Just because the scoreboard isn't exactly getting a workout, doesn't mean teams are necessarily playing good defense. Sometimes it's just a case of bad offense or teams that haven't quite found that spark to get some momentum going. Thursday night's Class B1 pre-quarterfinal between Newfane & Tonawanda began as a low scoring affair that was anything but a defensive struggle. But eventually it was some defensive energy that translated into scoring in the other direction and ultimately favored the home team.
Newfane used a 26-8 run to erase a seven-point deficit and take a double-digit lead, knocking off visiting Tonawanda, 54-42. The victory advances the Panthers in the sectional tournament, as the #6 seed from Niagara County will travel to East Aurora for a Friday night quarterfinal against the #3 seed from ECIC III.
Midway through the second quarter, Newfane was still sitting the nine points it had rendered in the opening stanza, as the Warriors gradually mounted their largest lead of the game, 16-9. To that point, the game was marked by slow half court offensive sets and a lot of missed shots from both teams, particularly the Panthers, who weren't having much success feeding the post and had just air-balled a 3-pointer.
"I think the whole first half, everyone was looking around for someone to make a big play and spark a little bit of a run," Newfane coach Eric Klumpp said.
There was no big play that bailed Newfane out of its slow start, but rather five players on the floor that became noticeably move active in the Panthers' zone. Tonawanda failed to score over the last four minutes of the half, while Newfane got a pair of buckets from Chad Gilson and began to come alive as the game neared its intermission. In the last minute of the half, the Panthers ran a set that got the ball inside to Connor Hill, who was so wide open, it took him a moment to realize he was unguarded, before tying the game at 16-16 as the teams went to halftime.
"We needed to do it defensively," Klumpp said. "We moved up and put a little more pressure on them, gambled a little bit to try and pick up the tempo of the game."
The Panthers came out of the locker room for the second half and played like a different team, or at least the one that finished out the first half strong. The defense continued to work hard to disrupt Tonawanda's ball movement and challenge every shot they took. Between the end of the first half and the third quarter, Newfane held the Warriors to just two field goals over a 12-minute stretch.
Meanwhile, in their own end, the Panthers offense scored more points in the third quarter than they had in the entire first half. Sophomore standouts Kyle DeVoogel and Max Weber, took turns popping off in the second half and combining for 30 points over the last two quarters. DeVoogel scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter, as he opened and closed the stanza's scoring for his squad. Late in the frame, he banged a 3-pointer that was followed by a steal and trip to the line for two more points that gave Newfane a double-digit lead to take to the fourth quarter.
Weber added 11 of his 18 points over the final eight minutes, including a seven-point blitz that came in under 60 seconds, to deflate Tonawanda's hopes of making things interesting late in the game. The Warriors had closed to within five points at the three minute mark prior to the Weber scoring spree.
"Those two expect to play like that every night," said Klumpp. "They're ultimate competitors who study the game, try to win every drill in practice, and keep getting better."
Tonawanda was led by Justin Holevinski, who played well on both ends and finished with a team-high 16 points, with 11 of those coming in the second half. Cody Diaz added 10 points for the Warriors, but made just two shots from the field in the game, as Newfane's Albert Kramp did a fantastic job of staying with him all game and contesting every shot Diaz took.
"Albert's been doing what Albert does since he stepped on the court for us last year," said Klumpp. "He's a total team guy and a total heart guy, who has drawn a lot of tough assignments this year and he's always up for the challenge - that's his role and he loves it."
While the Panthers will attempt to extend their season at East Aurora, the win over Tonawanda marked the final home game of the season for Newfane, who was happy to treat the home faithful to one last victory.
"Our community does a tremendous job of coming to support us, Klumpp said. "They're always there and it's great to end our last home game with a win."
Point Totals
Newfane: Kyle DeVoogel 22, Max Weber 18, Chad Gilson 6, Connor Hill 4, Al Kramp 2
Tonawanda: Justin Holevinski 16, Cody Diaz 10, Tyler Stapf 8, Collin Smith 4, Trey Lilly 4
-centercourt
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