(O'Hara's Rene Velazquez elevates to shoot over Brandon Gross of Newfane)
Cardinal O'Hara 64, Newfane 58
The Hawks got a balanced scoring effort that landed four of their starters in double figures and were the tougher team down the stretch, overtaking Newfane in the fourth quarter. Rene Velazquez and Justin Hemphill each scored 16 points, while Torree Cheatham and Jermaine Haynes each finished with 15 points. Hemphill also added 17 rebounds on the evening, along with a pair of fourth quarter dunks.
The teams traded buckets in the first quarter and entertained fans with a competitive and fast-paced 21-20 frame that favored the Panthers, led by 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers from Max Weber, who finished a game-high 20 points.
"We came in with the mindset of knowing that Kyle (DeVoogel) was a really good scorer and we tried to take him away," O'Hara coach Tony Pulvirenti said. "Max (Weber) ends up scoring a lot. They have two good players and I know we're still playing defense on both, but we were focused on Kyle early."
DeVoogel shook of the tight defense and matched the Hawks' team scoring output with seven of his 18 points in the second quarter. The Panthers went to halftime on a 7-0 scoring spurt, which gave them a 33-27 lead at halftime. Weber started the second half with a 3-pointer, followed by a score from Brandon Gross that propelled Newfane to its largest lead of the night, 38-27. It was at that point when O'Hara began to stiffen up defensively and start making some shots again after a long scoring lull. The Hawks finished the third quarter on a 17-7 run and carried that momentum into the final stanza.
"I just tried to motivate them the whole game to play hard," explained Pulvirenti.
His team responded with an 11-0 blast that spanned most of the final frame and gave them a comfortable 55-47 advantage with under three minutes to play, before trading buckets with the Panthers until the end of regulation.
O'Hara 20 - 7 - 17 - 20 = 64
Newfane 21 - 12 - 12 - 13 = 58
Point Totals
O'Hara: Rene Velazquez 16, Justin Hemphill 16, Torree Cheatham 15, Jermaine Haynes 15, Nasir Benton 2
Newfane: Max Weber 20, Kyle DeVoogel 18, Connor Hill 6, Chad Dunbar 6, Brandon Gross 6, Caleb Russell 2
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Niagara Catholic 54, Starpoint 47
Jonathan Phillips scored a game-high 17 points and the quality guard play from the young Patriots continued, as Niagara Catholic got in front from the start and never trailed in the game to earn its biggest win of the early season over Starpoint. The Spartans were coming off a tough two-point loss to East Aurora, voted #2 in the first small school poll. The Patriots, who are unranked and started four sophomores, set the tone with a focused defensive effort.
"Our players came out strong and ready to play defensively," Niagara Catholic coach Guilio Colangelo said.
Derek Clemons led Starpoint with a team-high 15 points, with eight of those coming in the opening quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. Niagara Catholic quickly adjusted to the sharp shooter and didn't allow him any clean looks the rest of the way. Anyting Clemons touched the ball, you could hear Colangelo remind his team who the 'shooter' was.
Phillips did most of his damage in the second quarter for the Patriots by scoring nine in the frame, as his team built a 12-point halftime advantage. Thomas Owens (15 points) and Jaden Turner (12 points), both sophomore guards, were steady all game and have bright futures. Freshman Jaemon Turner came off the bench to score seven points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with under three minutes remaining was incredibly clutch, as Starpoint had climbed back into the game with a 13-2 run and narrowed the deficit to just three points. Following the big shot that put Niagara Catholic back up six, 48-42, the Turner brothers closed out the game by making all six attempts from the charity stripe in the game's last minute.
"We handled some runs Starpoint brought our way, kept our composure towards the end when they started tightening up the lead a little bit, and I'm proud of our effort," said Colangelo.
Niagara Catholic 12 - 21 - 10 - 11 = 54
Starpoint 11 - 10 - 10 - 16 = 47
Point Totals
Niagara Catholic: Jonathan Phillips 17, Thomas Owens 15, Jaden Turner 12, Jaemon Turner 7, Roman Wright 3
Starpoint: Derek Clemons 15, Justin Mott 10, Adam Lasal 7, Aaron chase 6, Hunter Lemieux 4, Kyle Schreader 3, Jake Walters 2
-centercourt
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