Salesian (Calif.) 115, E. Rochester 111 (5 OTs)
Alanna Stage, Staff writer
Anthony Danizio scored 51 points, was one of 12 players to foul out, and for the last five seconds East Rochester had just two left on the court, losing to a California team 115-111 in a wild five-overtime basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Friday night.
Salesian, a Catholic school in Richmond, Calif., outlasted the Bombers at the KSA Holiday Basketball Tournament.
The game took an unusual twist in the beginning of the fourth overtime. Conor Boyer fouled out of the game, leaving East Rochester with only four eligible players. Three minutes later, the Bombers lost Danizio to five fouls. But ER still sent the game to a fifth overtime.
"When there was only four of us, we continued to play hard on defense," Daid Danizio by phone. "It hit me when I fouled out that we were down so many people and then I felt pretty terrible."
Sean Michele hit a 3-pointer, pulling ER to within one, but it was as close as the Bombers would come in the final OT. Michele ended up fouling out with six seconds remaining in the game. ER lost six players to fouls, and Salesian six.
Salesian had a chance to win at the end of regulation but the Chiefs missed a shot at the buzzer. Danizio, a senior guard, shot 22 of 24 from the free-throw line.
"It was possibly the best basketball game of my life," Danizio said. "It was awesome to experience even though we lost."
Michele scored a career-high 37 with seven assists for the Bombers.
"There were four other games going on and they stopped the other games and everyone came over to watch," ER coach Mark Michele said. "Everyone was rooting for us, especially when we only had four players.
"We just kept coming back! Even some Salesian fans came up to me and told me that they were rooting for us."
Salesian, which is located 18 miles northeast of San Francisco, has about 585 students in grades 9-12.
East Rochester plays for third place today against Friends Academy of Long Island.
ASTAGE@DemocratandChronicle.com
East Rochester 17 16 14 14 6 10 11 18 5 &=8212; 111
Salesian 8 16 17 20 6 10 11 18 9 — =15
EAST ROCHESTER: Billy Fornataro 2, Anthony Danizio 51, Logan Scalise 6, Sean Michele 37, David Vosburgh 3, Ben Bouchard 6, Phil Pizzingrillo 1, Conor Boyer 5.
SALESIAN: John Wheat 10, Andrew Ambian 8, Justin Brown 13, Jordan Lau 2, Kendall Andrews 9, Armando Barpar 23, Desmond Simmons 9, Kelii Woolsey 6, Javari Brown 35, Devin Montgomery 0
3-point goals: Danizio 3, Michele 7, Bouchard, Justin Brown, Javari Brown. Fouled out: Scalise, Boyer, Pizzingrillo, Vosburgh, Danizio, 20 Michele, Wheat, Justin Brown, Andrews, Montgomery, Barpar, Simmons.