At the halfway point of their ABA East Region playoff game, the Wyoming Valley Clutch were in charge, leading the Tri-State Blazers by 21 points.
By the end of the third quarter, they were on the winning side of a real beatdown.
The Clutch outscored their opponents 60-14 in the third quarter, extending their lead well out of reach on their way to a 172-101 victory over the Blazers on Saturday night at the Wilkes-Barre Catholic Youth Center.
The strategy that led the Clutch to a 14-2 regular season record and a top seed in the East Region’s Red Division has been to share the ball, giving everyone a chance to score.
Saturday’s game proved that system: the Clutch had eight players with ten or more points and four with 20 or more points.
“What sets us apart from many ABA teams is, I have 12 guys,” Clutch coach Jerry Rickrode said. “We don’t win with just five, we win with 12. … It was a good outburst tonight.”
The Clutch entered the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak, and maintained their momentum all night in this one, taking an early lead and building on it from there.
A major part of the Clutch’s offensive success was the second and third opportunities created from the offensive rebounds, allowing for passes to open three-point shooters, of which the Clutch have many.
Jamie Calloway, the team’s top scorer all year, had a game-high 33 points. He was deadly from long distance, scoring all but one of his baskets from beyond the arc.
“I practice these things all the time, even when the game’s not going on, so it’s kind of second nature for me,” Calloway said. “We have a good team that moves the ball. … It was pretty easy to make them, I just had to move and be in the right spots.”
Larry Anderscavage scored 27 points, including 16 in the Clutch’s massive third quarter. Logan Bailey had 25, and owner/player Dave Jannuzzi had 24 to complete the top scorers.
The Blazers were led by a 27-point night from Justin Fagan, who was named All-ABA East Region Honorable Mention at the end of the regular season. Fagan encountered foul trouble in the second half; 20 of his points came in the first half, and the Blazers struggled to find any rhythm with him sidelined for most of the half.
Jordan Warner contributed 21 points for the Blazers.
The Clutch will return to the CYC next Saturday night for the finals of the East Region Red Division playoffs, facing off against the winner of the division’s other playoff game on Saturday, between the Central PA Kings and the Philly Thunder.
