Scores from the Cataract City Classic

 

 

Williamsville North 66, Timon 50

Game MVPs - Maceo Jack (North), Tyler Ringwood (Timon)

- Maceo Jack scored a game-high 26 points, four of which brought the crowd to a roar following a pair of power dunks.  It was revenge for the Spartans, who lost their opener on the same floor to Timon last season.  The Tigers showed the effects of a team that has had little practice time, while North appeared to eager to establish the identity of a team that hopes to find continued success in the absence of five-year varsity star Sterling Taplin.

 

Liverpool 70, Cardinal O'Hara 64

Game MVPs - Donel Cathcart (Cardinal O'Hara)

 Donel Cathcart filled up the rim to the tune of a game-high 31 points for the Hawks in the loss.  Liverpool is a Class AA team from the Syracuse area that competes in Section III.  O'Hara was coming off a loss to East from the prior night at the Pastor-Cooper Showcase, but showed considerably more focus and energy in its second contest, despite coming out on the losing end.

 

Vaughan 78, Niagara Falls 51

Game MVPs - Qeyion Williams (Niagara Falls) 

Niagara Falls never shys away from playing top competition and its season opener against Vaughan out of Ontario was no exception.  The Canadian school is the seventh-ranked team in its country and alma mater of Andrew Wiggins.  Considering the Wolverines start four underclassmen, including three sophomores, they have to be pleased with the effort put forth and the game's outcome being more than respectable.  The Voyageurs were a model team for floor spacing, ball movement, and team-first basketball.  Yet to its credit, Niagara Falls was the aggressor and went after the Canadian power for 32 minutes and made them earn the victory.

 

Liverpool 70, East Aurora 48

Game MVPs - Noah Thompson (East Aurora)

The Blue Devils are another young team that starts just one senior.  On Saturday afternoon, East Aurora looked like future world-beaters in the opening quarter with its young squad, hitting shots, defending, and pushing the tempo.  However, over the final three quarters, their youth began to show as Liverpool went on 16-2 run in the second quarter and quickly put the game out of reach.  Noah Thompson ended the first half for EA with a highlight shot - a buzzer-beater from half court after a well-timed pump fake.  The Blue Devils have plenty of time to work out some of their kinks, and if they can channel their inner-first quarter production, they can be a major factor in Class B1 this season.

 

Vaughan 60, Park 44

Game MVPs - Andrew Nembhard (Vaughan), Jordan Nwora (Park)

Despite how impressive Vaughan had looked the night prior in defeating Falls, I felt the Pioneers had a very good chance of winning their game against this renowned Canadian team.  Park did lead briefly in the third quarter and trailed by just five points heading into the final stanza, before the Voyageurs pulled away late.  Vaughan featured a freshman sensation at point guard, Andrew Nembhard, who took game MVP honors for his team.  His control and composure were instrumental in the Voyageurs being able to finish Park off down the stretch.  It should be noted that the Pioneers played without a pair of starters, Randy Golda and Hunter Anderson, who at the very least, would have made the game much tighter in the final minutes.

 

Wilson 46, Niagara Catholic 44

Game MVPs - Evan Shank (Wilson), Jaceary Menes (Niagara Catholic)

It wasn't pretty, especially early on, as the two teams combined to hit 13 first half field goals.  Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakemen had managed just 26 points, while the Patriots hadn't done much better, sitting on 30 points.  However the last eight minutes saw the output pick up and things got really exciting in the late stages.  Wilson trailed by six points early in the fourth quarter, before an 11-1 run gave them its first lead since early in the first quarter.  Wilson would never trail after taking the advantage late, but Niagara Catholic did tie the game twice in the final two minutes, giving way to one of the Classic's most compelling finishes.

 

Bishop Kearney 41, Nichols 40

Game MVPs - Quinton Rose (Bishop Kearney), Cam Lewis (Nichols)

The best game of the 2014 Cataract City Classic was played between two of the very best teams from Buffalo and Rochester respectively.  Despite multiple players with Division 1 talent on the court together, points came at a premium.  The Vikings gave the Kings fits with their zone, but struggled to generate consistent production in the offensive end.  Midway through the final quarter, Chris Miner was whistled for a charge, which was his fifth personal of the game.  Despite missing their man in the middle, the Vikings put together a 7-0 run to take the lead in the game's final two minutes.  However the Kings regained a one-point advantage and were able to hold on for the win.  Nichols had a pair of chances in the last seconds of the game, but first missed free throws and then traveled following a key rebound late.

 

Niagara Falls 54, Saint Paul 40

Game MVPs - Mikey Bermudez (Niagara Falls)

In a fitting conclusion to another successful Classic, the host school earned its first win of the season with a solid effort.  The 14-point victory for the Wolverines came despite several turnovers and a slew of missed shots from the perimeter.  But to their credit, it was the consistency and energy that the Wolverines brought for the entire contest that allowed them to slowly build a lead and never really let Saint Paul get a good look at taking any of the game's momentum.

 

-centercourt

 

Comments

[Buffalo's best]

Watch out for Park when they get Golda and Hunter back. They gonna be the best team around here. Forget all the people saying Nichols and Canisus and you'll see when they play.

[Nelson Adams]

OOPS, a little minor slip up there on the school for the MVP of the Vaughan vs. Park game.

[centercourt]

Fixed it, thank you. Hope you can understand how that one happened. Oops was correct.