The View From Centercourt

Random Smatterings Dos

(McKinley & South could play earlier than anticipated. Photo by Buffalo News)

 

- Fans who have been checking the polls, reading box scores, or actually getting out to the games, and drooling about the potential of McKinley/Williamsville South sectional final in Class A1 might get that matchup much sooner than expected.  Based on the way sectional power points are shaking out, it looks like they would be on course to meet up in the semifinals instead.  Furthermore, that would be played on the first night of Buff State week.

 

- 20 games are back!!!  The NYSPHAA voted to approve the maximum number of varsity contests inceasing back to 20 games.  The vote passed by a 20-2 margin.  This means more nonleague games and the potential for many more high profile games between the area's top programs.  I will be throwing out plenty of suggestions.

 

- In CCAA I East, Salamanca beat Silver Creek, but lost to Randolph.  Randolph beat Salamanca, but lost to Silver Creek.  Silver Creek hosts Salamanca on February 12th in a game that could decide the league champ.  I think tip should be moved to 8 pm that night, so I can catch it all after the Nichols/Park game that night (6 pm tip).

 

- Most impressive about Salamanca & Silver Creek being tied for first place in the competitive CCAA I East - both have had to win with key starters missing extended time due to ankle injuries, Jared Fish for the Warriors and Trevon Thompson for the Black Knights.

 

- Cheektowaga's Zak Ciezki, Silver Creek's Bill Brooks, and Williamsville East's Nicholas Clough are all recent additions to the 1,000 point club.

 

- How about this stat line from Silver Creek's Bill Brooks:  20 points, 23 rebounds, 10 blocks, & five assists in a 74-33 win against Maple Grove.  

 

- To the best of my knowledge, the season-high for points scored in a game in WNY is 40, scored by St. Francis' Kordell Holness-Lightbody and Health Sciences' Tyron Lott.  Cody Johnson of Cassadaga Valley and Craig Paige of Lew-Port have both turned in 39-point games, and Takal Molson of St. Mary's scored 38 points last night.

 

- The above mentioned Tyron Lott scored 40 points coming off of a 35-point night.  He's a freshman.

 

- On the last day of January, I'll try to predict the four team that will arrive at Buffalo State in March for the Class B1 semifinals:

Depew, Burgard, Albion, & East Aurora

 

- Unfortunately, the Manhattan Cup Finals at Canisius College are the same night as the Class B1 semifinals and one of the Class AA finals at Buffalo State.

 

- East Aurora has been a pretty scrappy team this season, considering its lineup has been almost exclusively underclassmen and its senior scoring leader, Mike Coatsworth, is out for the season with an injury.

 

- Speaking of season-ending injuries, St. Joe's lost senior starting center Ed Tabone last week to a broken wrist.

 

- Two MMA teams hoping for a boost from returning big men - Canisius & Timon.  The Crusaders have been winning without TJ Wheatley, as he takes his time taking visits and making the right choice about where he'll attend college to play D1 football next year.  Timon awaits the return of Tyree Coble, who will provide some needed size for the Tigers.  Coble started for Timon last year.

 

- In the crazy NFL, once ruled by Niagara Falls, the one team that has yet to falter is North Tonawanda.  They survived a scare from Ken West and needed overtime to get past Falls, but the Lumberjacks are the league's lone unbeaten.

 

- Wilson, who saw its streak of six straight appearances at Buff State end two seasons ago, is unbeaten in the N-O and appears to be a school with a good chance to get back to the dance.

 

- Health Sciences threw 117 points on the scoreboard in a win, the most I've seen scored in WNY in years.  The Falcons' leading scorer that night equaled the total scored by the opposition (35 pts).

 

- Lew-Port has scored over 80 points in five wins this season.  I'm hoping that scoring punch arrives at Buff State in a month from now so we can all see it.

 

- Student sections are on the rise everywhere and it makes high school basketball environments so much better.  

 

- The entire Lancaster basketball team, including the coach, shaved their heads for Bald for Bucks, a cancer fundraiser.

 

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Macks stay unbeaten in the city

 

A game between the top teams in Yale Cup I rarely disappoints.  The games are marked by screaming fans, players laying it on the line, intense battles in the paint, quick transitions, and a whole lot of player pride from both teams.  Some games go back-and-forth the entire way, while others are defined by big runs from both teams.  Middle College's visit to McKinley, a game crucial to where the coveted Yale Cup will end up, had all the above mentioned components, and it didn't disappoint.

 

Shaquan Jones started hot for the Macks and finished with a game-high 24 points, as McKinley topped Middle College, 70-65.  The win keeps McKinley unbeaten against city competition and created a two-game lead over the Kats in the race for the Yale Cup.

 

Jones scored the game's first basket, ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Kats' bench, and added several buckets in between.  A fast-paced opening frame yielded 14 points for Jones, as McKinley took a double-digit lead early, 26-16.  Devin Morris had a great block in the lane for the Macks and Jaylen Prophet spun into the paint against a defender,before zipping a beautiful pass to Jones for an assist, as the Macks looked like they could do no wrong out of the gates.

 

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Morris scored on a putback to push the McKinley lead to 32-18, prompting a Kats' timeout.

 

"We knew they would make a run", McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey said.  

 

That's exactly what happened.  

 

Amir Jemes, Fred Foster, Brian Johnson, and Isaiah Jenkins combined to produce 18 points for Middle College over the next three minutes, as the Kats came storming right back and took the lead, 36-34.  In the last minute of the half, JoJo Staton nailed a 3-pointer with a defender right on him, giving Middle College a 41-36 lead.  McKinley's Bruce Booker was able to answer it with his own '3' before the intermission, but the Kats still led, 41-39, at the break.

 

"We stopped attacking, we weren't playing smart, we weren't sharing the ball" Dorsey said.

 

The Macks went back on the attack coming out of the locker room for the second half, and found the Kats were also in attack mode, making for an exciting and competitive final 16 minutes of Yale Cup basketball.  After a first half defined by each team controlling a quarter, the second half saw the lead change on 14 different occasions, along with five ties.

 

With just under three minutes left in the game, Middle College was in front, 61-60.  McKinley got the ball to Morris in the left corner, closely guarded by a defender.  Morris calculated his move, gave a quick step fake, and let a '3' fly...swish.  The Macks got in transition on their next possession and Morris drew a defender his way, opening up Juwan Tolliver in the right corner.  Morris found him waiting wide open and delivered him the ball...bang!  Just like that, McKinley led 66-61, with two minutes remaining.  

 

"Confident.  I wanted Morris to drive - the guy sagged, he hit the shot, that's what you're supposed to do", said Dorsey.  "Then he found Juwan - that's team basketball.  He shared it, Juwan was wide open in rhythm and hit the shot".

 

Middle College got the ball to Staton for a look at '3' from the corner in front of their bench twice in the last two minutes, but both times his shot was rejected by the rings that hang from the ceiling.  The Kats got two more looks from downtown before the final buzzer sounded, but couldn't get anything to fall.

 

Dorsey congratulated each of his players as they headed into the locker room following the game and seemed genuinely pleased with the win.

 

"It's hard to play a game during regents week.  It's not a regular school day, so you don't have your routine.  Any win we can get against quality competition without Keyon Johnson is just going to make us a stronger team".

 

Morris finished with 15 points for McKinley and Tolliver added 13 points in the win.

 

Sophomore point guard Jemes and junior big man Johnson were both fantastic for the Kats in the loss, leaving everything out on the court, and finishing with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

 

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Park looks formidable in win at Joe's

(Park's Derek Cheatom has been a standout.  Photo by Buffalo News)

 

Last year, Park entered the Monsignor Martin Association.  In the offseason, the MMA changed its postseason format to hold separate Manhattan Cup tournaments for the large and small  schools, coming off of a season when a small school, Nichols, had won the whole thing.  Park is considered a small school and will compete in the Class B portion of the Manhattan Cup playoffs.  But the small schools still get one game each season against the Class A teams of the MMA, and for Park, that series of games against the large schools has begun.  Last night, they visited St. Joe's, and with their speed and talent on full display, the Pioneers looked like the largest school in the area.

 

Park took a commanding 18-point lead at halftime and withstood the Marauders' best shot in the second half, to secure a 77-67 win.  The Pioneers remain undefeated in the MMA and against every team they've faced from this area, with their only loss coming to Vaughan of Ontario, a nationally ranked Canadian team.

 

"They've got size, they can shoot it, they're athletic - it's a challenge", St. Joe's head coach Mark Simon said.

 

After spotting the Marauders the game's first four points, Park quickly rattled off 12 unanswered.  The Pioneers got scoring from all five starters in the opening quarter and led 21-12 after St. Joe's Nick Motley sank a '3' in the closing seconds of the frame.

 

Late in the second quarter, the Marauders were still hanging around, trailing by seven points after slipping behind by 13 points earlier in the stanza.  With 2:15 left before halftime, Randy Golda scored for Park to kickoff a 13-2 run to end the quarter.  Jordan Nwora threw down a nice baseline dunk and canned a 3-pointer, Kyle Harris hit a '3' and Golda scored the last three points of the half to account for the Pioneers' scoring spurt.  Park took a 47-29 lead into the break.

 

Before heading into the locker room, Simon looked at me, raised his eyebrows, and said "We didn't play bad".  He was right, it was more about how well Park had just performed.  A barrage of points in a very short time.  When I later asked Simon about his message at halftime after giving up that late-half run, he replied "I gave them the play harder speech, which they did".

 

St. Joe's won both quarters in the second half, outscoring Park 15-10 in the third and 23-20 in the fourth quarters.  After trailing by 13 points heading into the fourth quarter, Motley hit a '3' to cut the deficit to 10 points at the start of the final stanza.  Three minutes into the last quarter, a pair of free throws from Motley had St. Joe's within seven points.  After a timeout, Park was back up by 13 points just 44 seconds later, after Cheatom scored & converted an 'And 1' and Nwora sank another 3-pointer.  The Marauders still kept coming and got the deficit down to nine, before Kyle Harris got a long off-balance shot to go, followed by another score from Cheatom.  No matter what St. Joe's did, Park just continued to knock down shots or get to the rim.

 

"I'm lucky, I've got guys that can score",  Park head coach Michael Battaglia said.  "I might look like a good coach, but shoot, when you've got guys like Derek Cheatom, Jordan Nwora, Randy Golda, Hunter Anderson, Kyle Harris, you're going to score points no matter what offense you run".

 

"What are you going to do"? Simon asked. "You smile and shake your head.  You don't want to lose, but it's OK when guys are making shots, it's part of the game".

 

Battaglia spoke after the game on the Marauders finding their way back into the game, following such a strong finish to the first half for his team.

 

"Their man pressure bothered us a little bit and Randy Golda being in foul trouble, he was a beast", Battaglia said.

 

Golda had scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half, attacking St. Joe's aggressively in the paint.  Another player who Battaglia spoke of was Cheatom, citing his team leadership and overall impact on the team's success.

 

"He (Cheatom) plays hard every second, he takes pride in defending, and he takes pride in rebounding.  Not too many kids do all those things", Battaglia said.  "And he can score, he can shoot it or go to the basket - he's just outstanding".

 

Nwora led Park with a game-high 24 points, including four bombs from beyond the arc.  Cheatom scored 16 points, and Harris added 10 points.

 

Grant Beyer finished with a team-high 19 points for St. Joe's, while Motley abd Marcell Davis each scored 14 points in the loss.

 

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2015 WNY postseason schedule

  

 

Monday, February 23, 2015

MMA #4 seed vs. #5 seed play-in games at a neutral HS

Class B - 6 pm

Class A - 7:30 pm

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Sectionals - Round One

 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sectionals - Round Two

 

Friday, February 27, 2015

Sectionals - Quarterfinals

 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

MMA semifinals @ Canisius College

Class B - 9:30 am & 11:15 am

Class A - 1 pm & 2:45 pm

 

Monday, March 2, 2015

Class A1 Semifinals @ Buff State - 6 & 7:45 pm

Class C1 Semifinals @ JCC - 5:15 & 6:45 pm

Class D Semifinal @ JCC - 8:15 pm

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Class B2 Semifinals @ Buff State - 5:15 & 6:45 pm

Class AA Semifinal @ Buff State - 8:15 pm

Class C2 Semifinals @ JCC - 5:15 & 6:45 pm

Class D Semifinal @ JCC - 8:15 pm

 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Class B Manhattan Cup Final @ Canisius College -6 pm

Class A Manhattan Cup Final @ Canisius College - 7:45 pm

Class B1 Semifinals @ Buff State - 5:15 & 6:45 pm

Class AA Semifinal @ Buff State - 8:15 pm

 

 Thursday, March 5, 2015

Class A2 Semifinals @ Buff State - 6 & 7:45 pm

 

Friday, March 6, 2015

Section VI Championships @ JCC

Class D - 5:15 pm

Class C2 - 6:45 pm

Class C1 - 8:15 pm

 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Section VI Championships @ Buff State

Class B2 - 12 pm

Class B1 - 1:45 pm

Class A2 - 3:30 pm

Class A1 - 6:30 pm

Class AA - 8:15 pm

 

Sunday, March 8, 2015

CHSAA Class A state semifinal @ Niagara University - 1 pm

 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Regional Qualifiers @ Buff State

Class C1 vs. C2 - 5:15 pm

Class B1 vs B2 - 6:45 pm

Class A1 vs. A2 - 8:15 pm

 

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Far West Regionals (Section VI vs. Section V) - Site TBD in Rochester

Class D - 12 pm

Class C - 1:45 pm

Class B - 3:30 pm

Class A - 6:30 pm

Class AA - 8:15 pm

 

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Panebianco pours it on against Amherst

 

 

Last season, Jamestown's Zack Panebianco dialed up his game to a whole new level in the second half of the year, resulting in some classic performances in big games.  There was the unforgettable 34-point night in the regionals against Greece Athena and the 31-point game in the state semifinal, among a series of 30-plus point outings on his way to securing the CC MVP.  After a sluggish start to last night's game against Amherst, Panebianco dialed things up again and put forth a masterful second half performance that allowed his team to hold on to a lead it built heading into halftime and put the Tigers away.

 

Panebianco struck from long range five times and scored 28 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, as Jamestown knocked off visiting Amherst, 68-58.  The win improved the Red Raiders to 10-2 on the season, while the Tigers slipped to the same mark of 10-2.

 

Jamestown took an early 12-8 lead after one quarter, as they looked inside for Stephen Carlson, who delivered six points in the quarter.  After the Red Raiders advanced their lead to  15-8 early in the second quarter, the Tigers made a run.  Three-pointers from Kelijah Willis and Nathan Woldu, along with four points from Darien Lowe accounted for a four minute stretch where Amherst outscored the Red Raiders, 11-3, capitalizing on a series of misses from Jamestown to put them in front, 19-18.  It would be the lone lead of the contest for the Tigers.

 

"We were 0-8 from behind the arc in the first half and it started affecting our energy at the defensive end and we started giving them some easy shots around the basket in our zone", Jamestown head coach Ben Drake said.

 

Jamestown called a timeout when the score moved in favor of the Tigers, switching defenses in search of a spark. 

 

"At that point, I thought we just needed to turn the pressure up and speed them up a little bit", Drake said.  "We started to press them and went back to man, which changed the tempo and got us some easy baskets at the other end off of our defense".

 

Panebianco connected on a pair of free throws  to give Jamestown the lead back.  As Amherst brought the ball up court, Zacc Kinsey picked the ball handler and turned a steal into points.  After another steal by Kinsey, Carlson scored and converted an 'And 1'.   Then Kinsey got another bucket, all part of an 11-2 run to close the half for the Red Raiders, which gave them a 28-21 lead at halftime.

 

The start of the second half also signaled the beginning of the Panebianco magic show.  It started simple enough, a 3-pointer on the Red Raiders first possession.  Amherst's TC Brown answered it with a traditional three-point play on the other end.  The next trip down the court for Jamestown, Panebianco sticks another trey and the Tigers come back with a bucket from junior big man, Amadi Ikpeze.  Just a few seconds after Ikpeze's basket, Panebianco struck again, this time from beyond NBA range.  The Red Raiders then got a stop and came back down the floor looking to get the ball back in Panebianco's hands.  He had to come way out to get it, as far out as he was for the last bomb, and without any hesitation, let it fly...bang!  Four straight 3-point bombs, catching nothing but net, in three minutes, putting Jamestown up 40-26.  Each time Panebianco began to pull the trigger, everyone in the gym not wearing Amherst colors, immediately stood in anticipation.  

 

The 3-point fever was contagious, as Ben Larson got in the act from the left corner the next time the Red Raiders had the ball.  After another stop, Panebianco pulled up a mid-range jumper - same result.  The barrage of 3-pointers and Jamestown momentum pushed its lead on the Tigers to 45-28, midway through the third quarter, a stanza that saw Panebianco net 18 of his 28 second half points.

 

 "In the first half, he (Panebianco) missed a few and then he started hesitating", Drake said.  "To his credit, he was mentally tough enough to not let it affect the whole game and came out with a killer instinct for the second half".

 

The Tigers were able to make up some points on Jamestown before the final buzzer to end the game, but never got any closer than seven points the rest of the way.  TC Brown was strong over the last two quarters, scoring 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.  But Panebianco remained aggressive to the end as well, scoring 10 more points over the final five minutes, including an exciting aerial finish at the basket and another long '3'.  

 

Carlson ended the night with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Kinsey scored 10 points to go with six boards, four assists, and two steals.

 

Lowe scored 17 points for Amherst.

 

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NYSSWA State Rankings - Week 7

 

The seventh state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #7

McKinley #9

Williamsville South #11

Amherst #13

 

Class B

Park #4

Fredonia #16

St. Mary's #19

 

 Class C 

Middle College #5

Silver Creek #9

Salamanca #10

Randolph #16

Tapestry #19

 

Class D

Sherman #3

I-Prep #12

Panama #16

 

 ** According to the rankings...

  

- Jamestown faces an even bigger task this weekend than it had back in December against Canisius.  The Red Raiders play Greece Athena (#3 in Class A) on Saturday.  The Crusaders are #7 in Class A.

 

- The state now agrees with me about Aquinas (12-0).  I said at the beginning of the season I thought they were Section V's top Class AA team.  They are now ranked #11, ahead of Fairport #16 & Bishop Kearney #20.

 

- Section VI's Class A is on the rise.  All four teams the state has ranked moved up a spot this week, except McKinley, who jumped two spots.

 

- Whether it was Park's much more convincing win at Rochester's East High or the complete dismantling Aquinas put on them, Leadership Academy (Section V, Class B) is no longer ranked ahead of Park - something that bugged me for six weeks.

 

- St. Mary's losing a game it was supposed to (at Park) cost them two places in the poll.

 

- Fredonia's two wins over league opponents by a combined 75 points got them up from #22 to #16 in Class B.

 

- Silver Creek's win over Randolph got them ahead of Salamanca, who beat them.

 

- I-Prep's unbeaten league record in Yale Cup II is finally worth something - like the #12 ranking in Class D.

 

 For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.

 

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Timon too much for Falls

 

Niagara Falls had been a ranked top ten large school all season, until late last week when the Wolverines dropped their first league game to unranked Kenmore West.  On Saturday afternoon, I watched Timon battle at Canisius, leading at different points in the fourth quarter there.  Based on that showing and wins the Tigers owned over North Tonawanda, St. Mary's, & Fredonia, I voted for the Tigers in the poll this week, and was the only pollster to do so.  Last night, Timon hosted Falls, the team they replaced on my ballot, and by the second half the Tigers made that look like a good call.

 

Timon picked its spots well against the Niagara Falls pressure and behind a big surge in the middle of the game, put the visiting Wolverines away handily, 71-56.  It was the second straight loss for Falls, who is back in action tonight for a key first place battle at home against North Tonawanda.

 

The game was loaded with whistles, a total of 50 fouls were called in the game and a combined 77 free throws were attempted.  Timon opened the game in a 2-3, while Falls used tight man pressure.  The Wolverines struggled to attack the zone early, managing just one field goal in the opening quarter and relying on free throws to generate the rest of their points.  The pressure Niagara Falls applied defensively also produced several foul calls.  In the first half, 18 of Timon's 31 points came from the charity stripe.

 

Qeyion Williams scored a pair of buckets for the Wolverines late in the second quarter to tie the game at 20, prompting a timeout from the Tigers.  Timon came out of the sideline huddle to close the half on an 11-0 run over the final 1:40, punctuated by a 3-pointer from William Lamar that caught the front of the rim and took a friendly turn towards the cylinder, giving the Tigers a 31-20 lead at the intermission.

 

"It was nice getting that lead before half", Timon head coach Joe Mihalics said.  "We had some shots at the rim that didn't go in for us - it seemed like that last stretch, they started going in".

 

Timon came out for the third quarter and picked up right where they'd left off.  An 8-1 run to begin the second half pushed the Tigers' advantage to 39-21, after the teams had been even at 20 just our minutes of game time earlier.  Sophomore sniper Joe Harrison ended the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers to cap a 22-10 quarter for Timon and push the lead to 53-30.  Another trey early in the fourth quarter and a basket from Claudious Modi gave Timon its largest lead of the game, 60-36.

 

"We had some size on them and that hurt them, although they fight - Sal (Constantino) does a great job with them", Mihalics said.  "Full court pressing to try to bring the tempo up, I think our guys really handled that well".

 

Quinton Lamar finished with a game-high 21 points, with many of those coming when he drove to the basket.  Lamar showed good instincts and seemed to recognize any time he had a path to the hoop.

 

"I want our guys to attack and pick the right time to go", Mihalics said.  "Tonight when they're attacking us like that full court, we had angles and lanes to the basket in transition and our guys took those and did finish".

 

Harrison scored 14 points for the Tigers, William Lamar added 13 points, and Derick Simpson added nine points.

 

Qeyion Williams led Niagara Falls with 16 points, while Devin Scarborough scored 14 points.

 

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Poll Ballots - 2015 - Week 5

(Timon made its case for a spot on my ballot with a strong showing at Canisius Saturday)

 

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 Saturday 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 (MMA) -  They keep on winning, but it doesn't look the same as it did to start the season.  The Crusaders looked better than last year's team in their win over Nichols, but since then, they haven't played with that same fire.

2. McKinley (A1) - The Macks won a pair of league games this week against Riverside & Burgard by a combined 97 points.  Their win over Burgard was by 42 points, the same Bulldogs team that beat East.

3. Jamestown (AA) -  Blew past Lancaster in the second half behind a big performance from Zack Panebianco, to remain unbeaten in ECIC I.  The Red Raiders have some big games coming up, beginning this week, as they host Amherst Tuesday night, before a regional rematch with Greece Athena in the RAP showcase at Aquinas on Saturday.

4. Williamsvillle South (A1) -  Now in sole possession of first place in ECIC II after winning at Starpoint last week, the Billies haven't had a league opponent get closer than 12 points.

5. Amherst (A2) - The Tigers improved to 10-1 on the season, but more importantly earned the sweep over Cheektowaga on Friday to put them in line for a fourth straight ECIC III title.  The Tigers could make a big splash in the WNY large school scene if they earn a road win at #3 Jamestown tomorrow night.

6. Williamsville North (AA) - The Spartans are now 9-2, with their only losses coming at the start of the season in back-to-back games against McKinley & Will South.  They've scored 171 points in their last two games, and Dylan Lambert has scored over 30 points in two of his last three games.

7. Nichols (MMA) - Wins over Timon & Niagara Catholic last week moved the Vikings into second place in the MMA Class A, behind Canisius.  Three games scheduled for this week - at St. Francis & O'Hara, then hosting St. Mary's on Friday.

8. Olean (A2) -  Head coach Jeff Anastasia picked up his 500th career coaching win on Thursday night, when the Huskies win at Dunkirk to remain unbeaten in CCAA I West.

 9. St. Joe's (MMA) -  Won by 12 at Walsh on Sunday and followed it up with a 10-point win over St. Francis Friday night.  Unfortunately, Ed Tabone, the starting big man for the Marauders, was lost for the season when he suffered a broken wrist in the win.

10. Timon (MMA) - Niagara Falls losing to Kenmore West opened up a spot on my ballot, and it went to the Tigers.  The pollsters voted North Tonawanda into the poll, and the Lumberjacks made it all the way to #8.  They most have forgotten that Timon beat them, and also owns wins over the #2 & #3 small schools, St. Mary's & Fredonia.  I watched Timon lead at Canisius during the 4th quarter on Saturday.  I'll find out tonight if they deserved this spot over Falls, or if the Wolverines should have dropped to #10, as Timon hosts NFHS in what should be an entertaining nonleague game.

 

Small Schools

1. Park (MMA) -  Knocked off a good team handily when they won at Rochester's East High on Monday and then surged ahead of St. Mary's with a 25-10 fourth quarter, in an 81-54 victory over St. Mary's.  Road trips to Walsh & St. Joe's loom this week, before hosting Niagara Catholic on Friday.

2. Fredonia (B2) - No problem for the Hillbillies keeping themselves a game behind Olean in the CCAA I West race, as they knocked off a pair of league opponents by a combined 75 points last week.

3. St. Mary's (MMA) -  Hammered Niagara Catholic on Tuesday, before suffering the same fate late at Park on Friday.  Rebounded with a win over Clarence on Saturday afternoon.  Friday night the Lancers are at Nichols, a team they've defeated four straight times.

4. East (B2) - A dominant second half for the Panthers erased a 15-point deficit and produced a seven-point win over Middle College, who had beaten them at the buzzer in December.  East also nearly took the Macks to OT, the team the Kats visit on Thursday.

5. Middle College (C2) - The Kats will look to bounce back from the East loss when they visit Lancaster for a nonleague game tomorrow night, before visiting McKinley on Thursday for the 'Game of the Week'.

6. Sherman (D) - Earned a second win this season over Panama on Friday, this time by 12 points.  Panama is the only other Class D team ranked in the state from Section VI besides Sherman.

 7. Salamanca (C1) -  The Warriors host Allegany-Limestone this week and look to remain in first place in CCAA I East.  Salamanca has been getting it done without the services of 6-7 Jared Fish, a 2014 All-Centercourt HM, for weeks now, as he recovers from an ankle injury.

8. Silver Creek (C1) -  Bill Brooks became the 5th player in program history to score 1,000 career points in his team's win over Westfield on Thursday.  The Black Knights gutted out a 38-34 win at Randolph on Tuesday with Brooks fouled out and Trevon Thompson missing the game due to injury, thanks in part to the defensive contributions of freshman Chase Scanlan.

9. Randolph (C2) -  The Cardinals handed Salamanca its only league loss earlier in the year, but slip to second place in CCAA I East after dropping a close one to Silver Creek because of the loss to Allegany-Limestone from earlier in the season.

10. Tapestry (C1) -  The 8-2 Thunderhawks host Grand Island on Wednesday, looking to gain some Class A power points for sectionals.

 

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Top games of the week ending 2/1/15

(Jamestown faces Athena in a rematch of last year's Class AA regional. Photo by Scott Kindberg)

 

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

 

Monday, January 26th

Niagara Falls @ Timon - 6:30 pm

Park @ Walsh - 6:30 pm

Maple Grove @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 27th

North Tonawanda @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

Amherst @ Jamestown - 7 pm

Lew-Port @ Niagara Catholic - 7 pm

 

Wednesday, January 28th

Grand Island @ Tapestry - 6 pm

Timon @ Lockport - 6:30 pm

Park @ St. Joe's - 7 pm

JFL @ West Seneca West - 7:30 pm

Randolph @ Portville - 7:30 pm

 

Thursday, January 29th

Middle College @ McKinley - 6 pm

Canisius @ Walsh - 6:30 pm

Allegany-Limestone @ Salamanca - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 30th

Lockport @ North Tonawanda - 6:30 pm

Williamsville North @ Bennett - 6:30 pm

Sweet Home @ Starpoint - 7 pm

JFK @ Lackawanna - 7 pm

Depew @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm

Panama @ Maple Grove - 7:30 pm

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

 

Saturday, January 31st

St. Joe's vs. Canisius - 1 pm **at Canisius College

Randolph @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm

RAP Showcase at Aquinas

Cardinal O'Hara vs. Charlotte - 12 pm

Jamestown vs. Greece Athena - 6:45 pm

 

Game of the Week - Middle College at McKinley on Thursday, January 29th

This game was originally supposed to be played on January 9th, but was postponed.

- After breaking the Yale Cup winning streak by winning 33 straight games against its competition from the Buffalo Public Schools, McKinley saw its run end at the hands of Middle College on January 31, 2014.  The Kats proceeded to go into Mack High a week later and defeat McKinley for a second time and went on to win the Yale Cup.

McKinley would go on to win a third straight Section VI title in Class A1, while Middle College also earned a third straight Section VI crown, and made it all the way to the NYSPHAA Class C state championship game.

Once again this season, the two programs are considered elite in both the city and in their respective classifications in the section.  The two games played between these annual powers will likely determine this year's Yale Cup champion just like a season ago.  The Kats  have already faced East twice and split with them.  The Macks defeated East in their first meeting with the Panthers and will enter the game unbeaten in the city.  A win on Thursday for the Kats is crucial to their chances of repeating as Yale Cup champions, as they will enter a game behind McKinley in Yale Cup I.  A win for McKinley would have them well on their way to a returning to the status of Yale Cup Champs, and re-establish them as the city's top program.

As of now, McKinley is the #2 ranked large school in WNY, while Middle College is ranked #3 among WNY small schools.

 

Since the above game is a repeat from weeks earlier:

 

Game of the Week II - Jamestown vs. Greece Athena on Sat., January 31st

- Last season, Greece Athena spent the season as the favorite to win Class AA in Section V, and were also viewed as the team that would advance to Glens Falls to represent the Far West Region (Sections V & VI).  The Trojans did capture the Class AA crown in Rochester, but Jamestown had other plans for who would be making the trip to Glens.

In a memorable championship game performance, Zack Panebianco took over for the Red Raiders and put the team on his back, enroute to a 34-point performance that helped advance his team all the way to the Class AA state title game.

This year, both teams from that regional game brought back four starters and are once again favorites to win their respective sections.  One big change, Greece Athena is now in Class A, meaning there is no chance of the two meeting up in the postseason.  Luckily, good teams get invited to showcases like the one held at Aquinas, and we'll get to see these two go at it once more.  A rematch of last year's Class AA regional with eight of ten starters back?  That's gotta be 'Game of the Week' material.

 

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Tigers top Cheektowaga for 2nd time

 

Last year, Amherst won its third straight league title in ECIC III, despite dropping both regular season meetings with Cheektowaga.  Then the Tigers dropped  a third contest to the Warriors in the Class A2 championship.  Last night, Amherst knocked off Cheektowaga for a second straight time this season, giving them a huge leg up in the quest for a fourth straight ECIC III crown.  It's possible Amherst will get a chance to sweep a three-game series with Cheektowaga if the two meet up again in sectionals like last year.  Then again, I'm sure the Tigers would be just as happy not seeing the Warriors again this year.

 

Before a jam-packed crowd in the sweltering hot Amherst Jungle, the Tigers pounced on Cheektowaga early and never gave up the lead, enroute to a 73-63 win in ECIC III.  Amherst now holds a two-game lead over its chief competition in the league.

 

So what was the biggest difference from last year to this year?

 

"The biggest thing is maturity",  Amherst head coach Chris Kensy said.  "Last year we started five underclassmen".

 

TC Brown had scored eight of his game-high 26 points midway through the first quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Tigers fed off the roar of the crowd early on and took a 14-3 lead.  Late in the opening quarter, Cheektowaga's Dominick Welch came racing up the court in transition and maintained a full head of steam, as he lept towards the basket and threw down an insane dunk for a high school game - a one-handed, high rising power slam like you'd see in the NBA.  The #BOOM made the score 16-8 after one quarter, but more importantly, got the Warriors fired up heading into the second quarter.

 

Zak Ciezki scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the second quarter to keep his squad close with the Tigers heading towards halftime.  A pair of free throws from Ciezki with 18 seconds left before halftime had the Warriors within three points, before Brown ended the half for Amherst with a long-range bust to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 29-23 advantage.

 

The Tigers got the second half rolling with a 10-3 start, getting scoring from four different players along the way - Brown, Dorian Billups, Darien Lowe, & Nathan Woldu.  Amherst had regained a double figure lead midway through the quarter, leading 39-26.  Sophomore Stephan Parker came off the bench for Cheektowaga to hit a pair of treys, sandwiched between a pair of scores from Welch, to get the Warriors back within seven points late in the quarter.  Brown then led a late surge for the Tigers to get them back to a 49-38 lead heading to the final stanza.

 

The last eight minutes were fast paced and high scoring, as the teams combined for 49 points in the quarter, but neither team was able to steal any of the game's momentum.  Billups and Amadi Ikpeze both had dunks in the quarter to fire up the home crowd, but Cheektowaga would not give up or go away.  Ultimately, the Tigers kept on scoring with Cheektowaga, only giving up a point of their lead down the stretch.  Drequon Trotter sank a pair from the charity stripe for the Warriors with 32 seconds left, to make it a five-point game - the closest they would get, before Brown scored the game's last five points to seal the victory.

 

Following the game, Kensy was beaming with pride, and please with the total team effort.

 

"I think we have the best backcourt in WNY with Brown and Billups, but each one of these kids has something special to offer", Kensy said.   "Ikpeze, when we needed him most in the fourth quarter, he stepped up".  "Lowe, Woldu, you can go right down the list.  Since day one, they bought in, they know with hard work come the rewards - they never want to let the previous year's team down"

 

Woldu scored 14 points for Amherst, Ikpeze had nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and Lowe scored 10 points.

 

Welch finished with 14 points for Cheektowaga, while Trotter and Patrick Plummer each scored 10 points.

 

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East finishes off Middle College

(East's Damone Brown goes up inside against Middle College)

 

One thing I've learned over the years from watching East play in the Yale Cup, they don't quit, and a substantial lead on them doesn't mean a whole lot.  A couple weeks ago, the Panthers went into McKinley and nearly overcame a 19-point deficit with 11 minutes remaining in the game, as they stormed back to have an opportunity to tie the game at the end, missing a '3' at the buzzer of a 73-70 loss. Yesterday, East found itself in a similar position against Middle College.  But as the Panthers faced a large double-digit second half deficit, East coach Starling Bryant began yelling to his team as they quickly set up their defense each trip down the court, "hands up".  Here we go I thought.  And sure enough, one possession at a time, they kept their hands up and the Kats' scoring down, until they trailed no longer.

 

Percy Bryant turned in a heroic performance, finishing with a game-high 26 points, and leading by example in East's 69-62 comeback win over Middle College.  

 

A blistering pace to start the game seemed to favor Middle College, as junior sniper Jo Jo Staton continued piled up 19 first half points with his team finding him on the perimeter.  Staton had the long ball going, sinking four treys in the half.  He also converted a three-point play and stepped inside the arc on the baseline to smoothly sink a long jumper.  

 

East did a decent job of matching the shooting of Staton, with three first quarter long range bombs, two from Bryant and another from Damone Brown, but the Kats were also thriving in the paint.  Brian Johnson was strong inside for Middle College, clearing the glass and adding nine first half points.  Senior Isaiah Jenkins and juniors Fred Foster & Lorenzo Truitt all combined to make scoring in the paint difficult for East and second chance baskets near impossible to come by.

 

After taking a 41-28 lead at halftime, Staton banged another 3-pointer in the first minute of the third quarter to push the Middle College advantage to 44-29.  But then the tides began to shift.  It started with Bryant doing what he does best, racing down the court and slicing through traffic to answer the '3' from Staton with a layup within seconds of the ref bringing his arms down to signal the Kats' triple.  Then Brown got into the act, scoring a series of baskets inside, from post moves to putbacks.  Brown scored nine points in the third quarter, points that seemed much more difficult to come by in the first half.  The Panthers were feeding off of their defensive energy, while conversely, the frustration from Middle College began to show.  East scored the last eight points of the quarter, including a basket at the end of the quarter from Zion Morrison, and the Panthers were down just a point, 49-48, heading to the fourth.

 

East kepts it foot on the gas in the final frame and managed to maintain its intensity, even when Middle College's Fred Foster rocked the rim on what could have been a momentum shifter.  Freshman Willard Anderson and senior big Jovell Littlejohn had key contributions down the stretch for East, but it was Percy Bryant's warrior-like performance that really made the difference.  Playing on a badly bruised hip, to the point where his limp was noticable, Bryant ran just fine and faster than anyone else on the court.  After East gained the lead at the start of the fourth, Bryant scored timely baskets to thwart any thoughts the Kats has of winning.  With 1:09 left in the game, Billy Rivera sank a '3' from the corner for Middle College to make it a one-point game.  It was Bryant who scored the game's next four points to seal the Panthers' win.

 

Following the win, East coach Starling Bryant talked about his halftime adjustments.

 

"We wanted to make some adjustments on sending our top guy in the zone down in the middle.  They were beating us there, it was wide open, so we moved a player down to take away that middle pass", Bryant said.  "We improved our boxing out & rebounding and also sat down on them.  We had been standing up on them a little too high, and we communicated better - we located Jo Jo - we was getting too many open looks".

 

Beyond the tactical changes, Bryant thought the rest of it was attitude and mindset.

 

"I think the emotion and intensity elevated a little.  I've been telling these guys all year, if you play with that intensity, you can beat anybody", Bryant said.  "We got more consistent and once we started going - that's how we should play, we haven't in weeks".  

 

Probably since around the second half of that loss at McKinley.  If East can find that consistency, look out.

 

Brown finished with 19 points for the Panthers, while Littlejohn and Anderson each added 10 points.

 

Staton had a team-high 22 points for the Kats, Foster scored 14 points, and Johnson chipped in 11 points.

 

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Big night on & off the court in Lancaster

(The entire Lancaster team shaved their heads for the cancer fundraiser 'Bald for Bucks')

 

A lot of hard work over the last couple weeks, combined with an inspired performance from the boys varsity basketball team, made it a special night in Lancaster on Thursday.  Senior class advisor, Lynne Ruda, organizes an annual cancer fundraiser at the high school.  At halftime of the varsity basketball game against Frontier last night, the total amount raised was announced - over $19,000.

 

The varsity boys team at Lancaster all participated in the 'Bald for Bucks' fundraiser yesterday, as each member of the team had their head shaved.  The coaches also got in the act, with head varsity coach John Otto taking a seat at center court prior to the game where all in attendance could watch his locks fall to the ground.

 

"They did the 'Bald for Bucks' last year, but it was just a school thing.  Lancaster head coach John Otto said.  "We tried to incorporate our team into it and make it a whole day event.  It worked out really well and we're going to try to keep this going".

 

With a fresh new look, Otto and his team took on Frontier in a rematch of a game the Redskins had lost earlier in the season when they visited the Falcons.  This time around, Lancaster set the tempo and got contributions from several players on its deep and athletic squad, to pull away with a convincing 76-58 win.

 

The teams played a super fast-paced first quarter.  The Redskins relentless energy was matched by some hot shooting from the Falcons.  Lancaster got scoring from eight different players in the game's first eight minutes, while the Falcons connected from downtown on three different occasions during that span.  Lancaster built an 11-point lead at one point in the second quarter, but Frontier's Jake Gleason closed out the half by completing a three-point play, cutting the Redskin halftime lead to 36-29.

 

Midway through the third quarter with the Falcons trailed by eight points, Jay Bergmann drilled consecutive 3-pointers to get Frontier to within a bucket, 44-42, prompting a Lancaster timeout.  The Redskins found the right adjustments during that session and closed the quarter on a 14-2 run, highlighted by a trey from Collin Murray and six points over the stanza's final two minutes from sophomore LG Castillo.  Lancaster took a 58-44 lead into the final quarter.

 

"They made a little run in the third and got it to within two, so I called timeout and we went over some easy adjustments against their press and just made stronger passes and protected the ball", Otto said.

 

The closest Frontier would get the rest of the way was within 12 points, as Lancaster's depth was on full display with fresh bodies continually checking in and persisting with a full speed pace.

 

The Redskins got scoring from 12 different players on the evening, led by 13 points from Tyler Lis.  Alex Konst & Castillo each scored 11 points, while Murray added 10 points.

 

Bergmann, Dave Estrada, and Jake Gleason alll netted 13 points each for the Falcons in the loss.

 

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Support Coach Lutman

 

This was sent to me from the West Seneca East basketball team:

 

The boys basketball team received some terrible news yesterday, that our assistant coach "Papa Lutman" has been diagnosed with leukemia.  In order to help his family, our team would like to have a Leukemia Awareness night on February 5th at our home game vs. Hamburg.

 

It would mean a lot to us and our coach's family if we could get a lot of people there to show support.  If you go to the game, we ask that you wear orange.  We're working on games that could be played at halftime, there will be a bake sale, and a 50/50 raffle for parents.  

 

Coach Lutman has done a lot for our team, and we think it's shown by our play on the court.  We give all the credit to our two coaches.

 

***

 

Please consider what you can do to help.

 

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Billies now in control of ECIC II

(Matt Foster communicates with Greg Dolan during South's win at Starpoint)

 

This season started out really well for Williamsville South.  They opened the season with a nonleague win at district rival and the #6 large school, Williamsville North.  They also took care of MMA large schools, Timon and St. Francis in nonleague action, as well as gaining a road win at defending Class A2 champ, Cheektowaga.  The Billies lone loss came at the hands of Section V private school, Aquinas, currently ranked #14 in the state in Class AA.  In league play, the results for the Billies have been even better.  Coming into this week, South had won its six league games by an average of 29 points per game.  The only team it hadn't yet faced was Starpoint, who had also made it through the first five games in ECIC II without a league loss.  Last night the Billies visited Starpoint, and before they left, they took firm control of ECIC II.

 

Williamsville South focused on defending better in the second half, and kept on scoring to pull away from Starpoint, 63-51.  The win gives the Billies sole possession of first place in ECIC II and improves their recond to 11-1 overall and 7-0 in the league.  Starpoint slipped to 9-2 overall and 5-1 in ECIC II.

 

"We hadn't played in a real competitive game in a while and they needed to get their competitive juices flowing", South head coach Gabe Michael said.

 

Starpoint was definitely a game opponent and gave the Billies a competitive game, particularly in the first half.  Both teams looked very efficient offensively, whether running halfcourt sets or in transition.  Christian Nodine was aggressive getting to the basket for the Spartans and piled up 12 first half points.  As the attention started to go Nodine's direction, it opened up room for Adam Lasal, who came off the bench to drill three 3-pointers for Starpoint.

 

For the Billies, Matt Foster set the tone early on the offensive end, getting to the basket seemingly at will and going up strong to finish.  Foster can really get up, which helps him secure rebounds and get shots off in the paint, but he can also put the ball on the floor, which allows him to step out to get the ball and work his way inside.  Foster scored 13 first half points.  

 

The lead changed 12 times and the game was tied another six times in the first half.  With the score knotted at 33 apiece late in the half, Sam Castronova stuck a '3' from the right side.  A Starpoint turnover in the final seconds of the half, resulted in a bucket from Graham Dolan at the buzzer, giving the Billies a 38-33 halftime advantage.

 

"It was one of theose halftime talks where I asked - anyone want to change anything", Michael said. "It was a no - we just didn't play great defensively.  Offensively we were good, which made up for it".

 

With a focus on playing better defense coming out of the locker room for the second half, South seemed ready to pour it on.  A pair of scores each from Greg Dolan and Castronova quickly pushed the Billies' lead to 46-35.  But then over the final five minutes of the third quarter, South managed just one field goal, while the Spartans got scoring from Ben Walters, Brock Kroening, and Nodine, to head into the final stanza on a 9-2 spurt, and trailing by just four points, 48-44.

 

Once again Greg Dolan stepped up in the game's critical juncture, beginning the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and a free throw, and then setting up Myles Hall with an open look in the corner from downtown.  Dolan later had a steal and layup, before once again dishing to Hall for another '3' that extended South's lead to 12 points.

 

Greg Dolan finished with a game-high 19 points, to go along with seven assists and six rebounds.  Foster scored 18 points, collected 11 boards, and swatted four shots away.  Graham Dolan added seven points and four blocks, while Kam Varner chipped in seven rebounds.

 

"We've got all sorts of guys who can step up", said Michael.  "That's kind of the beauty of this group".

 

Nodine and Kroening shared team-high scoring honors for the Spartans, each finishing with 16 points.  Lasal ended his evening with nine points and Walters added seven points for Starpoint.

 

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NYSSWA State Rankings - Week 6

 

 

The sixth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #8

McKinley #11

Williamsville South #12

Amherst #14

 

Class B

Park #5

St. Mary's #17

Fredonia #22

 

 Class C 

Middle College #4

Randolph #9

Salamanca #11

Silver Creek #13

Tapestry #20

 

Class D

Sherman #3

Panama #12

 

 

** According to the rankings...

 

- Last week, I wrote in this space "Middle College is going to Glens Falls".  I got immediate feedback from multiple peole about that, because they took that statement as a bold prediction in January.  But if you read what's in italics above, it says "According to the rankings", meaning, everything I write in this space is just that.  I wrote 'Middle College is going to Glens Falls' because there are no teams from Section VI or Section V ranked ahead of them...hence, according to the rankings, they're going.

 

- Beating McKinley gets you moved up two spots (Canisius is up from 10 to 8 in Class A).

 

- Losing to Canisius gets you moved up three spots (McKinley is up from 14 to 11 in Class A).

 

- Taking care of business against the teams you're supposed to beat in your league will get you noticed.  Williamsville South & Amherst both jumped up six places in the Class A rankings this week.  South went from 18 to 12 after beating Sweet Home & Lake Shore, while Amherst jumped from 20 to 14 after downing Springville last week.  Both teams face their stiffest league competition this week - South plays Starpoint & Amherst battles with Cheektowaga.  Somehow I doubt either team jumps another six spots, should they gain those much more credible wins.

 

- The Class A sectionals are going to be off the charts this year, but we already knew that.  After #11 McKinley & #12 South play in the Class A1 final, #14 Amherst awaits the winner in the crossover.  The winner of that game gets #3 Greece Athena.  According to the rankings of course.

 

- Leadership Academy of Section V is #4 in Class B, one spot ahead of Park at #5.  They share one common opponent - both teams played at Rochester's East High.  Leadership Academy beat them by six last Tuesday.  Park just beat them by 25 yesterday.  It will be intersesting to see if that is considered when the rankings come out again next week.

 

- There are at least four teams from Section V better than anything we have to offer in Class B.  Fredonia is the only Section VI team ranked in Class B at #22.

 

- 45% of the teams ranked in Class C are from Section VI (5) & Section V (4).

 

 For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.

 

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Where does Health Sciences fit into the poll?

(Freshman Tyrin Lott #2 and junior Kam Rashada #3 have the Falcons back in the hunt)

 

This post is a response to a reader who left me a question/comment in the comments section of my recent post 'Poll Ballots - 2015 - Week 4'.

 

The comment was simply:

No love for Health Science

- Jermaine Cole

 

I thought it was a very legitimate question that warranted an answer, ecspecially in light of the fact I had just watched the Flacons again this weekend.  I left a long response back in the comments section - so long in fact, that I decided to turn it into its own post.  My response to "No love for Health Science" is copied & pasted below.  

 

***

 

Just because I don't go around saying it...yes, I love Health Sciences.

 

In my opinion, they are the third best team in Class B2 right now and like last year (took East to OT), they could be very dangerous in sectionals. I've seen them three times this year - loss to Park, loss to Tapestry, & win at City Honors.

 

I saw plenty from them against Park to admire how they competed against better talent. They were business like for the most part against City Honors and took care of business, except for a couple lapses. And the Tapestry game through my eyes, was a great game between two very even teams, that swung in the favor of the Thunderhawks when the Falcons took a 'T' in the third quarter, along with other circumstances.

 

Overall, I see Health Sciences as capable of winning the overall Class B title, but I'd rank them third behind East & Fredonia. And they are definitely of the same calliber as any team I have ranked in the small schools, except Park. The best thing they have going for them, besides a very passionate coaching staff, is youth and attitude. Lots of talented underclassmen who seem to respect and work for their coaches.

 

The reason they are not in the poll?

The easy answer is to point to the fact that they lost to Tapestry, who I have #10, and say they can't be ahead of them, which leaves no available spot. Tapestry just lost at Randolph --- who beat Salamanca --- who beat Silver Creek.  But beyond the obvious, the Falcons only win over a team even in the top 10 small school discussion is Niagara Catholic, who they beat on December 8th. The teams that are facing, and beating other teams either in the large or small school poll, or in close consideration for them, tend to get the nod when it comes to the polls at this time of year.

 

Also, last year the Falcons put themselves on the WNY basketball map. Because they were such a senior laden squad and they haven't yet earned the pedigree of say a team like Middle College, who you expect to reload every year, no one had them on the radar to start the season. Meaning, they didn't start out in the poll because there were no expectations, and there hasn't been any big win to cause the pollsters to put them there.

 

The good news for Health Sciences as it pertains to this discussion - they get another crack at Tapestry on February 13th and can still win the Charter Cup. And if they make any waves in sectionals at season's end, like getting to or winning a title game, the ranking will come.

 

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Poll Ballots - 2015 - Week 4

(McKinley was this close with Canisius for 32 minutes at the MLK Classic)

 

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 Saturday 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 (MMA) - After last week's 'Game of the Week' was postponed (Park @ Canisius), the Crusaders found themselves in what ended up being the Game of the Year to this point - a classic against McKinley.  Once again, Canisius made plays and stepped up in crunch time to solidify its place at the top of all the WNY teams.

2. McKinley (A1) - It's not often that a team moves up on my ballot following a loss, but it's also not often that anyone stands toe-to-toe with the Crusaders for 32 minutes the way the Macks did on Saturday.  Tough for anyone in attendance to argue after what we saw, that these two should be as close in the poll as they were on the court.  Besides, we're not talking about some "Johnny Come Lately", the Macks are legit and have been for years.

3. Jamestown (AA) -  The Red Raiders slide behind McKinley for now, based on the results from their only common opponent, Canisius.  Both teams have one other loss, Rush-Henrietta for Jamestown and Nichols for McKinley, so the two are really that close.  Here's my pitch - start playing each other.  Every year, the three teams in the top three spots on this ballot are elite WNY program.  Canisius & Jamestown finally got together this year - do it again.  Canisius & McKinley play every year - as they should.  Jamestown & McKinley never play - let's fix that.

4. Williamsvillle South (A1) - The Billies are rolling along with their only loss to Class AA Aquinas, ranked #14 in the state, and what looked to be a competitive league in ECIC II has yet to even offer South a challenge.  This is a very good team to only be at #4.  Tuesday night they visit Starpoint, who is also unbeaten in ECIC II.

5. Amherst (A2) - The Tigers are ready to be challenged again, which they really haven't been since losing to Aquinas, a team they competed with very similar to the way South did.  Friday night will bring that much needed challenge, as Cheektowaga grabs a vine and swings into the Jungle for the 'Game of the Week'.

6. Williamsville North (AA) - In what looked like a week where they might falter on the road against either Frontier or Lancaster, the Spartans kept right on performing and winning the games they were supposed to.  A look ahead at their schedule suggests the wins will keep on piling up.  At some point, I hope someone let's me in on when the Jamestown game at North has been rescheduled to.  Oh the suspense.

7. Nichols (MMA) - Rebounded nicely from the Canisius incident, and earned a solid road win at St. Joe's on Friday.  The next test comes on Tuesday when Timon visits and then the Vikings are at Niagara Catholic on Friday, a team that just beat the same Walsh squad that knocked off Nichols earlier in the year.

8. Niagara Falls (AA) - The Wolverines slip back a spot this week, not because they lost to anyone, but more a product of the teams they've faced recently.  We haven't had much to go on when gauging Falls in a while now.  The 21-point home win over Lew-Port would have looked better a few weeks ago, before the Lancers were tripped up at Niagara Wheatfield, a team Falls faces this week.  By the end of the season, Niagara Falls will have had its shot to move to the top of this ballot.

9. Olean (A2) -  The Huskies drove all the way out to Rochester's East High to play Park on Saturday did more than hang around for three quarters against WNY's top raked large school - a title Olean held down for the last two years before getting bumped back up to Class A2.

 10. St. Joe's (MMA) -  Last week, Starpoint occupied this spot.  On Wednesday night, the Marauders went into their house and came away with a 12-point win.  That came on the heels of strong showings against Henninger and Canisius.  I can't say that any other team vying for this spot would have led Canisius after three quarters, but I'm fairly confident that the Marauders could own the same wins as teams looking for this last spot if they toned down their always difficult schedule.

 

Small Schools

1. Park (MMA) - The Pioneers finished off Olean after finding themselves in a bigger battle than they'd likely bargained for.  Park's game against Tapestry, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been cancelled and won't be rescheduled.  Did Park fear the Thunderhawks?  Probably not, but now they are off until Friday, when St. Mary's pays a visit to Harlem Rd.  

2. Fredonia (B2) -  Another team that is tough to gauge right now because of the lack of competition they are seeing in league play outside of Olean.  But we do know they played the Huskies to a four-point game and the back end of the Hillbillies schedule has four big tests. 

3. St. Mary's (MMA) -  The Lancers are back in the win column, to the tune of four straight wins, including three last week: St. Francis, Cleveland Hill, & Cardinal O'Hara.  The no nights off MMA league brings them Niagara Catholic on Tuesday and then their stiffest test of the season to date, at Park on Friday.

4. Middle College (C2) - After a much closer than expected result with Burgard (a six-point win), the Kats took St. Francis apart on Friday in the MLK Classic.  The Kats are at Bennett on Tuesday, before the big rematch at East - always a heated city rivalry game.  

5. East (B2) -  Panther's head coach Starling Bryant wins his 300th career game, as his squad earns the victory over Franklin in Rochester on MLK Day.  Burgard visits Tuesday, before the big rematch with Middle College on Thursday, who downed East at the buzzer during their first meeting.

6. Sherman (D) - Too high for the Wildcats?  They didn't even make it into the Buffalo News poll last week and I don't know why.  After watching them beat Olmsted on Saturday, they belong in the same company as any team I'm ranking below them.  This is a team chasing a third straight Section VI crown that gets dismissed because they are classified in D.

7. Randolph (C2) - If the Cardinals don't make it into the poll this week, I'm launching an investigation.  With football season now firmly behind them and hoops season well underway, let's look at Randolph's last five wins:  Panama (lost to Sherman by 4), Maple Grove, Allegany-Limestone, Tapestry, & Salamanca.

 8. Salamanca (C1) - Rebounded from a tough loss at Randolph to earn a huge victory over visiting Silver Creek, and didn't need any late game drama to pull it out.  The Warriors took the lead in the second half and didn't look back.

9. Silver Creek (C1) - The loaded CCAA I East finally put a blemish on the Black Knight's league record when they fell at Salamanca, causing the slide on this ballot.  That came on the heels of a convincing win over Portville, who had knocked off Walsh two weeks earlier.  A chance to rebound comes tomorrow night when Silver Creek travels to Randolph, but they'll likely be without their go-to scorer, Trevon Thompson, out due to injury.

10. Tapestry (C1) -  The Thunderhawks get the nod for this final spot, despite falling on the road at Randolph last week.  Tapestry's only other loss was to Nichols, and the other teams vying for this spot (O'Hara, Niagara Catholic, & Walsh) need sort out a pecking order rather than keep beating each other up.

 

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Top games of the week ending 1/25/15

(Amherst vs. Cheektowaga will be epic...again.  Photo by Nick LoVerde)

 

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

 

Monday, January 19th

East vs. Franklin @ Monroe CC

Park @ Rochester East - 6:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 20th

Timon @ Nichols - 6:30 pm

Kenmore West @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm

Williamsville South @ Starpoint - 7 pm

Walsh @ St. Francis - 7 pm

Niagara Catholic @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm

Jamestown @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm

Silver Creek @ Randolph - 7:30 pm

 

Wednesday, January 21st

DaVinci @ Olmsted - 5:30 pm

I-Prep @ MST Seneca - 5:30 pm

Buffalo Arts @ Emerson - 5:30 pm

 

Thursday, January 22nd

 Middle College @ East - 5:30 pm

Oracle @ Tapestry - 6 pm

Lackawanna @ Cleveland Hill - 6:30 pm

West Seneca East @ Starpoint - 7 pm

Depew @ East Aurora - 7:30 pm

Chautauqua Lake @ Cassadaga Valley - 7:30 pm

Frontier @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm

Portville @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 23rd

I-Prep @ Olmsted - 5:30 pm

Emerson @ MST Seneca - 5:30 pm

City Honors @ Buffalo Arts - 5:30 pm

UPrep @ Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm

St. Mary's @ Park - 6:30 pm

Kenmore West @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

Wilson @ Newfane - 6:30 pm

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

Cheektowaga @ Amherst - 7:30 pm

Sherman @ Panama - 7:30 pm

Nichols @ Niagara Catholic - 7:30 pm

Portville @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm

 

 Saturday, January 24th

West Seneca East @ West Seneca West - 3:30 pm

Timon @ Canisius - 4 pm

 

 Game of the Week - Cheektowaga @ Amherst on Friday, January 23rd

- A late January game on a Friday night, between the two best teams in the league, who have developed an exciting and competitive rivalry.  The game that may decide if ECIC III is a shared title or if it's owned outright.  A game critical to the Class A2 seedings for sectionals a month from now.  The Game of the Week.

Back in mid December, round one at Cheektowaga was a wild & epic affair.  The game wasn't decided until TC Brown's contested 3-point attempt from straight away went in off the glass as the final buzzer rang.  It managed to live up to a lot of preseason hype that was generated from a triad of encounters from the season prior, a year that seriously fueled this burgeoning rivalry.  It doesn't hurt that both of these teams have players either.

Last season, Amherst won the league for a third straight time.  However it was Cheektowaga who advanced farther in sectionals, ending the Tigers season in a wild overtime affair to win the Class A2 title - the first in Warrior history.  It was also the third straight win over Amherst for the Warriors, who had knocked the league champs off twice in the regular season as well.

Most of the faces from last season are back for both teams.  Over the last four games in this series, these guys have become quite familiar with each other.  Cheektowaga's Dominick Welch and Amherst's TC Brown are returning 5th Team All-Centercourt selections.  Zak Ciezki of the Warriors was All-Centercourt HM and just eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring mark for his career last week.  

The atmosphere at the Jungle in Amherst will be as good as it gets on Friday.  Tiger fans will be loud, both teams will be proud, and I'll be at the center of it all.  Literally.

 

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Canisius & McKinley play a classic for MLK

(Stafford Trueheart opens the 2nd half with a #BOOM at the MLK Classic)

 

Canisius junior Stafford Trueheart got the second half of his Crusaders' epic battle with McKinley started they same way he ended the game - with a #BOOM!  But everything that happened on Saturday evening in the headliner of the MLK Classic at City Honors, from the opening tip until the final buzzer sounded, was explosive.   The game between the #1 and #3 ranked schools in WNY not only filled the City Honors gymnasium to capacity, so much so that extra chairs were brought out along the baseline, but it also managed to be even better than anyone billed it to be.  

 

Canisius trailed the last four minutes of the third quarter and nearly the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, but took its first lead of the final stanza with just 10.4 seconds left in the game and held on to win an absolute thriller over McKinley, 74-70.

 

Justin Jones scored the go ahead bucket in the closing seconds for the Crusaders, and after a McKinley turnover on an inbounds play while looking to tie the game and force overtime, Trueheart threw down a two-handed dunk for Canisius to seal the Macks fate.  The old cliche, it's too bad someone had to lose definitely applies to this game.  While I had no rooting interest in the outcome, it was the first time I felt bad for the team that lost this season, and I've already watched over 50 HS games.  I felt badly for Amherst when they lost to McKinley in the crossover two seasons ago and for East when they lost to Olean last year.  What did those two games have in common with the Canisius/McKinley game?  They were the best games I saw in each of the respective seasons.  Yesterday was easily the best game I've watched this year.  When kids go that hard and play that sensationally, as much as I enjoyed the product I was able to witness, it makes me want to personally thank the players involved and tell the team that didn't win how much respect they earned in defeat.

 

Despite McKinley holding the lead for almost 12 minutes in the second half, the game still featured 13 lead changes and eight ties throughout.  The game was tied, 30-30, at halftime.  The Macks had a five-point lead after the first quarter and a four-point lead after the third quarter.  The largest lead for either team at any point in the game was the nine point advantage that the Macks had when Jaylen Prophet scored with 3:43 left in the fourth, putting his team up, 62-53.  But 2:21 after taking that nine-point lead, a three-point play from Canisius' Andrew Heitzhaus tied the game at 65 all.

 

Besides the two dunks from Trueheart, some game notes worth noting:

- Devin Morris of McKinley had the best game of any player on either team.  His game has evolved so much, even from last season, that he has truly become one of the best players in the area.  Forget his 3-point shot, which is as good as any.  He was under control all game, consistently got to the basket for his team, gave them scoring when they needed big baskets, and is unquestionably the leader of his team.

- The Macks were out-sized by the Crusaders, but the play of senior Keyshawn Ridgeway went a long way towards leveling that playing field.  Ridgeway wasn't even with the team until this year, but his contributions all season have been immeasurable, particularly against Canisius.  Despite giving up significant size, Ridgeway was a load on the boards and gave his team an interior presence defensively.

- Juwan Tolliver is one of the best point guards in the area and few know his name, because he quietly goes to work and looks for no attention amidst a deep and talented group at McKinley.  But he was finishing plays and making plays against the Canisius backcourt, which is as good as any in WNY.  

- The Macks were without regular starter Keyon Johnson, who missed the game due to injury.

- Andrew Schake and Andrew Heitzhaus each came off the bench for Canisius and helped them earn the win.  

- In crunch time, when Canisius trailed by nine points and began its run that tied the game back up, its backcourt of LaTerrance Reed and Josh Huffman each had strong drives that earned them trips to the line, and each went 4/4 during the most pivotable moments of the game.  A single miss by either during that stretch may have changed things.

- Justin Jones not only scored the go-ahead basket with 10.4 seconds remaining, he also knocked down the 3-pointer that spurred the Crusader run at the end of the game.  They don't win yesterday without him.

 

On his 18th birthday, playing in the Martin Luther King Classic, Canisius' Reed, nicknamed the King, scored a team-high 22 points.  Trueheart scored 20 points, while Huffman and Jones each finished with 12 points.

 

Morris scored a game-high 27 points for McKinley, while Tolliver and Shaquan Jones each netted 11 points.

 

********

Some post game quotes from Canisius head coach Kyle Husband:

"We're playing some good teams and we're getting their best shots"

"It's a testament to our guys, they're stepping up and playing good down the stretch"

"Those last 4-5 minutes we played at a really high level - we've got to find a way to be more consistent with that"

"Morris was phenomenal.  He played great - when you've got a guy who is consistently getting to the basket and scoring like that, it's tough to get any runs"

 

*******

If you haven't seen it already, click here to view the picture of Trueheart's second dunk, taken by the Buffalo News' James McCoy and read the article written by Miguel Rodriguez. Awesome stuff and some good quotes from McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey.

 

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Nichols closes out at St. Joe's

 

On Friday night, Nichols visited St. Joe's for a league battle in the Monsignor Martin.  The game was appealed to me as a good barometer of where both teams were.  The Marauders were coming off great showings against Henninger, a top Class AA team from the Syracuse area, and against Canisius, the top ranked school in WNY.  Then on Wednesday, St. Joe's grabbed a nice road win at Starpoint.  The Vikings were highly regarded entering the season and have shown flashes of brilliance, but struggle to be consistently brilliant.  So in a game where I felt Nichols is the better team and wins if they play to its capabilities, but St. Joe's is more than capable of beating them or anybody else, the end result satisfying.  I watched a great effort from both teams, that translated into well-played and competitive basketball game, in an excellent Friday night atmosphere thanks to the boisterous Rowdies turning out in numbers in beach attire to support their squad.

 

Nichols got 17 points apiece from Tanner Schmit and Cam Lewis, and an inspired team effort defensively, to gain the lead from St. Joe's and then close out the Marauders in a 52-46 win.  The win was the first MMA victory for the Vikings in three trys this season, while St. Joe's slips to 2-2 in league.

 

For the first 13 minutes of the game, the teams traded leads and momentum.  The Vikings, who came out in man, switched to a 2-3 zone, and it immediately changed the flow of the game.  Trailing 19-17 in the second quarter, Nichols finished the first half on a 12-2 run to take a 29-21 halftime lead.

 

The closest the Marauders were able to get in the third quarter was within five points, when Jack Scaglione hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter, making it 38-33.  St. Joe's got to within three of the Vikings twice in the final quarter, but the second time they got close, Chris Miner and Schmit combined for six unanswered points in one minute, putting Nichols back up by nine, a deficit the Marauders never recovered from.

 

"They were a relentless team", Nichols head coach John Reinholz said.  "I was really impressed with how they played tonight".

 

"I thought our zone was really good tonight because we were closing out on shooters, so we made some of those shots they were taking a little bit tougher",  Reinholz said. "That was a priority - if we go to zone, we've got to close out and get a high hand in their face.  I thought that was one area of the game where we really looked good defensively".

 

"Our kids fought to keep the lead", said Reinholz.  "We kept that intensity the whole second half,  I think that's been something that's plagued us the first half of the season.  We get a lead and take our foot off the gas.  Tonight, I saw senior leadership from Cam Lewis and Chris Miner".

 

Miner finished with 11 points for Nichols.

 

Scaglione registered 17 points for the Marauders, while Marcell Davis added 10 points.

 

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Results from the MLK Classic

 

 

Canisius 74, McKinley 70

In the headliner of the MLK Classic, the Crusaders prevailed in an instant classic between two of WNY's premier high school basketball programs.

LaTerrance Reed celebrated his 18th birthday with a team-high 22 points for Canisius.  Stafford Trueheart scored 20 points, and Josh Huffman & Justin Jones each scored 12 points in the win.

Devin Morris led McKinley with a team-high 27 points, while Juwan Tolliver and Shaquan Jones each netted 11 points.

More to come on this game in a separate post.

 

Sweet Home 59, Hutch-Tech 33

 The Engineers had a two-point lead, 18-16, at halftime, before the Panthers erupted over the final 16 minutes.  Sweet Home outscored Hutch-Tech, 45-15, in the third and fourth quarters, as Tech had no answers, regardless of wgat they switched to.

Adrian Drake finished with a game-high 19 points and a highlight block for the Panthers.  Jordan Evert added 10 points for Sweet Home.  Wilfredo Carerro led Hutch-Tech with 10 points.

 

East Aurora 66, Riverside 60 

The Blue Devils played most of the game from behind, but kept things close enough at the end for Noah Thompson  to hit the game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation.  Once in the extra session, the momentum had shifted East Aurora's way. They outscored the Frontiers, 6-3, in overtime.

Thompson finished with a game-high 30 points for the victors, Cal McTigue scored 18 points, and Nick Montgomery added 10 points.

Damone McNamee led Riverside with 26 points, while Romero Gardener and Alex Johnson each scored 10 points.

 

 

Sherman 63, Olmsted 50

Brandon Roach opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give his Owls the lead on Sherman, but the Wildcats answered with an 18-4 run to go up 42-29.   Olmsted managed to get back to within five points on a trey from sophomore Dan Reid with 2:05 remaining in the game, before the Wildcats closed out the game by scoring the final eight points.

Jake Card was a force inside and finished with 26 points for Sherman, while Colby Parks added 17 points, including three long balls.

Roach paced the Owls with 18 points.

 

Middle College 62, St. Francis 36

The Kats used a 24-4 third quarter to pull away from St. Francis.  Middle College managed to prevent any Red Raider scorers from reaching double figure scoring in the game.

Fred Foster led the Kats with 19 points, while JoJo Staton added 17 points, including a pair of triples.

 

I-Prep 58, Maritime 40

The Presidents broke open what had been a five-point game at halftime, by outscoring Maritime, 31-18, in the second half.

Davon Gant finished with a game-high 20 points for I-Prep, while Xavier Maye added 16 points.

 

Health Sciences 78, City Honors 58

Kam Rashada scored 11 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to erase any hope the Centaurs had of getting back into the game.  After trailing by 18 points at halftime, City Honors had a strong third quarter to cut into the deficit, but Rashada's interior work kept City Honors off the boards and kept the points coming for the Falcons in crunch time.

Tyrin Lott scored 18 points for Health Sciences and Naz Flood added 11 points.

City Honors got a team-high 17 points from Ryan Langhorne, 14 points from Matt Cieslik, and 13 points from Jordahn Summers.

 

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Lancers come away with the 'W'

 

When two teams are fairly evenly matched, it's usually the team that works harder & gives the better effort that comes away with the victory.  Last night in Lancaster, the Golden Eagles of Cleveland Hill visited St. Mary's for a nonleague matchup between a pair of top 10 WNY small schools.  And while Cleveland Hill won the battle of hustle, body language, and desire, it was the Lancers who seemed to have timing on their side.  Having a player of Takal Molson's calliber didn't hurt either.

 

Molson hit some big shots in big spots and helped his Lancers prevail over Cleveland Hill, 56-51.  St. Mary's improved to 8-3 overall, while the Golden Eagles slip to the same record, 8-3.

 

"Cleveland Hill came to play tonight.  They played a great game - they were beating us down the floor", St. Mary's head coach Paul Rath said of his opponent.  

 

"I would have liked to see a better effort from my guys.  I don't think we layed it out on the floor like we have in the past.  We have to find a way to get intensity with O'Hara coming tomorrow", Rath said.

 

The Lancers spent the game making plays at the right times, beginning in the opening quarter.  A close game early on was opened up by a 10-0 Lancer run to end the frame, giving them the early 16-7 lead.  Austin Oakes had a pair of sweet no-look passes for St. Mary's, and another behind-the-back dish, which, unfortunately the recipients weren't ready for.  Molson also whizzed a dime into the paint for an assist worth mentioning early on.

 

Cleveland Hill began the second quarter with an 11-1 surge to take the lead at 18-17.  Oakes stopped the bleeding for the Lancers with a 3-pointer from the left side to regain the lead, 20-18.  When a bucket from the Golden Eagles' Jermaine Hairston tied things at 20 apiece, Oakes came right back and struck again - the same way from the same place - giving St. Mary's a 23-20 lead.  They would hold a 27-23 edge heading to the locker room at halftime.

 

Midway through the third quarter, Cleveland Hill took a three-point lead, 34-31, thanks to the slashing of Anthony Sullivan and Daytwon Burney as they got to the basket.  With three minutes remaining in the quarter, Molson hit a jumper from the baseline, and then followed it up with a pair of 3-pointers before the end of the stanza, to get his team back in front, 39-37.

 

At the start of the fourth, Lancer junior Kayson Hill scored a pair of buckets and Molson added another to get their squad back up to a 45-37 advantage.  The Golden Eagles kept on coming, and after a tough basket from Hairston and a pair of drives from Ramah Lassiter, Rodney White swished a deep '3' with 1:52 left in the game to bring Cleveland Hill within a point at 47-46.  But once again, Molson was there for his team in the right spot, scoring with a crucial putback that was tipped in to prevent Cleveland Hill from a chance to score the go ahead bucket.  After the Golden Eagles missed a trey, the Lancers saw Hill convert a three-point play after a great pass from Cam Dunning, to put them back up, 52-46 with a minute to go, effectively sealing the game.

 

Molson finished with a game-high 18 points and Hill scored 11 for St. Mary's.

 

Sullivan led Cleveland Hill with 13 points, Lassiter scored 11 points, and White added 10 points in the loss.

 

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St. Joe's deals 1st loss to Spartans

(St. Joe's sophomore Naseer Jackson defends Starpoint's Ian Emerick)

 

After coaching under Mark Simon for seven years, the last five years as the head coach of the St. Joe's junior varsity team, Ben Scaffidi took the head coaching position over at Starpoint in the 2012-13 season after a year behind the Spartan JV bench.  Since that time, Scaffidi has put his stamp on the Spartans basketball program and watched his teams steadily improve each year.  Starpoint entered this season as a favorite to contend for a league title in ECIC II with a squad that starts three juniors.  The Spartans got off to their best start in many years, building an 8-0 record and earning the #9 ranking in the Buffalo News large school poll.  On Wednesday night, Starpoint hosted St. Joe's, marking the first time the two have ever coached against each other.

 

St. Joe's jumped on Starpoint early, withstood the Spartans attempts to rally, and never trailed, as the Marauders earned a 57-45 victory.  The loss is the first this season for Starpoint, while St. Joe's is clearly a team on the rise after a slow start to the season.

 

In the game's opening minutes, the Marauders came out flying and were extremely active defensively.  Both teams were scoreless in the first two minutes, before St. Joe's energy began to translate.  The Marauders got baskets from four different starters over the next two minutes during an 11-0 spurt and had managed to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard for the first portion of the quarter.

 

Ben Walters got Starpoint on the board midway through the opening quarter and ended up scoring 10 points for them in the stanza - the only Spartan to score from the field in the quarter.  A pair of 3-pointers from the Marauders' Antonio Morreale offset two from Walters, and kept the Spartans from erasing the quick start and early lead built by Joe's, as it was 17-12 at the end of one.

 

A four-point play from Walters halfway into the second quarter brought the large crowd of white clad Spartan Rowdies to their feet, as the junior guard's 16th point of the half got his squad within a bucket at 22-20.  On the ensuing possession for Starpoint, Brock Kroening scored inside to bring the Spartans all the way back, tying the game at 22 apiece.  Ed Tabone, who was very active on the boards all evening for the Marauders, scored his team's last four points of the half and St. Joe's went to the locker room at halftime clinging to a one-point lead, 26-25.

 

St. Joe's lead ballooned back to seven points to start the third, thanks in part to two more field goals by Tabone and another from Morreale.  A basket from Kroening and a three-point play by Christian Nodine quickly got the Spartan's deficit back to 34-32 with 3:34 remaining in the third.  But a key 8-0 run late in the quarter (three points each from Morreale and Marcell Davis), allowed the Marauders to take a 44-36 advantage into the fourth quarter.

 

Once in the final quarter, it was the Marauders who looked like the more seasoned group, perhaps a product of the brutal schedule they've played to this point.  St. Joe's didn't allow the Spartans to gain any ground and very methodically closed out the game by continuing to defend, protecting the ball, and keeping the ball in the hands of guard Nick Motley, who scored the final six points for the Marauders.

 

St. Joe's managed to keep Walters off the scoresheet in the second half after a big 16-point effort before the break and allowed just 20 points between the third and forth quarters.

 

"In the first half, our energy was tremendous coming out of the gate, which is what we wanted to do, but maybe spent too much energy early and kind of lost sight of what our assignments were", Simon said.  "At halftime, we talked about making sure we knew where the shooter was - him (Walters) in particular, and did a better job with awareness".

 

Following the game, I asked Simon for his thoughts on facing his friend who he'd worked so closely with.

 

"He's a fantastic coach, a wonderful person, man, & friend, and I'm rooting for him every night but tonight", said Simon.

 

Scaffidi is so highly regarded from his time spent with the Marauders basketball program, that assistant coach Tim Dyrek went out of his way to tell me "make sure you write about what a gentleman Ben is - he's the classiest coach around...I mean it"!

 

Motley finished with 14 points for the Marauders, Tabone scored 12 points, and Morreale added 11 points.

 

Walters led Starpoint with 16 points, Nodine scored 15 points, and Kroening chipped in eight points.

 

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Gilbert's late '3' lifts NT

 

So I didn't pick Kenmore West at North Tonawanda as the "Game of the Week", but it did have it as one of the week's top battles to watch for.  Thankfully, I ended up at the Lumberyard on Tuesday night, the nickname of the gym where the Jacks play ball.  I ended up seeing the finish of the week, and got to witness one of those moments that stays in your head forever - the type of moment that sports is all about.

 

Ryan Gilbert buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.8 seconds remaining, to lift his Jacks over visiting Kenmore West, 48-46.  The win keeps North Tonawanda unbeaten in the NFL, improving them to 4-0 in the league.

 

"I was nervous obviously, but my coach and my team had faith in me to take that shot",  an ecstatic Gilbert said following the game.  "I wouldn't have even gotten open without that screen - perfect play".

 

North Tonawanda head coach Ryan Mountain knew Gilbert was the player he wanted shooting, and felt good about the shot before it even went in.

 

"As soon as he let that shot go, the prayers were answered", Mountain said.  "He held the follow through and actually took a little contact there".

 

North Tonawanda spent most of the first half playing a step behind the aggressive Blue Devils.  Kenmore West did a good job scoring points against the stingy Jacks with a combination of transition points and knocking down a few of its jumpers.  The Blue Devils also showed North Tonawanda a 2-3 zone of their own, something the Jacks haven't faced very often this year.  Kenmore West's halftime lead of 22-16 matched its largest lead of the half.

 

Terrell Ford opened the second half with a bust from long range, giving the Blue Devils the largest advantage they would hold all evening - a nine-point lead.  Trailing 27-18, North Tonawanda gained some momentum after one of the Blue Devils players was whistled for a technical foul.  While the Jacks surged ahead, Kenmore West seemed to takes its foot off the pedal briefly.  The result was a 19-3 run, keyed by 3-pointers from James Garavaglia, Colby Moultrie, & Gilbert (who converted his into a four-point play) and a pair of buckets from Chris Woodard.  Suddenly the Jacks looked largely in control of things and had the home crowd rocking with a 37-30 lead late in the third quarter.  But a trey by the Blue Devils' Jay Taylor toned the crowd down and led to a 7-2 finish over the quarter's final two minutes, taking the Jacks into the final stanza with a 39-37 lead.

 

Gilbert and Garavaglia struck in concession from beyond the arc to start the final eight minute frame off, and suddenly NT was on top 45-37.  But then the sense of urgency set in for Kenmore West.  The Blue Devils began trapping.  NT buckled a bit under the pressure.  Taylor scored again for Kenmore West.  Aaron Tucker hit one of two from the stripe.  Then Tyler Aquilla scored.  Another turnover got Terrell Ford loose in transition - score.  Then with 26 seconds left, Tucker earned a steal and found Ford streaking towards the basket again for another layup.  With the shot clock off, North Tonawanda found themselves down 46-45 after holding an eight point edge minutes earlier.

 

That's when the Jacks drew up a play they had worked on, trusted what they had practiced, and then executed it.  You already know how it ends - in the right corner closest to the NT bench, the ball gets kicked out to Gilbert, a southpaw senior, who lets a '3' go without hesitation...swish!  

 

"I think people would have a deeper appreciation for what we do if they knew how hard we work", said Mountain.  "You hope all that hard work pays off and you have a few memories along the way.  Now Ryan has one that will last a lifetime".

 

 Gilbert finished with a team-high 18 points, that included three 3-pointers, three more FGs, and a 3/3 night from the charity stripe.  Chris Woodard added 10 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks for the Jacks.

 

Ford scored a game-high 22 points for the Blue Devils in the loss.

 

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NYSSWA State Rankings - Week 5

 

The fifth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #10

McKinley #14

Williamsville South #18

Amherst #20

 

Class B

Park #5

St. Mary's #17

Fredonia #24

 

 

 Class C 

Middle College #4

Silver Creek #9

Tapestry #11

Salamanca #20

 

Class D

Sherman #3

Panama #13

 

** According to the rankings...

 

- Greece Athena of Section V's Class A is far more highly regarded than any WNY team this season.  The Trojans, who are ranked #4 in Class A, visited Fairport on January 4th and won by 28 points, yet Fairport continues to be ranked in Class AA (#19), while Jamestown is a mere honorable mention.  The Red Raiders got their shot at the mighty Trojans on January 31st in the RAP Classic at Aquinas.  We'll see if they can play a game closer than 28 points.

 

- Canisius' dismantling of Nichols last week was worth a two spot promotion in Class A, from 12 to 10.

 

- McKinley got bumped up three places in Class A, from 14 to 11, after beating East (unranked in Class B).

 

- The Canisius/McKinley game at the MLK Classic on Saturday will feature the #11 vs. #10 ranked teams in the state in Class A.

 

- Williamsville South has been unranked all season, but managed to leap frog Amherst into the Class A ranks this week, after downing Williamsville East.

 

- Beating Walsh in Walsh will cost you!  St. Mary's fell two spots in Class B this week, from 15 to 17, after winning at the buzzer at Walsh, a place Nichols lost by 10.  Completely irrational!

 

- Middle College is going to Glens Falls.

 

- The top three Class D teams from Section V are all...wait for it....private schools.  I know, shocker.

 

 For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.

 

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2015 MLK Classic at City Honors

 

Here's the lineup for the two-day MLK Classic held at City Honors High School.  Saturday's games are broken into two sessions, with separate admissions for each.

 

Friday, January 16th

Session I

City Honors vs. Health Sciences - 4:30 pm

I-Prep vs. Maritime - 6 pm

Middle College vs. St. Francis - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 17th

Session II

Olmsted vs. Sherman - 11 am

Riverside vs. East Aurora - 12:30 pm

Hutch-Tech vs. Sweet Home - 2 pm

 

 Session III

McKinley vs. Canisius - 5:15 pm

 

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Poll Ballots - 2015 - Week 3

(Williamsville South has been all over the local competition this year)

 

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 Saturday 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 (MMA) - Those who were on hand to witness the Crusaders' display at Nichols on Tuesday saw a team that is in its own category in the large school ranks.  The Marauders gave them their best shot in the rivalry game on Saturday, but once Canisius reached its peak level in the fourth quarter, there was just no stopping them.  Park gets its shot at them tomorrow.  Then McKinley gets a crack on Saturday.  These guys play everybody.

2. Jamestown (AA) -  The Red Raiders annual trip to Williamsville North was postponed, keeping them idle last week.  Home games against Clarence and Frontier are on the schedule this week.

3. McKinley (A1) -  Even against a team like East that is successful every year and knows what's coming, the Macks pressure was still the difference last week in a Yale Cup I win over the Panthers.  They used it to jump on top early and never let East get all the way back up.  They'll need everything in their arsenal to hang with Canisius on Saturday, one of the only WNY teams that McKinley's athleticism doesn't overwhelm.

4. Williamsvillle South (A1) -  In what looked to be an exciting league race in ECIC II this season, the Billies start suggests they may be a cut above the rest of the pack, winning their three league games by an average of 24 points.  South visits Sweet Home tomorrow night to find out how they stack up with the Panthers.

5. Amherst (A2) -  Handled East Aurora by 23 points last Monday, before its next two games were postponed.  The Tigers are at Springville and home against Depew this week.

6. Nichols (MMA) - Either they got caught up in a landslide or the Crusaders were just that much better when the Vikings were trounced by Canisius on Tuesday.  Whichever, I'm not ready to drop Nichols any lower yet.  They visit St. Joe's on Friday night in a game that should reveal a ton about where this team is really at.

7. Niagara Falls (AA) -  No surprise to me that Aquinas unloaded on the Wolverines and blew open a close game in the second half on Saturday.  Falls is still not quite at the level of the Lil Irish, but neither are the other non-Jamestown teams in Section VI's Class AA.

8. Williamsville North (AA) - The Spartans chance to make a big statement with a home game against Jamestown was delayed last week.  North still has plenty on its plate this week with a pair of league roadies that won't be easy - Frontier on Tuesday and Lancaster on Friday.

9. Olean (A2) - Passed its first big league test of the year with a low scoring four-point win (46-42) over visiting Fredonia on Tuesday.  A very intriguing matchup for the Huskies awaits on Saturday, a nonleague game against Section V power Charlotte.

 10. Starpoint (A2) -  The Spartans will put their unbeaten mark on the line when St. Joe's visits on Wednesday night, as head coach Ben Scaffidi takes on the coach he used to work under, Mark Simon, while guiding the JV Marauders.  

 

Small Schools

1. Park (MMA) - The Pioneers are happy to be in this top spot of the small school poll, but they'd like it to be known that they'd occupy the same spot in the large school poll as well.  Tomorrow night, Park visits Canisius with a chance to lay claim to the top program in all of WNY.

2. Fredonia (B2) - Keeping the Hillbillies in this spot for now because there's no shame in losing a close game at Olean, a place where teams other than the Huskies rarely win.

3. St. Mary's (MMA) - Traveled to Walsh on Tuesday, never an easy place to play, and scored a thrilling three-point win to snap the holoday skid they'd encountered.  The Lancers have a chance to pick up three more wins this week if they are back in form, with games coming up against St. Francis, Cleveland Hill, and Cardinal O'Hara.

4. Walsh (MMA) - The perfect spot for the Eagles in this poll is right here, tucked behind the Lancers who squeaked one out against them, but ahead of the Black Knights - a team that lost to the same Nichols team that Walsh beat by 10.

5. Silver Creek (C1) -  Improved to 5-1 with a win over Bennett last week and welcome in Portville on Tuesday night for there first real test in league this year.

6. Middle College (C2) - The Kats took care of South Park by 13 last week but didn't get to play the big Yale Cup I game at McKinley yet, due to weather.  They play Burgard tomorrow before facing St. Francis in the MLK Classic on Friday night at City Honors.

7. East (B2) -  Came away very impressed with East after seeing them lose at McKinley on Wednesday.  I won't be surprised to see them run the table in Yale Cup I the rest of the way.  In fact, I'm almost expecting it.  That would include knocking off both Middle College and McKinley in rematches.

 8. Tapestry (C1) -  Last week, Tapestry had won the CCA Tournament and Salamanca had lost to Cleveland Hill, yet somehow the Thunderhawks fell out of the Buffalo News poll in favor of the Warriors?!?  Pay attention pollsters, that one made no sense.  Tapestry visits Randolph on Thursday and should get a nice gauge of where they stand in Class C.

9. Sherman (D) - They put it on Forestville Saturday by 31 points, one of the better Class D teams in Section VI.  It will be very interesting to see how they fare against Maple Grove tonight.  After watching the Red Dragons play this year, learning that Sherman beat them would impress.

10. Salamanca (C1) - The Warriors jump back onto my ballot for beating Portville last week, without 6-7 Jared Fish, who remains out of the lineup with an ankle injury.  Watch out for this team come season's end.

 

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Top games of the week ending 1/18/15

(Freshman Joe Jones & the Park Pioneers invade Canisius on Tuesday. Photo by Buffalo News)

 

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

 

Monday, January 12th

Walsh @ Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm

Sherman @ Maple Grove - 7:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 13th

Park @ Canisius - 6:30 pm

Medina @ Wilson - 6:30 pm

Niagara Falls @ Lockport - 6:30 pm

Williamsville South @ Sweet Home - 6:30 pm

Kenmore West @ North Tonawanda - 7 pm

Williamsville East @ West Seneca East - 7:30 pm

Portville @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm

 

Wednesday, January 14th

Timon @ Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm

St. Joe's @ Starpoint - 7 pm

 

Thursday, January 15th

Tapestry @ Randolph - 7 pm

Clymer @ Sherman - 7:30 pm

Cleveland Hill @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 16th

Lew-Port @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

Lockport @ Kenmore West - 6:30 pm

Nichols @ St. Joe's - 7 pm

Cardinal O'Hara @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm

Starpoint @ Williamsville East - 7:30 pm

Iroquois @ West Seneca East - 7:30 pm

Williamsville North @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm

Silver Creek @ Salamanca - 7:30 pm

MLK Classic **at City Honors

City Honors vs. Health Sciences - 4:30 pm

I-Prep vs. Maritime - 6 pm

Middle College vs. St. Francis - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 17th

MLK Classic **at City Honors

Olmsted vs. Sherman - 11 am

Riverside vs. East Aurora - 12:30 pm

Hutch-Tech vs. Sweet Home - 2 pm

McKinley vs. Canisius - 5:15 pm

 

Game of the Week - Park @ Canisius on Tuesday, January 13th

- Two years ago, before I was aware of the influx of talent making its way to The Park School, a respected coach said to me, "I'm going to tell you right now, Park could win the Monsignor Martin".  At the time I laughed, literally, and thought of it as one of the more outlandish things I'd heard someone say to me with a straight face.   I'm no longer laughing.  These days, I'm the one saying that same thing to others.

The Park Pioneers will enter the game as WNY's top ranked small school, while Canisius, who needs no introduction in local high school hoop circles, is the top ranked large school and regarded as the benchmark program of the area.  This season, the Crusaders have already defeated the #2 large school and Class AA finalist from last season, Jamestown, along with turning in a resounding victory over the defending Manhattan Cup champs, Nichols.  

Meanwhile, Park has been wowing crowds on hand to witness the display they put on during games, and those who have yet to see them in person have done a double take when checking box scores.  Of the seven area teams the Pioneers have faced this season, none have gotten closer than 20 points, and only Lew-Port even competed, yet still trailed by 15 points through three quarters.  Park's seven wins have come by an average of 37.5 points.  The Pioneers hold the season-high for points in a game with 105, scored in a 59-point win over Hutch-Tech.

The two schools have only one prior meeting to look back at, a 12-point win for Canisius at Park last season.   While there is a growing sentiment that this year's Crusader squad may be even better than last's years buzz saw,  there is little debate when comparing last season to this year's version of the Pioneers - they have significantly upgraded.  Most notably, Park added 6-7 Jordan Nwora from Amherst, an inside/outside threat, and Joe Jones, a 6-8 freshman who mans the middle and gives them a legitimate post presence.

With the change in format to the Manhattan Cup playoffs, both teams will have a chance to compete for CHSAA state championships - Canisius in Class A and Park in Class B - if they can emerge as the champions of the MMA.  But there is no chance that these two cross paths in the postseason and there will be no rematch this year.  The winner of this game will be considered the best in WNY, which made this game an easy choice for the Game of the Week.

 

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A strong finish lifts Canisius over St. Joe's

 

For most of the rivalry game between the Crusaders and the Marauders, it was the unranked host, St. Joe's who held the advantage on the scoreboard and in the tempo dictated on the floor.  But in the end, it was the top ranked school in WNY that asserted itself in crunch time to ensure its status as the best, improve its unbeaten standing in the league, and retain rivalry bragging rights until they meet again.

 

Madut Ayiy scored 15 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, including 11 in the decisive final quarter, to lead Canisius to a 60-50 come-from-behind victory over Monsignor Martin Association rival St. Joe's in the first meeting of the season between the two.  The rematch will take place at the Canisius College Koessler Center on Saturday, January 31st at 1 pm.

 

"St. Joe's, to their credit, really played great"  Canisius head coach Kyle Husband said.  "They punched us in the mouth early on - they were the aggressor".

 

In the very early going, it looked like a very big and very important game that had the players on the court playing a little tight.  Possessions were hotly contested trips back and forth on both ends, with simple putbacks not falling, jumpers rimming out, and players diving for loose balls & soaring for rebounds.  Six minutes in, the contest was tied at just five points each, and neither team had put together any form of rhythm.  

 

Late in the opening quarter, LaTerrance Reed hit a 3-pointer for Canisius to tie the game at 9 apiece with 22 seconds left.  St. Joe's answered with one from downtown by Grant Beyer as the quarter expired, which gave the Marauders a 12-9 advantage, and more importantly, spurred some momentum.  They began the second quarter with seven straight points, five coming from Antonio Morreale, and suddenly a 10-0 St. Joe's run had them leading the Crusaders by 10 points, 19-9.  The Marauders 2-3 zone was effective during the stanza, limiting Canisius to a single field goal over the eight-minute span, as they took a surprising double figure lead into the game's intermission, 27-15.

 

The inevitable Canisius run that everyone was waiting for happened in two parts, with the start to it coming at the start of the second half.  Josh Huffman and Justin Jones combined for a quick seven points to cut the St. Joe's lead to 29-22.  The third quarter remained back-and-forth from that point forward, with the teams first trading buckets, then swapping free throws.  The second portion of the third quarter was mostly consistent of free throws, with 10 of the last 14 points from both squads coming from the charity stripe.  When the teams came away from their benches for the final quarter, the Marauders were holding a seven-point lead at 40-33.

 

Naseer Jackson opened the fourth quarter scoring with a basket for St. Joe's to put them up by nine, before a score inside from the Crusaders' Ayiy triggered the second Canisius run.  In less than two minutes, the Crusaders had ripped the momentum from St. Joe's and with it, taken the lead with 6:08 remaining in the game, 43-42.  Stafford Trueheart scored four points during the surge, that also included scores from Reed and Huffman.  Once Canisius took the lead, they never relinquished it, and over the game's final eight minutes, imposed its style on St. Joe's, played at its highest level, and looked like the best team in WNY.  

 

"We dictated tempo a little more in that last quarter" Husband said.  "Once we got on a roll, you see them kind of get back on their heels and us keep that snowball effect going".  "They had great momentum early, we had great momentum late".

 

Trueheart finished with 14 points, with nine of those helping Canisius to pull away in the fourth quarter, including an exclamation point dunk in the closing moments.  Reed and Huffman each added 11 points in the win.

 

Marcell Davis led St. Joe's with 15 points and had a solid all-around game, while Beyer finished with 12 points.

 

Ultimately the game was an affirmation of sorts for both teams.  St. Joe's has enough talent and grit to believe that just need to learn how to finish a game like that, but that they definitely belong on the court with anyone.  For Canisius, they got the reassurance that when they are at their best, they are the best.  

 

At least we think so.  There's a game on Tuesday night at Canisius that holds some major interest for me, and some huge relevance to the discussion of the best teams in WNY.  It will be the only meeting of the season between the Crusaders and Park, the top ranked small school in WNY, and a team loaded with the talent and athleticism to challenge Canisius.  Until then...

 

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South sends Paul off in style

 

(South players gather around assistant coach Tim Paul)

How much of the game is mental and how much of the game is physical is certainly debatable.  I think it always varies, depending on the specific circumstances of each game.  To take nothing away from the physical talent that South has had on display all season, last night was a mental victory.  The Billies came into their game against Williamsville East with a lot on their minds.  They were thinking about a rivalry game, they were thinking about revenge, and they were thinking about saying goodbye.  Ultimately, the mental aspect of their game served them very well against the Flames.

 

The Billies channeled a range of emotions into their most spectacular outing of the season, and handed ECIC II and district rival, Williamsville East, a lopsided 85-49 defeat.  The bittersweet twist, however, was that following the game, South had to say goodbye to assistant coach and defensive specialist Tim Paul.  Paul, who formerly worked with South head man Gabe Michael on the coaching staff at Canisius College, has accepted a position with NJIT in New Jersey, where his wife had already been living and awaiting him to join her.

 

"When Gabe asked me to help out at South, I knew it would be a good fit for me", said Paul.  "We knew each other well and I knew what these kids could do and their potential".

 

Watching the players come back out of the locker room following the game to take a photo with Coach Paul and then seeing them huddle around to embrace him spoke to the bond that had formed between he and the team.

 

"These kids have been special - they want the knowledge, they want to learn, they want to get better, they want to play at the next level", Paul said following a farewell with the players.  "It's their thirst for learning that made it fun for me.  Everyday was a new adventure, they wanted to be so much better than when they started out".

 

On Thursday night, in the first of two meetings between the teams, the strides South has made as a team were on full display.  The last time the two teams had played each other was January 21, 2014, when the Flames knocked off South by 17 points to earn a series sweep after downing them by 12 points a month earlier.  This time around, the Billies absolutely erupted, and played the type of team game that everyone at South will look back on in weeks, months, even years, and talk about just how fondly they remember the way they played that night.

 

"This game has been circled since 353 days ago when we played there and I was in a hospital in Columbus getting updates" Michael said.  "They've been hearing about it from me - we've been looking forward to it".

 

The Billies got off to a solid start - a game-opening 3-pointer from Sam Castronova which led to an 11-4 lead midway through the opening quarter.  Then Jordan Buell checked in, and as per usual, wasted little time drilling one from downtown.  Two more treys followed, one by reserve Myles Hall, and then another from Buell.  It was all part of a 17-1 Billies' run to end the quarter, capped by a pair of steals converted for buckets by freshman floor general Greg Dolan.

 

Leading 28-5 heading into the second quarter, the South surge continued.  Buckets from Matt Foster and Greg Dolan preceeded a pair of long-range bombs from Graham Dolan, stretching the South run to 28-3 and pushing its lead to 39-7 before the game was 11 minutes old.  The Billies would get eight more points out of Graham Dolan in the third quarter, and three more treys (Hall, Buell, and Kam Varner) to take a 69-29 lead into the final stanza.  South's advantage reached as high as 44 points with about six minutes remaining in the game.

 

Greg Dolan finished with a game-high 16 points, along with seven assists, six boards, and four steals.  He was perfect from the charity stripe and went 6 of 8 from the field, after a perfect 9 of 9 in the game prior.  Graham Dolan and Varner each scored 14 points, and Buell added 11 points.

 

Mike Shanahan led Williamsville East with 13 points, Nicholas Clough scored 12 points, and Cort Williams added 11 points.

 

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Macks hang on to beat East

If you asked me after the first quarter, halftime, or the third quarter, I would have said East is done - they aren't coming back.  But I also would never pack up and leave during one of these Yale Cup I slugfests until the game was over, because you just never know.  Despite the fact that McKinley ended up the victor on Wednesday night after building a huge lead in the latter stages of the game, the Panthers had them on the ropes right at the end.  

 

McKinley built a 19 point lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game and despite that lead being cut to just two points with 11 seconds to go, hung on to down East, 73-70, in a key Yale Cup I battle.  The loss is East's second in league, meaning they'll likely need the Macks to split with Middle College for any shot at winning the Yale Cup.

 

The Macks were flying early and pressuring East into turnovers.  They led 23-11 after the opening stanza, and much of their quick start was thanks to Mike Ridgeway scoring all eight of his points in the game's first four minutes.  The Panthers handled the pressure much better in the second quarter, used a 2-3 zone to slow the pace, & outscored the Macks by a point.  Of the combined 17 points scored over the last four minutes of the second quarter, only five came from the field, with the remaining 12 points coming in the form of free throws.

 

A 3-pointer early in the third quarter from McKinley's Devin Morris had his team up 44-28.  East responded with a 9-0 run to cut the McKinley lead to 44-37, and it looked like the game would be even before long.  Instead, Morris drilled a '3' that spurred a 13-3 run for the Macks and ultimately led to his team owning what looked like a comfortable 15-point advantage heading into the final frame, 59-44.

 

When East's Percy Bryant drilled one from downtown to start the fourth quarter, it was a definite sign of things to come.  Bryant would end up sticking three more treys in the quarter, each coming off the dribble and over a defender - tough shots that he swished and made look easy.  His last '3' came with 20 seconds left in the game, and had the game as close as it had been since the opening minutes, 72-70, in favor of the Macks.  McKinley's Jaylen Prophet went one of two from the stripe with 10 seconds remaining to make it 73-70.  East had no timeouts left, but managed to get the ball into the hands of Bryant, who made it all the way to the top of the perimeter, where he let a hurried attempt go for the potential game-tying 3-pointer - but it drew the front iron.

 

McKinley's Morris and East's Bryant were both spectacular in the game, facing defenses that gave them extra attention, and still delivering a pair of 31-point performances.  Jovell Littlejohn added 14 points and Zion Morrison scored 11 points for the Panthers in the loss.

 

Keyon Johnson ended up with nine points in the win for the Macks.

 

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Complete domination for Canisius

When I went down to interview Canisius head coach Kyle Husband following his Crusaders' complete dismantling of Nichols, I didn't even bother to ask him if this was a statement game, or revenge from last season's season-ending loss to the Vikings in the Manhattan Cup semifinals.  I got the answer to that question before the game's first quarter ended.  Then it was re-affirmed in the second quarter.  When the teams came out of the locker room after halftime, the Crusaders were still seething.  From the opening shot - a 3-pointer buried by LaTerrance Reed - to the final horn to end the game, Canisius was on a mission.  Between the utter domination on the court and the Blue Crew (CHS student section) responding to every chant from Gang Green (Nichols student section) with "this is our house", the only thing they didn't do to send a message was rip the Vikings' Manhattan Cup Championship banner from the wall before they left.  

 

Reed scored 23 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, which included a three-point play and five 3-pointers (one became a four-point play), as Canisius built a 47-20 halftime lead, en route to a 74-36 victory over the host Vikings.  

 

"Tempo was the key word throughout practice yesterday", Husband said following the game.  "Getting out in passing lanes, play tough defensively, and keep attacking offensively".

 

That's a subtle way of saying what the packed crowd at Nichols witnessed.  Canisius gave up no easy baskets in the first half and allowed just four field goals, forcing the Vikings to earn the majority of their first half points from the charity stripe, while completely disrupting their offense.  Then on the other end of the court, Canisius moved the ball swiftly and decisively, and seemed to attack with a purpose.

 

"It helps when you make shots and we did that early.  They were open looks too, we passed the ball really well", Husband said.

 

Justin Jones scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, with eight of those coming in the second quarter, as he attacked the basket and embodied the Crusader energy that was so tempo-setting throughout.  Josh Huffman added 12 points for Canisius with three field goals, including a trey, and went five of six from the stripe.  Another Crusader who stood out all game was Madut Ayiy.  The junior provides Canisius with length inside, but last night at Nichols, he was far more than a tall player in the post.  Ayiy ran the floor well to stay in constant good position defensively and was key to limiting the effectiveness of the bigs from Nichols.  He blocked shots, altered countless others, kept the boards clean, and even showed efficiency on the offensive end when given the opportunity.

 

"He just keeps coming along, it was the best game he's played and I think he's going to be really good" Husband said of Ayiy.

 

Coming off a pair of losses at the Georgetown Tournament in NYC and another at the hands of Troy, this type of win may be just what Canisius needed as we get into the heart of high school basketball season here in WNY.  The Crusaders have the first of two rivalry games coming up this Saturday at St. Joe's, before hosting WNY's top ranked small school, Park, on Tuesday.  It's also worth noting that the inspired performance last night came without the services of TJ Wheatley, who is expected back soon.

 

For Nichols, last night was just not its night.  To put it in perspective, only one player, Chris Miner, scored more than one field goal in the game.  I don't think last night's loss will define the Vikings, and I certainly don't think we saw the best they had to offer.  They will get 10 days off to disect what needs to change for the defending Manhattan Cup champs, before visiting St. Joe's on January 16th.  The rematch between the Vikings and Crusaders is set for Tuesday, February 3rd at Canisius.

 

Miner finished the game with 17 points for Nichols.

 

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NYSSWA State Rankings - Week 4

 The fourth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #12

McKinley #14

Amherst #21

 

Class B

Park #6

St. Mary's #15

Fredonia #21

Walsh #25

 

 Class C 

Middle College #5

Silver Creek #9

Tapestry #12

Portville #16

 

Class D

Sherman #3

Panama #18

 

** According to the rankings...

 

- There are at least five teams innSection V's Class AA better than Jamestown:  Bishop Kearney (11), Aquinas (14), Fairport (20), Irondequoit (22), and Rush-Hentietta, who is unranked, but knocked off the Red Raiders by 14 points.

 

- The Canisius loss at Troy, a team with a losing record, was not much of a punishable offense.  The Crusaders also lost to Tampa Jesuit along the way, but fell just three spots from 9 to 12.

 

- Amherst's loss to Aquinas at the Jolly Boys Tournament actually earned them a bump, from 22 to 21 in Class A.  Either that, or they were really impressed that the Tigers beat St. Francis the following day.

 

- St. Mary's dropped three spots for each loss over break (Williasmville East & Pittsford Sutherland), dropping a total of six places, from 9 to 15 in Class B.

 

- Jamestown's win over Newark (#22 in Class A) in the Rush-Henrietta Tournament didn't impress the rankings committee.

 

- Fredonia losing a close game to Timon was a big deal.  The Hillbillies dropped six spots, from 15 to 21 in Class B.

 

- They finally came around on Walsh and ranked the Eagles in Class B (25), despite them being idle since the last rankings.

 

- Eight of the top 20 teams in NYS from Class C are from Sections V & VI.

 

- Much like I did, the state had a delayed reaction to Portville beating Walsh.  The Panthers are ranked this week in Class C (16).

 

- Panama's loss to Randolph at the United Way Showcase in Jamestown was costly.  They dropped 10 spots, from 8 to 18 in Class D.

 

- Sherman is going back to Glens Falls.

 

 For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.

 

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Poll Ballots - 2015 - Week 2

(Top 10 Lg schools, Jamestown & Olean, played this weekend, in what should be an annual game)

 

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 Saturday 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 (MMA) - The Crusaders are on a three-game losing streak (Seattle Prep, Tampa Jesuit, & Troy), which really does nothing to suggest they aren't still the area's top team.  However, lose a fourth straight and it's a different story, because next up for Canisius...a date at Nichols on Tuesday. There's also a certain rivalry game going down on Kenmore Ave this Saturday.

2. Jamestown (AA) -  Had an impressive showing at the United Way Showcase over the weekend, knocking off Olean and St. Joe's on consecutive nights, both by double figures.  Stephen Carlson's play in those two games deserves an award or two...

3. McKinley (A1) - A huge week ahead for McKinley with visits from East & Middle College happening on Wednesday & Friday.  The Macks will enter the game against the Panthers having won their last three by an average of 33 points.

4. Williamsvillle South (A1) -  The Billies got their first taste of defeat in the title game of the Jolly Boys Tournament with a loss to Aquinas, ranked #16 in the state's Class AA.  They had started 6-0, with their most recent victory coming by 20 points over St. Francis.

5. Amherst (A2) -  The Tigers also suffered their first loss to Aquinas at the Jolly boys Tournament, but were tied with the Lil Irish at halftime before falling victim to a third quarter run.  Amherst rebounded with a win over St. Francis the following day.  They'll host East Aurora tonight, before visiting Maryvale on Thursday.

6. Nichols (MMA) - The Vikings participated in the prestigious Mirabito Stop DWI Holiday Classic in Binghamton over the break, falling to St. Michael's College and Landstown, before knocking off Emmaus behind double-doubles from Chris Miner & Tanner Schmit, with Cam Lewis missing out on the trifecta by a rebound.  Tomorrow night is the one we've been waiting for - Canisius comes a knocking.  The season is about to start getting really good!

7. Niagara Falls (AA) -  Visit Grand Island, before a very intriguing NFL game against North Tonawanda on Friday.  The Wolverines end their week with a trip to Aquinas.  We will know much more about Falls by next week.

8. Williamsville North (AA) - The Spartans jump onto my ballot after winning the Five Guys Tournament, which included a 20-point win over Williamsville East, a team Olean knocked off by seven.

9. Olean (A2) -  Got my first look at life after the dream team for the Huskies, and they're going to be just fine.  Olean hosts Fredonia Tuesday night in the first of two games that will decide how the West is won (CCAA I West).  The last time Olean lost a league game was in 2011, before Wil Bathurst even played on the varsity team.

 10. Starpoint (A2) -  The Spartans held off Lew-Port for this last spot after holding off Lockport and beating the Lions in overtime to remain undefeated (6-0).  How long can they keep it going?  Hamburg and Iroquois will come calling this week in an attempt to put a blemish upstart Starpoint's record.

 

Small Schools

1. Park (MMA) - The Pioneers have not played since December 23rd, so I'll offer this stat: winners of their last three by an average margin of 47 points.  I won't attempt to set the line for their game with O'Hara this week.  

2. Fredonia (B2) - Lost their first game of the season at the Clarence Tournament to Timon, in a game they played with out key starter Patrick Moore (Timon was also without a starter).  Rebounded nicely with a solid win over host Clarence.  Can't wait to learn how the trip to Olean goes.

3. Walsh (MMA) - I knocked them down one spot from last week in a delayed reaction to the Portville loss.  Can't drop them much farther though - they did beat Portville two weeks earlier and also beat Nichols to get this high in the first place.  Will the real Walsh please stand up? This week should give us some answers...the Eagles host St. Mary's tomorrow, then visit Park on Friday. Anyone predicting another colossal upset?

4. St. Mary's (MMA) - Chased wins over Middle College, Lancaster, & Depew, with three staright losses, though none were bad losses.  The Lancers better hope they can end the skid real soon with a trip to Walsh on tap for tomorrow, otherwise they'll fall two-games behind the Eagles in the league standings.

5. Silver Creek (C1) - Looked like they were sleep-walking through much of their victory over Maple Grove at the United Way Showcase in Jamestown.  They turned it up each time the game got close, but will need to get back to the consistent style that has them so high on this ballot soon, because their league, CCAA I East, is a meat grinder (Portville, Salamanca, Randolph, Allegany-Limestone).

6. Middle College (C2) - The Kats take on South Park at ECC on Wednesday, before tipping off in the Game of the Week on Friday night at McKinley.  Middle College has a Yale Cup to defend.

7. Portville (C2) - Don't look now, but the Panthers are quietly out to a 7-1 start, with a pair of wins over Allegany-Limestone (who beat Randolph) and a win over Walsh - the same Walsh that beat Nichols.  

8. East (B2) - There was no holiday cheer on the court for the Panthers over the break, with stinging losses to Aquinas and Wellsville in the Aquinas Tournament.  They're at McKinley on Wednesday, not exactly who you want to see when looking to get back on track, but East did hang tough with Middle College, losing at the buzzer.

 9. Tapestry (C1) - Winners of the CCA Tournament over break to improve to 5-1 on the year.  The chase for the Charter Cup resumes this week as the Thunderhawks take on Oracle and Buffalo Science.

10. Sherman (D) - The Wildcats are on quite a roll.  Two straight Section VI titles and an 8-0 start to this season, most recently tripping up Olmsted over the weekend.

 

-centercourt

Top games of the week ending 1/11/15

(Middle College at McKinley on 2/8/14. Photo by John Hickey/Buffalo News)

 

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

 

Monday, January 5th

Bennett @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm

Panama @ Clymer - 7:30 pm

 

Tuesday, January 6th

Canisius @ Nichols - 6:30 pm

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

Maryvale @ Cheektowaga - 6:30 pm

St. Joe's @ Timon - 7 pm

Lew-Port @ North Tonawanda - 7 pm

Fredonia @ Olean - 7:30 pm

Sweet Home @ West Seneca East - 7:30 pm

Allegany-Limestone @ Randolph - 7:30 pm

 

Wednesday, January 7th

East @ McKinley - 6 pm

 

Thursday, January 8th

Cleveland Hill @ Tonawanda - 6:30 pm

Iroquois @ Starpoint - 7 pm

Amherst @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm

Jamestown @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm

Williamsville East @ Williamsville South - 7:30 pm

 

Friday, January 9th

Middle College @ McKinley - 6 pm

Lockport @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm

North Tonawanda @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm

Walsh @ Park - 6:30 pm

Amherst @ Sweet Home - 7 pm

Silver Creek @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm

Randolph @ Portville - 7:30 pm

 

Saturday, January 10th

Canisius @ St. Joe's - 2 pm

Niagara Falls @ Aquinas - 5 pm

 

Game of the Week - Middle College @ McKinley on Friday, January 9th

- After breaking the Yale Cup winning streak by winning 33 straight games against its competition from the Buffalo Public Schools, McKinley saw its run end at the hands of Middle College on January 31, 2014.  The Kats proceeded to go into Mack High a week later and defeat McKinley for a second time and went on to win the Yale Cup.

McKinley would go on to win a third straight Section VI title in Class A1, while Middle College also earned a third straight Section VI crown, and made it all the way to the NYSPHAA Class C state championship game.

Once again this season, the two programs are considered elite in both the city and in their respective classifications in the section.  The two games played between these annual powers will likely determine this year's Yale Cup champion just like a season ago.  The Kats already own a victory over East, the only other team likely to challenge these two in the city, who McKinley hosts prior to facing the Kats, on Wednesday.  A win on Friday for the Kats would have them well on their way to a repeat, while a McKinley victory would establish a clear pecking order of the city's top programs.

As of now, McKinley is the #4 ranked large school in WNY, while Middle College is ranked #4 among WNY small schools.

 

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Scores from the United Way Showcase

 

Below are the scores and Game MVPs from the United Way Showcase held at Jamestown High School:

 

 Friday, January 2, 2015

Jamestown 58, Olean 43

Stephen Carlson scored a game-high 23 points and Zack Panebianco added 13 points as the Red Raiders went on a 9-2 run to close the first half and begin pulling away from the Huskies.  It was the first time the big dogs of the Southern Tier faced off since Jamestown topped Olean in the 2009 IAABO Tournament at St. Bonaventure.  The loss snapped Olean's 50-game winning streak against Section VI competition, which began during the 2011-2012 season.  Connor Prizel led the Huskies in scoring with 11 points.

Game MVPs:

Jamestown - Stephen Carlson & Zack Panebianco

Olean - Chucky Martin

 

Randolph 42, Panama 37

Game MVPs:

Randolph - Bryce Morrison

Panama - Ricky Eddy

 

Silver Creek 61, Maple Grove 51

Game MVPs:

Silver Creek - Trevon Thompson

Maple Grove - Graham Soffel

 

***

 

Saturday, January 3rd

Jamestown 57, St. Joe's 41

Game MVPs:

Jamestown - Stephen Carlson

St. Joe's - Grant Beyer

 

Randolph 46, Maple Grove 37

Game MVPs:

Randolph - Bryce Morrison

Maple Grove - Graham Soffel

 

Fredonia 55, Bennett 46

Game MVPs:

Fredonia - John Piper

Bennett - Jose Rivera

 

Sherman 58, Olmsted 52

Game MVPs:

Sherman - Stephen Walczak

Olmsted - Dan Reid

 

Click here to read an article on Jamestown's two victories from the Showcase.

 

-centercourt