Poll Ballots - 2016 - Week 3

(Canisius enters this week with the longest winning streak (14 games) in NYS / Photo by Elliott Jerge)

 

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

1. Park (MMA) - The Pioneers will hit the New Year with a 6-0 record, the #1 Class A ranking in NYS, and the state's second longest winning streak at 11 games.  Bishop Kearney visits Harlem Road on January 2nd.

2. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders winning streak of 14 games is tops in NYS.  Three major challenges await this week as they participate in the annual National Jesuit Tournament in NYC.

3. Amherst (A2) - The Tigers travel to Long Island this week to play in the Anthony Parlato Memorial Tournament.

 

4. McKinley (A1) - The Macks improved to 6-0 with an easy win against East last Monday.  They host a tournament this week, facing Nichols on Tuesday and likely Cheektowaga on Wednesday.

 

5. Williamsville South (A1) - The Billies make their way out to NYC to play in the Chaminade Tournament this week, where they'll face top caliber competition.  Locally, South is 3-0 in ECIC II with wins of 40, 31, & 31 points.

 

6. Lockport (AA) - The Lions roared loud enough to wake up anyone who was still sleeping on them, when they dismantled Starpoint on Tuesday.  Now 7-0, Lockport will play the best team it scheduled this year, Aquinas, in its Christmas Tournament beginning on Tuesday night.

 

7. St. Joe's (MMA) - Knocked off McQuaid on Wednesday night and will look to keep it going this Wednesday when Starpoint visits in a battle of local top 10 large schools.

 

8. Niagara Falls (AA) - The Wolverines are in the middle of a three-week hiatus, before resuming their schedule on January 5th.  They are currently tied for first place in the NFL with an unbeaten league mark.

 

9. Lancaster (AA) - The best start for Lancaster that I've ever seen continues.  The Legends are now 7-0 after breezing past West Seneca West last week and topping Tapestry in the Buffalo Hoop Group Tournament at St. Francis on Saturday.  They'll play St. Francis tonight for the tournament championship.

 

10. Starpoint (A2) - The Spartans lost all the momentum they were riding following a win over Timon, when they arrived in Lockport last Tuesday.  It was the kind of loss that will have all eyes on their game at St. Joe's this week, to see which team shows up.

 

 

 

Small

 

1. Olean (B1) - The Huskies are 6-0, ranked #1 in NYS Class B, and still waiting for their first competitive game, after winning their first six by double figures.

 

2. Health Sciences (B2) - Scored their biggest win in program history, going on the road and knocking off Middle College in a game they never trailed in over the last two quarters.  This is the highest they've ever been on my ballot, but the Falcons have earned their way here.

 

3. Walsh (MMA) - One of eight teams from WNY that entered the holidays with an undefeated record.  The Eagles play in the Coudersport Tournament over the break and then again on January 5th.

 

4. Middle College (C2) - The Kats have an opportunity this season to match what the 2010 team did - win it all.  However, their 3-4 start to the season, that includes a one-point win over East, raises some questions.  

 

5. St. Mary's (MMA) - The Lancers won the Depew Tournament, defeating East Aurora in the final.  Next up is the Five Guys Tournament at Williamsville North this week, where they'll open against Global Concepts on Tuesday night.

 

6. East (C1) - Still just one win, against Burgard.  Losses include Bishop Kearney (AA), Edison Tech (AA), McKinley, Middle College, & Timon.  The Middle College loss was by one point.  No team below them is winning any of the games they lost, nor are they pushing Middle College to a one-point game.  Polls are not standings.  The state rankings use a stupid policy of not ranking a team below .500.  I go watch games and do my best to rank the top 10 teams.  So yes, a team can be in the top 10 with a 1-5 record. 

 

7. East Aurora (B1) - The Blue Devils are .500 with a mark of 4-4.  Losses were to Olean, Amherst, St. Mary's, & Orchard Park.  Again, these guys are a top 10 small school, and losing to teams that are better doesn't change that.    

 

8. Tapestry (C1) - Came up short against Lancaster in a game where they waited too long to play with any intensity in.  The Thunderhawks identity has been a team that plays up tempo and constantly pressures the ball, and when they are true to themselves, they're a tough team to beat.

 

9. Nichols (MMA) - The Vikings own 20+ point wins over Cleveland Hill & Medina, and beat RCM Charter of Rochester by 15 points.  The boys are in for an experience on Tuesday when they play at McKinley...pipe some noise into your practices this week and work on your press break.

 

10. Franklinville (D) - The Panthers were 7-0 at press time, the only unbeaten left in Class D, and playing for the small school IAABO Tournament championship tonight against Chautauqua Lake.

 

 

-centercourt

Comments

[Dan Nicholas]

So the only thing Lancaster has done since the last poll was remain unbeaten and beat a top state ranked school, yet they dropped two spots on your ballot. We are to take you seriously?

[Overrated]

Cause you were pathetic vs. Tapestry and St. Francis.

[TML1000]

Top state ranked school? Did you confuse South Park's football ranking with basketball?

[centercourt]

Dan Nicholas -

You are correct, Lancaster had remained unbeaten and was coming off a win over Tapestry at the time when I moved them down from #7 to #9 on my ballot.

Here's why:

- Yes, as you pointed out, they beat a top state ranked school. That school was Tapestry, ranked #6 this week in NYS Class C. Lancaster is the largest school in Section VI, so they are Class AA. The reality is, Lancaster is a top 10 WNY large school and beat a top 10 WNY small school. They were expected to win. You can try to over-sell it with top ranked state school, and did, but the win didn't send any shock waves through the area or get anybody talking.

- I watched the game against Tapestry. Having seen Niagara Falls a few times already this year, I definitely think the Wolverines are ahead of Lancaster. Because I hadn't yet seen Lancaster before Saturday, I gave them the benefit of the doubt for being unbeaten. After watching them, they no longer received that benefit. So if Falls is ahead, so is St. Joe's for beating Falls, and so is Lockport for beating St. Joe's.

- Lancaster's biggest win was at Jamestown, who is unranked. The Legends don't even have a game scheduled against a top ten large school this season. Their 7-0 start included three wins over small schools (two ranked) and four unranked large schools. The Legends have taken care of business and won the games they were supposed to, but there's not much else to go on, besides the "eye test". Watching them told me, maybe still a top ten, but not where I had them.

- The fact that Lancaster lost to St. Francis a day after your comment has nothing to do with how I voted before that game, but it certainly supports my how I voted. Frannies hadn't beaten a ranked large school in a long time.

So to answer you backhanded question: "We are to take you seriously?" Damn right you should!! The local HS hoops scene is my life in the winter and while I'm not always right, I do always put a ton of thought and effort into my coverage of it. I'll leave you with this analogy. John Clayton or Adam Schefter would offer you a lot more perspective on how the Bills stack up against other teams in the league, than the guy in red, white & blue zubaz with a cold PBR screaming 'let's go Buffalo'.

[Thomas L]

That being said, I hope you will be visiting Jamestown for the JHS United Way Showcase at Jamestown HS on Friday & Saturday Jan 8 & 9.

[StateChamps2003]

Just wanted to say I got a pretty good chuckle with your "how I voted" comment. The fact that you took 4 paragraphs to explain something involving Lancaster's basketball team, whom haven't been relevant since, how did MIG put it, since Ronald Reagan was President, is comical as well.

[centercourt]

I'll be in Jamestown on Saturday the 9th all day.