(Timon's Davion Warren racked up another double-double)
In this crazy season of high school hoops in WNY where at least six different large schools have received first place votes for #1, it seems something goes down every week...or someone goes down every week. After St. Francis scored wins over Canisius, Timon, & Park, the pollsters made them the area's top dog. But this season, staying on top has seemed tougher than getting there. In the 'No Nights Off' Monsignor Martin Association, everyone is taking a turn earning a big win. Last night in South Buffalo, it was the Tigers' turn to knock off #1.
Timon started fast and kept the game from ever getting too dramatic in the context of how games have gone this year, leading the entire way for a 60-55 win over the top-ranked Red Raiders. The victory sets up a scenario by which both teams winning out from here would make them co-champs of the MMA.
"We had a little extra motivation tonight and I think our start showed that we were ready to play & wanted to win," Timon coach Des Randall said.
Right from the start it was all Timon, and the Tigers showed off some off their depth and balance early on. Jaurney Boyland got the team's first points, Adrian Baugh scored four points, Alero World knocked down a trey, and Master Radford had a pair of rejections in the opening frame. Timon raced out to a 16-4 lead and were up by ten points after eight minutes. Meanwhile, St. Francis couldn't seem to hit the broad side of a barn, as shot after shot was off the mark.
"We got good looks, but they just weren't falling for us," St. Francis coach Brian Ferris said. "Sometimes that happens."
Timon extended its lead in the second frame to 14 points on a '3' from Davion Warren and held that advantage until the half was almost over. However, a trey from the Red Raiders' Devon Darrell beat the halftime buzzer to cut the Tigers lead to 29-18 and sent Frannies to the locker rooms with a bit of momentum, despite going just 1/14 from long range in the half.
"When you play such great defense for 15 minutes & 58 seconds and then you let that happen...it felt like a dagger," said Randall.
Warren banged his second 3-pointer of the game to open the scoring in the second half. His third trey of the game at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter gave the Tigers their largest lead all evening at 39-22. Through two and a half quarters, Timon had held the Red Raiders' efficient offense to just 22 points...but a Red Raiders' run loomed.
"For nearly three quarters, we guarded the way we wanted to and took away their strengths," Randall said.
Over the game's next three minutes, St. Francis finally started to claw its way back into the game. Darrell turned a steal into an 'And 1' score and came right back with another two points on the next possession. Julian Cunningham and Dorian Ivey got 3-pointers to fall, while Ivey added a second bucket during a 13-2 run that cut the Tigers' lead to 41-35 before the fourth quarter.
"It was great to see Dorian step up and play well in an atmosphere like this," said Ferris.
Cunningham made it a two-point game when his third trifecta of the evening went in with two minutes left in the game. The Red Raiders would never get any closer, as Juston Johnson, who scored seven of his 13 points in the final stanza, recorded five of those points over the final 1:48 to help preserve the win. St. Francis had a look from downtown trailing by three with 10 seconds left, but Radford sealed the win for Timon with a clutch swat.
"They threw a little matchup zone at us that caught us off guard," Ferris said. "I told these guys to take a little something from battling with these guys and making it a one-possession game, because we played about as bad as we've played all year as far as missing shots & missing layups."
The Tigers remained undefeated at home against MMA competition on the season, with one home game left against Walsh next Tuesday.
"This place is a tough place to play," said Ferris. "It's a special atmosphere - it's tight, everyone's on top of you, it's loud...it's great. We have to embrace that."
Warren was once again outstanding throughout the night, with a consistent performance that led to a game-high 28 points and 17 rebounds.
"Davion was great today, they kept everything running through him," Ferris said. "We didn't have an answer for him."
"More than anything, he wants to win," said Randall. "In all the big games he shows up. I told him he's our engine & when he plays like that, we're going to be dangerous."
Frannies was led by Cunningham's 15 points, while Darrell finished with 14 points and Ivey added nine points.
Even though Timon knocked off WNY's #1 team last night, the mood after the game from both sides seemed to be adjusted to the reality that big wins have become common place and perhaps they aren't so much an upset, as a product of multiple teams being so closely bunched together at the top. The very thing that has made this season so fun.
"We've beat Park, beat #1, and beat a defending state champion (Canisius)," Randall said. "We know how good we are and how good we're capable of playing, but it's not over."
Timon heads to Canisius on Friday night, while St. Francis visits St. Joe's.
Frannies 6 - 12 - 17 - 20 = 55
Timon 16 - 13 - 14 - 17 = 60
Point Totals
Timon: Davion Warren 28, Juston Johnson 13, Joe Harrison 6, Adrian Baugh 4, Master Radford 4, Alero World 3, Jaurney Boyland 2
St. Francis: Julian Cunningham 15, Devon Darrell 14, Dorian Ivey 9, Roburt Welch 6, Bo Sireika 5, Connor Cummings 5, Sean Taggart 1
- centercourt
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