- Heading into MLK Weekend has always signaled the halfway point of the hoops season to me. I'm actually starting to let myself get excited about state playoffs, because we are in the absolute thick of the pandemic right now and it's still game on. I couldn't be happier that we're letting it rip!
- Wyatt Cooper's double-double led Niagara Wheatfield to a 12-point road win at Niagara Falls that put his team in sole possession of first place in the NFL with a 6-0 league record. The senior center finished the game with 16 points & 15 boards.
- Nichols came back to win in overtime at Cardinal O'Hara on Thursday night, 75-70. All of the scoring output for the Vikings came from three players: Jalen Duff (30 points), Jakye Rainey (30 points), and Makai Horton (15 points).
- Caleb Chapman of City Honors has five straight games scoring at least 25 points and is now 54 points away from 1K.
- Speaking of City Honors, they handed Riverside its first loss of the season in a 60–41 win.
- And then there were two: Olean, and Orchard Park are the only undefeated teams left in WNY.
- Sometimes news travels slow from the Southern Tier to myself. I just found out last week that Blake Frank of Franklinville scored 60 points in a game to open the season. That’s the most points any player from our area has scored in one contest since I started doing this! Literally scored one point for every player on the All-Centercourt Team. He also has a pair of 38 point outings this season and just went over 1,000 career points.
- Iroquois Trey Kleitz hung 35 points on Starpoint to move into second place on the all-time school scoring list. He’s now just 44 points from the all-time mark (1,425) held by Jacob Steck. If I'm connecting the dots, his brother Justice Kleitz, an 8th grade varsity starter, could be the next player from Iroquois to threaten the all-time record.
- TJ Robinson and Xander Fletcher of Niagara Wheatfield each scored over 30 points in the team's win at Lockport. They are not the only duo to accomplish this, as a Jalen Duff & Jakye Rainey of Nichols have done the same multiple times this season. Individual point totals definitely seem to be on the rise in recent seasons.
- Jake Notaro of Williamsville East connected seven times from downtown in a win at Iroquois. It was one of the most efficient shooting performances of the season.
- Speaking of Williamsville East, Max Schneider is now the number two all-time scorer in school history, recently passing the Konst twins, Justin & Jeremy, who still use that hidden ball trick occasionally as referees when players are looking to inbound.
- Declan Ryan's 30 points in the Canisius win over St. Joe's marked his third game with 30 or more points this season. That's already the most 30 point games I've ever known a player from Canisius to have in my time covering.
- Aidan Kennedy of Southwestern dropped a career-high 42 points in a victory over Dunkirk.
- Timon’s Robert Carlock is a heck of a rebounder for the team. He doesn’t have a lot of height, but uses timing, along with his strength and athleticism to his advantage. He’s also strong working through screens. So my advice is, when in South Buffalo, don’t try to pick a Carlock!
- Lancaster's Joe Harrington is now the school's second all-time leader in blocked shots and third all-time in rebounding.
- Sean Hargrave scored a career-high 42 points for Kenmore West in a loss to district rival Kenmore East.
- Holland's Jake Galley finished with a career-high 43 points in a loss to Lackawanna.
- Lew-Port is quietly putting together a very impressive season. The Lancers are winners in four of their last five games, beating the likes of Lockport, CSAT, & North Tonawanda. The other win was a 30-point drubbing of Kenmore East. Not bad for a team with a new coach and who's leading scorer transferred. And for the first time in a long time, they are classified as a small school this season, so the competition in Class B1 had best beware.
-centercourt
Post your tournament games @ Hamburg please!
Posted by: Stephen Penfold | Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 07:31 PM
Park just fell off the map . So sad for the kids who are still working so hard . We’ll be back !
Posted by: F | Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 07:45 PM
No kidding fell off the map. Their choice they left the best league in Buffalo for what?
Posted by: Doobey | Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 08:11 PM
Not the kids choice. The comment was in support of the athletes not the politics!
Always support Chad and CC r Regardless the kids are still playing.and deserve recognition. Btw …. Ppl should be glad Park left MMA give someone else a chance to win
Posted by: F | Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 09:08 PM