For only the third time in program history, the Pembroke Dragons will play for a Section V boys basketball championship on Friday after beating Avon 65-50 in a semifinal game played last night in Warsaw.
"It’s a big deal for the program," said Head Coach Matt Shay. "Basketball hasn’t always something that the school has had a lot of success in, so it’s really exciting to see this group buy in and work and get that success."
On Friday, the Dragons fell behind in the second quarter but then went on a 14-0 run to close out the half and go into the locker room with a 10-point lead.
While Avon pulled close a couple of times in the second-half, Pembroke remained in control of the game.
"The lapses that I really didn't like were in the middle of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter whey they (Avon) started to make a run," Shay said. "They were making good cuts and we were caught sleeping, staring at the ball."
Shay said he was proud of Reid Miano's performance, who struggled to score in the first half but kept his head in the game and finished with 16 points on the night.
"We have so much depth and talent that we can survive if he doesn't have a great night," Shay said. "Some teams, their star guy starts off slow, they’re in trouble, but I really talked with him about just keep playing. You can be our best player and still not score. I’m so proud of him because at the end of this game, he didn’t do much in the first half, but in the second half, he really came alive."
Lucas Kohorst scored 20 points, Zach VonKramer and Ethan Stone each scored 10.
The Dragons, with a record of 23-0 is the #2 seed in the Class C1 bracket. On Friday, they play the #1 seed, Northstar Christian (22-1) for the championship at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.
