BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Dunks, blocks and chants from a sea of white tank tops reading “BTA! BTA! BTA!”

That was the scene on the home side of the bleachers at the Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium in the final minutes, as Brockport put on the finishing touches to their 49-point second half, to secure a 74-57 win over St. John Fisher.

The visiting side of the bleachers, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic.

That was, until Christian Daley, the graduate guard, checked into the game with 2:53 left and sank two consecutive three-pointers. In attendance was the women’s basketball team from St. John Fisher, and with each long-range shot, they stood up and cheered with Fathead cutouts of Daley, taped to a stick.

That was the loudest that side of the bleachers got all night.

What stood out early in this matchup was Brockport’s size advantage over Fisher, and how they used it to break the game open. They recorded nine blocks (three from Cameron Pownall) and 30 points in the paint.

After a sluggish first half, Fisher, only down one at the break, was still well within reach of taking control of the game. With some good contests and shot variance luck, they held the Golden Eagles to only 24% from the field.

Jack Janes provided a much-needed spark off the bench for the Cardinals. The 6-foot-6 sophomore recorded a near double-double with nine points and 10 assists, with three steals to boot.

Fisher had a mini-McCaffery spurt to open the second half, featuring seven points in 83 seconds from the junior guard, getting the score to 37-40. 

However, much like the rest of the game, Brockport had an answer. Jack Clancy hit a three-pointer with 12:57 remaining to push the lead back to six.

Brockport completely flipped their shooting script when it mattered most, going 19 for 31 (61.3%) and making half of their three-point attempts in the second half.

Fisher had yet another punch to throw, making it 44-49 after another Jonathan McCaffery three with 8:29 remaining. Brockport responded with an instant 9-0 run, permanently flipping the momentum of the contest. 

For a game that was as close as 25-24, 37-40, and 44-49, it got to the point where empty possessions were too costly for Fisher down the stretch, especially factoring in them shooting just 3 of 10 from the free-throw line. 

The game had six lead changes and was tied or within a basket on several occasions, but Fisher never replicated an offensive surge the way that Brockport did.

For all the toughness Fisher put on display, such as creating 12 second-chance points, they could not consistently create good looks from the half court. When you begin a playoff game with 31.8% effective field goal percentage and 32.9% true shooting percentage, that is a bell you can’t unring.

Conversely, Brockport was lights out, but it wasn’t just the numbers; it was how and where that production came from. 

Five different Golden Eagles reached double figures, including Camron Dyer and Jack Clancy, who each scored 13 points off the bench.

In their likely final game as Cardinals, Max Schneider, Louis Fay and Christian Daley combined for 12 points.

Fisher ends its season going 13-14 overall and 8-8 in conference play. 

Jonathan McCaffery opened the season by saying, “We just have to be some dogs.” The dogs in question improved their win total by six games and were much more competitive in the Empire 8 with five more wins compared to last season. 

They were much better on the defensive end this season. The Cardinals cut down their opponents’ scoring by about 13 points (83.6 to 70.9), and the three-point defense had a big leap, going from allowing 41% last season to a little under 30% this season.

This year’s season preview ended with projecting the Cardinals to have “a lot of bark, with a bit of bite.” The good news? They aren’t done chewing.

Fisher potentially has a couple of strong years ahead if the development of second-team All-Empire 8 Conference center Maximus Michalski, guard Jack Janes, and guard Andrew Violante continues. 

All three increased their points per game averages, showing much maturity on and off the court. If one or more of the ascending sophomores can become a go-to scorer for Fisher, alongside its growing defensive identity, that will determine the ceiling of next season’s squad.

In a season that ended in a two-week stretch that caused high emotions from both ends of the spectrum, St. John Fisher will look to build on their slow but steady improvement in a post-Connor Williams era.