Dan Gilmore Photo

GREENE – The Trojans’ defense held the Unadilla Valley Storm to no points scored in the fourth quarter, which aided in the late game comeback by Greene to win 49-42 on their home floor Friday night.

The Storm led by 10 points at the end of the first quarter behind Andrew Jackson’s 11 points – nine coming from beyond the 3-point arc – and Levi Rifanburg six from the inside.

The two teams battled in the second quarter, matching point for point to send UV into the locker room with a 10 point advantage. Out of the halftime break, Greene and the Storm continued the back and forth game. The Trojans outscored Unadilla Valley by a point in the third, cutting the margin down to single digits. 

In the final eight minute stretch, Greene went on a 16-0 run with balanced scored from the team and stops on the defensive end.

“We just some great help defense,” said Chris Rice, the Trojans’ head coach, on the defensive effort in the fourth. “We knew the shooters and had some bigs in to stop the cutter.

“Rebounding was also key,” Rice continued. “We were all over the glass. Played tough and played as a team, we did not let officials or crowds interfere. We played focused and disciplined.”

Jackson added another from behind the arc in the second quarter and added a bucket in the third to end the night with a game-high 16 points. Rifanburg finished with 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to record a double-double. Their teammate Wyatt Grey chipped in eight points.

The Trojans’ Alex Frair led Greene with 11 points, three coming as the only long-range basket for Greene. Evan Walters added 10 points for the Trojans while Nate Barry scored nine and Nate Parker finished with eight.