Branden Kellam is listed in the Jamestown basketball program at 6 feet, 5 inches tall and 190 pounds. Given that size, in combination with his God-given talents, it's easy to forget that he's only a sophomore.
But as the Red Raiders pass the halfway point of their regular season, Kellam has quietly put together an impressive personal resume.
Thursday night was merely the latest example as he posted his third straight double-double to lead Jamestown to an easy, 71-36, Erie County Interscholastic Conference Division 1 victory over West Seneca West.
Article Photos
Branden Kellam of Jamestown goes in for a layup past a West Seneca West defender during Thursday night’s ECIC Division 1 basketball game at the McElrath Gymnasium. See additional photos at cu.post-journal.com.
P-J photo by Scott Kindberg
The win improved the Red Raiders to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the league, heading into this weekend's Irondequoit Tournament. They'll meet Edison Tech of Rochester in a first-round game at 4:30 p.m., Sunday.
''We're looking forward to it,'' Jamestown coach Ben Drake said. ''We're going to have a couple of good games. Edison Tech is a different kind of opponent that presents some challenges we haven't faced this year. They're very athletic and they play in a very good league.''
Any scouting report on Jamestown would likely offer a similarly glowing assessment, particularly regarding Kellam, who has been dominant since the start of the new year. In fact, his 15-point, 10-rebound effort last night marked his third straight double-double, and since Jan. 5 he is averaging 14 points and 12.2 rebounds per outing.
''He's coming along,'' Drake said. ''He makes some really eye-opening plays at times, some very athletic plays and he has a soft touch around the basket. Sometimes he takes some plays off and that's what we've been preaching to him is being engaged every possession.''
Kellam showed that passion from the start against the Indians (6-5, 2-5), scored 13 of his 15 in the first half and played stellar defense.
''Branden played well at both ends of the floor,'' Drake said, ''especially defensively and especially off the ball, which is something we've had to work on with him.''
Jamestown's team defense was strong throughout, too, as the hosts blew the game open with a 27-3 run spanning the first and second quarters. The blitz featured 3-pointers, fastbreaks, strong post moves and a slam dunk courtesy of junior Quinn Lee Yaw.
By halftime, the Red Raiders led, 41-10, and the rout was on.
''We were trying to focus our efforts on the defensive end,'' Drake said, ''and I thought if we did that the offense would take care of itself. That's really what happened. We created some turnovers and some bad shots and we got some easy buckets as a result.''
Kellam, who shot 7-of-12 from the floor, led a balanced attack. Senior Tommy Campion had 12 points to push his career total to 887 points and into 10th place on the school's all-time list; sophomore Zack Panebianco had 10 points and three assists; junior Matt Hoaglund nine points; and junior Jacob McBride eight points and eight rebounds. Lee Yaw chipped in with six rebounds and junior Tre Frank had four assists.
Sophomore Frank Borzillieri had 13 points and senior Matt Wheelock added 10 for West Seneca West.
NOTES: Campion passed Dominique Kendrick (2004-07) to crack the top 10. Next on the list are Darin Butts (2007-11) and Blake Johnson (1993-96), who are tied at No. 9 with 898 points. ... West Seneca West shot only 13-of-44 from the field and was outrebounded 44-15. ... The Red Raiders' junior varsity improved to 7-1 following a 73-31 win over West Seneca West. Luis Castro led the way with 17 points and Nikk Holland had 12 for Jamestown.
WEST SENECA WEST (36)
Marshall 0 0 0, FBorzillieri 3 4 13, Blandin 0 0 0, MBorzillieri 3 0 6, Koehler 0 0 0, Walker 2 1 5, Ulmer 0 0 0, DiChristopher 0 0 0, Clancy 0 0 0, Wheelock 4 2 10, Hutton 1 0 2, Thitipak 0 0 0, Totals 13 7 36.
JAMESTOWN (71)
Panebianco 4 0 10, Kellam 7 1 15, Lee Yaw 2 0 4, Campion 4 2 12, Frank 0 0 0, Colwell 0 2 2, Sisson 1 2 4, McBride 4 0 8, Hoaglund 3 0 9, Park 1 1 3, Carlson 0 0 0, Totals 28 8 71.
3-point goals-FBorzillieri 3, Panebianco 2, Campion 2, Hoaglund 3.
West Seneca West 7 3 14 12 - 36
Jamestown 21 20 10 20 - 71
Jayvees: Jamestown 73, West Seneca West 31.