The View From Centercourt

Amherst tops NT in Hettler Classic

(Amherst & North Tonawanda slugged it out in the Bob Hettler championship game)

 

The championship game of the Bob Hettler Classic sponsored by the Jolly Boys at Amherst High School between the host Tigers and North Tonawanda was anything but a clash of styles.  Amherst and NT have plenty in common this season.  Both teams have size across the board and can play a physical brand of basketball.  The two teams have made their mark with defense this season, and while each has some star power, the Jacks & Tigers are both best described as deep, balanced teams with multiple contributing players.  They are also two teams with aspirations of a Class A title this season in Section VI and both something have to prove.  Neither was the predicted winner of their league to start the season, yet the Jacks already clipped the favorites in their league, while the Tigers went to overtime versus the team pegged to win their division.  

 

I arrived at the Amherst Jungle to see the large school I had ranked #9 host the team I had ranked #6, and received a message just prior to tip asking what the 'line on the game' was.  Pick 'em was my reply.  I ended up getting the game I came to see.

 

Amherst made plays over the game's crucial final stretch and earned a hard fought victory over North Tonawanda, 49-45.  Marcellus Cooper (14 points) was named Tournament MVP, while the Tigers also landed Da'Shawn Hines and Desean Ashley (nine points) on the All-Tournament Team as Amherst hoisted the Bob Hettler Championship Trophy.

 

A methodical and deliberate pace to a well-played defensive game by both teams kept the contest close and low-scoring throughout, with neither team allowing the other to make a major run.  North Tonawanda held a slight lead for the majority of the first half and took a two-point lead into the break.  Amherst outscored the Jacks, 10-3, to start the second half and took a 32-27 lead.  But North Tonawanda came right back, sparked by a 3-pointer from Vincent Tripi, to regain the lead late in the third quarter.  

 

In all, the game saw 11 lead changes and was tied five times.  With North Tonawanda clinging to a 39-37 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter, Amherst's gameplan for attacking the vaunted 2-3 zone employed by the Jacks really came to fruition.  Hines tied the game for the final time at 39-39 with 4:40 left in the game, which kicked off a 12-2 run for the Tigers.

 

"Going against a 2-3 zone, an extended one that's that aggressive, is tough," said Amherst coach Chris Kensy.  "We had our shoot around to prepare for it.  I was very proud of my guys and how we attacked the zone - very unselfishly."

 

The Tigers' committment to their gameplan and consistent work in both ends resulted in a breakthrough late in the game, and it was Jordan Barr that executed with the most energy over the final three minutes to help unravel the Jacks' zone.  Barr scored his first points of the game with 3:37 to play, giving Amherst the lead for good.  As he scored, he turned to the student section, The Amherst Jungle, and asked for their support.  The fans responded and so did Barr, scoring another six points during the decisive run that put North Tonawanda away.

 

"Jordan can seem not fully into it, then all of a sudden turn a switch on," Kensy said.  "When he goes ahead and puts his mind to it, he is tremendous for us."

 

One month into the season with the most important basketball well ahead of every team, the Tigers have to be pleased with where they are at.  The win for Amherst over the Jacks was its second over a ranked large school in a week.  Nine different players scored for the Tigers in the win.  Cooper has been the guy for his team, but has done so very unselfishly.  Hines continues to be a leader and tireless worker at the defensive end.  Ashley, a freshman guard, takes steps forward everytime out on the floor.  All signs that Amherst is a rapidly improving team heading in the right direction and a squad that the rest of Class A will have to give plenty of thought to.

 

"Absolutely," Kensy said.  "I think this team has a ton of potential if we keep improving."

 

Trevor Book finished with a team-high 13 points for the Jacks, while Patrick Milbrand added 12 points in the loss.

 

N. Tonawanda  13 - 11 -   9 - 12 = 45

Amherst             10 - 12 - 12 - 15 = 49

 

Point Totals

N. Tonawanda:  Trevor Book 13, Patrick Milbrand 12, Zack Woodard 6, Vincent Tripi 6, Rory Farkas 4, Brandon Casterline 2, Alex Quinn 2

Amherst:  Marcellus Cooper 14, Desean Ashley 9, Jordan Barr 8, Will Alfieri 6, Da'Shawn Hines 4, Richard Kay 3, Brian Fulford 2, Jake Mullen 2, Ja'Kye Womack 1

 

- centercourt

Flyers win Coaches vs Cancer Tournament

 (Ray Blackwell gets to the basket for Maryvale)

 

Maryvale 61, Hamburg 51

Ray Blackwell scored a team-high 27 points and kept his team in front of Hamburg the entire second half, as the Flyers won for a second straight day to earn the championship trophy as the host of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament at Maryvale High School.  Blackwell earned Tournament MVP honors after posting 49 points over the two games.

 

"I can't say enough about Ray Blackwell," said Maryvale coach Mark Kensy.  "He guides us through the offense and attacks the glass really well."

 

Blackwell spread his offensive output evenly over the four quarters of the game and seemed to have an answer for the Flyers every time they seemed to be searching for one.  The junior guard and primary ball handler for Maryvale did an excellent job of penetrating the Bulldogs' defense throughout and repeatedly drew foul calls, earning 11 of his points from the stripe.  A higher percentage on his charity tosses would have given him a career-high.

 

Ted York-Brown added 16 points in the tournament championship victory.  Brian Sullivan, Tahron Goudelock, Dylan Casey, and Mark Bailey all provided valuable backcourt minutes for the Flyers, while Adam Meyerhofer continued his workman-like approach in the paint all game.

 

"My teammates open it up for me all the time," Blackwell said.  "They help me out a lot."

 

Patrick Hart finished with a game-high 33 points for Hamburg that included four 3-pointers and collected 14 of those in the final stanza, refusing to let Maryvale put the game away.  Hart, along with Jake Genzel, each scored 11 points in the first half for the Bulldogs, who traded leads with the victors during the second quarter and held a 25-22 lead on Maryvale with two minutes left in the first half.

 

"Genzel was giving us a really difficult time in the first half, so we switched and tried some diamond & one," said Kensy.

 

The switch in Maryvale's defensive approach took away part of Hamburg's two-headed monster.  While Hart continued to thrive in the second half, Kensy's decision focus on limiting Genzel disrupted the Bulldogs' offensive continuity.  Goudelock, a sophomore guard, played a key role defensively for the Flyers in the second half.

 

"We went to Tahron, who did just a wonderful job," Kensy said.

 

A 3-pointer from Hart made it a one-point game midway through the third quarter, but a 9-0 Maryvale run late in the stanza opened the tight contest up a bit and Hamburg never managed to get closer than four points the rest of the way.

 

Maryvale   15 - 13 - 15 - 18 = 61

Hamburg  13 - 12 - 10 - 16 = 51

 

Point Totals

Maryvale:  Ray Blackwell 27, Ted York-Brown 16, Brian Sullivan 6, Tahron Goudelock 5, Dylan Casey 2, Adam Meyerhofer 2, Mark Bailey 2, Rashad Law 1

Hamburg:  Patrick Hart 33, Jake Genzel 13, Mark Henry 3, Kevin Mahoney 2

 

All-Tournament Team

Ted York-Brown, Maryvale

Patrick Hart, Hamburg

Jake Genzel, Hamburg

J'Son James, Cleveland Hill

Jalen Bradberry, Niagara Wheatfield

 *****************************

 

Cleveland Hill 44, Niagara Wheatfield 30

The Golden Eagles used a 16-5 third quarter to break open a game that had gone to the intermission tied at 19-19, to defeat the Class AA Falcons in the tournament consolation game.  J'Son James, who scored a game-high 14 points for Cleveland Hill and was named to the All-Tournament team, was relied upon over the final two quarters to help facilitate the offense for his team from his forward position. The Golden Eagles were able to reduce second half turnovers and took a more deliberate approach with the ball.

 

"We took care of the ball better on offense," said Cleveland Hill coach Jason Przybysz.  "We let J'Son James play in the high post, made him square up to the basket, made defenders come up & play him, and it took some of the pressure off our guards."

 

Freddrick Johnson scored 10 points in the victory, while Paul Woodward added eight points for the Golden Eagles.  The pair, along with Tyler Phillips, Naszir Nance, and James, were outstanding in the defensive end during the second half.  Cleveland Hill extended its zone and seemed to make a concerted effort to hit the glass, resulting in just 11 total points in the second half for the Falcons.

 

"We spread our zone out a little bit more and limiting them to one shot, trying to get that defensive rebound," Przybysz said.

 

Jalen Bradberry finished with a team-high 11 points for Niagara Wheatfield in the loss.

 

Cleveland Hill            11 - 8 - 16 - 9 = 44

Niagara Wheatfield   8 - 11 -  5 - 6 = 30

 

Point Totals

Cleveland Hill:  J'Son James 14, Freddrick Johnson 10, Paul Woodward 8, Naszir Nance 6, Tyler Phillips 6

Niagara Wheatfield:  Jalen Bradberry 11, Anthony Ruffino 9, Davon Ware 6, Benjamin Devantier 4

 

-centercourt

NYSSWA State Rankings 2017 - Week 3

 

The third state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Park #2

Canisius #3

Williamsville South #8

Timon #23

St. Francis #24

 

 Class B

Health Sciences #5

East Aurora #6

Dunkirk #15

Lackawanna #21

 

Class C 

Chautauqua Lake #2

East #4

 

Class D

Ellicottville #5

Sherman #7

 

** According to the rankings... 

 

- The news in Class AA is even more bleak than last week.  Section V now has four teams ranked from the state's highest classification:  Fairport, Aquinas, UPrep, & Bishop Kearney.  Three of those teams have losses to our teams.  Aquinas fell to Canisius, UPrep lost at Falls, and Bishop Kearney lost at Timon.  However, I still can't bring myself to disagree with this.  The team from Section VI that warrants the most consideration for a ranking is Niagara Falls.  But the top results supporting the Wolverines being ranked happened at home to start the season - taking Park to OT and beating UPrep.  Since then, they lost the rematch to UPrep, lost to Rochester East, and lost at NT.

 

- Park is your new CHSAA state champion, thanks to Cathedral Prep.  Canisius made the trip to Erie, PA and lost to the Ramblers, which dropped them to #3 behind Park.  For some reason, Byram Hills jumped Park and landed at #1 in NYS Class A, so I must assume they will knock the Pioneers off in the Federation Tournament.

 

- Williamsville South loses in the Class A state semifinal to Elmont.  The Billies are ranked 3rd among public schools in NYS and are presently projected to face the defending state champions, who are coached by a man with a serious beard.

 

- Timon remained #23 in NYS Class A despite its loss to Williamsville South.  I applaud the decision to not drop the Tigers, who are a top 25 team in Class A all day.

 

- St. Francis is now state ranked!  I can't remember ever seeing this in my time on the scene, which dates back to the 2008 season.  The Red Raiders deserve it and are more than worthy of their slot right next to Timon.

 

- Health Sciences takes on Glens Falls (in Binghamton) for the NYSPHAA Class B state championship.  Remember, this is not a prediction, but according to the rankings - they are the second highest ranked public school in NYS.  I'd love to see the Falcons join me in Binghamton this year.  They face Rochester's Early College, ranked #16 in NYS Class B, on Thursday night at Villa Maria College in the I-90 Showcase.

 

- The weird development of the week in the state rankings occured in the latter portion on the Class B rankings.  Dunkirk jumped from #22 to #15.  Lackawanna fell from #17 to #21.  Dunkirk won one game last week, while Lackawanna won two games.  Neither team lost.  Hmmm.

 

- It's Chautauqua Lake vs. Waterville for the NYS Class C state championship.  The Thunderbirds are up to #2 in the state.  I'm curious to see which approach they take in the Class C crossover against East - attempt to score 122 points or dig in defensively.  

 

- In Class D, Ellicottville & Sherman are battling for the right to lose to Avoca, now #1 in NYS, in the Far West Regional.  Still no love for Franklinville in the Class D top 20.  I'm telling you, they're good and should be ranked.  They have a potential meeting with Chautauqua Lake on Friday if both teams win first round matchups in the IAABO Tournament.

 

- Did anyone notice how North Tonawanda, who owns wins over Niagara Falls and Health Sciences, got dropped like they were hot from the Class A rankings after losing to Lockport?  The Jacks potential matchup at Amherst on Friday would be a fascinating battle of teams with some big strong athletes and battles in the paint for rebounds would not be for the faint of heart.

 

- This has to be the first time since 2009 that Middle College hasn't cracked the state rankings by now.  I know they're now in Class B and I'm not trying to make the case for them.  Just found it interesting.  Don't count them out, history is on their side.

 

Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.

 

-centercourt

Poll Ballots 2017 - Merry Christmas

 

 (Williamsville South and Timon treated fans to a duel between top WNY large schools)

 

 As a pollster, I rank the top ten large and small schools in WNY each week.  These rankings are based on games played through Saturday of each week.  Here's how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders suffered their first loss of the season two days before Christmas when they got rolled by the Ramblers of Cathedral Prep.  However that loss doesn't effect the Canisius win streak against teams from WNY, which is at 36 games.

2. Park (MMA) - Play in the Josh Palmer Fund Holiday Inn Classic at Elmira this week, a three-day/eight-team tournament.  The Pioneers open against Elmira are on the opposite side of the bracket from Canisius, who also makes the trip.  If Park wins that tournament, I'll take them to number one...even if the Canisius streak is still intact.

3. Williamsville South (A1) - Another streak remained intact just before Christmas.  The Greg Dolan-led Billies have only lost to two WNY teams since he took the court as a freshman in December 2014 - a league split with Starpoint during his freshman campaign and a loss to Canisius last year.  Williamsville South passed a big test with a win at Timon last Thursday night.

4. Timon (MMA) - Wins over Bishop Kearney and Amherst and the South loss have the Tigers sitting at 2-1. They will spend this week tuning up for what will be a major start to the New Year in league play, with a pair of games in Rhode Island.

5. St. Francis (MMA) - The Red Raiders' four wins over Orchard Park, West Seneca East, Dunkirk, & Kenmore West came by an average margin of 33 points.  On Thursday night, they face the Cathedral Prep team that just defeated Canisius by 20.

6. North Tonawanda (A1) - Followed up their 13-point home loss to Lockport with a drubbing of CSAT.  The Jacks face Starpoint on Thursday and could see Amherst on Friday night in a tournament championship game.  

7. Niagara Falls (AA) - The Wolverines were two-points shy of a 50-point win over Lew-Port coming off a pair of losses in Rochester last weekend.

8. Cheektowaga (A2) - Three straight wins for the Warriors get them to 4-3 on the season.  In two of those wins (Starpoint & Depew), Dom Welch outscored the opponent by himself.  Then in a tournament championship win over St. Mary's, Welch registered a triple-double & earned MVP honors.

9. Amherst (A2) - Came away with a convincing 65-50 victory over Maryvale on Friday night.  The Tigers host the Bob Hettler Tournament this week, facing Sweet Home in the opening round.  A potential championship game with North Tonawanda looms.

10. Jamestown (AA) - Improved to 3-1 with wins over Clarence and Orchard Park prior to Christmas.  

 

Small Schools

1. Health Sciences (B2) - With two months left in the regular season, the Falcons are already nine games into their season.  An 8-1 record includes some routs and a win over Dunkirk.  They play Rochester's Early College in the I-90 Showcase at Villa Maria College on Thursday n ight.

2. East (C2) - In their last two wins, the Panthers have scored 221 points, with junior Willard Anderson netting 79 points in those two games.

3. Chautauqua Lake (C1) - The Thunderbirds historic first victory over Olean kept them undefeated and sent them shooting up my rankings.

4. Dunkirk (B1) - The Marauders are 3-2 with three games coming up this week - two in the Harborcreek Tournament and the third against Rochester SOTA at the I-90 Showcase at Villa Maria College.

5. East Aurora (B1) - The Blue Devils improved to 6-1 with a win over CSAT, but slip back two spots under Chautauqua Lake & Dunkirk this week.  East Aurora lost big to the same Olean team that Chautauqua Lake just defeated.  They share the common opponent of CSAT with Dunkirk.  EA beat them by 12, while Dunkirk's margin of victory was 22 points.

6. Ellicottville (D) - The Eagles are sitting at 5-1 with a few impressive victories and their lone loss at the hands of Chautauqua Lake by two points.  A first-round Randolph Tournament battle with Sherman on Thursday is a game to keep your eyes on.

7. Nichols (MMA) - Play in the IAABO Tournament this week against Bradford (PA) and could possibly see Olean in the second round.  We really need league play to begin in the MMA to sort some things out.

8. St. Mary's (MMA) - The Lancers' first loss of the season came at the hands of Cheektowaga on Friday night. It's tough to gauge that result in a small school poll context.  We really need league play to begin in the MMA to sort some things out.

9. Walsh (MMA) - The Eagles lost their first game this season to Corning, despite Tavien Kemp going off for a WNY season-high 47 points.  What does it all mean? I repeat,  we really need league play to begin in the MMA to sort some things out.

10. Lackawanna (B2) - I wanted to put Franklinville here, but they lost to Burgard.  I wanted to put Burgard here, but they lost to Middle College. I wanted to put Middle College here, but they lost to MST Seneca. I wanted to put MST Seneca here, but they lost to Newfane.  I wanted to put Newfane here, but they lost to O'Hara, who lost to Tapestry...and Tapestry lost to Burgard and Medina.  Follow all that?  So the Steelers, now 5-0, get the last spot.  I had them way up at #5 last week, but a pair of wins over Eden and Springville by a combined 10 points aren't the commanding results posted by the #5 small school in WNY.  

 

- centercourt

Dolan & the Billies shine in South Buffalo

(Greg Dolan took control in the Billes' win at Timon)

 

After back-to-back trips to the regionals in Class A and a trip to Glens Falls last March, Williamsville South graduated four starters from a cohesive unit that grew up as friends and played like it on the court.  But the Billies did return one starter this season, who would team up with a new cast of players determined to create their own legacy at South.  After a 4-0 start to the season that now includes a road win at MMA powerhouse Timon and an early-season signature performance, Greg Dolan and the new crew at South are looking like the best team in Section VI.

 

Behind Dolan's scintillating performance and a bevy of contributions from his teammates, Williamsville South went into Timon and earned a 68-62 victory in a great game that featured two of WNY's very best teams going at it like heavyweights.  Dolan scored a game-high 30 points, collected nine rebounds, and dishes four dimes in the victory, while keeping the Billies undefeated in the process.

 

"He finds ways to score," said Timon coach Des Randall.  "We challenged him to make shots tonight - he made them. We challenged him to make free throws - he made them. He gets tips & steals on defense...he finds a way."

 

Watching Dolan steer the ship at South for now the third season of what will be a four-year varsity career has already been a blast.  The junior guard has incredible footwork and defensive prowess, along with a handle that no player in WNY can match.  But what has been most impressive about him is the competitive fire he possesses that brings the players best out of the players he takes the court with.

 

"He's a winner," Randall said.  "He finds a way to win."

 

South got to work quickly against the Tigers, who slipped to 2-1 in the loss.  Anthony Lombardo and Devin Degree each popped 3-pointers in the first 90 seconds of the game for the Billies, who appeared immediately focused defensively.  After Timon got on the board, Dolan took his turn from long range to push the Billies' lead to 9-2.  Getting his night started with a splash was just the beginning.  

 

Dolan got to the basket for South's next two scores and converted the second for a traditional three-point play.  On the next trip down the floor, Dolan banged another 3-pointer to give his team a 16-5 lead and got the South reserves fired up.

 

"We knew we had to bring the energy," said Dolan.  "Our bench acts as the student section at these away games."

 

"We didn't match their level of intensity at the start  I knew he (Gabe Michael) would have them ready to play," Randall said.

 

Despite the early surge from the Billies, the home team dug in and swung right back.  Joe Harrison drilled a pair of 3-pointers before the quarter ended, then added another basket at the buzzer to tie the game at 17-17.  The Tigers kept it going to start the second quarter and ultimately used a 17-3 run to take a 22-19 lead.

 

After three more points from Dolan on a bucket and free throw, Chris Nelson came off the bench to knock down South's fifth '3' of the contest, restoring a 25-24 lead.  After a stop by the Billies, they were back in the offensive end when the ball went out of bounds near the Timon student section.  With Dolan in close proximity, the group known as 'The Militia' let him know where he was regarded by them, chanting "overrated."  

 

"Timon is a great place to play," said Dolan.  "It was fun, I enjoyed listening to them.  I like hearing that stuff, that's what makes me go -- it made the whole team go."

 

As if to say "I'll show you overrated", Dolan responded with a flurry over the next 50 seconds.  First came a quick basket.  Then a steal set up Dolan on the perimeter, where he let another bomb fly...swish!  During the next trip down the floor, Dolan started breaking down the defense with the ball in his hands.  Penetrating into the lane where it looked like he would score again, he instead sent the ball zipping out to the corner where Dakota Wiley was waiting to reward Dolan's unselfishness with an assist, sinking a trey.  A 14-2 run had put South firmly back in front, 33-24.

 

"I saw him out of the corner of my eye," said Dolan.  "That's a shot he's making everytime."

 

After netting 19 points by halftime, Dolan scored the first two buckets of the third quarter and South led 40-31.  Timon got the game's next eight points to pull within one, with six of those coming from Davion Warren (team-high 23 points).  Degree's second '3' of the night prevented Timon from regaining the lead and shortly after, Wiley connected again from the perimeter to give the Billies 10 treys through three quarters.

 

Facing a 53-47 deficit to open the fourth quarter, Timon turned to Harrison again, who had given the team a spark with his shooting when facing an early hole.  The senior sniper came through again by drilling two quick threes to tie the game.  A pair of charity tosses from Tim Payne gave Timon its first lead of the second half, 55-53, with 6:41 left to play.  After Dolan and Warren traded buckets, the Billies got some key contributions to take the lead back for good and close the game out.

 

Adam Braniecki went 6/6 from the free throw line over the final four minutes for South, while Wiley added three tosses and a key backcourt steal.  Cody Sanford, who played the whole fourth quarter with four fouls but continued to be tough defensively, added a basket, along with another from Degree.  The Billies ended the game on a 13-5 push without any more points from Dolan.

 

"To win that game in that atmosphere justifies all the hard work we've put in to this point," said South coach Game Michael.  "We're not as polished a team as we were last year...yet.  The little details of a big game like this are what's going to get us there and to where we need to be."

 

Michael praised the individual perfoemances of all nine players that saw time in the game for South, including the all around effort from Sanford, tough rebounding from Lombardo, handling the ball and effectively dealing with Timon's pressure by Degree, Wiley (14 points & five steals) & Mark Worthy, the quality minutes the team got from Nelson and Josh Foster when building their lead, and Braniecki's clutch free throw shooting late.

 

"Those types of games are what you live for in high school basketball," said Dolan.

 

Timon got double figures from three players in the game.  Besides Warren's team-high 23 points, Harrison scored 19 points, while Master Radford added 14 points and was a force inside all evening.

 

"They are tough," Michael said.  "They're big, physical, and strong -- they're going to bother some teams, that's a really good team."

 

 South   17 - 19 - 17 - 15 = 68

Timon  17 - 14 - 16 - 15 = 62

 

Point Totals

South:  Greg Dolan 30, Dakota Wiley 14, Devin Degree 8, Adam Braniecki 8, Chris Nelson 3, Anthony Lombardo 3, Cody Sanford 2

Timon:  Davion Warren 23, Joe Harrison 19, Master Radford 14, Juston Johnson 4, Tim Payne 2

 

-centercourt

Chautauqua Lake finally beats Olean

(Chautauqua Lake's Tyler Meredith draws a foul on the way up)

 

Last February, Chautauqua Lake earned a signature win in the postseason, advancing past East High in the Section VI quarterfinals to earn a trip to JCC.  While the Thunderbirds season ultimately ended with a narrow loss in the Class C1 Final, expectations of returning to that game and winning it ran high coming into this season with four returning starters.  But in preparation of the postseason comes a regular season filled with challenges.  

 

Chautauqua Lake is the second smallest team in its league, CCAA I West, and its bigger competition certainly comes with some impressive credentials.  For starters, three teams in the league are classified in B1, two sizes up from the Thunderbirds.  That includes defending Section VI champion Fredonia, and Dunkirk, currently ranked 22nd in NYS Class B.  Then there's Olean, with a list of credentials over the past 10 seasons that are so big, a separate bus is required to transport them.  Nine Section VI titles with eight advancements to regionals, five trips to Glens Falls, three state championship game appearances, and two state tiles, including last season when they raised their NYSPHAA state plaque with a perfect 27-0 mark.  This season, the Huskies are in Class A2 and the only large school in any of the CCAA leagues.  Sprinkle in the fun fact that Coach Mike Putney's Thunderbirds had never defeated Olean and you have all the makings for a special night in Mayville.

 

Behind a game-high 25 points from junior Devin Pope, Chautauqua Lake validated its #3 ranking in NYS Class C with a historic come-from-behind victory against the big dogs of the Southern Tier, defeating the visiting Huskies, 58-57.  Chautauqua Lake improves to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 against the stiff competition in CCAA I West.

 

"The only way you're going to get better is to play teams like that," Chautauqua Lake coach Mike Putney explained.  "Win or lose, it makes you better, it's what takes you farther in our school history."

 

The Thunderbirds are now just the second team to defeat Olean in league play dating back to the 2011 season.  They are also the first Class C school to knock off the Huskies since December 3, 2010.

 

"We've been striving for this ever since they came into our league," said Pope.  "We have a lot of high expectations for ourselves - they're a great team."

 

 "These kids at Chautauqua Lake have worked their butts off hard," Putney said.  "They wanted this game, they knew this was a huge game, and they knew in order to make noise we had to face big competition like this."

 

The Thunderbirds showed no fear of the storied program in the early going, as Tyler Meredith opened the game by draining a 3-pointer.  Teammate Aaron Swan (14 points) followed with one of his own from downtown shortly after, giving Chautauqua Lake an early spark.  Consecutive scores from Pope had the Thunderbirds leading 13-6 five minutes into the game.

 

A 7-0 finish to the first quarter for Olean capped by one of Monty Shoemaker's four 3-pointers in the game evened the score at 15-15.  The late quarter surge was part of what would be a 23-7 run in the game for the Huskies that gave them a 29-20 lead, as they seemingly scored at will against the 2-3 zone of Chautauqua Lake.  Shoemaker scored 14 of his team-high 24 points in the second quarter as Olean zipped the ball around to find open looks or move the Thunderbirds' defense to open space in the lane to attack.

 

A switch to man-to-man defense coming out of halftime by Chautauqua Lake returned the game to more of a possession-by-possession battle.  The Huskies managed to extend their eight-point halftime lead to 11 points during the third quarter, before Swan registered the stanza's final score for the Thunderbirds - a trifecta that made it 45-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

 

A pair of quick steals to begin the final frame were converted into breakaway layups by Pope and Kyler Majka for Chautauqua Lake, and suddenly the game had a different look and feel to it, with Olean's lead cut to 45-41, and the sense that momentum was shifting.  

 

Pope fed off that momentum and created even more for his team in the defensive end.  On two straight series, the junior rose up in the paint to swat away perfectly timed rejections.  He added a third big block later in the quarter for the Thunderbirds, who started using screens to get to the basket midway through the fourth quarter.  Nate Hammond and Pope each drew contact and converted free throws for Chautauqua Lake, followed by the game-tying bucket from Pope at the 4:18 mark to make it 50-50.

 

"These guys can get to the basket if our role players step up and give us the screens," said Putney.  "We need guys to be able to set screens and they were able to do it."

 

A score from Mike Schmidt briefly restored the Olean lead before Pope, who scored 12 of his 25 points in the last stanza, tied things up again.  As the game moved under three minutes, Meredith broke away before the Olean defense could get back to give his team its first lead since the opening quarter.  Less than 30 seconds later, he did it again to make it 56-52 in favor of the home team after an 11-2 run.  With the Chautauqua Lake fans fully grasping the magnitude of the moment, the atmosphere became electric.

 

"Just a great game to be at," said Pope.  "I don't know if I've ever been in a better game than this."

 

Shoemaker drilled his last '3' of night with 28 seconds left, pulling Olean within a point, 56-55.  The Huskies called a timeout as soon as the shot dropped to set up their press, in hopes of creating a turnover and escaping with the win.  Instead, Swan took the inbounds pass from Pope and reversed direction along the baseline as Meredith made one last dash in the other direction.  Swan lobbed a beautiful fullcourt pass over the defense and found him in stride for the basket that would seal the game for Chautauqua Lake.

 

"All the hard work we've put in, we were able to keep the pressure up," an elated Pope said of his team's strong finish.

 

After going through the handshake line, the Thunderbirds took a moment to join the fans and rejoice in their accomplishment.  Meanwhile, Coach Putney stood with his assistant coaches by the Chautauqua Lake bench and took it all in with a delighted look on his face that spoke volumes of how much the moment meant.  But as he explained following the game, his hope is that the experince of such an important win leads to even bigger ones when the postseason arrives.

 

"Olean is a great team, they've won a lot games and not by fluke," said Putney.  "They have a great coach, they have a great program.  Would the division be nice, yeah, but we play for beyond that.  What we really strive for is going on in the playoffs."

 

Olean    15 - 20 - 10 - 12 = 57

C.Lake  15 - 12 - 10 - 21 = 58

 

Point Totals

C.Lake:  Devin Pope 25, Aaron Swan 14, Tyler Meredith 9, Nate Hammond 5, Kyler Majka 3, Joel Vinciguerra 2

Olean:  Monty Shoemaker 24, Matt Droney 14, Mike Schmidt 9, Thomas Klein 4, Josh Bihler 2, Tristen Synder 2, Luke Rogers 2

 

- centercourt

NYSSWA State Rankings 2017 - Week 2

 

The second state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #1

Park #2

Williamsville South #8

Timon #23

 

 Class B

Health Sciences #7

East Aurora #8

Lackawanna #17

Dunkirk #22

 

 Class C 

Chautauqua Lake #3

East #7

Silver Creek #11

Barker #18

 

 Class D

Ellicottville #6

Sherman #8

 

** According to the rankings... 

 

- There are now at least three teams fro Section V ahead of Section VI in Class AA.  Fairport (9), Aquinas (19), & UPrep (25) are in ranked in NYS Class AA.  Niagara Falls has split with UPrep this season, with the loss coming this past weekend.  

 

- Canisius returns to the Class A Fed Final and wins it for a second time in three seasons.  The Crusaders are now the number one ranked team in NYS Class A.  They moved to #1 due to Albany Academy, the defending Fed champs, losing a pair of out-of-state games.  Canisius has started five juniors in their last two wins, so I guess we can go ahead and crown them for next season too.  In all seriousness, I don't understand what losing games out-of-state has to do with NYS rankings.  No offense intended to the boys from Delaware Avenue, but I suspect they would have gotten the same results as Albany Academy had they played those same two games.

 

- Williamsville South is now NYS Class A #8 (previously #9), while Timon climbed up two spots to #23.  This transpired after a week in which both faced Amherst.  South came back from six points down to force OT and take the win.  Timon beat Amherst by 19 and trailed for one possession in the first quarter.  The Billies travel to South Buffalo on Thursday night to battle Timon.  The state's early line has South -8.5.

 

- St. Francis isn't getting any love on the state level yet.  Some advice for the Red Raiders - try flirting with Neil Kerr.  Tell him you really like his hair or his sense of style.  Everyone likes a compliment...bound to get you the love you deserve.

 

- Cheektowaga debuted at #14 in NYS Class A last week and then was dropped from the rankings following the loss to Park.

 

- Four of the top seven teams in NYS Class C are from the Far West Region.  East Rochester (#2) & Northstar Christian (#4) from Section V and Chautauqua Lake (#3) & East (#7) from Section VI. 

 

- Silver Creek has quietly improved to 5-0 on the season and sits at #11 in NYS Class C.

 

- Barker fell three spots in NYS Class C for losing to Lyndonville, an unranked Class D team from Section V.  Something has to give here.  Either Barker should have fallen harder, or Lyndonville should be ranked in NYS Class D.  Lyndonville is 3-1, with two wins over teams in Class B and the third over a state-ranked Class C team on the road (Barker).  They lost to Elba, who is 4-0 and also unranked in NYS Class D.  The only other working theory could be that Class D is largely considered stronger as a whole than Class C this season.

 

- Staying on the Class C rankings, I say it's time to throw Randolph a bone.  The Cardinals have two losses, to Ellicottville and Franklinville.  They also own a recent win over South Park.  Even though the Sparks are clearly not the team I thought they were, that's still an impressive win for Randolph.  And those two losses are not bad ones - by now, you should all know I'm high on Ellicottville.  As for Franklinville...see below.

 

- Franklinville went from NYS Class D #19 to unranked for losing by three points at Walsh. Dropping a team from Class D rankings for losing to an undefeated Class B team sure sounds like crazy talk to me.  I have no doubt that Franklinville will be in the final Class D state rankings this season, so I encourage the panel to come around on them soon.  They are good.

 

Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.

 

-centercourt

Poll Ballots 2017 - Week 2

(Brandon Smith drives for Park, a team that's looked ferocious in their last two wins/Photo: Larry Scheur)

 

As a pollster, I rank the top ten large and small schools in WNY each week.  These rankings are based on games played through Saturday of each week.  Here's how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

** After this, the polls will take a two-week hiatus over the holiday break and resume again on Monday, January 8th.

 

Large Schools

1. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders are off to a 3-0 start with wins over Cheektowaga, Aquinas, and Jamestown.  Until the Crusaders lose to a team from WNY, they will own this place on my ballot.  The last time that happened was February 26, 2014.

2. Park (MMA) - Holy Moses, these guys have looked entirely formidable in their last two wins over East & Cheektowaga.  They actually doubled the Warriors point total at the ADPRO Challenge, winning 98-49.  I'm still keeping them here until they earn that top spot from Canisius, who they've never defeated.

3. Timon (MMA) - Meanwhile, there's another team eyeing the top of this ballot.  The Tigers have started their season with wins over Bishop Kearney & Amherst and have already shown they can win a shootout or a defensive grind.  Love the MMA large school race this season.

4. Williamsville South (A1) - Found themselves in an unfamiliar position on Monday against Amherst - trailing much of a close game against a local team.  In the end, they found a way to rally from a six-point deficit, force overtime, and pull out the win.  After hosting West Seneca East on Tuesday, they travel to timon for a pre-holiday special on Thursday night.  That's a battle of top ten teams I won't be missing.  After the break, there's a January 3rd game at Cheektowaga that will feature Dolan vs. Welch.  There's another game you can count me in for.

5. St. Francis (MMA) - Playing as a team and getting balanced contributions from their key players, the Red Raiders are legitimate. Ask Dunkirk, West Seneca East, Kenmore West, or any team preparing to face them.  Like I said, love the competitiveness of the MMA league this season.

6. North Tonawanda (A1) - After wins over Health Sciences & Niagara Falls, the Jacks stumbled big time at home against Lockport.  I'm keeping them ahead of Falls because they beat them, but the next head-scratching result won't receive that same consideration.  Lockport isn't ready for the poll yet with loses to St. Joe's & Kenmore West already.  It's still December, so lots to sort out.  

7. Niagara Falls (AA) - The Wolverines are tough to gauge in this setting.  They took Park to OT, split with UPrep, and defeated Kenmore West, with the lone local loss coming at North Tonawanda.  They dropped a pair of games over the weekend in Rochester, with the second loss coming after the votes were cast.  Really not sure what to make of Falls.  When they're not playing teams from their league (NFL), most of their games are against Rochester and Canada

8. McKinley (A1) - Only two games played this season, wins over Kenmore West and Emerson.  Relying on the eye test for the Macks, which tells me they definitely belong in the top 10.  I wish they played against Niagara Falls. Who wouldn't want to see that one?

9. Jamestown (AA) - I didn't have them ranked last week.  Then I saw them play against Canisius over the weekend, which was enough for me to view them as a top 10 team.  

10. Maryvale (A2) - Overtime wins over Olean and Nichols are what we have to go on at this point. If they had played Cheektowaga last week (snowed out), we'd know a lot more.  If you're not busy on Friday night, there will be a great episode of Family Feud at 6 pm on Main Street - Maryvale at Amherst, aka Kensy vs. Kensy.

 

Small Schools 

1. Health Sciences (B2) - Already 6-1 and the only team to hang 100 points on someone (112-68 over Global Concepts).  The Falcons have the cruise control set at a high rate of speed right now and are hoping there's no one waiting with a radar on the other side of the hill.

2. East (C2) - I took the Panthers up to number two on my ballot after their 20-point win over Riverside and watching Amherst take South to overtime last week, a team East got within two points of at the Cataract Classic.

3. East Aurora (B1) - I came into the season very high on the Blue Devils and I still am...but, they need to get out of the every-other-game mode they are in.  Big win over Hornell, big loss to Olean.  Big win over Pioneer, two-point win over Starpoint (who Niagara Catholic just beat).  Then they win their tournament over the weekend, dropping Orchard Park convincingly in the final.  If this is truly East Aurora's year, they need to be more consistent. At their best, they might be the Class B regional representative.  

4. Dunkirk (B1) - It seems like I'm higher on this team than other pollsters.  For me, winning at Lancaster and then turning around and pushing Health Sciences to the brink said a lot.  I know they got rolled at St. Francis, but as I've written already this year - this isn't your big brother's St. Francis team.  

5. Lackawanna (B2) - The Steelers are 3-0 with three wins by double figures, including the win over Hamburg.  I think they improve to 5-0 with the same substantial winning trend continuing over the next two weeks, setting up a nice game on January 3rd against East Aurora.

6. Nichols (MMA) - I've had a chance to see the Vikings twice now, most recently against Maryvale in an overtime loss.  I have also seen three of the four teams below them on this ballot.  They have the right pieces in the right places and I think they only get better from here.

7. St. Mary's (MMA) - Welcome to my ballot Lancers.  You beat Fredonia, who beat Gowanda (who I was ranking) and followed it up with a win over West Seneca East - a game they led by 24 points at one point.  St. Mary's is much better than I had them pegged to be in the preseason.  We will find out much more about them after they compete in the Depew Tournament and the Five Guys Tournament at Will North over the next two weeks.

8. Chautauqua Lake (C1) - The Thunderbirds are 5-0 and that start includes an exciting road win at Ellicottville.  Tomorrow night I making the trip to Mayville to watch them host league favorite Olean, who they've never beaten.

9. Ellicottville (D) - Came off a tough one-point loss to Chautauqua Lake to go on the road the following night and take care of business at Gowanda.  They start five underclassmen who play like seniors.  The Eagles host Portville this week and face Sherman in the first round of the Randolph Tournament over break.

10. Cardinal O'Hara (MMA) - I slid the Hawks down a few spots from last week after getting to see them, Nichols and St. Mary's over a three-day stretch.  O'Hara is loaded with talent, but also young.  In a six-point win over Newfane, they trailed much of the game.  When they find consistency and play for 32 minutes (also see third quarter against Health Sciences), they will be as dangerous as any team in MMA-B.

 

-centercourt

ADPRO Challenge 2016 - Night 3 Recap

(Noah Hutchins and Park flew past Cheektowaga on Saturday/Photo: Larry Scheur)

 

Canisius 56, Jamestown 42

Over the last seven seasons, Canisius and Jamestown have been elite large school programs in WNY.  Despite both competing with young rosters, the two remain formidable thanks to the culture each has created.  The factor that has driven both to so much success has been defense, as each has made it their calling card.  When they got together in the finale of the ADPRO Challenge for the second time in four seasons, the game played out as the expected defensive slugfest.

 

"Playing Jamestown, they really have their style that really mucks things up a lot," Canisius coach Kyle Husband said.  "You don't really get into a rhythm and it's hard to run your sets."

 

The Crusaders and Red Raiders combined to score 13 points in the opening quarter, and went to halftime with Canisius holding a 21-17 lead.  Austin James got hot in the third quarter and scored 11 of his team-high 17 points to open things up a bit and give the Crusaders a 39-27 lead.

 

"Austin is a really talented player," Husband said.  "When he gets it going, he's going to be hard to stop."

 

The third quarter would prove to be the most decisive stretch of the game, as Jamestown played even the rest of the way behind the playb of James Rojas.  The senior finished with a game-high 26 points.

 

"I think offensively we're going to have peaks and valleys, especially early on." said Husband.  "We need to stay true to who we are on the defensive side."

 

 

Canisius        7 - 14 - 18 - 17 = 56

Jamestown  6 - 11 - 10 - 15 = 42

 

Point Totals

Canisius:  Austin James 17, Jayce Johnson 11, Nick MacDonald 11, Brendan Trapper 6, Jon Evans 4, Jack Collins 3, Patrick Weir 2, Ryan Bradley 2

Jamestown:  James Rojas 26, Marcus Rojas 7, Henry Malarkey 6, Matt Hill 3

 *****************************

 

Park 98, Cheektowaga 49

The Pioneers' speed, size, depth, and talent was on full display at the ADPRO Challenge and took full advantage of their opportunity to showcase what they have.  Six players finished in double figures, led by Dan Scott's game-high 22 points.  Scott also spent time defending Cheektowaga's Dom Welch, along with Noah Hutchins.  The two did an excellent job of making Welch, on pace to eclipse WNY's all-time scoring record, work for all 21 of his team-high points through three quarters.  

 

The whole team got in the act for Park defensively, which led to multiple fast break opportunuties after repeatedly turning the Warriors over.  

 

"We haven't had a chance to display what our plan is," said Park coach Michael Battaglia.  "Our plan is to play full court man-to-man, all game, all season."

 

Scott and Hutchins each had a pair of dunks in the game, with one of Hutchins' finishes coming off a standing broad jump.  In the fourth quarter, freshman Jaylen Stewart wowed the crowd with a spectacular shooting display that saw him connect on five 3-pointers, with four of those coming in succession.  He finished with 18 points in the game.

 

Joe Jones was a force inside during the second half, scoring 16 of his 18 points, controlling the glass, and swatting away shots. Brandon Smith and Marques Lowe gave their usual consistent performance throughout, and the pair of guards ended the game with 12 and 11 points respectively.  Quentin Nnagbo continues to become more of a factor in each game for Park and added 10 points in the win. 

 

Park                  19 - 24 - 21 - 34 = 98

Cheektowaga  12 - 15 - 13 -   9   = 49

 

Point Totals

Park:  Dan Scott 22, Joe Jones 18, Jaylen Stewart 18, Brandon smith 12, Marques Lowe 11, Quentin Nnagbo 10, Noah Hutchins 5, Julian Eziukwu

Cheektowaga:  Dom Welch 21, Alex Bryant 11, Adrian Baugh 8, Rudy Bragg4, Vaughn Burdette 2, Jaquan Pugh 2, Keon White 1

********************************* 

 

St. Francis 67, Kenmore West 50

The Red Raiders got a team-high 20 points from Bo Sireika, while Roburt Welch and Julian Cunningham added 16 and 15 points respectively, improving to 4-1 on the season.  The Red Raiders took the lead within three minutes of the game starting and never trailed the rest of the way.  

 

"If we get double digits out of our big three, we're going to win a lot of games," St. Francis coach Brian Ferris said.

 

Welch scored nine of his points in the second quarter on a combination of tough finish inside, a drive to the rack, a 3-pointer, and a pair of free throws.  Now playing his fourth season at St. Francis, Welch has gotten off to a very good start this year.

 

"He's improved every year," said Ferris.  "This is going to be the year he puts it all together."

 

Tyler Aquilina finished with a game-high 23 points for Kenmore West, with 16 of those points coming in the first half that saw him drill four 3-pointers in the second quarter.  Tal James added nine points in the loss.

 

St. Francis  15 - 22 - 19 - 11 - 67

Ken West    13 - 16 - 13 -  8 = 50

 

Point Totals

St. Francis:  Bo Sireika 20, Roburt Welch 16, Julian Cunningham 15, Sean Taggart 7, Lucas Theisan 3, Dorian Ivey 2, Connor Cummings 2, Devon Darrell 2

Kenmore West:  Tyler Aquilina 23, Tal James 9, Dylan James 6, Kyle LaPlante 4, Kevin Carpenter 3, Erick Rainey 2, Jake Poummit 2, Tyler White 1

 ************************

 

Depew 64, CCA 47

Chad Biersbach continued his solid play this season, scoring a game-high 21 points for the Wildcats, while his team limited CCA to just 19 points in the second half en route to a fourth straight win to begin the season.  The Crusaders led by a point after one quarter, before Depew kicked up the tempo and used an 11-3 run to take control of the game.  

 

"We tried to keep the pace quick and keep things as physical as possible," said Depew coach Larry Jones.

 

After gaining a six-point advantage by halftime, the Wildcats went on a 13-3 spurt midway through the third quarter to open the game up.  Biersbach netted seven of his points during that stretch which put Depew up 54-38, while CCA scoring leader Josh Tyson picked up his fifth foul in the process.  The Crusaders managed to get back within 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, but found consistent scoring difficult in the final stanza without Tyson in the game.  

 

"We knew who we wanted to take out and I think for the most part, we did," Jones said.  "Obviously they got in a little foul trouble."

 

Depew  11 - 23 - 20 - 10 = 64

CCA      13 - 15 -  15 -   4 =  47

 

Point Totals

Depew:  Chad Biersbach 21, Eric Jarrett 13, Tyler Biersbach 8, Jacob Mlodozeniec 7, Austin Pilley 6, Jordan Ciesielski 5, Sean Miller 3, John Mietus 1

CCA:  Josh Tyson 12, Jared Moser 12, Zach Miller 11, Patrick Opferbeck 4, Ben Lekeuneu 3, Alex Fink 2, Noah Ewing 2, Daniel Tyson 1

 

 - centercourt

ADPRO Challenge 2016 - Night 2 Recap

(Timon's Master Radford & Amherst's Marcellus Cooper hit the boards/Photo: Harry Scull, Buffalo News)

 

 Timon 58, Amherst 39

Joe Harrison and Davion Warren each scored 17 points for Timon, as they won all four quarters and methodically took care of Amherst.  Harrison canned three 3-pointers on the evening, while Warren broke away for three dunks in the game.

 

Marcellus Cooper led Amherst with a team-high 12 points and opened the scoring for his team with a high-rising baseline finish with two-hands to ignite the crowd of spectators.  Da'Shawn Hines scored seven points and Will Alfieri added six in the loss. 

 

The game was a defensive battle throughout, with Amherst slowing the high-powered Timon offense with a zone.  Timon seemed to have the edge on the boards and also committed to limiting their opponent on the defensive end, never allowing more than 11 points in a quarter.

 

"Our goal is to keep teams at no more than 40 points and we kept them at 39," said Timon coach Des Randall.  "We defended well and rebounded pretty good - that allowed us to pull away."

 

Timon     16 - 15 - 13 - 14 = 58

Amherst  11 - 11 -  7 - 10 = 39

 

Point Totals

Timon:  Joe Harrison 17, Davion Warren 17, Juston Johnson 7, Master Radford 6, Adrian Baugh 4, Jayon Renfro 2, Joey Rozeski 2, Jaurney Boyland 2

Amherst:  Marcellus Cooper 12, Da'Shawn Hines 7, Will Alfieri 6, Richard Kay 4, Jackson Tan 3, Brandon Fowler 3, Desean Ashley 2, Jakaye Womack 2

*****************

 

St. Mary's 63, West Seneca East 59

Christian Szablewski scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in a first half where eight different Lancers scored as St. Mary's came out like a well-oiled machine and quickly took charge.  Leading 20-8 after eight minutes of play, a 12-0 run to start the second quater pushed the Lancers to their largest lead of the game, 32-8, with 3:27 left in the half.

 

Trailing 34-15 at the break, the Trojans picked their heads up and came back strong.  One possession at a time, West Seneca East began making up some of its deficit and sprinkled in some mini-runs to get within 11 points, 45-34, after three quarters.  From the midway point of the third quarter until the end of the game, Dominick Farszmil took ownership for his team and tried putting them on his back in a comeback effort.  His inspired play led to 21 points over the final 12 minutes, with 16 of his game-high 29 points coming in the fourth quarter.

 

Eric Brown also had a big fourth quarter for St. Mary's and was key to keeping his team from being overtaken late.  Brown scored 11 of his 17 points in the final stanza and along with Daquan Hunt, sank clutch free throws in the final minute to seal the game when the Trojans twice got within two points.

 

"It was a tale of two halves," St. Mary's coach Paul Rath said.  "We only had four turnovers in the first half and were taking good shots - rythm shots.  We were forcing shots in the second half  and too many turnovers at the end. Those are the little things we have to get better at and we can't afford to have."

 

"Credit to them I knew they were a good team and they came to play in the second half," said Rath.

 

 St. Mary's           20 - 14 - 11 - 18 = 63

W.Seneca East   8 -  7 - 19 - 25 = 59

 

Point Totals

St. Mary's:  Christian Szablewski 18, Eric Brown 17, Daquan Hunt 12, Frank Propis 4, Collin Tytka 4, Zach Penska 3, Jae'lin Russell 3,  Ja'Shawn Collins 2

West Seneca East:  Dominick Farszmil 29, Zamari Mitchell 14, Chris Stineman 8, Anthony Roncone 6, Ryan Jasinski 2

 **************

 

Maryvale 58, Nichols 55 OT

The Flyers' double figure lead in the third quarter got lost in an avalanche of Will Johnson 3-pointers and the team had to fight to send the game to overtime.  Once there, Brian Sullivan converted a three-point play and scored his team's only points of the extra session to lift Maryvale to the win.  Ray Blackwell scored a game-high 28 points in the winning effort.

 

With the game tied midway through the second quarter, a trey from Sullivan sparked a 10-2 run to finish the first half and give Maryvale a 31-23 lead.  Four minutes into the third quarter, the Flyers' lead reached 11 points and Nichols desperately need a spark...that's when Johnson became a one-man fire starter.  The senior banged one 3-pointer after another, until had had buried a total of five long range bombs in just three minutes and brought his team all the way back to take a 43-41 lead heading to the final frame.

 

"We knew he could do that," Maryvale coach Mark Kensy said.  "We changed up defenders and that helped."

 

An intense fourth quarter insued as the lead changed three times before Blackwell scored the last four points of regulation, including a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left, which sent the game to the extra session.  The Flyers never allowed a field goal over the final four minutes and gave up just one point from the charity stripe after regulation.

 

"Ray (Blackwell) hit some big buckets, as did Brian (Sullivan) early," And I'll tell you what, Adam Meyerhofer did an outstanding job for us."

 

Maryvale  13 - 18 - 10 - 13 - 4 = 58

Nichols     13 - 10 - 20 - 11 - 1 = 55

 

Point Totals

Maryvale:  Ray Blackwell 28, Brian Sullivan 16, Rashad Law 9, Adam Meyerhofer 5

Nichols:  Will Johnson 23, Myles Hervey 13, TJ Banaszak 10, Aidan Horan 4, Jonathan Goodloe 2, Antonio Jones 2, Harry Serotte 1

 

- centercourt

ADPRO Challenge 2016 - Night 1 Recap

(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

***********************

 

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

 

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ADPRO Public/Private Challenge - 2016 Lineup

 

For the next three nights, I will set up shop at centercourt from Depew High School to cover the ADPRO Public/Private Challenge.  The 10 game showcase is WNY's largest annual high school basketball event, pairing the teams from the Monsignor Martin Association against public schools from various leagues throughout Section VI.

 

The event was originated by former St. Mary's AD/Coach Kevin Kelleher and ADPRO Senior vice president & former Sweet Home coach Paul Schintzius and started out as the ECIC / MMA Challenge. Since it's inception, the event has grown, now billed as the "Public/Private Challenge" as it expanded past just the ECIC to include teams from all over WNY.   St. Mary's hosted the Challenge for years, before Canisius and St. Joe's each took a turn hosting the event.  This season will mark the second straight year the event takes place at Depew.

 

Below is the complete three-day schedule, and as you will notice, it includes multiple games that will impact Large & Small School Poll votes and be talked about for the rest of the season.

 

Thursday, December 15th

Starpoint vs. Niagara Catholic - 5 pm

Newfane vs. Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm

Friday, December 16th

Maryvale vs. Nichols - 5 pm

West Seneca East vs. St. Mary's - 6:30 pm

Amherst vs. Timon - 8 pm

Saturday, December 17th

Fredonia vs. Walsh - 12 pm

Depew vs. CCA - 1:45 pm

Kenmore West vs. St. Francis - 3:30 pm

Cheektowaga vs. Park - 5:15 pm

Jamestown vs. Canisius - 7 pm

 

Below are links to some past ADPRO Challenge coverage:

Saturday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - Canisius vs. Williamsville South finale

Friday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - Park vs. Amherst finale

Thursday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - St. Joe's vs. Niagara Falls finale

Canisius handles Olean in the 2013 featured matchup

St. Mary's defeats Clarence at 2013 ADPRO Challenge

Olean defeats Canisius in epic battle of WNY's top small school vs. top large school from 2012 ADPRO Challenge

 

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Bowen leads Ellicottville over Gowanda

(Elliot Bowen was dominant in the post once again for Ellicottville)

 

In the same week the first small school poll and state rankings came out, Ellicottville faced a pair of opponents that occupied space in both.  The Eagles, voted #10 in the small school poll by myself and opening at #6 in NYS Class D, hosted Chautauqua Lake on Monday night, before traveling to Gowanda on Tuesday.  In heart-breaking fashion, the Eagles fell to Chautauqua Lake, voted #9 among small schools and ranked #3 in NYS Class C, after missing a pair at the stripe to win the game in a one-point loss.  Without a day to practice, it was off to Gowanda - a NYS Class B honorable mention and defending CCAA I East champ, who I voted #7 among small schools.  Despite the quick turnaround and the daunting task of jumping up two classes against a quality opponent, the Eagles left Gowanda with their biggest win of the season and the validation that they belong in the conversation of WNY's top small schools.

 

Ellicottville quickly built a lead and then never trailed, to earn a 61-53 nonleague win on the road.  The Eagles improve to 4-1 on the season, while Gowanda falls to 2-1.

 

"It's a huge win for us," Ellicottville coach Dave McCann said.  "They're all nice to get, but coming off the game we had last night which was an absolute battle, I was curious to see how we would respond...I thought the kids responded great."

 

Elliot Bowen, an All-Centercourt Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore, continued his strong play.  The junior scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and connected on eight of 11 from the charity stripe.  In the fourth quarter, he scored 10 of his points and even broke the press for a score, allowing his team to maintain its lead throughout.  Austin Grinols added 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Eagles in the victory and was key to Bowen's success as he repeatedly delivered perfect passes into the post, despite the Panthers' best efforts to deny them.

 

"We knew that we would need more than one guy to defend Elliot," said Gowanda coach Andy Bobseine.  "We tried to front him and get weakside help, but he was still finding ways to get the ball."

 

By the midway point of the opening quarter, the Eagles had soared out to a 13-2 advantage, with Grinols scoring seven points in the first four minutes.  Ellicottville showed no signs of tired legs in the early going.  Conversely, Gowanda seemed to lack defensive energy out of the gates and struggled to get going.

 

"We were kind of lackadaisical on defense and didn't make the proper rotations," said Bobseine.

 

As Ellicottville mounted its first quarter lead, the Panthers lacked patience with their offense and hurried some early shots.  Also disrupting the Gowanda attack was Eagles' junior Griffin Chudy (five points, nine assists, & eight boards), who drew the difficult assignment of defending Nate Brawdy, a natural scorer who is smooth with the ball and averaged 23.1 ppg as a sophomore.  

 

"Chudy did an amazing job," said Bobseine.  "It made it tough trying to set up our offense and our sets weren't as fluid."

 

After one quarter, Ellicottville led by nine points.  The Eagles' lead reached as many as 13 points early in the second quarter, following a three-point play by Bowen and a 3-pointer from sophomore Steven Rowland.  Despite Gowanda's Jarmani Benton scoring 11 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, Ellicottville extended its lead to 33-22 at the break, while limiting Brawdy to just five points in the first 16 minutes.

 

"Griff's a trooper and he's going to give you everything he's got for as long as he's got it," McCann said of Chudy's defensive efforts.  "He doesn't back down to any competition."

 

Gowanda looked like a different team coming out of halftime, with a noticable increase in intensity that led to some easy buckets and sparked the offense.  Dakota Perdue and Matthew Dodolak scored buckets for the Panthers to start the third quarter, followed by a '3' from Brawdy.  An 11-3 run cut the Ellicottville lead to three points, 36-33, midway through the quarter as Brawdy heated up, netting nine of his 17 points in the frame.  However a pair of 3-pointers from Grinols and the stanza's final bucket from Bowen sent Ellicottville into the fourth quarter with a 45-39 advantage.

 

Chudy and Bowen combined to push the Eagle lead back to nine, 51-42, three minutes into the last quarter.  But Perdue found his sweet spot a few feet away from the basket and swished three soft jumpers over the Ellicottville defense to make it a four-point game, 53-49, with under two minutes to play.  Ultimately, the Eagles defended well in the last two minutes and got on the boards to close the game out and overcome some late misses from the charity stripe.

 

"We definitely were showing some wear at the end, but we hung in there and gutted one out," McCann said.

 

Ellicottville  19 - 14 - 12 - 16 = 61

Gowanda     10 - 12 - 17 - 14 = 53

 

Point Totals

Ellicottville:  Elliot Bowen 30, Austin Grinols 17, Griffin Chudy 5, Deric Leiper 4, Steven Rowland 3, Mitchell Sexton 2

Gowanda:  Jamari Benton 20, Nate Brawdy 17, Dakota Perdue 10, Matthew Dodolak 4, Matt Kruszka 2

 

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Billies win the battle on Main Street

(Dakota Wiley delivers during a fast break for Williamsville South)

 

After facing off in the overall Section VI Class A championship game last March, Williamsville South and Amherst each graduated four starters from teams that were highly state-ranked.  It seemed uncertain when the two would be paired up again as opponents, until there was a shift in league allignments.  Amherst became the newest member of ECIC II this season, joining the same division as its Class A & Main Street counterpart.  That meant two games this season between the area rivals.  On Monday night, the first #BattleOfMainSt went down on Main Street and provided the down-to-the-wire ending fans were hoping to see last winter.

 

Opting to play its home game of the two-game series at Daemen College this year, Williamsville South hung in long enough to defend to the end, force overtime, and finish off Amherst in wild affair, 62-59.  The loss was the first of the season for Amherst, 3-1, while South improves to 3-0.

 

Greg Dolan and Dakota Wiley each scored a game-high 16 points for the Billies, made big plays, and hit big shots late in regulation and in overtime.  Williamsville South fell behind 50-44 as the game slipped under four minutes remaining in regulation when Amherst freshman Desean Ashley finished in the lane.  However, it would be the last offense the Tigers would muster until the game reached overtime as the Billies dug in defensively and added just enough to the scoreboard.

 

"We couldn't score," South coach Gabe Michael said.  "Their defense was swarming, they played a great game.  I think our defense didn't pick up until late, but I think our defense was the difference in this game.  I believe in these guys."

 

Adam Braniecki, who score 10 points in the game for the Billies, answered Ashley's bucket that gave Amherst the six-point lead with a 3-pointer from straight away at the 3:16 mark, making it 50-47.  A basket in the paint from Dolan on the next possession made it a one-point game.  For nearly two minutes late in the game, scoreless possessions by both teams became intense battles for rebounds, loose balls, and second shot opportunities.  Wiley connected on one of two attempts from the charity stripe with 49 seconds left in the game to tie things up at 50-50, where the score would remain until overtime.  Both teams had a chance to win it late, but neither could put the ball in the basket.  As 20 seconds remained in regulation, large student sections from each school took turns chanting "I believe that WE will win."

 

"This is why we play this game here in this atmosphere," Michael said.  "We needed to work this out in a tough environment."

 

Work it out they did.  Wiley and Dolan each sank a pair of free throws to open the overtime scoring.  Ashley and Marcellus Cooper answered with baskets for the Tigers, with Cooper's response coming in the form of a tomahawk dunk.  Another charity toss from Dolan had South leading 55-54, before Wiley launched a 3-pointer from the corner that sliced through the net for a 58-54 lead.  After an Amherst free throw, the Billies got a timely rebound and put back score from Dolan, positioned perfectly under the basket.  It gave South a 60-55 lead 1:05 left in the extra session and ended up being the game-clinching points.

 

"There were a couple of times where we missed box outs and Greg Dolan just grabbed the ball and put it in," Amherst coach Chris Kensy said.  "There's a reason why he's a Division I player as a junior. He defends, he gets those 50/50 balls, and he's got grit."

 

The Billies had gotten out to an early lead in the game after Dolan finished a fast break off with a swinging two-handed jam to make it 11-6.  The Tigers quickly regrouped and stole the momentum from South with a 10-0 run that gave them a 16-11 lead after one quarter.  Amherst never trailed for the rest of regulation and made life inside difficult all game, forcing South to shoot.  The Billies canned three 3-pointers in the second quarter, but then managed just three more the rest of the way.

 

"It's new, we're a new group and everyone wants to be the hero, but we need to take better shots," Michael said.  "Greg has to be the leader of that and once he starts taking great shots, it's amazing how everyone else starts taking great shots."

 

South's shooting woes led to the Tigers building an eight-point lead in the third quarter.  But just before the quarter ended, Anthony Lombardo scored a pair of buckets for the Billies, part of an eight-point stanza off the bench for him, to cut the deficit to 42-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

 

"He came in and gave us tons of energy," Michael said of Lombardo.

 

The Tigers balanced scoring attack saw four players reach double figures in the game, led by Will Alfieri's 14 points.  Da'Shawn Hines scored 11 points, while Marcellus Cooper and Jordan Barr each finished with 10 points.

 

South       11 -  13 - 14 -12 - 12 = 62

Amherst  16 - 10 - 16 - 8 -  9  = 59

 

Point Totals

Williamsville South:  Greg Dolan 16, Dakota Wiley 16, Adam Braniecki 10, Anthony Lombardo 8, Devin Degree 5, Cody Sanford 4, Mark Worthy 3

Amherst:  Will Alfieri 14, Da'Shawn Hines 11, Marcellus Cooper 10, Jordan Barr 10, Jake Funderburk 4, Richard Kay 4, Desean Ashley 4, Brian Fulford 2

 

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NYSSWA State Rankings 2017 - Week 1

 

The first state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA.  Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:

 

Class AA

No teams ranked

 

Class A 

Canisius #2

Park #3

Williamsville South #9

Cheektowaga #14

North Tonawanda #20

Timon #25

 

 Class B

Health Sciences #9

East Aurora #10

Dunkirk #20

Lackawanna #23

 

 Class C 

Chautauqua Lake #3

East #7

Silver Creek #12

Barker #15

 

 Class D

 Ellicottville #6

Sherman #8

Franklinville #19

 

** According to the rankings... 

 

- For a second straight season, Section VI Class AA isn't getting much love on the state level.  No arguments from me on this one yet.  Section V has a pair of teams ranked, Fairport is #13 and Aquinas is #22.  Canisius just defeated Aquinas over the weekend.  Niagara Falls, who I consider the front runner of our Class AA, faces them on Thursday night at the ADPRO Challenge.  

 

- Canisius & Park are back in a familiar position.  They are the top two ranked teams in the CHSAA, meaning the Manhattan Cup winner would also be the favorite to win a catholic state title.

 

- Williamsville South is favored to emerge as the overall Class A champ for a third straight season, but pegged to drop the regional to Rochester East.  When I saw Rochester East as Section V's highest ranked team, I began looking to see where UPrep was ranked.  What I discovered was, UPrep has been bumped to Class AA by Section V.  Good call!

 

- The state rankings are high on Cheektowaga, debuting at #14 in the state's Class A. It's rare to see them look past record (1-2), which I'm fine with.  The Warriors are at Maryvale this Wednesday.  Their big debut sets up an opening for Flyers if they can knock off Cheektowaga like they did in last season's quarterfinals, after starting the season 2-0 and defeating Olean.

 

- Health Sciences and East Aurora are the two highest ranked teams in the Far West Region.  That would mean the Class B crossover game would also be a ticket to Glens Falls...err...Binghamton.  (Going to take awhile to train the brain that Glens Falls no longer equals NYSPHAA state championships).  Hornell is Section V's highest ranked team in Class B and East Aurora opened its season with a win over them.

 

- Chautauqua Lake and East are predicted to face off in the overall Class C Final.  However, East Rochester of Section V is ranked #2 in Class C, ahead of both teams.  History suggests that the Section VI winner beating the Section V winner in Class C is about as sure a thing as Olean advancing to the regional when they are in Class B.  The last time Section VI didn't send its Class C sectional champion to the state final four was in 2009.  That was so long ago that, to put in perspective, 2009 was the year Kyle Husband won his first Manhattan Cup at Canisius.  My apologies to the Bombers of East Rochester, but I like what history is telling me and think Section VI keeps that streak going for at least a couple more years.

 

- Section VI has three Class D teams ranked in the state. As is always the case, Rochester's highest ranked Class D team is a private school (CG Finney this season).  One of my favorite parts of the season is watching our Class D winner knock off what should be a Class B private school team, masquerading as a Class D public school.  It makes for a great start to Regional Saturday.  

 

Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.

 

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Poll Ballots 2017 - Week 1

(Jayce Johnson & Canisius are at the top of my opening Poll Ballot) 

 

As a pollster, I rank the top ten large and small schools in WNY each week.  These rankings are based on games played through Saturday of each week.  Here's how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.

 

Large Schools

1. Canisius (MMA) - In the Season Preview, I said I'd learned my lesson and was done picking against the Crusaders.  Then I watched them twice this weekend, including a win over defending Class AA state champion Aquinas.  Different players stepped up in each game for Canisius.  They take on Jamestown this Saturday night in the ADPRO Challenge finale.

2. Park (MMA) - After grinding one out in an overtime win at Niagara Falls, the Pioneers looked like a well-oiled machine in a rout of East at the Pastor-Cooper Showcase.  Imagine the talent that will be on the floor when they face Dom Welch & Cheektowaga this Saturday at the ADPRO Challenge.

3. Timon (MMA) - The Tigers open their season at home tomorrow night against Bishop Kearney.  With all they have back, along with the addition of Master Radford playing next to Davion Warren in the paint, this could be the best Timon team in a while.

4. Williamsville South (A1) - I've had a lot of people telling me the Billies wouldn't be as good this season because they lost such a strong senior class.  I've been disagreeing with that sentiment.  Greg Dolan is like having three starters back and you know he's taking another big step forward from sophomore to junior season.  And his supporting cast is way more talented than skeptical fans realize.  We learn a lot more about the Billies tonight, off to a 2-0 start, and giving up their home game in the 'Battle of Main Street' to take on Amherst at Daemen.

5. North Tonawanda (A1) - One coach calls this the greatest NT team of all-time.  Time will tell, but a 3-0 start includes wins over Niagara Falls and Health Sciences.  They have size, chemistry, depth, and talent.  This group is fired up early and believing in itself.  And that defense...

6. Niagara Falls (AA) - Oh those Wolverines.  They take Park to overtime one night before a thrilling comeback win over completely loaded UPrep squad.  Then they head to the Lumber Yard in North Tonawanda and score 37 points.  I like this Falls team a lot, but they have to be the same team on the road.  Over the last four minutes at NT, they looked like the team I watched for 65 minutes at the Cataract City Classic last weekend (they played a total of 68 minutes last weekend, but stumbled for the first three minutes of the game against UPrep and then snapped out of it).  

7. St. Francis (MMA) - After Orchard Park won its first two games of the season by a combined 75 points, the Red Raiders smacked them by 34 points.  Then they took a West Seneca East team that owns a double-digit win over South Park, down by 48 points.  This seems to be the one team people are sleeping on the most.  Time to wake up, this is the best St. Francis team in the last 10 years.

8. Cheektowaga (A2) - The Warriors are playing a nonleague schedule that is beyond ambitious.  But early on, they found out they can hang with the likes of Class AA Bishop Kearney and perennial WNY powerhouse Canisius.  Then they knocked off Nazareth on Saturday by putting a solid 32 minutes together and getting a great game out of Vaughn Burdette.  The Warriors have been bringing the defensive intensity, getting some solid play from Adrian Baugh, and then there's this other kid who's pretty good for them too.

9. McKinley (A1) - Returning only Davonti Wardlaw to their starting lineup, the Macks took down a Kenmore West team with a very talented and experienced backcourt.  The team has some things to work on, but they are easily correctable.  As you would expect from a McKinley team, there was no lack of effort.  The Macks have gone undefeated in the Yale Cup for two straight seasons and I didn't pick them to win their league this season because, well, I'm an idiot.

10. Maryvale (A2) - I wrote in the Season Preview that I could see them spending some time in the large school poll this season.  Hey look, I was right.  The Flyers' win over Olean to start their season could be the start of something special.  Ray Blackwell played a big time game, but several players on that team made the big plays late in regulation and overtime. Remember, this is the team that kept Cheektowaga from reaching Buff State last season.  And it just so happens that they host the Warriors this Wednesday night.  

 

Small Schools 

1. Health Sciences (B2) - With the way the Falcons have started their season, they absolutely deserve this spot.  They beat a Dunkirk team that was beyond impressive in its win at Lancaster.  They blew out Cardinal O'Hara, and I don't think another small school could do that.  But most impressive may be the way they battled at North Tonawanda on Wednesday.

2. East Aurora (B1) - The Blue Devils have every reason to believe this is their season, despite being dealt a huge dose of humility from Olean in a 21-point loss.  I think they got caught in a barrage of momentum created by a defending state championship Huskies team playing in front of a home crowd and couldn't dig out of a first half hole.  They should have a game against Orchard Park coming up this Saturday if both teams advance in the Southtowns Tournament at EA.

3. Dunkirk (B1) - If you want to attribute Dunkirk's early success to a championship mentality created by the football team, that's fine.  But when I watched them, my take was these guys are really good and play their butts off.  The Marauders have a very intriguing matchup at St. Francis tomorrow night.

4. East (C2) - The Panthers haven't shown a lot of depth yet this season, but the guys who take the court for East make them the team to beat in Section VI Class C.  They stood toe-to-toe with Amherst in the Cataract City Classic and I think they'll make some noise in Yale Cup I as well, a league that will have them hardened for the postseason.

5. Lackawanna (B2) - The Steelers just dealt Alden a 44-point loss, winning by more points than they allowed.  That win followed a Hamburg Lions Club Tournament championship win over a good Hamburg team.  Keep an eye on these guys, who I'm expecting will take an undefeated record into the New Year.

6. Cardinal O'Hara (MMA) - The Hawks are very young, but they have a lot of guys who can play.  Opening the season against Health Sciences who is not only sitting at the top of this ballot, but also had four games under its belt, was a tall order that got away from them at the start of the second half.  They face Newfane in the ADPRO Challenge this week, who is a team sitting just outside of this ballot with a win over MST Seneca (who beat Middle College).  It's the perfect "take care of business" game for a team that wants to know where they stand.

7. Gowanda (B2) - The only thing we have to go on at this point is a 30-point win over Roy-Hart, which really doesn't tell us much, considering the Rams' other three games were against Section V teams.  Still, I had the Panthers as favorites to win CCAA I East and see them as a Buff State team and a notch above the other Southern Tier small schools, with the exception of Dunkirk.  A visit from Ellicottville tomorrow night will answer some questions.

8. Burgard (B1) - For me, this is the surprise team of the early season.  The Bulldogs began their season with a difficult road win at Franklinville. Before you dimiss that one, consider they are a team that could be your Class D champions this year.  Then over the weekend, Burgard won at Medina by 18 points - more than Williamsville North beat the Mustangs by on a neutral court.

9. Chautauqua Lake (C1) - The Thunderbirds began their season with a pair of 30-point wins over Westfield & Frewsburg.  Remember, this is the team that lost the Class C1 Final to Olmsted by three at JCC in March.  If there were two of me, one of them would be watching them play Ellicottville tonight (the other will be at Daemen to watch Amherst vs. Will South tonight at 7:30 pm).

10. Ellicottville (D) - The Eagles are 3-0 and each win has come against Class C schools.  My trip to Ellicottville was the first game I covered this season, and I can attest, these guys are good.  The bad weather forces the Eagles to make up a tournament championship game tonight against Chautauqua Lake (#9 on my ballot), then turn around and play at Gowanda (#7 on my ballot) tomorrow night.

 

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Canisius wins 5th straight Keenan Tournament

(Jayce Johnson splits the Aquinas defense during the Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament at Canisius)

 

For a fifth straight season, Canisius has opened its season with a pair of victories.  The Crusaders followed a 67-61 victory over Cheektowaga on Friday afternoon with a 43-38 win over Aquinas on Saturday, to claim a fifth straight Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament Championship.  The tournament final featured a pair of defending state champions.  Aquinas won the 2016 NYSPHAA state crown in Class AA, while Canisius won a second straight CHSAA state title last season.  The Crusaders took a pair of meetings last season over the Lil Irish, including a victory in last season's tournament championship game as well.

 

With a whole new lineup of starters, it was the same old result on Delaware Avenue.  The Crusaders rolled out five juniors in their starting lineup on Saturday, while Aquinas had just one starter back in its lineup from last season's title run.  The lone Aquinas starter, Jalen Pickett, was name Most Valuable Player following his game-high 23 points in the loss.  Pickett also added eight rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and three assists on the day.

 

"Right now, I don't know what to expect game in and game out," Canisius coach Kyle Husband said.  "Early on like this with a lot of new faces, to be able to pull out a victory against a really good team like that - certainly we'll take that."

 

The championship game was a defensive affair throughout and neither team shot the ball well.  The Crusaders made 15 of 51 attempts from the field and connected just three of their 15 attempts from long range.  Aquinas faired no better, taking six more shots than Canisius, while also hitting on just 15 shots.  Canisius held a slight edge on the boards, 42-36, which helped compensate for 15 turnovers.

 

Canisius built its largest lead of the game in the fourth quarter when they went up by eight, but the Lil Irish managed to cut the deficit to three points on a Pickett 3-pointer in the closing seconds, before the Crusaders sealed the game from the charity stripe.

 

Jayce Johnson led victors in scoring with 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds.  Brendan Trapper & Nick MacDonald each netted 10 points, with Trapper also grabbing eight rebounds.

 

Cheektowaga defeated Nazareth in the consolation game, 51-48.  Vaughn Burdette led the Warriors with 18 points in the win and Dom Welch added 17 points.  In the first round, Welch scored a season-high 40 points against the Crusaders, but his team's comeback attempt fell short after digging a big hole in the first half.  Welch, who is chasing the all-time WNY scoring record held by former Burgard star Ritchie Campbell (2,355), finished with 57 points in the two games over the weekend to push his career total to 1,794.

 

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North Tonawanda out-defends Falls

 
(There were no easy baskets for Tazaun Rose & Niagara Falls at the Lumber Yard)

 

 League play opened in the NFL on Friday night.  North Tonawanda was hosting Niagara Falls, the two teams favored as front runners for the division title.  Prior to tip, the referees followed the usual protocol and summoned captains for the two teams to center court.  North Tonawanda sent its entire team.  Falls did the same.  It was a show of unity from both teams.  I suspect that before they dispersed, someone took charge of the large gathering and suggested the two play the most defensive game WNY HS Hoops has ever seen, then everyone put their hands in...Defense on three: one, two, three, Defense!  I don't know that for sure, but the game certainly played out that way.

 

North Tonawanda built a second half lead on the visiting Wolverines and then held on for dear life in the final minutes, to come away with major league-opening victory at the Lumber Yard, 42-37.  NT improves to 3-0 on the season and more importantly, take the early edge on Falls.  The loss drops the Wolverines to 1-2 overall.

 

The Jacks opened the second half with a 14-3 run to break a major defensive struggle and a one-point game, wide open.  The surge gave the Jacks a 28-16 lead, and with the premium placed on scoring in this game, looked like it might be an insurmountable deficit facing Falls.

 

With five minutes remaining in the game, Zack Woodard scored to keep the Jacks up by 12, 36-24.  Moments later, the senior let a 3-pointer go from the left corner and cashed in to give his team its largest lead of the evening, 39-24, with 4:30 left to play.  The third quarter run by the Jacks had been maintained and now added to by another three points, and it was almost time for celebration.  But not quite.

 

The Wolverines got the the charity stripe on its next three possessions and connected on all six attempts, four from Tazaun Rose and two from Syquan Ralands.  With 1:59 left in the game, Ralands scored in the paint, and Niagara Falls had made up eight points in two minutes, closing the gap to 39-32.

 

A long range bomb from Jhamir Isom put another dent in the Jacks lead, before Tyler Sanders scored to make it a one possession game with just 37 ticks left on the clock, 39-37.  Niagara Falls had come storming back with a frantic charge, good for a 13-0 run in less than four minutes.

 

But the Wolverines had waited to long to play with desperation and on the Jacks' next inbounds came the play that sealed game.  Trevor Book beat a trap and found a wide open Patrick Milbrand running away from the press with a clear path to the hoop.  A pair of free throws closed out the scoring for the game and the cause for celebration was now official.

 

"The hardest working teams are the last to surrender,"North Tonawanda coach Ryan Mountain said.  "We were very fortunate to finish the fourth quarter, they really cranked it up.  I thought we were the tougher team and I thought we were the more confident team."

 

Vincent Tripi, who appears to be the team's emotional leader and primary ball handler, scored eight points, dished six assists, and grabbed nine rebounds in the victory.

 

"It was the hardest game I've ever played in my life and I'm just so happy we came out with a win," Tripi said. "It was defense that won us that game."

 

Trevor Book also scored eight points and added five rebounds, three steals, & two assists.  

 

The rebounding advantage in the game favored the Jacks, led by Brandon Casterline's nine boards, while Alex Johnson pulled down seven.  Woodard also hauled seven boards in, collected six steals, and had five of his seven points late in the game to give his team just enough room to finish.

 

"We don't like to think of any games ahead of the game we already have, but we've had this game circled on our calendar for a while." Woodard said.

 

So just how defensive was this game?  

 

- At halftime, the score was 14-13 in favor of the Jacks.  

- Niagara Falls scored just seven baskets through the first three quarters and a total of 13 in the game.

- A total of five 3-pointers were made in the game, a combined total from both teams.

- Trevor Book (NT) and Charles Lamar (Falls) led their teams in field goals made. Each hit four shots over the 32 minutes.

- Vincent Tripi & Patrick Milbrand (NT) and Charles Lamar & Tazaun Rose (Falls) were the only players with points in three different quarters.

 

North Tonawanda:  7/14 FTs, 16 FGs (three were 3-pointers)

Niagara Falls:  13/21 FTs, 11 FGs (two were 3-pointers)

 

 "In my opinion, probably two of the best half court defenses you're going to see at the high school level," said Mountain.

 

 N.T.  9  -  5  -  16 - 12 = 42

Falls  9  -  4  -    7 - 17 = 37

 

Point Totals

North Tonawanda:  Vincent Tripi 8, Trevor Book 8, Zack Woodard 7, Patrick Milbrand 6, Brandon Casterline 5, Jordan Fox 3, Alex Quinn 3, Alex Johnson 2

Niagara Falls:  Tazaun Rose 9, Charles Lamar 8, Syquan Ralands 8, Tyler Sanders 6, Devin Sanders 3, Jhamir Isom 3

 

-centercourt

Pastor-Cooper Showcase 2016 - Day 2

(Park's Dan Scott delivers the #BOOM heard throughout Buffalo on Thursday night / Photo: Larry Scheur)

 

Park 72, East 39

The question of where Dan Scott would play basketball this season was batted around Buffalo all summer.  The Pioneers were delighted to be the team he chose to ball with, and on Thursday night in the finale of the 31st Annual Pastor-Cooper Showcase, fans got to witness first hand what all the buzz was about.  Scott dished, defended, dropped treys, and delivered a thundering #BOOM that literally brought fans out of their seats and sent Daemen College into a brief frenzy.  The sophomore, who already has an offer from Canisius College, finished with a game-high 26 points and earned Game MVP honors in the process.

 

 

"He gets like that, he'll just get hot," Park coach Michael Battaglia said.  "He's got the whole package."

 

East hung around with the loaded Monsignor Martin squad that competes in Class A during the first half, thanks to a concerted effort on defense and the play of Willard Anderson offensively, who had 12 points of his team-high 19 points by halftime with his team trailing the Pioneers, 31-22.

 

Park put the game away in the third quarter with a 28-12 surge, led by Scott's 12 points in the stanza that included back-to-back 3-pointers from the same spot, in the same minute, with the same result - swish!  Late in the quarter, freshman Jaylen Stewart checked in and immediately showed off flashes of his skill set, by shaking his defender with a jab step and behind-the-back dribble, before burying a trey with the space his move created.

 

Joe Jones was a major presence inside and kept the Panthers from finishing in the paint all evening.  Jones scored 13 points in the win and bent the rim on a pair of scores.  Brandon Smith continued his solid play from last weekend, giving the Pioneers energy at both ends and scoring nine points.

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - Dan Scott (Park)

Point Totals

Park:  Dan Scott 26, Joe Jones 13, Brandon Smith 9, Quentin Nnagbo 6, Noah Hutchins 5, Marques Lowe 5, Jaylen Stewart 3, Jordan Gompah 2, John Orogun 2, Cam Hennings 1

East:  Willard Anderson 19, Justin Allen 10, Waunya Shaw 8, Anthony Stevens 2

****************

 

McKinley 55, Kenmore West 52

The Macks played their season-opener with a roster unfamiliar to casual fans, after graduating four starters from last season's Class A1 Finalist team.  In the end, it didn't matter what the names were, they played McKinley basketball and closed out a hard fought game against a fun & fast Blue Devils squad.

 

Deon Spencer scored a team-high 18 points for Mack High, while Davonti Wardlaw, the team's lone returning starter, finished with 13 points and took Game MVP honors with an all around performance that pointed to him being the team leader.  Kenmore West got a combined 35 points from its one-two punch of Tyler Aquilina & Tal James, with Aquilina finishing with a game-high 20.  Those were all earned points, as the Macks were clearly aware he needed their attention defensively throughout.

 

"Tyler is a good player, I knew he was going to score and be the player they looked to," McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey said.

 

The game featured 12 lead changes and five ties.  A 6-0 run in the third quarter by McKinley was the biggest scoring stretch eith team enjoyed after halftime, and was ultimately what gave the Macks the space they needed to earn the victory.  After breaking a 30-30 tie to go up 36-30, McKinley never trailed again.  The Blue Devils pulled on two occasions in the final frame and had life late in the game when the Macks missed some scoring opportunities early in the shot clock, but never managed a late lead.

 

"Second half, we didn't play as smart as we wanted to down the stretch," Dorsey said.  "We're going to have to drill in their heads how important it is to share the ball, to know where the best shooter is on the court.  There's a lot of work we have to do, but it's a group of new players."

 

Eight different players scored for Kenmore West and the team was without the services of a pair of its players in the regular eight-man rotation.

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - Davonti Wardlaw (McKinley)

Point Totals

McKinley:  Deon Spencer 18, Davonti Wardlaw 13, Kavon Rogers 8, Joe Johnson 6, Emir Evans 6, Nakye Booze 4

Kenmore West:  Tyler Aquilina 20, Tal James 15, Kyle LaPlante 5, Dylan James 4, Kevin Carpenter 2, Tyler White 2, Erick Rainey 2, Jake Poummit 2

****************

 

CCA 68, JFK 54

The Bears won the second half and only lost the opening stanza by one point, but it was an onslaught in the second quarter that made up the difference for CCA in the victory.  The Crusaders dialed up the defense in the eight minutes before halftime, which led to some quick scores and a decisive 25-9 stanza.

 

"I changed defense and I think we found the right matchups," CCA coach Sil Dan said.  "We put a lot of pressure on them, my guys turned it up a level and played really hard."

 

Josh Tyson scored 12 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter, but was excellent all game.  Ben Lekeuneu steered the vehicle for the Crusaders and was in control from his position at the point, repeatedly setting up his team with scoring chances.  In the second half, JFK employed a triangle & two on the pair.  That defense ended up demonstrating the basketball savvy of the pair, as neither forced anything and continually made good decisions against the extra defensive attention.  Jared Moser benefitted for CCA, finding the space to knock down four second half 3-pointers and finishing with 12 points.  Daniel Tyson added 10 points of the bench for the Crusaders.

 

"I think Ben and JT (Tyson) are tough matchups for a lot of guys," Dan said.  "Ben is one of the quickest guards I've had."

 

The Bears got a balanced scoring effort, with four players finishing in double figures.  Jordan Snyder led the way with 14 points, Nick Baker scored 13 points, while Brandon Kohl finished with 12 and Connor Ricotta added 10.  JFK will benefit from the return of a couple key players later in the season.

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - Josh Tyson (CCA)

Point Totals

CCA:  Josh Tyson 31, Jared Moser 12, Ben Lekeuneu 8, Daniel Tyson 8, Zach Miller 6, Alex Fink 3

JFK:  Jordan Snyder 14, Nick Baker 13, Brandon Kohl 12, Connor Ricotta 10, Dalton Fischer 5

 

-centercourt

Pastor-Cooper Showcase 2016 - Day 1

(Tyron Lott of Health Sciences is defended by O'Hara's Justin Hemphill at the Pastor-Cooper Showcase)

 

Health Sciences 78, Cardinal O'Hara 59

The Falcons improved to 4-1 on the season behind a balanced scoring effort.  Kameron Briggs had a team-high 19 points, Davonte Gaines scored 18 points, and Tyron Lott finished with 16 points.  Wize Threat added nine points on three triples in the win.  O'Hara was playing its season opener and looked great in the opening quarter, competing hard with Health Sciences and trading leads.  Buckets from sophomores Torree Cheatham and Justin Hemphill late in the second quarter had O'Hara within six, 29-23 at halftime.

 

But the tides quickly turned at the start of the second half, as the Falcons talent and early season experience became noticable.  Health Scienes ripped off 11 staright points in just over two minutes to quickly go up 40-27.  A second 11-0 run would follow shortly after, all part of a third quarter dominated by the Falcons, 32-9.  Despite the lead reaching 30 points in the fourth quarter, the Hawks never laid down amd made up some ground by game's end.  

 

"We have a very talented team and sometimes they think they can turn the switch on & off," Falcons coach Ty Parker said.  "I tell them we've got to play consistent - we're going to get everyone's best game.  They believed the concept and trusted the process and they played the way we play basketball in the second half."

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - Davonte Gaines (Health Sciences)

Point Totals

Health Sciences:  Kameron Briggs 19, Davonte Gaines 18, Tyron Lott 16, Wize Threat 9, Tayvion Nelson 4, JaQuan Renfro 4, Tahj Dickson 4, Tysheen Lott 2, Shakir Cook 2

Cardinal O'Hara:  Justin Hemphill 22, Rene Velazquez 14, Torree Cheatham 10, Jermaine Haynes 7, Nasir Benton 4, Brandon Broadnax 2

************

 

Depew 48, Grand Island 46 OT

A defensive slugfest between two teams that left everything on the court at Daemen needed an extra four minutes to decide an outcome. In the final minute of regulation, Austin Pilley's pair free throws knotted the game at 41-41 for Depew.  Grand Island saw a 3-pointer rattled in and out at the buzzer which set up the extra session.

 

Tyler Biersbach scored first in overtime, followed by a 3-pointer from Chad Biersbach, to give the Wildcats a 46-41 lead.  Devin Brandon answered for the Vikings with a trey of his own, followed by another bucket, to get the score back to 46-46.  But Tyler Biersbach broke the tie for the final time in OT and then Depew relied on its defense to hang on and survive the Vikigs' last possession.

 

"We need to hang our hat on the defensive end and I was thrilled with how we played defensively tonight," Depew coach Larry Jones said.

 

Chad Biersbach scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half for Depew.  The junior standout stepping up after intermission, along with getting Grand Island's key post player fouled out early were major factors in the Wildcats' win.

 

"In the fourth quarter, Chad (Biersbach) took over a little bit offensively," said Jones.  "It's nice to have an athlete that's not afraid of that moment and understands the game well enough.  He got himself in some passing lanes and got some easy buckets for us - we were really struggling on offense in the half court."

 

Cam Sionko led Grand Island with 14 points, Brandon finished with 12 points, and Garrett Robinson added eight.

Following the game, John Mietus of Depew was awarded the David Cooper Memorial Scholarship.  Mietus is pictured here with Pastor-Showcase Director, Paul Santora, who sponsors the scholarship annually in memory of his brother in-law.

 

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - (Chad Biersbach (Depew)

Point Totals

Depew:  Chad Biersbach 18, Tyler Biersbach 9, Jordan Ciesielski 5, Austin Pilley 5, Sean Miller 5, Eric Jarrett 3, Jeremy Clark 2, Jacob Mlodozeniec 1

Grand Island:  Cam Sionko 14, Devin Brandon 12, Garrett Robinson 8, Derek Callen 5, Mario Wright 4, Roman Cacciatore 3

************

 

West Seneca East 63, South Park 53

South Park had its way at the start, going up 16-6 after one quarter and leading by as many as 12 points in the first half.  West Seneca East looked tentative offensively and missed some easy looks, which allowed the Sparks to convert easy transition buckets.  Late in the half, Dominick Farszmil heated up and scored six points during an 8-0 run by the Trojans that cut the South Park lead to 29-22 at the break.

 

"I thought we really played scared in the first half," Trojans coach Dan Lutman said.  "We were timid and sloppy with the ball.  We said at halftime, we're only down seven and played about as bad as we can play."

 

A completely different team took the floor for West Seneca East in the second half and by the 3:30 mark of the third quarter, they had tied the game at 33-33.  Sophomore Zamari Mitchell heated up in the third, stroking a pair from downtown as part of a 12-point stanza.  Farszmil added another nine points in the third.  The Trojans used a 17-2 run to take a five point lead before the fourth quarter.

 

The energy West Seneca East played with in the second half seemed to break the spirit of South Park and the Trojans poured it on more in the fourth quarter.  Mitchell hit another from long range, followed by a triple from Chris Stineman.  Farszmil put in work in the paint all second half, who flipped the script and had their own 12-point lead late.

 

"We did an outstanding job getting out in transition in the second half and were a lot more aggressive and confident," Lutman said.

 

Jerry Cooper Game MVP - Dominick Farszmil (West Seneca East)

Point Totals

West Seneca East:  Dominick Farszmil 24, Zamari Mitchell 17, Chris Stineman 8, Anthony Roncone 6, Ryan Jasinski 4, Nick Birke 4

South Park:  Ray Mushat 25, Shakur Harris 10, David Stroud 10, Jakari Woods 6, Elijah Lewis 2

 

-centercourt

Maryvale knocks off Olean in OT

(Maryvale's Brian Sullivan lets a dagger fly in overtime)

 

This centercourt stuff comes with some tough decisions.  Often I find days where I'm torn for hours about which game I want to be at when faced with multiple options that are calling me.  Tuesday night's hoops schedule had several games I wanted to be at, but there was one easy choice for me.  Olean was coming to town to take on Maryvale.  Anytime Olean is in the area, it has to be a consideration - that program has earned as much.  But the Huskies attention-grabbing start to their season, a convincing tournament championship win over an East Aurora squad that I remain convinced is the one to look out for in the small school ranks, was proof that despite the move up to Class A2, they'd still be a title contender.  However, it wasn't just about Olean, because there were some other games I really wanted to see.  It was about the feeling that Olean was coming to a place where its opponent, Maryvale, would chomping at the bit and more than capable of getting the best of this elite program.  

 

In a game that felt like a league rivalry in February, Maryvale took the defending Class B State Champions to overtime and then took them out in a sizzling 59-54 victory.  The season-opening win for the Flyers was also the first loss to a public school for the Huskies since Williamsville South beat them in the 2015 Class A regional qualifier at Buff State.

 

"You always want to play your best and Olean brings that out of you," Maryvale coach Mark Kensy said following the win.  "Jeff (Anastasia) a tremendous coach. His players play hard, they work hard."

 

Both teams were fantastic and so were the Maryvale fans.  It was a basketball game that offered everything - atmosphere, tactical play, passionate coaching, players willing themselves to do just a little more, big shots, and a big-time performance.

 

Ray Blackwell scored a game-high 26 points, with 18 of those coming in a first half where he was as dialed in as I've seen a player in a while.  The junior guard repeatedly got to the rack and made tough finish after tough finish, along with sticking one from long range.  His six-point solo run to finish the half gave the Flyers a 29-26 edge at halftime.

 

Olean adjusted to slow Blackwell by throwing a Box & 1 at him to start the second half.  Monty Shoemaker opened the third quarter with one of his four 3-pointers in the contest, which triggered a 9-0 run that put the Huskies in front, 35-29.  Olean held Maryvale to just five points in the third quarter until the final minute, when Blackwell came through with another pair of buckets that got the game all tied up again, 38-38, heading into the fourth.

 

Shoemaker opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, which gave the Huskies a lead they would maintain for nearly the remainder of regulation.  Olean showed immense game awareness throughout the frame, knowing when to bring the ball back out on a break without numbers, taking every shot clock down as they nursed a lead, and then securing key offensive rebounds to reset and continue the possession.  

 

As the game reached the final minute, the Flyers trailed by four points.  A miss by the Huskies gave them life, and that's when a junior forward came off the bench for his first big varsity moment.  Mark Bailey let a 3-pointer fly from the right corner with 38 seconds left and drilled it, trimming the Olean lead to 46-45.  The Flyers opted to foul immediately and the decision would pay off.  After the Huskies converted the front end of the 1 & 1, the second missed to give Maryvale a chance to tie.

 

With 18 seconds left, Ted York-Brown scored in the paint, tying the game at 47-47.  As soon as the ball was inbounded, Olean was hit with a charging call against the Flyer's full court press.  Maryvale was unable to get a shot off on its final possession of regulation, and the game headed to overtime.

 

The extra session began with a traditional three-point play from Olean sophomore Mike Schmidt, making it 50-47 Huskies.  But the Flyers defense would not allow another Olean field goal until it was too late and the final buzzer was ringing.  Instead, from the same corner where he'd hit the big trey in the fourth quarter, Bailey banged another to tie the game, 50-50.  On the ensuing possession, sophomore Jay Henley slipped through the Olean defense, got the rack, and finished for the go ahead score, 52-50.

 

Following a free throw from the Huskies, Maryvale looked to get the ball in the hands of Blackwell, leading 52-51.  After shaking his defender just enough to secure a pass from Brian Sullivan, he gave it right back to him on the left wing.  Sullivan let a '3' go with the defense bearing down (pictured above).  It was money!  The shot gave the Flyers a four-point lead in the final minute of OT, where Maryvale would add a basket by York-Brown and free throws from Blackwell.  Game over.

 

"We went down there last year and played their state championship team," said Kensy.  "They took it to us pretty good.  On November 7th when we started, we had one thing in mind - to show up tonight, play hard, and let the chips fall where they may."

 

Those chips fell like 3-point bombs detonated by Bailey & Sullivan.

 

Blackwell added five assists and five rebounds to his game-high 26 points, while Sullivan scored 10 points.  York-Brown grabbed nine boards to go with eight points, while Adam Meyerhofer scored five points to go with seven rebounds.

 

"Adam Meyerhofer did a great job collecting rebounds for us and so did 5-11 Ted York-Brown, who plays like he's 6-4," said Kensy.  "I just couldn't be prouder."

 

Shoemaker led Olean with 20 points, while Schmidt scored 16 points, secured seven boards, and dished three assists.  Tristen Snyder added eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists for the Huskies.

 

Point Totals

Maryvale:  Ray Blackwell 26, Brian Sullivan 10, Ted York-Brown 8, Mark Bailey 6, Adam Meyerhofer 5, Jay Henley 4

Olean:  Monty Shoemaker 20, Mike Schmidt 16, Tristen Snyder 8, Luke Rogers 7, Matt Droney 3

 

-centercourt

Newfane wins B1 Clash with MST Seneca

 

Trying to make preseason predictions and figure out where teams should be ranked in a poll before games are played can be challenging.  Getting out to start watching the teams I've been making projections on is a lot more fun!  Two of the four teams I thought would end up at Buff State at season's end in Class B1 were Newfane & MST Seneca.  Both had its best players back from the prior season and would be serious contenders for respective league titles.  Newfane played its season opener against North Tonawanda, a Class A1 team also pegged to appear in the sectional semifinals with a ton back.  The game ended in a 13-point loss for the Panthers.  MST Seneca got started against defending Class C State Champion, Middle College.  The Wolves scored a nine-point victory over the perennial powerhouse that got the attention of local hoops followers.  On Monday night, I got my first look at both teams, as MST Seneca visited Newfane for what I dubbed an early season Class B1 Clash.  I left feeling pretty good about picking both teams to still be standing late in February.

 

Newfane benefitted from the contributions of a deep bench, hustle plays, and a pair of standouts, to earn their first victory of the season over MST Seneca, 56-43.  Kyle DeVoogel scored a team-high 18 points for Newfane, while Max Weber added 15 points and several key assists.  The Panthers & Wolves both move to 1-1 in the early portion the season.

 

If you rushed to judgement on this game, you'd have called it a blowout for the Wolves.  The visitors overwhelmed Newfane right out of the opening tip, repeatedly turning them over and converting for easy buckets.  Sophomore point guard Earl Howard looked dominant early on, scoring eight points in the first three minutes and leading his team's press, to get MST Seneca out to a fast 8-2 edge.  Even as Newfane began to find the basket, the Wolves continued turn them over, disrupt their offense, and keep the game at a pace that didn't allow the Panthers to set up defensively.  Howard scored 13 points in the first eight minutes and had his team up 17-8, before Newfane's DeVoogel hit from downtown late in the quarter, making it 17-11 after one.  If MST Seneca had finished better around the basket, the early lead would have been much greater.

 

"We weren't using our dribbles effectively to get into space and then ball fake," Newfane coach Eric Klumpp said of his team's shaky start.  "They're so quick, they'd jump in front of anything you threw."

 

The time between quarters, perhaps sparked by DeVoogel's late '3', seemed to calm the Panthers.  As the second quarter got underway, Newfane was no longer reeling, but rather composed by comparison to the beginning of the game.  Taking better care of the ball led to better execution offensively, which in turn, allowed the Panthers to then get back and set up their 2-3 zone.  DeVoogel netted six straight points in the early portion of the second quarter, while Weber began spilling dimes to his teammates.  The junior floor general delivered timely assists to Connor Hill and Chad Dunbar, and added his own bucket between the two dishes.  Newfane would win the second quarter, 15-2, and didn't allow a basket by MST Seneca until just 23 seconds before halftime.  The halftime score favored the Panthers, 26-19.

 

"Newfane settled down and we couldn't get out of our own way or make a bucket," MST Seneca coach Scott Kirsch said.  "We dribbled in front of the zone instead of passing through it, and when we passed, we telegraphed every one of them."

 

 Caleb Russell started the third quarter with a 3-pointer for Newfane, giving his team a double figure lead, 29-19.  The shot capped a 21-2 run that spanned back to the end of the first quarter.  With the Wolves now focused on slowing DeVoogel, Newfane found more offense from Hill, Dunbar, and Weber.  Howard got back in the act for MST Seneca as well, and struck from downtown to help his team from falling farther behind.  The Panthers still led by ten late in the quarter, before Anthony Speed scored for the Wolves, followed by a David Anderson trey from the left corner that made it 39-34 heading into the fourth.

 

As the final frame unfolded, it became apparent that the night belonged to Newfane.  DeVoogel struck to start the quarter, and after Anderson hit another '3' from the same spot for the Wolves, Weber came right back and answered with a splash of his own.  After MST Seneca scored on its next trip down the floor, Weber came back again with another long-range bomb at the 6:08 mark to make it 47-39.  The Wolves were held to just one field goal the rest of the way, as Newfane's scrappy effort carried the day and they ended the game with 9-2 finish.  Nine different Panthers scored in the contest.

 

"Newfane's a good team, they played their butts off, they worked hard and figured some things out," Kirsch said.

 

The Panthers clearly had the advantage in depth, which was a big factor in overcoming the MST Seneca pressure that plagued them early.  As the Wolves fatigued, Newfane rested players, while each Panther that took the court played as hard as the next.

 

"I think everybody out there dove on the floor tonight and it was just a true team effort," said Klumpp.  "Dunbar drew two charges in the first two minutes he was out there and lit a fire under everyone else.  We tried to roll guys in and keep it fresh.  I think our depth really helped us tonight."

 

While it was a tough loss for a Wolves team coming off a monumental season-opening win over a state champion, it's a long season.  MST Seneca will only benefit from the long road trip to Niagara County and competing against a team they were unfamiliar with.

 

"It was a good experience, great atmosphere and fans - we need a game like this out of their comfort zone because if we get a game like this in sectionals, we've been here before," said Kirsch.

 

Howard finished with a game-high 20 points for MST Seneca, while Anderson scored 11 points.

 

Point Totals

Newfane:  Kyle DeVoogel 18, Max Weber 15, Connor Hill 8, Chad Dunbar 4, Drew Boudeman 3, Caleb Russell 3, Sam Kline 2, Albert Kramp 2, Brandon Gross 1

MST Seneca:  Earl Howard 20, David Anderson 11, Dom Prince 8, Diallo Gray 2, Anthony Speed 2

 

-centercourt

Cataract City Classic - 2016

(Jhamir Isom breaks to the basket for Falls/Photo: Paul Battson, Niagara Gazette)

 

 Niagara Falls 65, UPrep 64

In the finale of the Cataract City Classic, host Niagara Falls ignited the WolvArena by gutting out a comeback win over an extremely talented UPrep team that features a high level talent in junior Jeenathan Williams.  Falls headed into halftime down 12 points after only scoring 19 over the first 16 minutes of play.  But behind a total team effort marked the grit of everyone that took the floor, the Wolverines were just relentless, and wore UPrep down in the second half.  

 

"We struggle offensively, we know that - we've just been able to guard," said Niagara Falls coach Sal Constantino following the win. 

 

While the 19 points at half that followed a 50-point overtime outing the night prior aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard, the 46-point second half that helped earn the one-point victory certainly was.  Couple the offensive surge with a group that settled in defensively after a rocky start, and it was quite an impressive close out for Falls.

 

After UPrep jumped out to a 10-2 lead less than three minutes in, the Wolverines allowed just 21 points over the last 13 minutes of the half.  In the second half, UPrep managed just seven total field goals, and were limited to only two buckets in the final stanza.  Falls also kept Williams off of the scoresheet in the third quarter.

 

Having trailed the entire way, it was midway through the fourth quarter when junior Tazaun Rose found himself unguarded - a few feet behind the 3-point arc.  He let it fly from way downtown and drew nothing but net, tying the game at 52-52.  It was the third bomb of the half for Rose, who was also the key distributor for Wolverines.

 

"I thought Tazaun did a nice job of not forcing shots in the second half, of creating for other guys, and I think he's our catalyst  - he's shown that in the first two games," Constantino said.

 

UPrep briefly took the lead back, before Jhamir Isom splashed a 3-pointer that sparked an 11-0 run to put Falls up for good.

 

"Coach pulled me aside and said you've got to get your team better  So what I did was drive, give opportunities for other guys to get a bucket - it feels good to get my first varsity win," said an exuberant Rose following the victory.

 

Ten players scored in the win for Niagara Falls and eleven different players have made it into the scorebook in the first two games, both thrillers against high caliber opponents.

 

"To comeback from the first half -they fought back with a team effort," said Constantino.  "There's no 25-point guy here, there's a bunch of guys who can get a little and they buy in to it."

 

Game MVPs - Tazaun Rose (Niagara Falls)  &  Jeenathan Williams (UPrep)

Point Totals

Niagara Falls:  Tazaun Rose 16, Jamel Burton 9, Jhamir Isom 9, Charles Lamar 8, Syquan Ralands 6, Marquise Miller 5, Devin Sanders 5, Quaran DuBois 3, Cortese Myles 2, Tyler Sanders 2

UPrep:  Jeenathan Williams 20, Kassius Williams 11, Tamar Jackson 7, Elroy Clark 6, Jakai Lucas 5, Jabez Thomas 5, James Strothers 4, James Barnes 4, Derick Minigan 2

 

Bishop Kearney 67, Cheektowaga 59

The season opener for the Warriors revealed a team that played together and worked hard, trading leads with a loaded Bishop Kearney team for three quarters.  Dominick Welch converted a three-point play with 3:55 left in the third quarter to give Cheektowaga a 39-38 lead.  The Kings responded with a 16-3 run to take a 54-42 advantage and didn't let the Warriors get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

 

The Kings' Nahziah Carter, a Dayton commit, along with Welch, put on a show for fans all game.  The high flying pair each had some sensational finishes at the rim, ran the floor, and showed off a mid range game.  The Warriors got a nice game from Adrian Baugh, who showed some touch from the perimeter, while Vaughn Burdette stood out with his effort.

 

Game MVPs - Nahziah Carter (Bishop Kearney)  &  Dominick Welch (Cheektowaga)

Point Totals

Bishop Kearney:  Nahziah Carter 23, Patrick Thomas 19, Tyker Harley 11, Sheldon Adams 8, Shykell Brown 6

Cheektowaga:  Dominick Welch 29, Adrian Baugh 13, Vaughn Burdette 9, Rudy Bragg 6, Alex Bryant 2

 

Amherst 62, East 60

One of the best games of the Classic went back-and-forth for most of the afternoon, with no team ever leading by more than eight points.  There were 12 lead changes, five ties, and it was a one-point game after the first quarter and at halftime.  The Tigers used a 9-0 run in the third quarter to go up 43-35 and led by six heading to the fourth quarter.

 

East came back to re-take the lead early in the fourth, before the 10-1 run used by Amherst to create the separation needed to close out the Panthers.  

 

Marcellus Cooper had a pair of soaring finishes in the same minute of the game.  The first came off a baseline drive and ended with a two-handed finish in front of the rim.  The second was an 'And 1' tomahawk jam in the lane.  Both were contested by the Panthers' defense, but to no avail.

 

Willard Anderson has added some bulk and his game has taken a big step forward.  The junior netted a game-high 28 points and was stellar throughout on both ends.  East looks like they will be an extremely tough out in Class C.

 

Amherst has plenty to work with this season and is the type of team that will be vastly improved by season's end.  Jordan Barr, Richard Kay, and Will Alfieri were all impressive and will be solid in the Tigers' rotation along with Cooper and Da'Shawn Hines.

 

Game MVPs - Marcellus Cooper (Amherst)  &  Willard Anderson (East)

Point Totals

Amherst:  Marcellus Cooper 16, Da'Shawn Hines 12, Richard Kay 9, Will Alfieri 8, Jordan Barr 8, Brian Fulford 5, Jake Funderburk 4

East:  Willard Anderson 28, Justin Allen 12, Shawndale Williams 7, Taijuan Littlejohn 6, Waunya Shaw 4, Anthony Stevens 1

 

Nichols 60, Wilson 48

The Vikings took a 22-10 early in the second quarter with a 14-0 run that was sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers by will Johnson late in the opening frame.  Nichols took a 36-22 lead into halftime and never allowed the Lakemen to get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

 

Wilson won the third quarter, 15-8, sticking three triples - two from Jonah Miller and the other from Justin Daul, who plays his tail off and gives his team a strong athletic presence.  Eight points in the fourth quarter from sophomore Steven Frerichs got the Lakemen within six, 52-46, with just over two minutes to play.

 

However, Myles Hervey really came to life down the stretch for Nichols and canned 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter and was key to the Vikings being able to seal Wilson's fate.  Antonio Jones had a big first half for Nichols, while junior point guard TJ Banaszak was steady all game.

 

Game MVPs - Will Johnson (Nichols)  &  Justin Daul (Wilson)

Point Totals

Nichols:  Will Johnson 19, Myles Hervey 15, Antonio Jones 9, TJ Banaszak 9, Aidan Horan 8

Wilson:  Justin Daul 13, Steven Frerichs 11, Jonah Miller 9, Connor Seeley 5, Steve Lewis 4, Nate Fox 3, Jared Carney 2, Kevin Skavinsky 1

 

Park 55, Niagara Falls 50 in OT

(Park's Joe Jones is defended by Tyler Sanders of Falls/Photo: Larry Scheur)

The headliner from night one was played in front of a raucous crowd that had plenty to be excited about for four quarters...and then some.  The season opener for both teams was also the highly anticipated debut of the 'Big Three' for the Pioneers.  While the team has zero seniors on its roster, Park does feature a starting lineup that includes three underclassmen, Joe Jones, Daniel Scott, and Noah Hutchins, with Division I offers.  Park needed overtime to put away a Niagara Falls team lacks the notable star power on the Pioneers' roster, but never backed down and made Park play a physical, defensive affair for 37 minutes.  

 

"Two freshmen play a lot, the rest are sophomores & juniors,"  Park coach Michael Battaglia said following the win.  "In a game like this with this atmosphere, first game of the year - it's a hard thing for them and I thought they really handled the adversity well and I'm proud of these kids."

 

Scott wasted no time introducing himself to the crowd, slamming the ball home off the opening tip.  After taking a 12-6 lead in the opening quarter, Falls responded with nine straight points to take a lead it would hold onto until midway through the final stanza.  An 8-0 run from Park got them back on top with 1:32 left in the game.  

 

However, Tazaun Rose sank seven free throws in the final 90 seconds of regulation for Falls to force the extra session.

 

Brandon Smith connected from downtown right away in overtime and followed it was another quick bucket to put the Pioneers up by five, who never allowed a field goal by Falls over the game's last ten minutes.  Marques Lowe scored a team-high 11 points for Park in the win.

 

"We can play better, that's for sure," Battaglia said. "But they can play better too, they were missing one of their best players."

 

Game MVPs - Joe Jones (Park)  &  Tazaun Rose (Niagara Falls)

Point Totals

Park:  Marques Lowe 11, Daniel Scott 10, Noah Hutchins 10, Joe Jones 9, Brandon Smith 9, Quentin Nnagbo 4, John Orogun 2

Niagara Falls:  Tazaun Rose 16, Charles Lamar 7, Tyler Sanders 5, Devin Sanders 5, Jamel Burton 5, Cortese Myles 4, Quaran Dubois 3, Rodderick Arrington 3, Marquise Miller 2

 

Williamsville North 47, Medina 35

The Mustangs looked like they were game to run with Class AA Williamsville North during the game's first eight minutes, before allowing 19-2 run by the Spartans that gave them a commanding 30-11 lead.  Medina junior Jalin Cooper heated up in the second half and finished with a game-high 18 points, but was the only steady offense for Medina.

 

North was excellent on the defensive end throughout, limiting the transition game of Medina and making life especially difficult in half court sets.  The Spartans were also patient offensively and used their offense to create sound scoring opportunities.  Corey Swiech and Joseph Nusall shared team-high scoring honors with 11 points apiece.

 

Game MVPs - Corey Swiech (Williamsville North)  &  Jalin Cooper (Medina)

Point Totals

North:  Corey Swiech 11, Joseph Nusall 11, Jairus Huggins 9, Ryan Johnston 7, Jonathan Abaya 6, Anthony Maniscalco 3

Medina:  Jalin Cooper 18, Mason Lewis 5, Johnny Salone 4, Tyrellis Atkins 4, Brendan Luthart 3, Izaiah Rhim 2

 

 

Depew 65, Niagara Catholic 51

Chad Biersbach got his junior campaign started with a record-setting performance and grabbed the attention of anyone who wasn't familiar with the Wildcat who is now in his fourth varsity season.  Biersbach scored at least nine points in every quarter, banged seven 3-pointers, and finished with a Cataract City Classic scoring record of 43 points.  

 

Depew trailed only once in the game, 2-1 in the opening minute.  They spent most of the second half with a lead ranging from about 10-12 points, as the hot hand of Biersbach never allowed the Patriots to make a serious push.

 

Niagara Catholic has three young players that should come along nicely as the season progresses in Jaden Turner, Thomas Owens, and Jaemon Turner.  The team's top returning player from last season, Nick Krupp, scored a team-high 12 points, despite not being at 100%.

 

Game MVPs - Chad Biersbach (Depew)  & Thomas Owens (Niagara Catholic)

Point Totals

Depew:  Chad Biersbach 43, Eric Jarrett 6, Tyler Biersbach 5, Jacob Mlodozeniec 4, Jordan Ciesielski 2, John Mietus 2, Sean Miller 2, Austin Pilley 1

Niagara Catholic:  Nick Krupp 12, Thomas Owens 8, Jonathan Phillips 8, Roman Wright 6, Jaden Turner 6, Jaemon Turner 5, Kashus Bradley 2, Harrison Abramaitys 2

 

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Dunkirk & Health Sciences advance in Lancaster Tournament

(Darnell Butts of Dunkirk works inside against LG Castillo & Noah Speyer of Lancaster/Photo: John Rogowski)

 

Dunkirk 75, Lancaster 73

After a three-year run as Lancaster Tip-Off Tournament champions, the host Legends were dethroned by a skilled and scrappy team from Dunkirk.  The Marauders trailed by 14 points at halftime and saw their deficit reach 16 points midway through the third quarter, before a gritty fourth quarter brought them all the way back for the victory.  After a highly entertaining opening quarter that yielded Dunkirk a 19-18 lead, the Legends outscored the Marauders, 18-3 in the second quarter, holding them to a single field goal and buliding a 36-22 halftime lead.

 

"We said at halftime, we just played an awful quarter," Dunkirk coach Jack O'Brien said.  "If we can box out, take care of the ball, and make a couple shots, we'll get back in it."

 

Devaun Farnham connected on three 3-pointers in the third quarter for Dunkirk, part of a 13-4 run that closed the gap to 51-44 in the final seconds of the third.  However, Lancaster's Vito Fulciniti, who registered a game-high 20 points on the evening, banked in a 3-pointer from beyond halfcourt as the buzzer rang to end the third and re-establish a double figure advantage.

 

Evon Hernandez scored back-to-back buckets, including a traditional three-point play, early in the fourth for Dunkirk.  The senior would wind up dropping 13 of his team-high 16 points in the quarter, and infused the team with the last boost of energy needed to overcome the gap on the scoreboard.  

 

"He is an unbelievable kid," O'Brien said of Hernandez.  "To have a senior leader play the way he did in the fourth quarter, you expect nothing less from Evon - he's that type of kid."

 

Trailing 68-64 with 1:38 remaining, Dunkirk mounted an 11-0 run in a little over one minute, to take a 75-68 lead and hold on for the win.

 

"Our guys fight, there was not a head hanging in that locker room at half," said O'Brien.

 

Noah Sobilo finished with 15 points for the victors, while fellow junior Darnell Butts added 13 points.  Coming off an extended football season, this team with mostly underclassmen in its rotation showed no signs rust to start the winter sports season.

 

"We're still a work in progress, but with the resilience and fight that these guys have, we're going to be in games all year," said O'Brien.  "They love playing together."

 

Point Totals

Dunkirk:  Evon Hernandez 16, Noah Sobilo 15, Darnell Butts 13, Devaun Farnham 10, Tyreek Buchanan-Ruiz 9, Issiah Velez 8, Tyreese Kristan-Johnson 4

Lancaster:  Vito Fulciniti 20, Alec Tamburri 11, Connor Duck 11, Noah Speyer 9, LG Castillo 7, Jakob Jerebko 7, Collin Reformat 4, Tyler Sokolowski 2, Ryan Mansell 2

 

Health Sciences 80, Cleveland Hill 51

The Falcons jumped on Cleveland Hill early, pressing the Eagles into turnovers and challenging them to get into their offense.  Health Sciences quickly took a double-digit advantage in the game and were able to maintain that lead throughout the first half.

 

Despite recovering from the early onslaught and playing mostly even with Health Sciences in the second quarter, Cleveland Hill fell victim to the same pressure that had put them in the hole early on, when the second half began.  The Falcons started the half on a 15-4 run, which effectively put the game away.

 

Tyron Lott led Health Sciences with a game-high 22 points, doing all of his damage in the first three quarters.  Wize Threat connected from downtown on three occasions and finished with 17 points, while Davonte Gaines added 13 points in the win.

 

Paul Woodward led Cleveland Hill with 11 points and Chase Johnson chipped in 10 points.

 

Point Totals

Health Sciences:  Tyron Lott 22, Wize Threat 17, Davonte Gaines 13, Kameron Briggs 7, Tayvion Nelson 6, JaQuon Renfro 5, Tysheen Lott 4, Shakir Cook 4, Kavon Fears 2

Cleveland Hill:  Paul Woodward 11, Chase Johnson 10, Freddrick Johnson 9, Tyler Phillips 8, Izayah Walker 3, Aaron Wahler 2, DeVonte McGee 2, Naszir Nance 2

 

Dunkirk will face Health Sciences in the tournament championship game on Friday night at 7:30 pm.  The game will be preceeded by Lancaster taking on Cleveland Hill in the consolation game starting at 6 pm.

 

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