Dave Gardiner posted on March 13, 2011 10:57
One brother would miss and the other one would be there to clean it up.
That was the story for the Finney Falcons on Saturday in the Class D state quarterfinal boys basketball game at the Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial.
Senior forward Joe Drummond powered his way to 22 points and 19 rebounds and his little brother, sophomore Dan Drummond, added 10 points and 10 rebounds as Finney (21-2) secured a 59-38 win over Section VI champion Pine Valley.
"Danny and Joe Drummond, those guys have been monsters all year long on the glass," Finney coach Joe Marchand said.
The Drummonds combined for 16 offensive rebounds. Joe Drummond said the success is about knowing your role.
"It's all about doing your job and we know that our job is to control the offensive boards, control the rebounding game," Joe Drummond said. "We feel that if we win the rebounding game, it gives us the best possible chance to win the overall game. ... It's great to have this with my brother."
"It's totally special," Dan Drummond added.
After trailing 5-2 early, Joe Drummond scored 10 points during a 22-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters and extended the lead to 24-5.
Joe Drummond had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the first half as he eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for his career. The Panthers (14-8) were able to close the first-half gap to 31-19 after Dan Drummond picked up his third personal foul with 4:04 left.
Finney senior point guard Jamell Johnson, who was dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in an earlier game, had 12 points, 7 assists, and 6 steals.
Pine Valley coach Chris Buczek said the interior play of the Drummonds provided the difference.
"We didn't attack them enough, to give them any kind of pressure," Buczek said. "We went at 33 (Dan Drummond), he got a couple of fouls, he got on the bench. We didn't attack them the way we should have attacked them."
Finney advances to the state semifinals in Glens Falls for the first time since it won state titles in 2006 and 2007, but Marchand said his team still has plenty of adjustments to make.
"It's very special, very unique," Marchand said of returning to the semifinals. "I never thought we would get back there. It's a sweet thing to do and it takes a lot of special kids to do that."
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