Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - After a lopsided season-opening loss at Long Island Lutheran, one of the best teams in the country, the Marauders returned to Buffalo and blew out McQuaid in their home opener. They host Cardinal O'Hara on Tuesday.
2. Canisius (AA) - The Crusaders tip off their season Tuesday night at St. Mary’s ahead of the annual Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament over the weekend. Canisius has dominated this event over the years, which is impressive considering the caliber of competition they host there each season. This year is no exception, with Jamestown coming into face Canisius on Friday (broadcast as a 'Centercourt Game of the Week' through WNY Athletics), while Cathedral Prep and Section V champ Lyons sit on the opposite side of the tournament bracket.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Took a loss to defending New York State Class AAA Champion Green Tech on Friday, but rebounded nicely in a win over the two-time defending Manhattan Cup Champions from Timon. That’s serious competition to begin the season, something Niagara Falls welcomes in its quest to return the program to state championship glory.
4. Jamestown (AAA) - Some of the Jamestown brass were on hand to watch the Niagara Falls/Timon tilt on Saturday, a day after opening the season in dominant fashion with a victory over defending sectional champion Olean. Every week delivers a big game once the high school season is underway, and this Friday at 5 pm on Delaware Avenue is the place to be when Jamestown arrives at Canisius.
5. Timon (AA) - Rolled past East on opening night last week, before suffering a loss at Niagara Falls on Saturday. Timon showed off plenty of talent in the game, which was a tight affair midway through the fourth quarter. It’s also noteworthy that visiting teams rarely have success against host Niagara Falls in the Cataract Classic. The Tigers host UPrep, the defending Class AAA Champion from Rochester, on Saturday afternoon, after a roadie at league rival St. Francis Tuesday night.
6. Health Sciences (AA2) - Fresh off an outstanding football season that saw the Falcons reach the state semifinals, Health is ready to bring their 'Let us be great' mantra back to the hardwood, where they will show off some new arrivals with road trips coming up at Hutch Tech and South Park.
7. Williamsville South (A1) - The defending Class A Champions had no trouble downing North Tonawanda in their opener, led by 27 points from Carter Lampke. The Billies have a district rival game at North on Tuesday night, the 'Centercourt Game of the Week' broadcast by WNY Athletics. They finish out the week at Amherst on Friday, where they will take on Ken West.
8. Lockport (AA1) - Caleb Barry earned tournament MVP honors as the Lions began their season in style, winning the Club of Lockport Rotary Tournament. A season opening victory over Clarence, thanks to a strong second half, was followed by an exciting win in overtime against fellow Top 10 Williamsville East. Lockport will host St. Mary’s this Saturday afternoon in a rematch of last season's high scoring thriller.
9. Williamsville East (AA2) - Overcame a halftime deficit on Friday to earn a season opening 55–52 victory over Nichols. The following night, they battled back-and-forth with Lockport, ultimately falling to the host Lions in overtime. The Flames are in action again against Starpoint on Friday.
10. Nichols (A) - Already 2-1 on the early season, the Vikings started the year off with a strong performance at Lancaster. Over the weekend, they had another good showing at the Club of Lockport Rotary Tournament, losing a close battle to Williamsville East, before getting back in the win column against Clarence. Nichols will look to tune up on Tuesday against Park, before the big dogs from Niagara Falls roll in on Friday.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - The defending Class C champions are ready to come out fighting on Friday night like Cardinals that have been kept in a cage. They open their season against Otto-Eldrid.
2. Westfield (C) - Began the season with a pair of games at a tournament in Erie, going 1-1 on the trip. Carson Swanson had a 35-point outing and is already averaging 33 per game through a pair of contests. They take on Sherman & Clymer this week.
3. Panama (D) - Class D State Champions on the gridiron, the Panthers are ready to get the winter season started Tuesday night when they make the short trip to Chautauqua Lake, before finishing the week with games against Brocton and Gowanda.
4. Akron (B1) - The Tigers are 1-0 to start the year agter giving a 30-point thumping to Cleveland Hill. Expect to see a couple more big wins this week as the team takes on Barker and Albion.
5. Olmsted (B1) - Built a large lead in the first half at Hutch Tech on Wednesday night and held on to take a four-point win in their opener, behind a 33-point performance from Tacari McCray. The Owls take on Riverside this Wednesday.
6. Salamanca (B2) - The Warriors begin their season on Thursday night against Southwestern, following an absolute heart breaker in the Class C State Championship football game. It will be interesting to to see how the team performs early on following such a deep fall run with a devastating ending and then such a fast turnaround.
7. Fredonia (B1) - After digging their way out of the first snow band that dropped, the Hillbillies are ready to get some basketball in on Monday night when Buffalo Culinary comes in. Just in time for the next round of lake effect snow, Falconer is scheduled to come in on Thursday, with the week wrapping up on Saturday at Harbor Creek.
8. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The Gators will head north to begin the 2025 season against a pair of squads from the Niagara-Orleans league, when they take on Roy-Hart on Friday and then Barker on Saturday.
9. Falconer (B2) - The Falcons are 1-0 after winning a close one over Chautauqua Lake last week. They will host Southwestern, who had a good showing against Lackawanna, on Monday, and are scheduled to visit Fredonia on Thursday.
10. Chautauqua Lake (C) - In my preview, I was late to the party on one last mascot update. Apparently the Thunderbirds are no more and this team will now be called the Eagles. In any event, these birds nearly knocked off last season's Class B2 champ from Falconer last week. They hang onto this last spot in my rankings for now, but will need a strong showing on Tuesday night against Panama and another one at Maple Grove on Thursday.
-🏀centercourt🏀
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