Picco slams way into Hornell record books, breaks all-time scoring record in home win

There was quite a buzz in the air Tuesday evening inside the Red Raider gymnasium as the boys basketball team played host to Pavilion.

It was the third game in five nights for the Red Raiders, who continue to hold the No. 1 seed in the Section V, Class B1 bracket.

Was the buzz just the fact the boys were finally back playing in Hornell? Not at all. The buzz was surrounding senior Gennaro Picco as the captain of the Raiders took to the court hoping to become the Hornell boys basketball program's all-time leading scorer.

The high-scoring Picco needed only three points to break the record entering the night as Pavilion did all it could muster up on defense and prolong the record-breaking bucket.

Picco found himself struggling to get loose for a shot in the opening quarter. But with 3:30 left in the opening quarter PJ Picco found himself with the ball on the left-hand side of the floor with his brother Gennaro Picco streaking towards the basket on the baseline. Coach Kirk Scholes couldn't have drawn up a better play for the brothers as PJ lofted the ball towards the basket high above the rim, Gennaro rose above the defenders and just missed the dunk but was able to skillfully guide the ball in for the record-setting bucket.

A record that has stood the test of time, a record that was established in 2006 by Scott Young with 1,375 points in his Red Raider varsity career.

“Tonight was a great night in HHS basketball history,” said coach Scholes. “Watching ‘G’ work every day for four years has been nothing but awesome. I don’t think he’s ever missed a practice. He goes hard every day, and he’s so humble. He’s been a joy to coach, not only because of his talent but also his willingness to work. This will be a night that, in 30 years he will look back on and remember how much fun he had with his teammates, family, and friends.”

Gennaro Picco became the all-time leading scorer in Hornell High School history with 1,376 points, breaking the record set 18 years ago by Young.

This is not a small feat. Picco is only the fourth boys basketball player in Hornell's long history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. He has done so in only four years at Hornell High School, one of which was a COVID-19 shortened season, while the other three 1,000-point scorers played their 8th grade year as well on varsity. Picco's 8th grade season on varsity came at Houghton Academy. He has scored over 1,600 points between the two schools.

Driven by all the family games in the driveway, the countless hours traveling for AAU games in the off-season and running sprints in the gym, Picco will go down as one of the best to play basketball at HHS.

He is also currently carrying a 100.41 GPA while never missing a full day of school. He also plays soccer and baseball for HHS.

Picco's moment was a top highlight among many for Hornell Tuesday as the Red Raiders cruised by Pavilion 81-38 to improve to 11-2 on the season.

PJ Picco led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Gennaro with 18. Aaron McInerney (11), Quinn Mauro (6), Wyatt Evingham (6), Nick Gray (6), Marco Picco (5), Demayne Dixon (5), Xzaiver Patrick (3), and Kellen Crowe (2) all scored for Hornell.

“I really liked how we played,” said Scholes. “We made a couple strides with the way we communicated defensively. I thought Aaron McInerney and Xzaiver Patrick really stepped up in that area. They were communicating every trip, and I thought it made us more connected.”

McInerney led the team with five defensive rebounds and five steals on the night.

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“PJ led us offensively with 19 points, and I thought we shot the ball well from the perimeter," said Scholes. "Pavilion did a good job protecting the rim. The kids did a good job of getting paint touches and getting kick-outs off of it. We knocked down 13 threes, which is a really great number.

“I loved that everybody got into the scoring column tonight,” added Scholes, “and I thought our bench gave us really good minutes throughout the game.”

Hornell hosts Aquinas Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

“We are getting to the point where we have under a month left in our season," said Scholes. "How much better can we get in the next month is the question. We always talk about growing individually and collectively as a team. These next few weeks are so important to who we become in February and March.”

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Gennaro Picco breaks Hornell's all-time scoring record in home win