(Shaquan Jones scores two for the Macks late in the Yale Cup championship game)
One of the things I've looked most forward to all season is the upcoming sectionals in Class A. All year, there have been three teams that stood at the forefront of Class A, and those three teams have all been bunched right next to each other in the large school poll at #3, #4, & #5, behind Canisius & Park.
The three teams - Amherst, Williamsville South, & McKinley. All three have something in common - they all repeated as league champs and this year, all three ran the table in league.
South and McKinley, as they seem to be every season, are on a collision course to meet up at Buffalo State in the Class A1 final. Last season, the Billies knocked off the defending champs in the semifinals. This season, they are on opposite sides of the bracket, and wouldn't play until championship Saturday.
Amherst is in Class A2, and while there are no guarantees, the Tigers are heavy favorites to emerge as the winners, after finishing as runner-up to Olean last season. Should the Tigers prove the prognosticators right, they would get the winner of Class A1, to decide who the overall champ is, and advance. The next step would be the Far West Regional, where Section VI faces Section V. After knocking off Canisius at the RAP Showcase at Aquinas in late January, Greece Athena is now the #1 ranked team in NYS Class A and the team expected to be waiting for the Section VI winner.
All of this Class A talk is important, not only because three of the top five large schools have been waiting an entire season to sort things out, but also because of what the state rankings suggest. A look at the NYSSWA State Rankings in Class A show Greece Athena & Amherst as the top ranked public schools in NYS. Next in line? Williamsville South. The Macks have just one team separating them and the Billies. That means that in NYS Class A, four of the top five public schools are from our region and the winner of the Class A Far West Regional (Greece Athena vs. any of our 'Big 3' Class a teams) is projected to be the NYSPHAA Class A State Champion.
Last night, I made it out to see all three of the top Class A teams:
McKinley 77, Middle College 75
After a back-and-forth first half that included 12 lead changes and seven ties, the Macks held a slight lead for most of the second half and held on to outlast a very game opponent in Middle College. The victory was the 26th consecutive league win for McKinley and its second straight Yale Cup. It was also the Macks' fourth Yale Cup in five seasons, and they have gone undefeated in the city each time they hoisted those four Cups!
McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey's thoughts on winning the Cup, again:
"Beautiful, beautiful, poetry, poetry in motion."
Seven different Macks scored in the victory, led by Keyon Johnson with 20 points. Shaquan Jones scored 17 points, Avius Outlaw netted 12 points, and Kesean Fisher, Davonti Wardlaw, and Bruce Booker all finished with eight points.
Williamsville South 75, Starpoint 58
The Billies repeated as champs of ECIC II, but this season, they went undefeated in the quest to repeat. After a three-point lead at halftime, South got its mojo going in the second half and took the last 16 minutes, 41-27. Greg Dolan & Graham Dolan combined for 44 points in the game and were in sync for the play of the game - a behind-the-back pass from Greg to Graham for a 3-pointer that sliced through the net. Myles Hall and Matt Foster each scored nine points in the victory, while Ryan Philipps added eight points.
South coach Gabe Michael's thoughts on beating Starpoint to win the league outright:
"It felt like last year's game when we were up three at halftime (a game they lost) - it felt like they had all the momentum. I challenged the guys a little, that was one of the best halves of basketball we've played all year. We have a little chip on our shoulder from what happened last year. I told our guys, this was a two-year championship."
Amherst 65, Jamestown 56
Last season, the Tigers traveled to Jamestown and lost by a similar margin. The Red Raiders were the favorites to win Class AA and the Tigers viewed playing in Jamestown as a great challenge and an opportunity to get better. This year, the roles between the two have reversed, as Jamestown is looking to make a name for its team in a wide open Class AA, while Amherst is a heavy sectional favorite and a team to others use as a measuring stick for success.
TC Brown led all scorers in the game with 25 points. Amadi Ikpeze finished with 13 points in the win, while Da'Shawn Hines scored 12 points on four 3-pointers.
-centercourt
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