The View From Centercourt

A class move for a class act prior to the Marauder victory

St. Joe's battle with Bishop Timon/St. Jude was a great game filled with memorable moments.  But the highlight of the game took place before the players even took the court for the opening tip.

 

 Peter Schneider, AD at St. Joe's, took the microphone and read a biography on the career and accomplishments of fellow AD Jim Palano, who also coaches basketball and baseball at Timon.  Palano announced earlier this month, that he would retire at the end of the year, following 39 years of service.

 

Following Schneider's words, Palano was presented with a new golf bag, a card, and a warm embrace from the Marauders' basketball and baseball coaches, Mark Simon and Paul Nasca.  Palano seemed moved by the unexpected presentation and appeared to quite humbled by the whole experience.  The brief ceremony drew several rounds of applause from the full gymnasium, including an extended standing ovation when the crowd realized Palano was being honored.

 

***

 

On the evening before it was revealed that the Marauders were the first unanimous number one large school of the season, St. Joe's defeated Timon in overtime, 57-54.  Reggie Agbeko scored with 1:07 remaining in regulation to force the extra session.  The Marauders had trailed by six points midway through the fourth, but closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to pull even with the Tigers.

 

The game began with an exciting first quarter that saw the lead change 12 times.  Kyle Kobis drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put his Tigers in front and they would maintain that lead for the rest of the half and into the third quarter. 

 

In overtime, Timon had its chances to extend the game further.  Kobis missed an open look from downtown with 30 seconds remaining in OT that would have given the Tigers the lead, and again missed a 3-pointer with just three ticks left, that would have tied the game.

 

Agbeko led the way for the Marauders, scoring 22 points, hauling in 19 rebounds, and blocking four shots.  Louis Oliveri added 17 points in the win.

 

Jordan Williams led Timon with 17 points, while DeMilo Gibbs added 15 points in the loss.

 

-centercourt

Poll Ballots - Week Six

As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools.  The polls are based on games played through Sunday of each week.  Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. St. Joe's (MMA) - The Canisius/Falls debate was fun while it lasted, but there is no argument for any team other than the Marauders at number one right now .

2. Canisius (MMA) - Not an enjoyable weekend for the Crusaders, who followed up a rivalry loss with a loss at Rochester East on Saturday.   Hosting Timon on Thursday is a must-win for both the league race and team morale.

3. Jamestown (AA) -  I considered the Red Raiders for number two because of the relative ease they've had in their victories this year. 

4. Niagara Falls (AA) - Now there's only five schools in the NFL that have yet to beat the new Falls.  They were without starter Ramir Burton and his backup, Stefon Caffee, in loss to Ken West.   It's still a game the Wolverines are capable of winning, and should have won.

5. Bishop Timon/St. Jude (MMA) - Very impressive win against Bishop Kearney, even if they didn't have 6-10 Chinonso Obokoh.  Still only number five because of home loss to St. Mary's just days earlier, and still behind NFHS, who beat them head-to-head.

6. Kenmore West (AA) - The sentiment this year has been that there is a clear top six in WNY.  When your resume reads only losses to Canisius & Falls and key win against Falls, it's time they joined the party...make it a top seven.

7. McKinley (A1) - The quality of the Ken West win trumps what the Macks have to offer and bumps them down a spot for now. Key Yale Cup matchup tonight has them hosting.....

8. Riverside (A2) - the Frontiers, who need to win tonight to avoid falling two games behind the Macks in the battle for the Cup. 

9.  Williamsville East (A1) - The Flames will attempt to run the table in ECIC II and grab the top sectional seed over the next three weeks.

10. Hutch-Tech (A1) - Picked up a nonleague win against Orchard Park on Friday and host East in a rematch of a one-point game the Engineers won earlier this year, this Friday.

 

Small Schools

1. Olean (B1) - Looking forward to seeing the Huskies in action again tonight for the biggest game Olean has hosted in a long time.

2. St. Mary's (MMA) - Looking forward to seeing the Lancers tonight as well (at Walsh  at 6:30, which is right around the corner from Olean).   They were so impressive in their win at Timon, that I honestly think they have a legitimate chance of being the first small school to win the Manhattan Cup since Nichols did in 2007.

3. Tonawanda (B1) - They continue to trail OTC/MEC in the poll and I'm not sure why.  The Warriors are unbeaten, including a win over East Aurora, who beat OTC/MEC.

4. OTC/MEC (C1) - Continue to show separation between them and the rest of Yale Cup II with a solid win against MST Seneca on Friday.

5. Depew (B1) - The Wildcats need a big second half in ECIC III for any shot at the title, beginning this Friday when they host Amherst, who already handed them one loss.

6. East (B1) - The last time the Panthers were sitting this far under the radar, WNY basketball blogs were non-existent.

7. Wilson (B2) - The Lakemen must be feeling a little uneasy about the week ahead - at Medina, who took Wilson to OT in the first meeting, and at Newfane, who has rolled through the N-O since losing at Wilson and has a score to settle.

8. Archbishop Walsh (MMA) - If the Eagles are primed for an upset, this is the week to do it with St. Mary's coming to their little gym.

9. Silver Creek (C2) - The Black Knights suffered long enough for their loss to Randolph (their only loss of the season) and return to this ballot after picking up a big win against Portville.   

10. Dunkirk (B1) - With Silver Creek returning to my top ten, it only left one spot open.  I couldn't see having one but not the other between MST Seneca and I-Prep, and since Seneca just lost again on Friday, I dropped both.  That made room for these Marauders, who are very highly touted by those who have watched them.  Only one loss (to Olean by three) and a lot of blowout wins.  I will finally see them tonight, so expect some movement in one direction or another next week, based on what I see tonight.

 

-centercourt

Top games of the week ending 2/5/12

Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:

 

Monday, January 30th

Bishop Timon/St. Jude @ St. Joe's - 7 pm

 

Tuesday, January 31st

Riverside @ McKinley - 6 pm

City Honors @ I-Prep - 6 pm

St. Mary's @ Archbishop Walsh - 6:30 pm

Wilson @ Medina - 6:30 pm

Lockport @ North Tonawanda - 7 pm

Dunkirk @ Olean - 7:30 pm

Amherst @ Depew - 7:30 pm

Silver Creek @ Cassadaga Valley - 7:30 pm

 

Thursday, February 2nd

East @ Riverside - 6 pm

Hutch-Tech @ McKinley - 6 pm

I-Prep @ Emerson - 6 pm

Bishop Timon/St. Jude @ Canisius - 6:30 pm

Wilson @ Newfane - 6:30 pm

 

Friday, February 3rd

East @ Hutch-Tech - 6 pm

City Honors @ Emerson - 6 pm

North Tonawanda @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

I-Prep @ OTC/MEC - 7 pm

Jamestown @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm

East Aurora @ Amherst - 7:30 pm

 

Game of the Week - Dunkirk @ Olean on Tuesday, January 31st

- For nine consecutive years, the Olean Huskies were the league champions in CCAA I.  That streak was ended last season, when Dunkirk swept its two-game series with the Huskies and ran the table during league play.

It didn't take Olean long to return to not only the top of its league, but to the highly regarded powerhouse program you associate with Husky basketball.  They've sat at the top of the small school poll all season, with a win at St. Mary's and rout of East reaffirming their ranking.

  Aside from their loss to Section V's Batavia, the Huskies have plowed through the competition with one exception - the first meeting with the Marauders.  Olean's visit at Dunkirk was its closest game of the season, and although they led by nine after three quarters, they only got out of there with a three-point win.

Dunkirk seems to have picked up right where they left off last year, when they won 19 straight games.  With the exception of their loss to Olean, the Marauders are once again a clear cut above the teams they have faced.  They have an overall record of 12-1, and their closest game was a  15-point win. 

This game will feature two teams starving for some competition.  Neither team has faced a real test in a month, and likely won't again before the start of sectionals.  This is the one that both schools have been waiting for.  Dunkirk wants to at least keep a share of the league title, while Olean has a nine-year streak to begin chasing...and they don't want any company.  Not to mention, the top seed in Class B1 is also at stake.

Two words - road trip!

 

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St. Joe's is headed for number one...after beating them

To be the best, you have to beat the best.  In one week, St. Joe's beat Aquinas, the number one school in Section V, and then last night beat WNY's top ranked school, Canisius.  The Crusaders entered the game with nine of the ten first place votes, with Joe's receiving the other.  We haven't had a unanimous number one in the large school poll yet this season.  That may change this weekend.

 

 

The Marauders used an active zone defense, a balanced scoring attack, and a strong fourth quarter run to defeat Canisius, 78-72, before a sold out and wildly energetic rivalry crowd at St. Joe's.  On the same night, second ranked Niagara Falls was upset at home by Kenmore West, paving the way for the third ranked Marauders to make an unobstructed move to the top ranking in WNY.

 

For three quarters, the finest rivalry in WNY was an epic battle that went back and forth.  After an exciting first quarter that saw eight lead changes and two ties, St. Joe's used a 10-0 run to take a 21-12 lead in the second.  The Marauders never trailed in the second quarter and led by eight in the final minute of the half, but the Crusaders scored the last five points of the half to cut it to 30-27 at the break.

 

Matt MacDonald drilled a '3' at the 5:15 mark of the third to put Canisius back in front.  The lead would change five more times during the quarter, before heading to the final stanza with St. Joe's clinging to a 49-48 lead.

 

After spending considerable time on the bench in foul trouble, Reggie Agbeko spurred a 15-4 St. Joe's run to start the fourth quarter, that would put the game away.  Agbeko scored eight of his 10 fourth quarter points during the decisive run, and grabbed several key rebounds along the way.  With just over three minutes to play, the Marauders had a 66-53 lead.  Leading by nine in final seconds, Aaron White hit an uncontested 3-pointer at the buzzer.

 

Louis Oliveri had a great game, connecting on six of 11 from the field and eight of 11 from the free throw line.  He led five Marauders in double figures, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds.   Jordan Glover scored 13 points with six assists, Agbeko had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Jaylen Morris scored 12 points and pulled down five boards, and Daniel Maher posted 11 points.

 

Adam Weir scored a game-high 22 points in the loss, 11 of which came in the game's final three minutes.  Matt Hart added 19 points for the Crusaders.

 

Canisius travels to Rochester East tonight to face the Orientals at 8:30 pm, while St. Joe's is back in action on Monday night, hosting Bishop Timon/St. Jude at 7 pm.

 

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The Next Level: Tracking WNY's Former Prep Stars

Something that's been suggested to me many times is a post on the college careers of WNY's former high school players.  So I decided to provide a list of any former player currently on a college roster.  Those who wish to, can now use the comments section to provide updates on the players and discuss their progress at the next level. 

 

If you know of someone who played high school basketball in WNY and is now currently on a college roster, but isn't listed below, send me an email at: [email protected]  Please include the high school attended the player attended and the year he graduated.

 

 

NCAA Division I

North Dakota

Jamal Webb - East, 2008

 

Michigan

Blake McLimas - Hamburg, 2008

 

University @ Buffalo

Will Regan - Nichols, 2010

Dave Barnett - East Aurora, 2006

 

St. Bonaventure

Jake Houseknecht - Olean, 2008

Zach Moore - Olean, 2007

 

University of Toledo

James Ewing - Cardinal O'Hara, 2008

 

Youngstown State

Fletcher Larson - Jamestown, 2010

 

South Carolina State

Keron Briggs - Sweet Home, 2010

 

University of Idaho

 Mansa Habeeb - McKinley, 2009

 

Niagara University

Paul Kowalski - St. Joe's, 2008

 

Alabama A & M

Jerome Hunter - Buffalo Arts

Reginald Martin - Cardinal O'Hara

 

Canisius

Tyler Funk - Clarence, 2011

 

 

NCAA Division II

LeMoyne

Chris Secky - Maple Grove, 2010

 

West Virginia Tech

Rashon Tabb - Niagara Falls, 2008

 

Edinboro University

Sam Moore - Olean, 2008

Alex Moore - Olean, 2010

 

Urbana University

Dyrell Dolson - Niagara Catholic, 2008

 

 

NCAA Division III

Medaille

Phil Maiarana - St. Joe's, 2008

Steve Bryant - Timon, 2008

Dave Shuey - Newfane, 2008

Anthony Battaglia - Depew, 2009

Tyler Stevens - Depew, 2009

Joe Palumbo - Olean, 2010

Alec Short - Akron, 2010

Sean Bellomo - Lake Shore, 2010

Nate O'Donnell - Kenmore West, 2010

Phil Stasiak - Williamsville South - 2011

 

SUNY Fredonia

Damien Goodwin - East, 2008

Julius Bryant - Hutch-Tech

Nick DeWaters - Roy-Hart, 2008

Devin Case - Roy-Hart, 2008

Markus Williams - Niagara Wheatfield

Amir Billups - Starpoint, 2008

 

Alfred University

Terrell Rankin - Sweet Home, 2007

Josh Parker - Sweet Home, 2006

 

Nazereth

Dominique Kendrick - Jamestown, 2007

Jake Fladd - Frontier, 2008

 

SUNY Geneseo

Gordon Lyons - Canisius, 2011

Abe Miller - City Honors, 2008

 

Utica College

Aaron Nevins - Cansisus, 2011

 

Hobart

Connor Rehbaum - St. Joe's, 2011

 

Pitt-Bradford

Tyler North - Westfield, 2010

Jeff Engels - West Valley, 2010

Derrek LeBlanc - Salamanca, 2009

 

Buffalo State

Justin Mitchell - Timon, 2008

Justin Stokes - OTC/MEC, 2010

Maurice Miles - Hutch-Tech, 2011

Seth Runge - Springville

 

D'Youville

Greg Osika - Depew, 2008

Erik Prophet - City Honors, 2008

Jake Maryniewski - Depew, 2010

Ricky Coburn - Depew, 201o

Raysean Johnson - Grover Cleveland

Jeff Curry - Lafayette

Anthony Wiechec - St. Francis

Kenny Farley - Buffalo Arts

Josh Domros - Hutch-Tech

Kevin Ford - Amherst

 

 Midland CC (TX)

Kelvin Agee - Niagara Falls, 2009

 

Hilbert College

Dan McFarland - St. Mary's, 2009

Mike Jones - West Seneca West, 2011

Cody Troutman - Pine Valley, 2008

Mike Maritato - Kenmore West, 2008

Barry Mason - Cassadaga Valley, 2010

Chris Hoak - St. Francis, 2008

 

RIT

Ron Canestro - Nichols, 2010

Brendan Reinert - Starpoint

 

Vassar College

Jonathan Safir - Williamsville North, 2011

 

St. John Fisher

Thad Wier - East Aurora, 2009

Ryan Andrew - Cattaraugus Little Valley, 2010

Peter Notaro - St. Mary's, 2011

Grant Wrap - Frontier, 2009

Jason Norsen - Frontier, 2009

 

NAIA Division 1

Union University

AJ Roberts - Niagara Catholic, 2008

 

 

NAIA Division 2

Daemen College

Devon Dawson - St. Joe's, 2006

Jim Regan - Nichols, 2008

Chandler Williams - McKinley, 2008

Troy Nowak - Orchard Park, 2010

Aaron Davis - North Tonawanda, 2010

Mark Coppola - Williamsville South, 2010

 

Houghton

Michael Bova - Westfield, 2011

Chris Enlow - Panama, 2011

 

 

NJCAA

Monroe College (Bronx)

Davon Marshall - Niagara Falls, 2010

 

NCCC

Tyler Trusdell - Wilson, 2011

Connor Vandegriff - Nichols, 2010

Lorenzo Joseph - Niagara Catholic, 2010

Dave Pascucci - Niagara Falls, 2011

Vince Kazmierczak - St. Mary's, 2010

Marc Morreale - Lew-Port, 2011

Jake Hughes - Niagara Wheatfield, 2011

Jerome Matthews - Niagara Catholic

 

ECC

Darale Young - OTC/MEC, 2010

Shannon Haynes - Lockport, 2010

 

JCC - Jamestown Campus

Kenny Stokes - Niagara Falls, 2010

Corey Raymond - Frewsburg, 2011

 

JCC - Cattaraugus Campus

Ryan Carney - Olean, 2010

 

Monroe CC

Marcus Feagin - Niagara Falls, 2011

Isaiah Jefferson - Riverside, 2010

   

Alfred State

Darin Butts - Jamestown, 2011

Antonio Avery - McKinley, 2011

Kadeem Hillman - I-Prep @ Grover, 2011

 

 

  

 -centercourt

St. Mary's shoots down Timon

Just 2:09 into the first quarter, Bishop Timon/St. Jude was already up 9-0 on visiting St. Mary's.  As the teams walked to their benches because the Lancers needed a timeout, the Timon student section chanted "start the busses".   If the driver was listening, the Lancers sure had a warm place to celebrate all the way back to Lancaster.

 

The Lancers dropped ten 3-pointers on Timon and shot 65% in the second half, as the second ranked small school topped WNY's fourth ranked large school, 73-71.  Devin Redden scored 21 points, including the last four for the Lancers, and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.   St. Mary's got 14 points from Erik Simmons, Nicc Johnson came off the bench to score 11, and Nate Meyers added 10. 

 

For St. Mary's, it's a big league win on the road, over a highly touted large school.  It also marks the Lancers second win of the season against a ranked large school (the first was a 15-point win over Hutch-Tech).  

 

In games against Canisius and St. Joe's earlier this season, St. Mary's dug itself a double-digit third quarter deficit, before putting together a late rally to pull within three and six points respectively.  However, last night with the game tied at the half, the Lancers took control of third quarter.  With 5:58 remaining in the third, a 3-pointer by Ryan Winnicki put St. Mary's in front and they would never trail again in the game.  The Lancers went up by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter. 

 

For the Tigers, it's a tough loss on the heels of a brutal upcoming schedule.  Timon still has two games apiece against Canisius and St. Joe's.  Timon was 0-5 against those two last season and hasn't earned a victory over a ranked large school in WNY since the 2009-2010 season.  They also have nonleaguers coming up against Section V powers Aquinas and Bishop Kearney. 

 

Kyle Kobis led the Tigers with a game-high 25 points, Jordan Williams scored 20 points, and DeMilo Gibbs added 19 points.

 

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Poll Ballots - Week Five

As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools.  The polls are based on games played through Sunday of each week.  Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. Canisius (MAA) - Watching the Crusaders fourth quarter scoring surge against Cathedral Prep erased any doubt I had left as to which team deserved to be ranked number one.  I wrote last week that Canisius passed the ball better than any team in WNY, and that's exactly how they defeated the Ramblers.  Whether in transition or a half court set, the Crusaders unselfishly find the open shooter and bury their shots.  Even when Matt MacDonald was scorching the basket in the fourth quarter, he passed up a good look to swing it to Matt Hart, who had an even better look, and drilled it. 

2. Niagara Falls (AA) - I asked Cathedral Prep's AD and Burger King Classic director, Bill Flannigan, which team he thought was better during the Canisius game.  He said the two were so close, we were lucky to have that topic up for debate.  I agree, and think the Canisius/Falls...Falls/Canisius topic has been the best topic of debate this season.  For now, NFHS deserves to fall a spot.

3. St. Joe's (MMA) - The Marauders are the proud new owners of the most significant win by a WNY team this season.  Trust me, the Aquinas team they beat is a really good one - just ask Bishop Kearney or Canisius.  The Lil Irish have four players on their team who will play Division 1 athletics next year.  There's room at the top of this ballot if the Marauders win on Friday night. 

4. Jamestown (AA) - Drop one spot as St. Joe's moves up.  If the Red Raiders had beaten Aquinas, they'd have gotten a bump too.

5. Bishop Timon/St. Jude (MMA) - The stretch run begins this week for the Tigers with St. Mary's visiting tonight and Bishop Kearney coming in on Friday.

6. McKinley (A1) - Handed East its biggest league loss in the last two seasons.

7. Kenmore West (AA) - Unbeaten through a round of the non-Falls portion of the NFL schedule.  Visit the Wolverines on Friday with a share of first place at stake.

8. Riverside (A2) - With both meetings against McKinley still ahead, the Frontiers top win remains against Hutch-Tech. 

9. Williamsville East (A1) - The Flames are amidst a 10-game win streak since losing to St. Joe's in early December.

10. Hutch-Tech (A1) - May need to run the table in the second half of its league schedule for a shot at the Yale Cup.

 

Small Schools

1. Olean (B1) - Let's see, I mentioned they should go independent next year and that they will likely top the polls for the next three years.  I'm running out of things to say in this space, so I'll just quote their fans - Huskies, Huskies, Go-Go-Go!

2. St. Mary's (MMA) - Lost to St. Joe's by six and to Canisius by three.  The Lancers get their last chance to knock off one of the "Big 3" tonight when they travel to Timon. 

3.  Tonawanda (B1) - The only team in WNY that has yet to taste defeat. 

4. OTC/MEC (C1) - If the Kats can take care of business Friday against MST Seneca, they'll have completed the first round of league play unscathed.

5. Depew (B1) - After second straight loss this week, the Wildcats have lost the momentum of their tournament championship win against the Lancers.

6. East (B1) - Were really missing speedy point guard Johnathon Lewis in their loss at McKinley.  I'm keeping them here, ahead of the Lakemen, for beating Riverside - who beat Wilson by 19.

7. Wilson (B2) - There are some very good players in the N-O league, but I think the Lakemen benefit from having the league's best player in point guard Tyler Martin.

8. Archbishop Walsh (MMA) - Led at halftime and trailed by just a point entering the fourth quarter at St. Joe's last week.

9. MST Seneca (C2) - The loss to City Honors dropped them two spots 0n this ballot.  The Indians will be on the move again on next week's ballot - which direction depends on how they do against OTC/MEC on Friday.

10. I-Prep (C2) - Slide down a spot to stay behind MST Seneca and to allow Walsh to move up. 

 

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Canisius & St. Joe's set the stage for rivalry game with big wins

Saturday afternoon featured a pair of nonleague games between catholic teams that held a high level of interest for those following the WNY hoops scene.  Canisius hosted Cathedral Prep, who a week earlier defeated Niagara Falls, the team keeping the Crusaders from being a unanimous number one in the large school poll.  St. Joe's hosted Aquinas, who boasted wins at Canisius and against Bishop Kearney - a team that opened its season by knocking off Falls.  At the end of the day, the results only ramped up the excitement for a game that's already flooded in hype...the Canisius/St. Joe's rivalry.

 

Canisius scored 37 points over the final 10 minutes against the visiting Ramblers, in a 71-59 victory.  The Crusaders led by five at halftime, but a 13-0 run by the Ramblers put Canisius behind by eight points with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter.  After the Crusaders responded with a pair of buckets, junior Matt MacDonald put on a shooting display.

 

MacDonald canned five of his six 3-pointers during a three-minute span between the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters to ignite the strong finish from Canisius.  Adam Weir and Aaron White would add traditional three-point plays over the next minute in helping to put the Crusaders in front 63-48 by the 4:49 mark in the fourth.  MacDonald and Matt Hart would add treys in the final two minutes of the game to help cap off the late-game scoring explosion.

 

MacDonald finished with a game-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  Weir scored 20 points, while White netted 16 points and dished 10 assists.

 

*****

 

As the buzzer sounded to end the half, Jordan Glover's three-quarter court heave found its way into the basket, only to be waved off.  As it turns out, the Marauders didn't need any Lil Irish luck, because on Saturday they were simply the better team.

 

St. Joe's outscored Aquinas in all four quarters and handed the fifth ranked Class AA team in the state a 67-58 loss.  Reggie Agbeko, Louis Oliveri, and Kyle Briggs each tallied 16 points in the victory for the Marauders.  Agbeko also pulled down 11 rebounds.

 

Agbeko and Briggs were each charged with the task of defending the top two players from the Lil Irish, in Division 1 signees Phil Valenti and Christian White.  The pair were held to nine and ten points respectively.  The game's most exciting play came in the fourth quarter, when Briggs lobbed a pass for Agbeko in transition that was finished with a two-handed flush.

 

-centercourt

 

 

 

 

Top games of the week ending 1/29/12

Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:

 

Monday, January 23rd

Nichols @ Walsh - 6:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 24th

St. Mary's @ Bishop Timon/St. Jude - 7:30 pm

 

Wednesday, January 25th

MST Seneca @ Holland - 6:30 pm

 

Thursday, January 26th

North Tonawanda @ Kenmore East - 7 pm

 

Friday, January 27th

Orchard Park @ Hutch-Tech - 5:45 pm

Kenmore West @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

Canisius @ St. Joe's - 7 pm

Bishop Kearney @ Bishop Timon/St. Jude - 7 pm

MST Seneca @ OTC/MEC - 7 pm

Newfane @ Albion - 7 pm

Portville @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm

Jamestown @ Clarence - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 28th

Canisius @ Rochester East - 8:30 pm

 

Game of the Week - Canisius @ St. Joe's on Friday, January 27th

- On a Friday night loaded with games I'd like to see, there's an easy choice for the one to be at.  WNY's biggest rivalry returns to the hardwood for round one, on the heels of a big Saturday for both teams.

The last time these two faced each other was the 2011 Manhattan Cup championship game, a thriller won by Canisius, 57-53.  The regular season saw the teams split their two meetings, with the road team victorious in both.

Canisius has owned the series recently, winning nine of the last 11 against the Marauders and four in a row at Kenmore Avenue.  The Crusaders have also played for the last three Manhattan Cups, winning in 2009 and 2011, while St. Joe's last won it in 2008.

If you want to be part of the experience on Friday, you'll need to arrive early - this game is a guaranteed sell out. The tip is scheduled for 7 pm, part of a freshmen & JV triple-header.

 

-centercourt

 

Random Smatterings - Round 3

 The Aquinas Lil Irish have an actual irish adult little person dressed as a leprechaun, and during timeouts, the team's mascot would come on the court to invoke the crowd.  I think more schools should use real mascots.  Hopefully schools like Maple Grove, Timon, or JFK read this and take action.

 

Grand Island freshman Quinn Carey scored a game-high 25 points in a 62-57 loss to North Tonawanda.

 

Depew trailed Springville 7-0, before a 26-0 run propelled the Wildcats to a 61-34 win.

 

Blake Fisher of Iroquois tied the school record for 3-pointers in a game with six, as the Chiefs defeated Lake Shore, 69-60.

 

At the MLK Classic against City Honors, a Lackawanna guard brought the ball a few feet over half court and as his defender sagged off of him, Steelers' coach Tim Foley called out to his guard "don't pick up your dribble".  The dribble was picked up, almost on cue, and the player was trapped.  Foley had a seat next to him waiting for the player. 

 

Lamont Little had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists to lead Riverside past Bennett, 60-48.

 

During the Section V thriller between Aquinas and Bishop Kearney, AQ guard Jahmahl Pardner and BK guard Antwoine Anderson were near the sideline, awaiting an inbounds pass.  Some AQ fans yelled to Pardner, "make him go right, he can't go right, he has no right".  Anderson turned to the fans, and with a wink and a smile, said "I know".

 

Aaron Frasier scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished eight assists in MST Seneca's 76-75 win over I-Prep.

 

Jesse Lalka became Tonawanda's all-time leading scorer with a 21-point effort in the Warriors 46-41 win at Lackawanna.

 

At the MLK Classic, I watched a player do the slap the ground thing, to indicate he was really going to D-up.  Then the guy he was guarding blew past him, scored, and drew a foul.  What's up with the ground slap anyway?

 

East Aurora senior Stan Wier scored 28 points and ripped 20 boards to will his Blue Devils past OTC/MEC in overtime, 68-61.

 

Riverside big man Mike Leonard had 16 rebounds and 11 blocks in the Frontiers' 68-63 win against Hutch-Tech.

 

OTC/MEC coach Randall Rich needs a normal sized dry erase board.  He brought a massive board that needed a tripod to prop it up to the MLK Classic.  It had to be placed sideways between chairs during the game and served as a partition between two players.

 

Justin Bangert had 19 points and 15 rebounds, both career-highs, to lead Williamsville North past Clarence, 68-59.

 

If Olean doesn't lose again before March, what would St. Mary's have to do to move past them in the small school poll?  If they had beaten Canisius?  If they win at Timon?

 

Milton's Shaquille Johnson dunked seven times against Niagara Falls, in going 9-11 from the floor.  Three of those dunks are the top three dunks I've ever seen in a high school game.  They included a take-off from the free throw line, a windmill, and a soaring two-hander where his face was level with the rim before throwing it down.

 

Stan Wier was awarded "McShea is God 2012 POY" after being named 2nd Team All-WNY in 2010.  Congratulations to Stan.  Only one spot remains on his first team next  to Wier, Aaron White, Jonathan Lewis, and Sterling Taplin. 

 

 

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Poll Ballots - Week Four

As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools.  The polls are based on games played through Sunday of each week.  Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. Niagara Falls (AA) - A busy week for the Wolverines saw them play four games in five nights.  I can't see another team from WNY competing with Milton as well as NFHS did, and that was without the services of starter Tikere Ralands, who missed this week with an ankle injury.  It's difficult to gauge the loss to Cathedral Prep, who used the stall ball tactic thanks to no shot clock in PA.  I'm happy to report that there is a fully functional three-point line in gyms throughout PA.

2. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders found themselves in a couple battles with local teams this week.  I haven't seen a team locally that passes the ball as well as Canisius. They welcome a team to Deleware Ave. on Saturday in Cathedral Prep, that also moves the ball very well.

3. Jamestown (AA) - Frontier has been one of the better teams in ECIC I, and the Red Raiders beat them by 46 points.

4. Bishop Timon/St. Jude (MMA) - The news that Jim Palano plans to retire after this season should give the Tigers extra incentive for the rest of this year.   Timon's remaining schedule is back-loaded, meaning we'll have to wait a couple more weeks for things to really heat up in South Buffalo.

5. St. Joe's (MMA) - Hopefully they got all that good will out of their systems after the China game, because Aquinas visits on Saturday and they'll need their grittiest performance of the season to beat the Lil Irish.

6. McKinley (A1) - The Macks  are off and rolling in the Yale Cup with a 4-0 mark and East coming to town on Wednesday.  They backed up their ranking with a solid showing against the Crusaders.

7. Kenmore West (AA) - Took care of NT last week, the team in the NFL that is contending for second place with them.

8. Williamsville East (A1) - The Flames look poised to take complete control of ECIC II tonight when they visit the Billies.

9. Riverside (A2) - Move ahead of the Engineers after beating them at home last week.  The loss at East keeps them from moving any higher at this point.

10. Hutch-Tech (A1) - A better body of work than East Aurora for the final spot.  Lost to St. Mary's by less and beat Cheektowaga, who beat the Blue Devils.

 

Small Schools

1. Olean (B1) - Does anyone out there think the Huskies will move from this spot before December 2014?

2. St. Mary's (MMA) - The Lancers are riding a three-game losing streak and moved back to number two on this ballot.  The strong finish against Canisius was impressive, and looking back, so is their body of work - A 15-point win over Hutch-Tech and 20+ point wins over Frontier, Wilson, East Aurora, Alden, Burgard, and City Honors.

3. Tonawanda (B1) - Still unbeaten and after they face Holland, will be halfway through the ECIC IV schedule.  They aren't a deep team and they lack size across the board, but they do have one of the best players in WNY in Jesse Lalka.

4. Depew (B1) - The loss at East Aurora drops the Wildcats behind Tonawanda, who beat them.

5. OTC/MEC (C1) - The Kats were unable to close out East Aurora at the MLK Classic and then fell victim to a "put the team on my shoulders" finish from Stan Wier.

6. East (B1) - Who are these guys? The team that beat Riverside and lost by one to Hutch-Tech, or the team that went to OT against Burgard?  The answer is both, something they'll have to work out before sectionals.

7. MST Seneca (C2) - Survived a thriller last week against I-Prep to stay unbeaten, thanks to 29 points from Aaron Frasier and a buzzer-beater by Javaughn McNab.

8. Wilson (B2) - The Lakemen make their debut on this ballot after 20-point wins over Newfane and Akron last week.  Their only losses are to Riverside and St. Mary's. 

9. I-Prep (C2) - Saw them twice in three days - a last second loss to MST Seneca and a win over Cheektowaga (who beat East Aurora).  The thought I had after seeing them...they're a top ten small school.

10. Archbishop Walsh (MMA) - Trailed St. Joe's by just one point after three quarters on Sunday before falling, 69-60.

 

 

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Top games of the week ending 1/22/12

Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:

 

Tuesday, January 17th

Medina @ Newfane - 6:30 pm

Wilson @ Albion - 7 pm

Williamsville East @ Williamsville South - 7 :30 pm

Clarence @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm

Panama @ Clymer - 7:30 pm

Kenmore East @ Kenmore West - 7:30 pm

 

Wednesday, January 18th

East @ McKinley - 6 pm

Hamburg @ Orchard Park - 7:30 pm

 

Thursday, January 19th

Clymer @ Sherman - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 20th

Wilson @ CSAT - 6:30 pm

Lockport @ Kenmore West - 7 pm

Portville @ Randolph - 7:30 pm

St. Francis @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm

Williamsville North @ Frontier - 7:30 pm

Cheektowaga @ Depew - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 21st

Cathedral Prep @ Canisius - 3 pm

Aquinas @ St. Joe's - 4 pm

 

Game of the Week - East @ McKinley on Wednesday, January 18th

- When you think of the top teams from the Yale Cup, these are likely the first two that come to mind, and for good reason.  Both teams make annual appearances in the semifinals at Buffalo State and each team has advanced to the Class A regionals twice in the last five years.

But look at the names engraved on the coveted Yale Cup trophy in the last five years: 2007 - East, 2008 - Grover, 2009 - East, 2010 - Middle College, 2011 - East.  That's right, McKinley hasn't finished higher than second in the city league since 2006.

This season, McKinley is the top ranked city team, currently the 6th ranked large school in WNY.  They have started 4-0 in league play, including a win over another ranked large school - Hutch-Tech.  East is a small school but competes with the big dogs, and also has beaten a ranked large school in Riverside.   

Well, there are no no dogs bigger or meaner than the Macks in the city this year.   These two teams are guaranteed to get after it, and if the crowd at Mack High is even close to as loud as they were last year, the atmosphere will be incredible.

 

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Crumpton shines against top competition in the Burger King Classic

In 2005, the Wolverines basketball team was a national power loaded players who would go on to compete at the Division 1 level.  This weekend, Niagara Falls traveled to Erie, PA to play in the Burger King Classic.  The Wolverines opponent on Friday night was Milton, a team from Georgia that is similar to the Falls team from '05. 

 

Milton entered the Classic ranked #15 nationally and after graduating a pair of Division 1 talents last year, boast four more in its starting lineup this season:

6-5 Shaquille Johnson - Auburn

6-6 Charles Mann - Georgia

6-8 Evan Nolte - Virginia

6-8 Tevin Glass - Ranked #81 by Rivals

 

Falls junior Jermaine Crumpton, who has been recruited to play for Canisius, was just a fourth grader in 2005 and never even saw the legendary Falls squad, that was declared National Champions by Hoops USA.   His performance against Milton at the BK Classic would have made that team proud and certainly got the attention of those in attendance at the Hammermill, located at Gannon University.

 

Crumpton scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, both game-highs, in helping Niagara Falls compete with the mighty Milton team for all four quarters.  Milton ultimately came away with a 76-55 victory, but needed all 32 minutes to create the 21-point margin of victory over Falls.   Milton would go on to win the Classic with a resounding 93-52 win against Jamesville-DeWitt, the four-time defending state champion in Class A in New York.  Falls fell in the consolation game to host Cathedral Prep, 65-60, in front of more than 1,500 fans.

 

"It was fun to play against that level of talent" Crumpton said.  "It's good for us defensively to play a team like that and it can only make us a better team". 

 

Even after a valiant effort against an elite opponent, Niagara Falls coach Sal Constantino talked of what they could have done differently to have gotten closer, but did offer high praise for Crumpton's recent play.

 

"Jermaine has been asserting himself more recently and he's getting more comfortable", Constantino said.  "He was really strong against Lockport on Thursday, and continued to assert himself for us tonight".

 

Crumpton acknowledged that he's made effort and assertion a priority since the team opened its season with a win over Bishop Timon-St. Jude, and that the team's success will hinge on the way they defend.

 

"Since the Timon win, I've been making sure to give a full effort every game.  That's how we have to play, we can't take any plays off and it all has to start on the defensive end for us", Crumpton said.

 

 

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BK @ AQ was one for the ages

Once in a great while, you see a game that is so spectacular, it becomes permanently burned into your memory.  You know, games like Falls/Fairport in '06, Depew/Lafayette in '07, and McKinley/South in '09.  I can now add last night's Section V thriller between Aquinas and Bishop Kearney to that list.

 

Everything about the game last night was memorable.  I arrived at Aquinas just after 6 pm and followed a convoy of cars making their way into the parking lot.  Signs on each side of the driveway leading in read SOLD OUT.  As I entered the packed foyer, there was an immediate buzz that comes with a bigtime game.  Beyond the staff taking tickets or checking you off the media list, there was a large stand selling Aquinas apparel next to a guy selling tickets to the rematch at Blue Cross Arena on February 1st.

 

Once I got myself into the gymnasium, I introduced myself to Aquinas AD Anthony Bianchi.  After explaining who I was and why I had made the trip, he was kind enough to set me up in a padded chair at the best seat in the house...court side and centercourt! 

 

Once seated, I was able to look around and take it all in.  The place was just jam-packed with plenty of support for both teams.  Each side had a large student section and each baseline was filled with a loud and proud two-row cheerleading section. 

 

1st Quarter

Bishop Kearney jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the game's first minute by hitting its first three shots.  Aquinas got on the scoreboard at the 5:47 mark and answered back with six straight.  After trading buckets, BK built a 15-8 lead before AQ netted the last basket of the quarter.  BK standout, 6-7 Thomas Bryant, was kept off the scoresheet in the first eight minutes, but was active on the boards and blocked three shots.  Canisius commit, 6-7 Phil Valenti, scored six of AQ's eight points.

BK led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter

 

2nd Quarter

Bryant opened the scoring in the second to put BK up 17-10.  AQ scored the next five points and kept BK from scoring again until just 2:30 remained in the half.  After a field goal by Valenti cut the BK lead to 21-19, Kings guard Redell Freeman scored the final four points of the half.  After being involved in a double-technical foul call, Bryant headed to the locker room with three fouls and just two points.  AQ senior guard Christian White had trouble getting his shot to fall and was held scoreless in the half. 

BK led 25-19 at halftime

 

3rd Quarter

BK opened the quarter on a 7-1 run and around the four minute mark, Antwoine Anderson scored to give the Kings their largest lead of the game at 36-23.  With just 1:34 left in the quarter, AQ scored its first field goal of the stanza, a 3-pointer from White, which was also his first points of the evening.  It served as a spark for the Lil Irish, who then got a stop, and came right back with another long-range bomb from Kyron Allen.  AQ had closed out the quarter on a 9-0 run and were right back in the game.  Bryant went to the bench with 4:16 left in the quarter after picking up his fourth personal, with just four points.  Teammate Alvin English was also called for his fourth foul with 42 seconds left in the frame.

BK led 36-32 at the end of the third quarter

 

4th Quarter

A jumper by Freeman, followed by a steal and dunk from Anderson pushed the BK lead back to eight points, 40-32.  The action really began to heat up when White drilled his second 3-pointer at the 5:25 mark.  English answered it with a traditional three-point play, prompting White to can another from downtown, making it 46-42.  After BK notched the next three points, a strong inside move from Valenti with three minutes to play turned out to be a sign of things to come.  BK moved back in front 51-44, before Valenti willed his team's comeback.  Valenti scored the next three field goals in the game and grabbed a crucial offensive rebound following a missed free throw.  He had brought the Lil Irish all the way back and tied the game at 51-51.  However, Bryant got free under the basket and flushed one with 18 seconds to go.  Trailing by two in the game's final seconds, AQ looked to Valenti once again, who responded with an overtime-forcing basket with seven ticks left in regulation. Valenti had scored all ten of his fourth quarter points in the last three minutes.

The game was tied, 53-53, at the end of regulation

 

1st OT

Valenti sank a free throw to start OT and it was the first time AQ had led the entire game.  English was on the bench having fouled out in regulation and Bryant continued to play carefully with four fouls.  But in the first two minutes, BK converted a pair of three-point plays and by the 1:35 mark, had built a 63-57 lead.  With just 25 seconds left, White hit a free throw and then watched his second miss and rebound into the hands of Valenti.  AQ connected on two more charity tosses from Allen, cutting the score to 63-60.  After BK's Anderson missed both of his attempts from the line, White took the ball straight to the hole to make it 63-62 with seven seconds on the clock.  Bryant then converted a pair of free throws that should have sealed the game for the Kings.  Instead, White drew an unneccessary foul in the backcourt and made it 65-64 BK with four seconds left.  After Bryant hit one of two from the line with three seconds left, AQ inbounded needing a miracle to survive...or another backcourt foul.  This time, with just :00.6 (point six seconds), White got a call from the refs at the same spot trying to get in over halfcourt.  He went to the line and sank them both.

The game was tied 66-66 after the first overtime

 

2nd OT

White scored to open the second OT and you could just tell that AQ had taken the lead for good.  With 2:04 left, Valenti and Bryant were hit with a double-foul, which disqualified Bryant.  Anderson scored five points in the session and twice pulled BK to within a point, but it wasn't to be.  The surest sign that AQ was meant to take this one was Jarron Jones sending a free throw in high off the glass, and then swishing his second.  BK was unable to get off a desperation '3' late and Valenti scored off a steal to seal the win.

Final Score after double overtime:  Aquinas 76, Bishop Kearney 71

 

Valenti finished with a game-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  White added 18 points after not scoring until late in the third quarter.

 

Anderson led BK with 19 points.   Bryant scored 15 points and blocked six shots, and Stanley Foster  chipped in 14 points.

 

** Some game notes

- BK was without 6-10 junior standout Chinonso Obokoh

- Bob Huggins was in attendance, scouting BK freshman Thomas Bryant

- It was a lot of fun watching AQ's Jahmahl Pardner and BK's Antwoine Anderson, a pair a gifted athletes, guard each other throughout the game.

- Future Notre Dame defensive lineman Jarron Jones set a pick on Anderson in the first quarter that dropped him to the floor.  Anderson may have been better off running into the wall.

- Thomas Bryant and Phil Valenti had a pre-tip stare down like you would see prior to a UFC fight. 

-  AQ runningback Billy Lombardi has a little brother who looks like the toughest twelve year old I've ever seen.

- BK starts a freshman (Bryant) and a sophomore (Foster) and has a JV team that could probably win a state championship in Class D.

- I highly recommend the rematch!

 

 

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Rivalry game is smooth sailing for Lakemen

Six straight home wins against Newfane.  There must be something in the water.   How else do you explain the way Wilson shows up to play when the Panthers visit?

 

On the same day that Newfane debuts in the small school poll for its attention-grabbing Williamsville Holiday Tournament championship, Wilson delivered the Panthers a message in no uncertain terms: we're not impressed. 

 

Wilson dominated Newfane right from the opening tip and turned a heated rivalry into a 32-minute party for the home faithful.  The Lakemen never trailed and outscored Newfane in all four quarters, en route to a 57-36 win. 

 

Newfane never seemed to settle in to the rivalry atomosphere and looked uncharacteristically tentative.  Wilson was anything but tentative, and took the role of aggressor on both ends of the court.

 

 After a promising 3-0 start, the Panthers fall to 4-2, with a 1-2 mark in the N-O.  Wilson is in sole posssesion of first place in the N-O at 3-0, and improves to 5-2 overall.

 

With its most recent win, Wilson has now taken six of the last seven, and nine of the last 11 from the Panthers.  It was the first time since 2006 that this rivalry has seen a margin of victory exceed 20 points.

 

Tyler Martin led Wilson with a game-high 15 points, while Dustin DiLaura and Pat Diez each finished with 11 points.  Junior Matt Baker came off the bench and scored all eight of his points in the third quarter and Pat Walch also netted eight points in the win. 

 

Sean Seefeldt scored 10 points in the loss and Bryan Geise added nine points.

 

 

-centercourt

 

 

Poll Ballots - Week Three

As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools.  The polls are based on games played through Sunday of each week.  Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. Niagara Falls (AA) - After seeing how good Bishop Kearney played without Chinonso Obokoh against Joe's, I place even more value on how well Falls played that BK team at full strength.  On Friday they get the herculean task of facing Milton (GA) in the Burger King Classic.  Check out these  highlights of Auburn bound Shaquille Johnson, just one of four Division 1 starters for Milton.

2. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders are ready for a test after throttling O'Hara and St. Francis by a combined 87 points.  We'll see if St. Mary's or McKinley is able to give them one this week.

3. Jamestown (AA) - One of the better stories of this season is the Red Raiders success despite losing two first-teamers from last season. 

4. Bishop Timon-St. Jude (MMA) - One of the best surprises this season has been the inside play the Tigers have gotten from DeMilo Gibbs.  He led Timon to a win as he scored 25 points against Walsh, who put its focus on limiting Kobis and Williams (a combined 16 points).

5. St. Joe's (MMA) - The Marauders own 20-point wins against Williamsville East and Buffalo East.  This week they go global, welcoming China's Shanghai Nanyang high school to Kenmore Avenue on Tuesday.

6. McKinley (A1) - The Macks passed the first of several tests in the Yale Cup with a win at Hutch-Tech.  They'll  have their hands full on Saturday.

7. Kenmore West (AA) - Only losses to the top two schools in WNY.  No other team has gotten to within 12 points of the Blue Devils.

8. Williamsville East (A1) - Hamburg totally stole the Flames' thunder by ending Williamsville South's ECIC II win streak.  Will East will now have to focus on ending the Billies league championship streak instead.

9. Clarence (AA) - After a big win over Frontier, the Red Devils are tucked in right behind Will East with a one-point head-to-head loss. 

10. Hutch Tech (A1) - Followed up a tough loss to McKinley by going into East and winning a tightly contested battle.

 

Small Schools

1. Olean (B1) - Is it outrageous to suggest that the Huskies should consider petitioning to play an independent schedule in the two seasons following this one?

2. Depew (B1) - After stunning the Lancers with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, the Wildcats dominated league rival Maryvale on the road. 

3. St. Mary's (MMA) - If there's a universal formula to apply when a team only losses by one on the road that would keep the Lancers in the second spot, I'm unaware of it.  For now, the Depew loss costs them one spot.

4. OTC/MEC (C1) - The Kats will have a chance to show everyone what they are made of when they face Stan Wier and the Blue Devils at the MLK Classic on Saturday.

5. East (B1) - How many small schools could beat Riverside?  Probably the four above the Panthers.  Like I said during the December beat downs, East will be just fine in the race for the Yale Cup.

6. Tonawanda (B1) - The first of three unbeatens in WNY.  I got my first look at the Warriors on Friday and came away quite impressed.  The best player in WNY that isn't being mentioned is Jesse Lalka.  More to come on him in the comments section.

7. Silver Creek (C2) - The second of WNY's unbeatens.  The unselfish style of the Black Knights is fun to watch.

8. MST Seneca (C2) - And the third.  Aaron Frasier is on a mission this year, and it continues Thursday when the Indians host I-Prep.

9. Newfane (B1) - They could have debuted much higher on this ballot if not for the loss to Albion.  They will fall off this ballot if they fail to end their five-year losing streak at Wilson.

10. Archbishop Walsh (MMA) - Wins over Portville, CSAT, Lackawanna, and Nichols was enough of a resume for me to give them the final spot.  Congratulations to Whelpley on his 2,000 career points.  The last guy to do that was Will Regan.

 

** With so many quality small schools vying for a place in the top ten, Panama and Dunkirk are left on the outside looking in.  For Panama, I had to consider whether the ten teams that got in would also have registered a pair of wins against Cassadaga Valley.  I believe they would have.

With Dunkirk, I wasn't ready to celebrate a loss.  Heck, in theory, a three-point loss to Olean makes them number two right?  Not really, or then we'd have to find a spot for Portville who only fell to the Huskies by nine (St. Mary's lost to Olean by eight).  East lost by 29, and I doubt anyone ranked Dunkirk ahead of them. 

A three-point loss to Olean would mean a lot more if there were any good wins to coincide with it.  Here's the list of schools Dunkirk has beat: Falconer, Eden, Brocton, Gowanda, Lake Shore, Frewsburg, and Southwestern.  Those seven schools have a combined 12 wins. 

 

-centercourt

Top games of the week ending 1/15/12

Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:

 

Monday, January 9th

Maple Grove @ Westfield - 7:30 pm

Panama @ Sherman - 7:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 10th

Newfane @ Wilson - 6:30 pm

Amherst @ Cheektowaga - 6:30 pm

Shanghai Nanyang @ St. Joe's - 7:30 pm

Canisius @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm

Frontier @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm

Clarence @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm

 

Thursday, January 12th

I-Prep @ MST Seneca - 6 pm

Hutch-Tech @ Riverside - 6 pm

Depew @ East Aurora - 6:30 pm

Tonawanda @ Lackawanna - 7 pm

Dunkirk @ Fredonia - 7:30 pm

Portville @ Cassadaga Valley - 7:30 pm

 

Friday January 13th

CSAT @ Medina - 6:30 pm

Akron @ Wilson - 6:30 pm

Newfane @ Barker - 6:30 pm

Burger King Classic @ Gannon University

Niagara Falls vs. Milton (GA) - 7 pm

 

Saturday, January 14th

MLK Classic @ City Honors

St. Francis vs. Tapestry Charter - 10 am

Lackawanna @ City Honors - 11:30 am

Cheektowaga vs. I-Prep - 1 pm

East Aurora vs. OTC/MEC - 3 pm

Canisius vs. McKinley - 4:30 pm

 

Game of the Week - Newfane @ Wilson on Tuesday, January 10th

- The Niagara-Orleans league is WNY's most competitive this season from top to bottom.  Any team in this league has the ability to beat another this year, and based on the nonleague results in the month of December, those are some quality teams. 

Now take a competitive league game and sprinkle a heated rivalry between last season's co-champs into the mix, and you've got your game of the week.  This one will once again live up to its billing with an electric atomosphere, no open seats, event staff all over the place, and a game on the court where every single possesion is treated by both the players and fans like the most important possesion of the season. 

For all the good teams Newfane has had in recent years, the Panthers haven't won a game at Wilson since 2006.  Since the 2005-2006 season, Wilson leads this series, 8-4 and has won two league titles, while Newfane has won four.  The Lakemen have taken 8 of the last 10, and five of the last six. 

Though this will be just the third of 14 league games for each team, the results of this one are certain to have a major impact on who takes the 2011-2012 N-O title.

 

-centercourt

Random Smatterings - Round 2

While reading the banners on the gymnasium walls during a timeout of the Silver Creek/Salamanca game, I learned that between 1984 and 1986, Silver Creek had a stranglehold on the CCAA Bowling scene.

 

Depew went seven for seven from 3-point land in the first quarter of its win against Lancaster.

 

Orchard Park trailed Clarence 39-16 at halftime, but scored 48 in the second half of a 70-64 loss to the Red Devils.

 

St. Joe's junior Daniel Maher picked up two fouls in the last two seconds of the first half of the Marauders win against St. Mary's.

 

Westfield's Austin Alonge scored a career-high 36 points in a win against Oracle Charter.

 

Leading Williamsville North 62-58 with just three seconds left, Williamsville South coach Al Monaco called a timeout to emphasize not fouling, saying "If your guy goes right by you, I won't even yell at you".

 

Aaron Frasier of MST Seneca scored 25 points and dished 10 assists as he eclipsed 1,000 career points during the Indians 78-45 win over Buffalo Science. 

 

St. Francis guard Cory Cullen is the celebrity look-alike of Sean Bruso.

 

Stan Wier tied the East Aurora school record for most points in one game when he finished with 40 points and 12 rebounds in the 73-32 Blue Devils win against West Seneca East.

 

Sean Seefeldt of Newfane was called for a technical foul and then later ordered to the bench for a few by referee Steve Allen in the Panthers 66-60 championship game win against St. Francis at the Williamsville Holiday Tournament.  As he passed by me on his way to the locker room following the all-tournament team presentation, he asked "Yo, how did I not get the sportsmanship award".

 

With just 15 seconds left in the game of Newfane's above mentioned win, a referee stopped the game because the shot clock was never started.

 

Archbishop Walsh senior Ryan Whelpley scored 27 points in a 58-40 win against Nichols to surpass 2,000 points for his career.

 

Trailing 41-34 in the third quarter, St. Joe's went on a 25-4 run and handed previously unbeaten Bishop Grimes its first loss.

 

This season holds the least suspenseful race for POY since Jonny Flynn was at Niagara Falls.

 

Only three teams from WNY still have undefeated records: Tonawanda, Silver Creek, and MST Seneca.

 

 

-centercourt

 

 

 

Ranking the small schools is no easy task

Voting in a high school basketball poll is supposed to get easier as the season goes on and results pour in.  The large school poll looks like it will be fairly straight forward, barring any major upsets before week's end.  The placement of teams 3, 4, & 5 and then 7, 8, 9, & 10 will vary among pollsters, but I think the top ten should be pretty clear cut by this weekend.

 

But the small school poll is an entirely different story.  After slotting Olean at the top, the grand debate can begin. 

 

Knowing that I have a ballot due this Sunday after a couple of weeks off, I tried to get an early jump on things by examining the results since the last Buffalo News polls were published on December 20, 2011.  Based on everything that has happened since the last polls, there are at least a couple teams who have made a strong case for poll consideration, but will get the snub.  Beyond some teams being left off entirely, I'd be willing to bet that the order of 2-10 is different on all ten ballots.

 

Last season, no ranked large school lost to a small school the entire season.  It has already occured three times this year - St. Mary's beat Hutch-Tech, Newfane beat Williamsville South, and East beat Riverside.

 

I have an idea of which direction I'm going as of today, until the games on Friday screw everything up again.  But I'm interested in what everyone else thinks about how the latest results should impact things.

 

Here's a look at how the small schools were ranked in the Buffalo News poll from December 20th and some things to consider since the last ballots were tallied on December 18th:

1. Olean

 2. St. Mary's lost at Depew and at St. Joe's - they beat Hutch-Tech, Alden, & City Honors

3. OTC/MEC  lost to St. Joe's, beat Buffalo Arts

4. Depew lost at Amherst, then beat Lancaster, St. Mary's, & Maryvale

5. MST Seneca beat Olmsted

6. Tonawanda improved to 8-0 with wins against Roy-Hart, East Aurora, and West Seneca West

7. East lost at St. Joe's and beat Riverside

8. Archbishop Walsh lost to Olean, beat CSAT, Pioneer, and Nichols

9. Panama lost a pair to teams from PA in a tourney, beat Brocton and Ripley

10. Silver Creek beat Salamanca and Cassadaga Valley

 

One thing is for sure, if St. Joe's were a small school, they'd be at least second with recent wins over St. Mary's, OTC/MEC,  and East.

 

Teams that weren't ranked include:

Newfane - won the Williamsville Holiday Tournament with wins at Williamsville South and against St. Francis, then lost to Albion.

Dunkirk - lost by three against Olean, beat Brocton and Frewsburg.

I-Prep - beat Tapestry and Emerson.

Maple Grove  - beat Pine Valley.

 

Digest all those results and tell me which teams should be ranked and in what order. 

Should St. Mary's fall for losing to Depew?  Does Tonawanda get a bump for being unbeaten and winning the West Seneca Tournament? How much stock do you put into East beating Riverside? Were the two big wins enough for Newfane, or was the loss against Albion a deal breaker (and what do we even know about Albion? 3-1 vs. Section V)? Is a close loss as good as a lack of quality wins for Dunkirk?  There are 14 teams listed above.  Which four should get the snub and why?

 

 

-centercourt

Top games of the week ending 1/8/12

Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:

 

Tuesday, January 3rd

St. Mary's @ St. Joe's - 7 pm

 

Wednesday, January 4th

Riverside @ East - 6 pm

McKinley @ Hutch-Tech - 6 pm

Depew @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 6th

Hutch-Tech @ East - 6 pm

OTC/MEC @ I-Prep - 6 pm

Tonawanda @ Cleveland Hill - 6:30 pm

Maryvale @ Amherst - 7:30 pm

Frontier @ Clarence - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 7th

St. Joe's @ Bishop Kearney - 1:30 pm

 

Game of the Week - St. Mary's @ St. Joe's on Tuesday, January 3rd

- The Lancers began the season on fire and quickly earned the respect of the WNY basketball community as not only an elite small school, but also a team that could contend in the Monsignor Martin this year.  Even after losing at home to Olean, St. Mary's remained the second ranked small school, as there seemed to be a separation between the top two and the rest.  Then the Lancers fell over the break to Depew in the Wilcats Tournament.

St. Joe's was thought to be a bit down this season, but so far, they have been anything but down.  The Marauders traveled to Syracuse over the break and scored a pair of wins against two quality opponents in Bishop Grimes and Syracuse CBA.  Not only has Reggie Agbeko been a cut above the talent pool in WNY this year, but his teammates have also been more than complimentary to his talents .

Tonight, league play begins in WNY's catholic league.  We'll find out if St. Mary's can rebound from its third loss and be a contender in the MMA or if the Marauders are a notch above them.

 

-centercourt