(Ellicottville's Austin Grinols looks for space against Jarrett Lecceadone of Randolph)
Last season ended in defeat at JCC for both Ellicottville and Randolph to eventual Section VI champions. For the Eagles, it was a loss to a senior laden Panama team that reached Glens Falls in Class D. The Cardinals fell to Middle College in the Class C2 semifinals, then watched them plow through the rest of the state's competition. However both teams had reason to believe this season could offer a chance at redemption, as each had several key players back in uniform. When the schedule was all put together, there was the pair of top small schools from the Southern Tier projected to reach sectional finals this season, slated for a tilt before the calendar even reached December. The season opener for Ellicottville, Randolph, and myself ended up being the perfect place to get the party started for the 2017 season.
Ellicottville built a 13-point halftime lead, survived a comeback attempt, and finished the game like a veteran team in a 52-49 nonleague victory over Randolph. Closing the game out was an impressive accomplishment for a unit that starts five underclassmen.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but that was a huge first step," Ellicottville coach Dave McCann said following the victory.
The Eagles took control early on by making a concerted effort to look inside for returning All-Centercourt Honorable Mention selection Elliot Bowen. The junior set the tone for his team from the start, going right at the Cardinals' defense, drawing contact and calls, and making his free throws. Seven of Bowen's 14 points in the game came in the opening five minutes and included sinking all five attempts from the charity stripe. His teammates seized upon the opportunities created from Bowen's early production, hitting the glass hard and finding second chance scoring opportunities.
"He was a tough matchup for us," Randolph coach Kevin Hind said of Bowen. "He's good enough to do that to you - we didn't play him real smart early."
Leading 13-11 with 2:33 left in the first quarter, Ellicottville went on a 9-0 run to close the frame and build a double figure lead, 22-11. Steven Rowland, Deric Leiper, Austin Grinols, and Griffin Chudy all scored for the Eagles during the spurt, while maintaining their energy on the defensive end against the Cardinals.
Randolph netted seven quick points to start the second quarter and pull within four, before a 3-pointer by Chuddy got the Eagles rolling again. Chuddy scored eight of his team-high 18 points in the stanza and finished the game with seven rebounds and five assists. Ellicottville built a 15-point lead and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard for nearly six minutes, before Randolph got a bucket at the halftime buzzer to make it 33-20.
As the minutes ticked down on the clock at halftime, there was a sense that as good as the Eagles had looked for the first 16 minutes, Randolph would have a run in them. They did.
"We talked about it at halftime, they weren't going to quit - they're too tough of kids," said McCann.
Freshman guard Tyler Hind swished a long 3-pointer to open the second half scoring and kick off a surge for the Cardinals. Jarrett Lecceadone added a pair of bombs in the third, as Randolph ramped up its pressure and limited Ellicottville to just one field goal and three points over the eight minutes. In the final minute of the quarter, Jake Beaver scored to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game, 37-36, heading into the fourth.
"I would have liked to execute some things better in the third quarter, but credit to them, their defense forced us into some bad decisions," McCann said. "They picked up the intensity big time with their traps and they were reading passing lanes."
The teams traded scores during some early possessions in the fourth quarter, with Randolph leading 43-42 following another bucket by Beaver at the 6:07 mark.
"I told them when it was a one-point game - this is what we came here for," Hind said.
The Cardinals got the tough opponent they came for, but with fatigue setting in and foul trouble created by Bowen's performance in the post, it was Ellicottville that had the most left in the tank to finish. Buckets from Bowen and Rowland set a 9-2 run in motion that carried the Eagles six-point lead in the game's final minute and a season-opening victory over a highly regarded opponent.
"I'm ecstatic at the way we were able to pull it out," said McCann. "We were able to right the ship and this early in the season, that's huge to see out of the kids."
Bowen's night included a game-high 16 rebounds. Rowland collected seven boards and scored seven points.
Lecceadone led the way for the Cardinals with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Hind managed 13 points on the evening, knocking down a trey in each of the first three quarters, and even those were contested looks.
Austin Grinols, who spent most of the game focused on making Hind work for every shot he took, registered eight steals in the tilt.
"Austin did a great job defensively," praised McCann.
Ellicottville's next game is at Portville on Tuesday, while Randolph will look for its first win at Panama on Wednesday, December 7th.
"We scheduled some tough teams this year, just have to take some time and make it all work," Hind said.
Point Totals
Ellicottville: Griffin Chudy 18, Elliot Bowen 14, Steven Rowland 7, Austin Grinols 6, Deric Leiper 6, Noah Stuve 1
Randolph: Jarrett Lecceadone 20, Tyler Hind 13, Jake Beaver 8, Andrew Bernard 4, Kaleb Frink 2, Calvin George 2
-centercourt
Good write up, just like seeing the game again. Good job dude.
Posted by: John Allen | Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at 08:24 PM