(Jovell Littlejohn helped lead East back to a 5th title game in six years / Photo by Harry Scull)

 

Tuesday night at Buff State saw three more teams advance to Section VI championship games.  Below are recaps of the two Class B2 semifinals and the first Class AA semifinal:

 

Fredonia 53, Wilson 48

 

The Hillbillies looked well in control of their Class B2 semifinal matchup with Wilson when they took an 18-point lead late in the third quarter.  But in a true test of the character of the Lakemen, they refused to hang their heads and stop hustling, and nearly stunned the #2 ranked small school in WNY in the closing minutes.

 

After Patrick Moore scored to put Fredonia up 41-23 with the game nearing the fourth quarter, Kyle Bradley scored his 21st point of the game and 10th of the third quarter on a 3-pointer.  The trifecta ignited the crowd, which at the time was really taking a liking to the 'Kyle Bradley Show'.  Moments later, Adam Murray hit another trey for the Lakemen to make it a 12-point game heading into the final stanza.  The strong contingent of Wilson fans responded in kind again, this time sensing their Lakemen were finally ready to make their run.  They did.

 

Evan Shank began the fourth by converting a three-point play.  Following a basket from Fredonia's Cam Voss, Bradley nailed a contested bomb from long range.  Wilson got a stop and Bradley come right back with another score for the Lakemen.  After Zach Sarratori scored a layup for the Lakemen, they got yet another stop.  Once again, the ball went to Bradley, who made a tough move toward the lane and finished, capping a 12-2 Wilson run that had nearly brought them all the way back, prompting a Fredonia timeout with a 3:14 remaining and a 45-43 lead.  With the place going nuts and all the monentum on the side of Wilson, particularly Bradley, the Hillbillies made a switch to zone defense.  It may have been what saved them.

 

After trading a pair of free throws with Wilson, Cam Voss got to the rack for the Hillbillies to make it 47-43.  Wilson's Joe Littere answered with a '3' and suddenly the Lakemen were within a point with 2:46 to go.  However, Fredonia's defense held strong over the closing minutes, and Bradley, who had been having his way, could no longer find space to maneuver.  Fredonia closed out the contest with a 6-2 edge, with Wilson's last points coming from the stripe with nine seconds left in the game.

 

Moore led Fredonia with 20 points, while Voss added 10 points.

 

Bradley finished with a game-high 30 points, with 19 of those coming in the second half.

 

East 59, Cleveland Hill 44

 

The Panthers spotted Cleveland Hill the game's first three points, then used a 19-4 run to take a double-digit lead on the top-seeded Golden Eagles.  East, who busted out the four corners offense and executed it well, never trailed in the contest and spent much of the second half playing with a comfortable lead..

 

Four different Panthers finished in double figures, led by Percy Bryant's 19 points.  Damone Brown scored 14 points, freshman Willard Anderson scored 13 points, and Jovell Littlejohn scored 12 points for East, who advances to a sixth straight Section VI championship game.

 

East will face Fredonia on Saturday at noon in the Class B2 championship game.  The Panthers are two-time defending champs of that classification.  The game will be a rematch of a contest the Hillbillies won handily at home two weeks ago.

 

Jamestown 71, Lancaster 35

 

Zack Panebianco scored 12 points and dished 10 assists to lead Jamestown to its sixth consecutive Class AA Final on Saturday night at 8:15 pm.  The Red Raiders, who will be seeking a third straight title, will face the winner of tonight's semifinal between Williamsville North and Niagara Falls.

 

Zacc Kinsey led Jamestown, who got all five starters in double figure scoring, with 16 points.  Ben Larson scored 12 points for the Red Raiders, while Stephen Carlson and James Rojas each scored 10 points.

 

-centercourt