(Clarence's River Reinhardt played some big minutes in crunch time)
It can be tough living up to expectations, but it's most difficult when you don't meet the ones you place on yourself. The Red Devils at Clarence came into this season knowing they were capable of competing in a wide open Class AA. Despite taking a few lumps along the way, the team has gotten better together. As sectionals began this week in WNY, Clarence took the court to continue its recent string of success and perform the way they believed they could entering the year.
The Red Devils kept their win streak going with a strong fourth quarter, advancing in the postseason with a 76-64 win over visiting Niagara Wheatfield in the Section VI Pre-Quarterfinals. The victory advances Clarence to the Quarterfinal Round in Class AA where they will travel to Jamestown Friday night.
"That was a good team win and now we've won five in a row," said Clarence coach Doug Ratka. "This was how we expected to play all year, it's just finally starting to click."
The win for the Red Devils showed off several things the team does well over the course of 32 minutes. They started strong and played with a lead, faced adversity and were forced to dig in and defend better, heated up offensively to dictate the pace of the game, and did it all with an extremely balanced team effort.
River Reinhardt (14 points), Jack Putney (13 points), Jake Ireland (12 points), and Joe Olivieri (12 points) all finished the game with double figures in scoring. Henry Payne and Joe Szadek each added nine points on the evening. Throughout the contest, different Red Devils took their turn at having the hot hand, made possible through tremendous team ball movement and execution in the offensive end.
An 11-5 finish to the opening quarter gave the Red Devils an 18-12 lead as Putney got going early with seven of his points. Payne gave his team a lot of energy in the second quarter and collected seven of his points, as Clarence went to halftime holding a 31-26 lead and having only trailed for one possession in the first quarter.
But something changed after the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime. The Falcons came out super charged and quickly caught fire to change the complexion of the game.
"They hit shots and came out ready to play from halftime," Ratka said. "They took it to us there."
A basket from sophomore JV call-up James McVay, followed by a three-point play from Jaeger Martino had the game all tied up for Niagara Wheatfield less than one minute into the third quarter. After Olivieri restored the Clarence lead, a 7-0 run ensued for the Falcons. Jalen Bradberry had five points during the spurt, including a long 3-pointer, to give Niagara Wheatfield a 40-35 lead midway through the frame.
"We talked about spacing the floor and did some pick and roll action," Niagara Wheatfield coach Erik O'Bryan said.
Junior Anthony Ruffino scored six of his 12 points in the third stanza, while sophomore Davon Ware (14 points) drilled two of his three 3-pointers of the evening in the frame to keep the offensive fireworks going. Niagara Wheatfield took a 52-48 advantage into the fourth quarter after erupting for 26 points in the third.
With its season hanging in the balance, Clarence made a defensive switch to slow the Falcons.
"We went zone, which I think sped them up a bit," said Ratka. "It resulted in some steals and them taking some quick shots."
After Payne had scored the final basket of the third, Szadek opened the fourth quarter with his third trey of the night for Clarence. Ireland added two points in the paint to get his team back in front and the run was on. Reinhardt, a sophomore starter for the Red Devils, stepped up and played like a senior down the stretch. During a 14-2 run that put Clarence back in front 60-53, Reinhardt scored seven points, including finishing off an 'And 1'.
"He's tough, savvy, and deceptively quick," Ratka said of Reinhardt. "He won't wow you with athleticism, but he knows the game and knows how to play."
Steve Kabayiza checked into the game during the fourth quarter surge by the Red Devils and promptly banged a 3-pointer, which was followed by a score from Ireland for a 67-59 Clarence lead. After Martino scored and Ware added another trey for Wheatfield, the Red Devils lead was trimmed to just three points, 67-64, with 1:56 left on the clock. However, Reinhardt answered with a bomb of his own that keyed a 9-0 finish for the Red Devils, allowing them to advance in the postseason.
"We couldn't defend them," said O'Bryan. "Most nights we score 60-some points, I'm walking out of here a happy guy. They got hot and we started over-closing out, then they start putting the rock on the bounce and going to the basket."
Martino finished with a game-high 16 points to lead Niagara Wheatfield, including a powerful finish at the rim in traffic during the first half. Bradberry added 14 points in the game for the Falcons. The 8th grade point guard's impact on the team goes well beyond his point total, as on seemingly every possession, he calmly puts one of his teammates into scoring position after drawing the defense his way. Bradberry was one of four underclassmen to start for Niagara Wheatfield in a sectional road game. The future should be very bright for the Falcons.
"I'm proud of these guys," O'Bryan said.
With the win, Clarence is on to Jamestown, who they competed with twice during ECIC I action this season. After a 28-point fourth quarter and a come-from-behind playoff victory that got all the key pieces involved, being just one win away from Buff State has the Red Devils fired up.
"They're very excited about it...we've got nothing to lose," said Ratka. "Why not go play and see what happens."
Wheatfield 12 - 14 - 26 - 12 = 64
Clarence 18 - 13 - 17 - 28 = 76
Point Totals
Clarence: River Reinhardt 14, Jack Putney 13, Joe Olivieri 12, Jake Ireland 12, Joe Szadek 9, Henry Payne 9, Steve Kabayiza 5, Jon Trapp 2
Niagara Wheatfield: Jaeger Martino 16, Jalen Bradberry 14, Davon Ware 14, Anthony Ruffino 12, Ben Devantier 4, James McVay 4
- centercourt
Watched the Cheektowaga vs Lew-Port game last night. I saw a coach double and triple team 1 player and leave Cheektowaga guys open for layups Assisted by that said player which eventully lead to about a 50 point win. CONGRATS, YOU HELD HIM TO 25 PTS!! LEW-PORT ?? WHY IS THAT GUY COACHING YOUR TEAM???
Posted by: MUSIC | Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 11:29 AM