game),” Scott said. “He probably just tweaked it a little bit and I think he will be back against Stoney Creek on Tuesday.”