(South's Greg Dolan netting two of his career-high 32 points on the evening)
Two players were back with their teams this year after earning First Team All-Centercourt selections following the 2016 season. Williamsville South's Greg Dolan led his team to its first ever appearance in the NYSPHAA state final four in Class A last year, while Cheektowaga's Dom Welch, a fifth year varsity starter, will finish his career with over 2,000 points & 1,000 rebounds and has a chance to eclipse the all-time scoring record in WNY. On Tuesday night, the two took the court with their teams for a nonleague match between top 10 area large schools and it was a two-way performance that included a career-high output winning out.
Dolan scored a game and career-high 32 points and dialed up the defensive intensity in the second half to lead Williamsville South to a 63-52 win at Cheektowaga. The victory keeps the Billies undefeated, as they improve to 6-0 following a third victory over a top 10 large school this season. The Warriors move to 4-4 on the year heading into a key league game in ECIC III at East Aurora on Friday.
Trailing by one following the opening quarter, South turned up the heat in the second frame. Adam Braniecki scored nine of his 11 points in the stanza, with seven of those coming in the first 2:30 of the quarter that included a 3-pointer to give the Billies a 19-16 lead. They would never trail the rest of the way.
"He still has to rebound a little bit better if were going to be great, but his scoring keeps us going," Williamsville South coach Gabe Michael said of Braniecki. "He's tough to guard."
Devin Degree canned a pair of treys from downtown for South in the second quarter, while Dolan scored seven straight points for his team, including a three-point play, after the midway point of the stanza. Welch scored 10 of his team-high 25 points in the frame, but his teammates weren't seeing their shots fall as the Billies finished the half on a 12-4 clip that gave them a 38-25 advantage.
"That's a good team, they push it," Cheektowaga coach Pat Cullinan said. "And when they don't push it, they still put pressure on you in half court. They took it to us and kept up the intensity and we didn't match it."
Mark Worthy opened the second half scoring with a quick four points for South, followed by three-point play and another bucket by Dolan. The 9-0 run to start the third quarter gave the Billies a 47-25 lead, their largest of the game.
Following a timeout, a defensive switch to zone for Cheektowaga began to pay immediate dividends. Missed shots by the Billies quickly turned in to transition baskets for the Warriors, who were suddenly the team with more energy. Over a five minute stretch of the third, the Billies were held to just two points as Cheektowaga used a 15-2 run to cut the South lead to eight points.
"I don't think we handled their zone very well, we got passive," said Michael.
"We were stagnant," added Dolan. "We were settling for a lot of jump shots."
Vaughn Burdette (18 points & eight rebounds) came alive in the third quarter and carried the scoring load for his team. The senior piled up 10 of his points in the game during the stanza, as Williamsville South shifted more of its defensive attention to limiting Welch.
"We didn't expect to come here and blow them out'" said Michael. "We knew they were going to make a run - you have to live with it if you're going to focus on Dom."
Burdette scored his team's first four points of the fourth quarter, as the Warriors got within six points, 52-46, with 6:29 left to play. They wouldn't get any closer the rest of the way, something Dolan made sure of. The junior guard scored nine points in the final stanza and sparked a 9-0 run that put the game out of reach. He was also assigned to Welch for much of the second half and helped limit him to just six points after the break and no field goals in the fourth quarter.
"Greg's a great player," Cullinan said. "He gave us fits defensively - late in the game when it's Dom's time to take over, Dolan didn't let him do it."
It may not have been the plan coming in, but Dolan is one of the area's very best defenders. Even in a game with a career-high scoring output, along with six rebounds, three dimes, & three blocks, he has the stamina and tenacity to take over a game at the defensive end.
"I didn't expect to have Greg guard him as much as we did, but his energy was really good," said Michael. "His defense was what won us the game."
It speaks to the caliber of talent that Welch is when limiting him comes with the stat line he still produced last night. Along with his 25 points, he hauled in 13 rebounds, collected three steals, and had a pair of assists and blocks.
"He's a tough player to guard," said Dolan. "I always look forward to playing great players like him - he can do everything."
Will South 12 - 26 - 12 - 13 = 63
Cheektowaga 13 - 12 - 17 - 10 = 52
Point Totals
Will South: Greg Dolan 32, Adam Braniecki 11, Devin Degree 6, Dakota Wiley 6, Mark Worthy 4, Cody Sanford 2, Chris Nelson 2
Cheektowaga: Dom Welch 25, Vaighn Burdette 18, Davon Brown 4, Alex Bryant 3, Rudy Bragg 2
- centercourt
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