Pittsford Mendon books its trip to the final in an intense semi-final match

By: David Premyslovsky

The No. 1 Pittsford Mendon Vikings clinched a spot in the Section V Class AA2 championship game as they won a nail-biter over the No. 4 Gates Chili Spartans at Webster Schroeder High School. Josh Shadders scored six of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to victory, as the Vikings will now look to capture their first Section V title since 2022.

Pittsford Mendon head coach Bob Nally draws up a play for his team on Tuesday, March 3. (Photo: Paul Gotham/ Pickin’ Splinters)

With the score knotted up at 27 entering the third quarter, the two teams each went on a scoring burst to begin the second half. Trevor Nally scored a quick five points for the Vikings, followed by a fast-break layup from Jack Nally and a three-point play by Amari Coleman. With Mendon up by six and threatening to pull away, Tremier Lewis would grab a huge offensive rebound and find Nemo Pye for a layup to quell the run by Pittsford. 

After a Jaden Robinson layup to cut the lead to two, Trevor Nally hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to bring the advantage back to five; the junior guard had 10 of his 12 points in the third quarter. The Spartans responded with a layup by Tremier Lewis and a three-pointer from Christopher Elliott to tie the score at 42 with 3:36 remaining in the quarter. Following this, the only bucket for the rest of the quarter ended up being a Josh Shadders three-pointer to make the score 45-42 in favor of Pittsford heading into the fourth quarter. 

Tremier Lewis got the scoring started in the fourth quarter with a slam dunk off an assist from Joey Vigerzi on the fast break to make it a one-point game. Josh Shadders, though, answered right away with a layup of his own to maintain the slim lead for the Vikings. 

In what was a low-scoring, intense fourth quarter, the balanced attack of Josh Shadders, Amari Coleman, and John Leitner preserved a narrow lead for Mendon throughout the final eight minutes. 

For the Spartans, it was Joey Vigerzi, Jaylen Givens, and Tremier Lewis who came up with timely buckets to keep the game within reach. 

With Pittsford holding a five-point lead under a minute to go, Vigerzi was able to draw a foul from beyond the arc with 23.5 seconds remaining. Vigerzi made two out of three free throws to make the score 55-52.  

After a timeout from Coach Bill Lewis to set up his team’s full-court press, the Spartans caused a turnover, leading to a Vigerzi quick layup to make the score 55-54 with 16.9 seconds to go. 

On the ensuing possession, Mendon inbounded the ball to Josh Shadders who was sent to the line. After splitting the free throws, Gates Chili had one last opportunity to tie or win the game. 

With the ball in the hands of Joey Vigerzi, Gates Chili looked to get a double screen going up top. With great help from Mendon, Vigerzi called off the screens and launched a long three-pointer from the right wing, which was off to the left. Bruce Hanna grabbed the rebound for Gates and found Tremier Lewis at the top of the key, whose last-second shot to win was off to the right. 

“We knew it was going to be a battle. Gates Chili is a great team. But this crew on Varsity has got a lot of experience. Defense is our staple and holding them in the low 50’s gave us a good chance of winning,” said Pittsford head coach Bob Nally on his team’s overall performance. 

“I remember the game last year when they sent us home. I just had so much motivation to go in and beat these guys. I loved competing with them. They’re a great team, but I just had a little different fire this year,” said Josh Shadders on his mentality heading into the game. 

Leading the scoring on the day for the Spartans was Joey Vigerzi with 21, followed by Tremier Lewis with 13. Also scoring was Nemo Pye who added nine, Jaylen Givens had five, Christopher Elliot contributed four, and Jaden Robinson had two. Gates Chili finishes the season with 15-7 record. 

The top scorer for the Vikings was Josh Shadders with 21, followed by Trevor Nally with 12. Also scoring were Amari Coleman and John Leitner with eight, Jack Nally had four and Carmen Esposito contributed three.  

“I love my guys; I wouldn’t be anything without all of them. They’re working hard every day in practice, and I’m so blessed to have them,” added Josh Shadders on the impact of his teammates. 

With the win, Pittsford Mendon extends its winning streak to 18 games and improves to 21-1 on the season. The Vikings will take on Greece Athena on Saturday, March 7, at Blue Cross Arena with the Class AA2 title on the line. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.