MMA - St. Joe's 13-1
ECIC I - Jamestown 10-0
ECIC II - Williamsville South & Amherst 8-2
ECIC III - Cheektowaga 9-1
ECIC IV - Depew 9-1
ECIC V - Holland 8-2
Yale Cup I - Health Sciences 11-1
Yale Cup II - Olmsted & MST 9-3
Yale Cup III - Buffalo Cullinary 8-4
NFL - Grand Island 9-1
N-O - Akron 11-1
CCAA I West - Salamanca 10-2
CCAA II West - Panama & Westfield 11-1
CCAA I East - Randolph 10-0
CCAA II East - Franklinville 12-0
-🏀centercourt🏀
* These are the final Top 10 rankings until the 2025 Season Finale Rankings are published *
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - The Manhattan Cup Semifinals begin on Wednesday evening with the Marauders taking on Nichols for a 3rd time, who they defeated by 12 points & then 24 points in the 2nd meeting. A victory for the Vikings in this one would be considered an upset on the level of the one they pulled off in 2014, when they ended a dominant Crusaders' season to advance to the Manhattan Cup Championship game, which they would win over Timon.
2. Canisius (AA) - As it should be, the Crusaders will take on Timon in a rubber match to decide which team plays for the Manhattan Cup Championship. Wednesday night is going to be fun.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - After enduring tragedy together, the Wolverines returned to the court on Tuesday night and picked up a win in their season finale, led by senior Nashaun Farrell. On Wednesday night, they host Lancaster, where the winner will advance to the Class AAA Final against Jamestown on March 8th at #BuffState.
4. Timon (AA) - Took the road trip down to Jamestown on Monday and outplayed the Red & Green on their home court. That should serve the Tigers well heading into Wednesday night's 3rd game against Canisius, after burying the Crusaders in Round One and taking it on the chin the 2nd time around. The Tigers have played for The Manhattan Cup Championship in 4 consecutive seasons.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - Closed out the season with a victory over Clarence to finish undefeated in ECIC I, two days after falling at home to Timon. Now they literally scrimmage teams and hold practices while waiting to play for a sectional title as the only team in WNY with a bye straight to the championship game.
6. Grand Island (A1) - League champions for the first time since 1979 after finishing the season 19-1 and avenging their only loss by defeating West for the title. If the Vikings defeat either Lakeshore or Ken West in the quarterfinal, the number 1 seed in Class A1 will be back under the bright lights chasing another championship.
7. Lockport (AA1) - The Lions path to the Class AA1 title game goes through the City of Buffalo, beginning with a home game against Hutch Tech in the quarterfinals. A victory there most likely puts them in a semifinal matchup against McKinley.
8. Health Sciences (AA2) - Another 1st place finish in league play for the Falcons and the top seed in Class AA2, where they will host the winner of Niagara Wheatfield at Starpoint, looking to make an annual return to #BuffState.
9. Williamsville South (A1) - The defending Class A1 Champions rolled over another team from that classification on Wednesday from Cheektowaga. The Billies enter sectional play by hosting a Friday quarterfinal, likely against the Sparks of South Park.
10. Amherst (A1) - Ended their regular season with a matinee victory over Lancaster and then the staff sat in and enjoyed an NFL championship game, hoping they were scouting a future opponent while watching Grand Island. In order to get there, they’ll likely have to overcome both the justice lights show and the defending champs from South who they split with in league play.
Small Schools
1. Westfield (C) - Stormed past Sherman on Monday night and now await their quarterfinal game, likely against Frewsburg.
2. Randolph (C) - Dropped their regular season finale at Allegany-Limestone on Thursday. The Cardinals will get the winner of Chautauqua Lake and Global Concepts on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
3. Panama (D) - The Panthers sure looked legit on Tuesday night in a victory at Cheektowaga. If there is a team in Section VI that I will put a CC guarantee on hoisting that championship plaque, this is the one. And trust me, their aspirations should be well beyond the section at this point.
4. Akron (B1) - The other 19-1 squad in WNY, the Tigers beat up St. Mary’s on Monday night, gaining a little more swagger for the postseason. They await the winner of Southwestern at East for the right to get to #BuffState.
5. Salamanca (B2) - Finished the regular season with a victory at Frontier after getting clipped for a 2nd time locally at the hands of Dunkirk. The Warriors will find out a lot about themselves very soon, starting and possibly ending with a 3rd contest at home against Falconer, who they split with this season.
6. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - A pair of victories to finish off the regular season have these Gators hungry to keep making noise heading into postseason play. That postseason begins against visiting Silver Creek on Thursday night, where the winner earns a date with MST on Saturday.
7. Middle College (B1) - Finished the season by winning 7 of their last 8 games, dishing McKinley one of their two league losses of the season. Saturday against the Fredonia Hillbillies will be a fun one.
8. Eden (B2) - The Raiders took down Lake Shore heading into the postseason, earning a date with Tapestry, who they’ve knocked off twice already this season.
9. MST (B2) - The best team MST has had in a while earns a bye to the quarterfinals, but they didn’t get any favors with who they will likely be facing… The Gators from Allegany-Limestone, who are playing like a sectional champ once again.
10. Fredonia (B1) - Ended the regular season on a high note, returning the favor to Southwestern by knocking them off at their place after a 13-point victory over Allegany-Limestone. The results from many teams have made things hard to gauge this season for rankings purposes. Thankfully, we have this postseason thing to settle all of it.
Semifinal - Wednesday, February 26th
AT Niagara Falls HS - 6 pm
(2) Niagara Falls 81, (3) Lancaster 53
Final - Saturday, March 8th
AT BUFFALO STATE - 3:30 pm
(1) Jamestown 63, (2) Niagara Falls 49
2025 Section VI Class AAA Champions - Jamestown Red & Green
-🏀centercourt🏀
Class AA1
Pre-Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 26th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(8) Frontier 89, (9) I-Prep 53
Quarterfinals - Friday, February 28th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(1) Orchard Park 77, (8) Frontier 61
(4) Williamsville North 62, (5) Clarence 59
(2) McKinley 89, (7) West Seneca West 55
(3) Lockport 79, (6) Hutch Tech 58
Semifinals - Monday, March 3rd
AT BUFF STATE - 5 pm & 6:30 pm
(1) Orchard Park 68, (4) Williamsville North 50
(3) Lockport 78, (2) McKinley 67
Final - Saturday, March 8th
AT BUFF STATE - 8:30 pm
(3) Lockport 78, (1) Orchard Park 74 OT
2025 Section VI Class AA1 Champions - Lockport Lions
*********** *********** **** ******* ********
Class AA2
Pre-Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 26th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(8) Starpoint 72, (9) Niagara Wheatfield 40
Quarterfinals - Friday, February 28th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(1) Health Sciences 73, (8) Starpoint 46
(5) Sweet Home 75, (4) North Tonawanda 47
(7) Williamsville East 62, (2) Ken West 45
(6) Hamburg 69, (3) Buffalo Culinary 27
Semifinals - Monday, March 3rd & Tuesday, March 4th
AT BUFF STATE - 8 pm (3/3) & 5 pm (3/4)
(1) Health Sciences 63, (5) Sweet Home 44
(7) Williamsville East 69, (6) Hamburg 42
Final - Saturday, March 8th
AT BUFF STATE - 7 pm
(1) Health Sciences 41, (7) Williamsville East 37
2025 Section VI Class AA2 Champions - Health Sciences Falcons
-🏀centercourt🏀
Class A1
Pre-Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 26th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(8) Lake Shore 70, (9) Ken East 60
(7) Iroquois 80, (10) West Seneca East 40
(6) South Park 58, (11) CSAT 51
Quarterfinals - Friday, February 28th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(1) Grand Island 69, (8) Lake Shore 46
(5) Pioneer 56, (4) Cheektowaga 49 OT
(2) Amherst 76, (7) Iroquois 53
(3) Williamsville South 82, (6) South Park 45
Semifinals - Tuesday, March 4th
AT BUFF STATE - 6:30 pm & 8 pm
(1) Grand Island 57, (5) Pioneer 53
(3) Williamsville South 61, (2) Amherst 45
Final - Friday, March 7th
AT BUFF STATE - 7:45 pm
(3) Williamsville South 66, (1) Grand Island 45
2025 Section VI Class A1 Champions - Williamsville South Billies
*********** *********** **** ******* ********
Class A2
First Round - Tuesday, February 25th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(12) City Honors 65, (13) Tonawanda 45
Pre-Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 26th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(8) East Aurora 62, (9) Burgard 55
(5) Albion 76, (12) City Honors 22
(10) Lackawanna 87, (7) Springville 53
(6) Lew-Port 71, (11) Dunkirk 62
Quarterfinals - Friday, February 28th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(8) East Aurora 55, (1) Depew 46
(4) BASCS 52, (5) Albion 48
(10) Lackawanna 66, (2) Maryvale 61
(3) Olean 59, (6) Lew-Port 56
Semifinals - Wednesday, March 5th
AT BUFF STATE - 6:30 & 8 pm
(4) BASCS 48, (8) East Aurora 44
(10) Lackawanna 58, (3) Olean 38
Final - Friday, March 7th
AT BUFF STATE - 6 pm
(10) Lackawanna 49, (4) BASCS 45
2025 Section VI Class A2 Champions - Lackawanna Steelers
-🏀centercourt🏀
Class B1
Pre-Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 27th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(9) Southwestern 76, (8) East 50
(10) Newfane 55, (7) Bennett 52
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 1st
At Higher Seed - 12 pm
(1) Akron 59, (9) Southwestern 30
(4) Alden 65, (5) Medina 38
(2) Olmsted 54, (10) Newfane 48
(3) Middle College 61, (6) Fredonia 56
Semifinals - Thursday, March 6th
AT BUFFALO STATE - 6:30 & 8 pm
(1) Akron 46, (4) Alden 31
(2) Olmsted 67, (3) Middle College 57 OT
Final - Saturday, March 8th
AT BUFFALO STATE - 1:45 pm
(1) Akron 49, (2) Olmsted 38
2025 Section VI Class B1 Champions - Akron Tigers
****** ****** ****** ******
Class B2
Pre-Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 27th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(9) Falconer 65, (8) JFK 48
(12) Roy-Hart 67, (5) Riverside 48
(7) Allegany-Limestone 72, (10) Silver Creek 48
(6) Tapestry 63, (11) Portville 59
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 1st
At Higher Seed - 12 pm
(1) Salamanca 60, (9) Falconer 58
(4) Wilson 59, (12) Roy-Hart 40
(7) Allegany-Limestone 74, (2) MST 67
(3) Eden 62, (6) Tapestry 58
Semifinals - Wednesday, March 5th & Thursday, March 6th
AT BUFF STATE - 5 pm (3/5) & 5 pm (3/6)
(4) Wilson 63, (1) Salamanca 60
(7) Allegany-Limestone 70, (3) Eden 63
Final - Saturday, March 8th
AT BUFF STATE - 12 pm
(4) Wilson 56, (7) Allegany-Limestone 47
2025 Section VI Class B2 Champions - Wilson Lakemen
-🏀centercourt🏀
First Round - Tuesday, February 25th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(9) Global Concepts 74, (16) Maritime 30
(12) Brocton 61, (13) Cattaraugus-Little Valley 31
(10) North Collins 48, (15) Cassadaga Valley 32
(14) Maple Grove 54, (11) Barker 47
Pre-Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 27th
At Higher Seed - 7 pm
(12) Brocton 69, (5) Frewsburg 43
(8) Chautauqua Lake 53, (9) Global Concepts 41
(7) Gowanda 81, (10) North Collins 59
(6) Ellicottville 51, (14) Maple Grove 38
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 1st
At Higher Seed - 12 pm
(1) Randolph 66, (8) Chautauqua Lake 39
(4) Westfield 89, (12) Brocton 51
(2) Holland 69, (7) Gowanda 56
(3) Franklinville 65, (6) Ellicottville 45
Semifinals - Tuesday, March 4th
AT JCC - 6 pm & 7:45 pm
(4) Westfield 64, (1) Randolph 58 2OT
(2) Holland 65, (3) Franklinville 41
Final - Friday, March 7th
AT JCC - 7:45 pm
(4) Westfield 72, (2) Holland 57
2025 Section VI Class C Champions - Westfield Wolverines
Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 27th at 7 pm
At Higher Seed
(4) Clymer 46, (5) Sherman 39
Semifinals - Monday, March 3rd
At JCC - 6 pm & 7:45 pm
(1) Panama 68, (4) Clymer 41
(2) Forestville 52, (3) Pine Valley 35
Final - Friday, March 7th
At JCC - 6 pm
(1) Panama 83, (2) Forestville 38
2025 Section VI Class D Champions - Panama Panthers
-🏀centercourt🏀
- Drew Hind scored 29 points in a 66-41 victory at Hamburg & went over 2,000 career points scored. The senior knocked down 5 from long range, grabbed 7 rebounds & dished 5 assists in the 25-point win. Here is where I will take the opportunity to tie WNY basketball together. As I’ve heard for years and again this season, anybody could score all those points playing that competition… Those guys don’t play anybody...blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah blah blah. It’s the great short sided argument. Hamburg is a team with victories over Sweet Home, Williamsville East, and Starpoint this season. They compete in Class AA2. Good basketball is good basketball & good players will thrive anywhere. I will guarantee you there’s not a person who attended the game in Hamburg on Monday night that left thinking Hind or Randolph is overrated.
- Tre Paulfrey reached the 1,000 point career milestone in his junior season at Nichols, against Timon on Friday night.
- Harlem Brannon now owns the all-time record for career steals at Ken West. At last check, he already had 188 thefts in his junior season.
- Gavin French became the all-time leading scorer at West Seneca West. He finished with a career-high 31 pts in a 74-67 win over JFK.
- Elijah Greene scored his career-high in a 72-32 win over City Honors. The Park junior finished with 31 pts in the victory.
- Pine Valley's Cameron Slade scored a career-high 30 points in back-to-back games last week, a pair of wins over North Collins & West Valley.
- Alden defeated Tonawanda, 44–19, on Tuesday. In the victory, all 14 Bulldogs on the roster recorded points in the scorebook.
- Zach McGuire scored 27 points with 12 rebounds in Westfield's 87–42 win over Brocton on Tuesday.
- Carson Swanson became the all-time leading scorer in the Southern Tier, when he scored 39 points in the team's victory over Brocton, surpassing the mark of 2,258 points held by former Jamestown legend Maceo Wofford on a #BOOM. Apparently, Swanson had a roll of dimes in his pocket when he went for the record-breaking dunk, because dimes were spilling everywhere. Swanson also broke the school record for assists in a game that night, spilling 16 dimes.
- Antoine Williams had 26 points along with 15 rebounds in East's 58–47 win over Maritime.
- Jerrell Neely scored a career-high 30 points in Medina’s 75–53 win over Barker.
- Jackson Griesmer was honored for becoming the all-time leading scorer in Spartan history, prior to the start of Starpoint vs Will South last week. Starpoint then went on to claim a big 61–51 win with Cohen Vogel recording a triple-double performance. The senior scored 16 points, while handing out 11 assists & earning 10 steals. For good measure, he grabbed 9 rebounds in the win as well.
- Andrew Spiesman was all over the glass in Panama's 75–40 win over Sherman, coming down with 19 rebounds in the game.
- Salamanca's 62-54 loss to Falconer last week was the first local loss of the season for the Warriors. The victory for the Golden Falcons was their only win in their last 7 outings. The implications are wildly similar to a situation from last season, when Salamanca was rolling along until losing late in the year at Fredonia. That loss set up a quarterfinal rematch with the Hillbillies in the postseason and was one Salamanca had hoped to avoid. The late season loss to Falconer puts Salamanca in the same spot as last season, now eyeing up a return visit from Falconer in the Class B2 quarterfinals.
- Nakyhi Harris dropped his career-high of 35 pts in Timon's 78-71 win against Nichols. The senior also grabbed 10 boards in the victory.
- Antonio Andrews scored a career-high 33 points & grabbed 18 rebounds in a 75–58 win for Amherst over over visiting Sweet Home.
- Ellicottville sophomore Rylan Benjamin earned 6 steals while scoring a career-high 25 points when the Eagles knocked off North Collins, 61-37. The team went on to earn an impressive win at Portville on Thursday.
- Starpoint finished the season with 3 consecutive victories, including a big one on Tuesday night, when they knocked off visiting Williamsville South, 61–51. The return of 6-8 senior Jack Kemp to the lineup is a game changer for the Spartans heading into a wide open class AA2 bracket.
- Nate Henry finished with a career-high 31 points in Chautauqua Lake's 76–53 win over Pine Valley.
- Brady Eick must’ve gotten into something good at Silver Creek… After banging 10 triples in a WNY season-high 47-point performance, the senior has followed it up with a 30 & 33 point performance in victories for the black Knights. He has - knocked down 25 treys in his last 3 games and has a total of 38 long range bombs over his last 5 outings!
- Clymer scored a big victory over Southwestern, who was coming off recent victories over Allegany-Limestone & Fredonia. With 15 seconds left, Blake Beckerink picked up a loose ball on an inbound play and was fouled. He went on to convert both free throws, lifting his team to victory.
- Orchard Park sophomore Max Mancabelli finished with a career-high 25 points, along with 7 steals, in the Quakers' 70–49 victory at Frontier.
- If St. Joe's & Canisius meet in the Manhattan Cup Championship game on Saturday, March 1st, it would mark the first time this century that the teams played three times in a season while ranked #1 & #2 in each meeting.
- There are 5 teams in WNY scoring over 70 points per game...and two averaging less than 30 ppg.
- Teams opting out of sectionals has always been a tough one for me to grasp. One of the teams that has opted out won 4 games this year. Makes no sense. We talk a good game about providing opportunities for kids and then turn around and take them away. As if the players on the team only want to lose games in the regular season. Everybody except the champ loses its last game. I played on some bad teams when I was growing up, never once did I wish to play one less game because of it. Anytime you gave me the opportunity to go out and play a game, I was all about it. Is it fair that kids go out for a team, practice all season, travel to away games, etc., and then are told that even though every team gets a free pass to the postseason, we're not going? Apparently so. But in my opinion, if Section VI allows ALL teams to qualify for the playoffs, the only valid reason to take that away from the players is a lack of available players to sanction a game.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Pre-Quarterfinals - Thursday, February 20th
AT Villa Maria - 6 pm & 7:45 pm
(5) St. Mary's 59, (8) Cardinal O'Hara 52
(6) Park vs (7) St. Francis
Quarterfinals - Sunday, February 23rd
AT Villa Maria - 1 pm & 2:45 pm
(3) Timon 97, (6) Park 64
(4) Nichols 64, (5) St. Mary's 55
Semifinals - Wednesday, February 26th
AT Canisius College Koessler Center - 6 pm & 7:45 pm
(1) St. Joe's 68, (4) Nichols 51
(2) Canisius 65, (3) Timon 53
Manhattan Cup Final - Saturday, March 1st
AT Canisius College Koessler Center - 6 pm
(2) Canisius 51, (1) St. Joe's 49
The 2025 Manhattan Cup Champions - Canisius Crusaders
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - Emerged victorious in a Friday night slugfest with their rivals, snapping a 4-game skid in the series. The Marauders are Monsignor Martin Association league champions & the #1 seed in the Manhattan Cup Playoffs for the 1st time since 2021 when they won their last championship.
2. Canisius (AA) - Lost locally for just the 2nd time this season at St. Joe's on Friday night, after knocking off St. Francis earlier in the week. The major implication is being on the same side of Timon in the Manhattan Cup Playoff bracket. Both CHS & St. Joes are off until February 26th when the Manhattan Cup Semifinals are held.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Picked up a game against Cardinal O’Hara this week after they were unable to participate in the 3 scheduled games last week.
4. Timon (AA) - Earned regular season sweeps over Cardinal O’Hara, St. Francis, & Nichols last week. The Tigers take a road trip to Jamestown on Monday afternoon and then await the winner of Park & St. Francis for a semifinal battle in the Manhattan Cup Playoffs.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - Double-digit victories over both Frontier and highly regarded Rush-Henrietta last week for the Red & Green, who have also locked up another ECIC I title. They’ll take on Timon in a first-to-score 80 affair on Monday afternoon and finish the regular season by hosting Clarence on Wednesday.
6. Lockport (AA1) - Business-like and highly efficient in a victory at Orchard Park on Monday night. The Lions needed that kind of performance, which they followed up with victories over North Tonawanda & Lew-Port. The regular season wraps up with another contest against Lew-Port.
7. Williamsville South (A1) - Earned a share of the ECIC II league title with a win at Hamburg, after letting the outright league crown slip out of their grasp earlier in the week when Starpoint knocked them off. The Billies host Cheektowaga in a nonleague game on Wednesday.
8. Orchard Park (AA1) - Rebounded with a victory at Williamsville North and another over Frontier, after losing at home to Lockport on Monday night. The Quakers, who have only lost to Jamestown & Lockport this season, finish off the regular season campaign with a rescheduled game against Grand Island on Monday afternoon.
9. Health Sciences (AA2) - Four victories for the Falcons last week against Yale Cup opponents by margins of 38, 52, 31, & 49 points.
10. Amherst (A1) - Wins over Hamburg and Sweet Home allowed the Tigers to grab a share of another league title in ECIC II. They will be begin warming up for sectionals with an afternoon affair against Lancaster this week.
Small Schools
1. Westfield (C) - Walloped Brocton in another shining performance from Carson Swanson that saw the senior score a game-high 39 points in the win. The team finishes the regular season at Sherman Monday night.
2. Randolph (C) - After earning a 5th straight undefeated league title in CCAA I East in a 66-49 win over Gowanda, the Cardinals flew north and put on a clinic in Hamburg, leaving with a 66–41 victory. They visit Allegany-Limestone on Thursday night.
3. Salamanca (B2) - Rolled past Cleveland Hill for a 2nd time this season after taking their first local loss of the 2025 season at home against Falconer. Trips to Dunkirk and Frontier round out the regular season.
4. Panama (D) - Three more victories for the Panthers, including a hard fought win over Falconer last week. If you’re looking for an opportunity to lay eyes on this squad, get to Cheektowaga on Tuesday evening.
5. Akron (B1) - Champions of the Niagara-Orleans league, closing down league play with wins at Newfane & at Barker. The Tigers host St. Mary’s on Monday evening.
6. Middle College (B1) - Double-digit victories for the Kats against MST & Buffalo Culinary, with rematches against both ahead this week, along with two more games against Olmsted & McKinley. Someone saved a lot of games for the last week of the regular season.
7. Holland (C) - The Dutchmen took down Global Concepts 61–49, the 4th straight victory for a team that hasn't lost since January. The regular season wraps up for Holland with a trip to Allegany-Limestone on Tuesday.
8. Eden (B2) - Now winners of 5 consecutive games after earning 3 more victories last week. The Raiders finish up the season with nonleague games at Silver Creek on Tuesday & then host Lakeshore Thursday night.
9. Olmsted (B1) - Earned a victory over East, while losing to Burgard and a renewed team from Starpoint, last week. The Owls take flight again on Tuesday against the Middle College.
10. MST (B2) - Fell to red-hot Middle College before coming back to claim victories against Buffalo Arts & South Park. The Wolves have a rematch this week with Middle College, along with a visit to Hutch Tech.
-🏀centercourt🏀
- Brady Eick dropped a 2025 WNY season-high 47 points & banged 10 treys in an 81-60 win over visiting North Collins on Saturday. The career-high total for Eick broke a school record at Silver Creek that stood for 50 years, previously set by Wayne Summerfeldt in 1975.
- A whole bunch more career-high performances went down in the last two weeks:
- Nicholas Purdie (Canisius) 38 pts at Timon, - Harlem Brannon (Ken West) 38 pts vs NT, - Tacari McCray (Olmsted) 37 pts at Bennett, - Brandon Singletary (MST) 36 pts vs Olmsted, - Trelin Warrior (Gowanda) 35 pts at Panama, - Aidan DeFazzio (Portville) 34 pts vs Ellicottville, - Nate Blenman (St. Joe's) 32 pts vs Jamestown, - RJ Koopman (Fredonia) 27 pts at Dunkirk
- Randolph’s victory over Cassadaga Valley marked the 65th consecutive league victory for the Cardinals. During his five-year varsity career, Drew Hind has never lost a league game at Randolph.
- Hind knocked down 9 long range bombs & totaled 36 points in the teams 62-31 victory over Portville. It was the second time this season Hind has tallied 36 points in a game.
- In Orchard Park's victory at Ken West, it was Carter Switek's late-game heroics that saved the day. The senior turned a rejection in the defensive end, with the team trailing in the final minute, into a 3-pointer at the other end. The Quakers closed the game out at the free-throw strike from there.
- More on OP… 11 players scored 3 points or more in the team's victory over Lancaster.
- Amherst's Antonio Andrews turned in a 22 point, 17 rebound effort in the team's 69-67 loss at Williamsville South.
- Williamsville South's victory over Amherst put the Billies in 1st place in the competitive ECIC II. If the team can win out in league play, they will be the champs. Road games at Starpoint and Hamburg are the only thing standing in their way.
- Panama's Carter Brink has had 3 games in the last two weeks with at least 30 points scored and has now done it 6 times on the season.
- Westfield's Carson Swanson collected 2 more 30 pieces in the last two weeks & leads WNY with 10 performances of 30 points or more on the season. He also leads WNY in both assists & steals.
- Trelin Warrior of Gowanda & Aiden DeFazio from Portville are two other players who scored a pair of 30 point games in the last two weeks.
- Charlie Croff & Caleb Barry combined for 50 of the teams 78 points in Lockport's victory over Niagara Wheatfield.
- Buffalo Arts could not overcome an early 14-point deficit after one quarter against Burgard, despite Ray Jackson turning in a monster double-double, scoring 18 points with 20 rebounds in a 75-59 loss.
- Jaydian Johnson has now scored 20 points or more in 14 consecutive games for Jamestown.
- Olmsted's Tacari McCray, Holland‘s Brady Whiskup, & Roger Markham of Falconer were all honored after eclipsing 1,000 career points last week.
- Ken West is 3-5 against ECIC opponents this season, but the Blue Devils have taken charge of the NFL where a victory in a league championship rematch over Grand Island, a team they’ve defeated once already, would make them NFL Champions for the first time since 2017.
- I’ve been talking about a Westfield vs Randolph Class C Final all season, but it’s starting to look like Holland will be one of the two teams playing on JCC Friday for a title. If things do not change from where they currently stand, Randolph & Westfield could be meeting up in a semifinal matchup on Tuesday, March 4th.
- The Canisius victory at Timon on Friday night marked the 5th consecutive win in South Buffalo for the Crusaders during the regular season, one of the most difficult venues to win at. The Crusaders are also the only team in the MMA so far this season with a victory over every other MMA team. They’ve also defeated 4 of the 5 top ranked public schools.
- Eden had 5 players finish in double figures as the Raiders improved to 11-3 on the season with a 74-39 victory over Cleveland Hill.
- Jamestown, Salamanca, Randolph, Franklinville, & Depew all remain undefeated in league play this season.
- The Yale Cup formed 3 sub-divisions this season, instead of the two division format they switched to over a decade ago. What’s interesting is the breakdown of teams within the divisions not matching the classifications.
For example, Buffalo Culinary has the 5th highest classification of a Yale Cup team (AA2), Buffalo Arts is the 7th highest (A1), & City Honors is the 8th highest classified (A2). All three play in the lowest division, Yale Cup III.
There are 15 total teams in the Yale Cup, MST is the 2nd lowest classified team, competing in class B2, but playing up in Yale Cup II, rather than Yale Cup III. Conversely, the ECIC sub-divisions follow the classification numbers.
- There are just 3 teams remaining that are still scoring over 70 points per outing: McKinley (75.3), Timon (74.9), & Jamestown (74.3).
- If I was asked to do seedings for the section, I would throw the records out the window. In Class A2 for example, my Top 7 teams would be classified in this order currently. 1. Olean, 2. Lew-Port, 3. BASCS, 4. Lackawanna, 5. Dunkirk, 6. Depew, & 7. Albion.
- Who knows how things shake out, but here are 3 Class B games that I would love to see manifest into sectional matchups in a few weeks:
Akron vs Middle College (B1), Olmsted vs Medina (B2), & Wilson vs Eden (B2).
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - After earning the sweep of the defending champs from Timon, the Marauders went on to win three more games in four days, ending with a win at a now full-strength Aquinas on Sunday. They'll honor the seniors against Park on Tuesday, before beginning preparations for a Date Night special with their sweethearts from Delaware Ave on Valentine's Day.
2. Canisius (AA) - Well, well, well look at how this one set up. After knocking off Park & St. Mary’s by a combined 68 points, the Crusaders flipped the script on Timon and won their 5th straight regular season game in South Buffalo by 19 points. The victory sets up Canisius for the top seed in the Manhattan Cup Playoffs if they can win out. They host St. Francis, who they haven’t lost to since 2017, before the grand Valentine exchange on Kenmore Ave Friday night.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Missing a pair of starters and their sixth man, the Wolverines went on the road against state ranked East High of Rochester and got smoked. They will look for a bounce back when at home against Tapestry before their final regular season road trip out of state in Baltimore for a tournament over the weekend.
4. Timon (AA) - Bounced back with a victory over Bishop Grimes after a pair of losses at St. Joe’s and then at home against Canisius. The Tigers finish up league play this week hosting O’Hara and St. Francis before a Friday night date at Nichols.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - Picked up victory over Park & Lancaster last week with a trip to Frontier coming up before a Friday night showdown with Rochester’s best from Rush-Henrietta.
6. Williamsville South (A1) - Earned the sweep over district rival Williamsville East, with another double-digit thumping of the Flames. The Billies are at Starpoint & Hamburg this week.
7. Orchard Park (AA1) - A pair of double-digit road victories at Clarence & Lake Shore for the Quakers gave the team 16 victories on the season. Monday night could be a preview of the Class AA1 final when Lockport visits. OP also has a road trip to Williamsville North, where they lost last season, along with a home game against Frontier.
8. Health Sciences (AA2) - Maybe Big Health is starting to find their form by taking on teams from Rochester, after dropping Franklin by 31 before letting a halftime lead over state ranked Rush-Henrietta slip in a 10 point loss. The Falcons have Bennett, I-Prep and City Honors this week.
9. Lockport (AA1) - A 5-point loss at Ken West forced me to take a serious look at dropping the Lions from the rankings in favor of the Blue Devils. The teams split a pair of games this season and I am deciding to keep Lockport in ahead of them, more so due to recent losses for KW at the hands of Williamsville East & Williamsville North. The Lions get the spot ahead of Amherst, who they defeated head-to-head and Amherst is also a team Ken West lost to. Coming up are games at Orchard Park on Monday night, hosting North Tonawanda on Wednesday, and then a trip to Lew-Port to finish the week.
10. Amherst (A1) - Took down Pioneer & Starpoint by a combined 31 points and now have three home games left in their season, with a pair coming up this week against Hamburg & Sweet Home.
Small Schools
1. Salamanca (B2) - The Southern Tier showed up in force again, heading up to Depew on Monday and leaving with a 35-point victory. Then, in a classic CCAA I West showdown, the Warriors got out of Gator territory with a three-point victory. Still no local losses this season for Salamanca.
2. Westfield (C) - Two road games and two more wins for the Wolverines, by 28 at Maple Grove & 11 points at Chautauqua Lake. Brocton is next on the list in Westfield this week.
3. Randolph (C) - Spoiler alert… The Cardinals won two more league games by a combined 108 points. The victims shall go nameless. They will get a stiff test when they jump up several classifications and take a road trip to Hamburg on Thursday night.
4. Panama (D) - There’s a reason Van Halen wrote a song about these guys. A 21-point victory vs Gowanda, a 37-point win over Brocton and a 31-point win at Clymer. This week they take on Sherman and visit Frewsburg, along with a rematch against Falconer, who they handled earlier this season at JCC.
5. Akron (B1) - Took the rematch with a strong fourth quarter against Roy-Hart in a 12-point victory. They'll look to complete the sweep of Barker & Newfane this week with road trips, before taking the short drive to Alden to wrap up the week.
6. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The return of Carson Kwiatkowski is beyond significant for the fortunes of the squad, as demonstrated by nearly knocking off Salamanca on Friday. Let’s not forget these guys were undefeated prior to his injury just before halftime at Salamanca earlier this season. Just fair warning for the other teams in Class B. The week ahead is a grinder with three tough opponents: Olean, Fredonia, and the long trip north to take on the Jacks in their Lumberyard.
7. Fredonia (B1) - Earned the rivalry victory at Dunkirk after a 4-point loss in Olean. This week they host Southwestern & Allegany-Limestone.
8. MST (B2) - Downed I-Prep by 41 points in their only game last week. They will have their hands more than full against Middle College this week, along with games against Buffalo Arts & Bennett.
9. Olmsted (B1) - In a rematch with Hutch Tech, this time the Engineers were able to complete the comeback after the Owls led for 3 quarters. They returned to form with a 40-point victory over Maritime and a 17-point win at Riverside, before falling by the same margin at Nichols. They take trips to Burgard & Starpoint this week, before a game against East played at MST.
10. Middle College (B1) - They just beat McKinley, who had just beaten Health Sciences in a rematch. Then they knocked off a pretty decent Lake Shore team by 15 points, then they went into East and won by 35. These Kats still have a few lives left, and I don’t see any of those expiring before a postseason run. The game against MST this week should be a fun one, before finishing up the week against Buffalo Culinary.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA)
2. Niagara Falls (AAA)
3. Timon (AA)
4. Canisius (AA)
5. Jamestown (AAA)
6. Williamsville South (A1)
7. Lockport (AA1)
8. Orchard Park (AA1)
9. Amherst (A1)
10. Health Sciences (AA2)
Small Schools
1. Salamanca (B2)
2. Westfield (C)
3. Randolph (C)
4. Panama (D)
5. Akron (B1)
6. Allegany-Limestone (B2)
7. Fredonia (B1)
8. MST (B2)
9. Olmsted (B1)
10. Eden (B2)
-🏀centercourt🏀
10. As always, FREE Parking
What can I say? Free is free!
9. The ONLY way to watch is Live
The Centercourt Classic will not be streamed or available on pay-per-view. Updates on Twitter will be less informative and less frequent on the days of the event. And this weekend is specifically chosen to not compete with other basketball events, or the NFL. Just a great weekend to take in some live high school basketball.
8. It's the best event of the Regular Season
It’s not biased, it’s just facts. I have attended multiple regular season events every year for well over a decade, and while I certainly drew the inspiration for the Centercourt Classic from many stops along the way, the one held this weekend at St. Joe's has truly become the marquee event of the regular season. Featuring 11 teams ranked both locally and in the state, the Top 5 Large Schools in WNY, 8 of the Top 10 Large Schools in WNY, and 15 players from the 2024 All-Centercourt Team.
7. The best program
Upon entry, you will find a QR code to scan. This will provide an amazing commemorative program, complete with every teams roster, and results from the season. It’s first class all the way.
6. The Experience
Music is played during all game stoppages. Hot pizza and other refreshments are always available during the Classic. Game MVPs are awarded to one player from each team, following the game. Shirts and pizza are provided to all players courtesy of Empire Electric. Atmosphere is always exciting because the best teams, coaches, & players put on a show!
5. Watch the best in the state
At least one of the teams in this event will go on to play for a state championship. Maybe more. I t happens every single season, literally. This Classic has had a team go on to play for a state championship every single time.
4. Watch the best player in WNY this season
You will get to watch the 2025CC MVP for WNY‘s Player of the Year. That is correct, every single Centercourt Classic has featured the eventual Player of the Year, and this season will be no exception.
3. Niagara Falls vs Lockport & Williamsville South vs Nichols
Both in the same session, back-to-back! Niagara Falls may have left the NFL to go independent but old rivalries die hard and the one that exists between the Wolverines & Lockport is still alive and well. The Lions have their best team in several seasons, along with the best front court in WNY. Falls is Falls, and that’s never gonna change.
Something tells me this one’s gonna be a good one between Nichols & South. Nichols brought most of its team back from last season & South did the same. These guys are friends off the court, and about to become rivals on it. South comes in ranked #10...if there was a #11 or even a #10.1, it would be Nichols.
2. St. Joe's vs Jamestown
Do you like watching really skilled players shift into overdrive and fly up and down the court scoring a boatload of points? Do players swinging from the rims and banging 3-pointers left & right sound like an entertaining way to spend Friday night? Have you ever seen the Rowdies when they get all wound up?? This game has that #Wooo factor! Just get your butts to St. Joe’s, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
1. Randolph vs Westfield
It's the battle - #1 vs #2 - in BOTH the local and New York State rankings. Randolph delivered 2 of the best 3 games played in Centercourt Classic history and they are coming back to give us another for the 3rd year in a row. I know both of these coaches well and they both want this one badly. It’s a rematch of last season's epic Class C Final that needed overtime. I’m guessing not too many of you have jumped in the car to drive to the Southern Tier to see these guys, but heard plenty about them. You are welcome Buffalo!
-🏀centercourt🏀
Presenting the 7th Annual Centercourt Classic
at St. Joe's 845 Kenmore Avenue Buffalo, NY
Friday, January 31st
Session 1
Akron vs St. Francis - 6 pm
St. Joe's vs Jamestown - 7:45 pm
Saturday, February 1st
Session 2
Timon vs Starpoint - 12 pm
Williamsville South vs Nichols - 1:45 pm
Niagara Falls vs Lockport - 3:30 pm
Session 3
Randolph vs Westfield - 6:15 pm
Canisius vs Health Sciences - 8 pm
-🏀centercourt🏀
- The victory on Saturday afternoon for Timon on Delaware Avenue by 24 points seemed to have some historical relevance so I took a look back through time. What I found was that the Crusaders haven’t lost that badly to a league opponent on their court since February 7, 2017 when Park came in and defeated them 72-44.
- The Canisius loss also got me thinking about how rare it is to see them defeated by any team in their league by double figures. But a closer look shows that hasn’t been the case as much recently, at least not when it applies to one particular team from South Buffalo. Timon has now won 4 of the last 5 matchups against Canisius, and all of those victories for Timon came by double figures.
- After falling behind early by a score of 18-3, Nichols dug in & dug themselves out of a deficit, ultimately earning a 68-59 victory. In the win, junior guard Tre Paulfrey recorded a career-high 36 points. Paulfrey has been a standout all season, becoming the team’s new bucket-getter. He could end up with his name on the rock climbing wall.
- More dominance from Randolph in league play, the team that literally hasn’t lost to a divisional opponent in years. The latest victim was Gowanda, who arrived in 2nd place. Randolph destroyed them, 72-25. The lowest scoring output for Gowanda prior to that night was 51 points, scored against Westfield, a game they lost 88-51. Randolph is allowing the fewest points in WNY at just 35.1 per game this season & 27.4 PPG in its last 5 outings.
- Holland's Brady Wiskup dropped a career-high 38 points & grabbed 11 rebounds in the teams 67-48 victory over Global Concepts.
- After falling behind by 6 points in the first quarter on Monday, Panama out scored Falconer 52-22 the rest of the way and earned a 60-36 victory. Carter Brink scored 35 points in the victory, his 9th game of the season with 30+ points.
- Haile Doucet recorded a triple-double in MST‘s 77-60 win over Buffalo Culinary. The senior scored 13 points to go with 10 assists, 10 rebounds, & 4 steals.
- Time for the weekly version of Centercourt is an idiot, and this one has me knocking my fist against my skull. All this time I have been spelling Orchard Park's Carter Switek incorrectly. Why I thought I should be squeezing an 'a' into that last name, who knows. But that got stuck in my brain somehow and I've repeated the mistake multiple times this season. Carter was a fantastic participant in 5 questions and is a nice enough young man that he never even bothered to tell me I’ve been misspelling his name. My apologies Carter.
- I mentioned it in a tweet, and I mentioned it in the rankings post, but I would like to point out one more time how impressive Lockport's Maurice Woods was in the team's victory over Amherst. Woods used his size and skillset to change that game, particularly at the defensive end, by limiting the Tigers' success around the basket and clearing the glass.
- Sweet Home earned a victory over Niagara Wheatfield in the final game on Friday night, and Marcus Banks earned Game MVP in the win for the Panthers. This year's Sweet Home team has a lot of dudes that can play ball and Banks was the latest to grab my attention for his impact on the game throughout at both ends. Also noteworthy, Shadir Rainey played the best basketball I’ve ever seen out of him and scored a career-high in the game, while playing efficient basketball. Props to Erik O’Brien for running a great event at Niagara Wheatfield where they hosted this season's ECIC/NFL Challenge.
- The playoff bracket in Class B1 is starting to look juicy. It’s going to be fun to find out which team ultimately wins that bracket, featuring the likes of Olmsted, Akron, Fredonia, Middle College, & Medina. Class B2 might be even better. It's still January...but the home stretch to playoffs starts Friday night...
- There are 4 teams in WNY without a loss to another team from WNY:
Grand Island, Randolph, Westfield, & Salamanca
- There are 8 teams averaging over 70 points per game:
Timon, Jamestown, McKinley, Cheektowaga, Westfield, Grand Island, Eden, & Amherst
- There are 3 teams allowing fewer than 40 points per game:
Randolph, Grand Island, & Health Sciences
- Still 5 teams without a victory this season, but just 1 team left without a loss - Grand Island.
- Very excited for my week ahead: Falls at Amherst on Monday, Olean at Salamanca Tuesday evening, a battle for Main St. on Thursday at Williamsville South, and then of course the 7th Annual Centercourt Classic - a total of 7 games between Friday night & Saturday.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - Cruised to victory in 3 outings last week, taking a pair from St. Mary’s, and dishing Health their third loss. More on why I’ve already moved them back to this spot, below, after losing at Canisius just over a week ago. The Marauders host Nichols on Tuesday, ahead of a Friday night Centercourt Classic showdown with Jamestown.
2. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Took down another Williamsville on Monday, this time the one from Paradise Road, before losing a pair of out of state games, including one to Kobe Bryant's former team. A couple good ones on tap for the Wolverines this week, beginning Monday night at Amherst, before wrapping up the week with another Centercourt Classic appearance, where they will take on former league rival Lockport.
3. Timon (AA) - The Tigers put on a display of dominance Saturday afternoon on Delaware Avenue. From the opening tip until the final horn sounded, Timon brought the fight to Canisius. They didn’t just arrive more prepared, they were hungrier. The two teams ahead of Timon own double digit victories over them, but they more than earned this placement ahead of Canisius. Thursday night Park pays them a visit and then Timon returns to the Centercourt Classic looking for a third straight victory there in three seasons when they face Starpoint.
4. Canisius (AA) - After a result like the one that occurred on Saturday goes down, my phone starts pinging with the same question… How do you handle the rankings now? Believe me, I sat at the table agonizing about that one as soon as the game ended before I even produced a final score post. After much deliberation and realization that you were going to have to look past results someplace, I went with the following logic...It took a 3-pointer with two seconds left at home against Joe’s and free throws with six seconds remaining against Niagara Falls at home to earn those victories. On the heels of them getting rolled at home by 24 points, this seemed like the most fair way to handle it, rather than move Niagara Falls or St. Joe’s behind a Timon squad they had both defeated by double figures.
All of the top 4 teams have now faced each other. Canisius played all 3 at home. St. Joe's played all 3 on the road. Falls was home twice, Timon on the road twice. Here are the combined point differentials for each team against the other three:
St. Joe's +21, Timon +3, Falls +1, Canisius -21
5. Jamestown (AAA) - A week that saw Jamestown collect 3 more victories, 2 of them scoring over 90 points, and the 3rd taking the season sweep over the team from their league in 2nd place, Orchard Park. The Red & Green have a couple more league games coming up this week before, a great Friday night match up on Kenmore Avenue against St. Joe’s in the Centercourt Classic.
6. Grand Island (A1) - Improved to 12-0 on the season and earned a nice win over North Tonawanda along the way. They’ll face a tough test this week when they visit Kenmore West.
7. Lockport (AA1) - The Lions finally returned to action on Friday night & delivered a solid victory over Amherst, getting a great offer out of Maurice Woods, who was a beast clearing the glass all evening, along with the return of Mike Griffin, who calmly knocked down 4 important 3-pointers in the victory. The Lions have a fun game coming up on Saturday afternoon in the Centercourt Classic against a Niagara Falls team they know all too well.
8. Health Sciences (AA2) - Bounced back with a big victory over South Park on Saturday, after losing handily at the hands of the Marauders on Monday night - before walking out into a snow band that set everyone’s night into a tailspin. The Falcons have more appearances than any team in Centercourt Classic history, so you can count on seeing them again this year when they face Canisius on Saturday night at St. Joe’s.
9. Amherst (A1) - Lost for just the 2nd time this season against a tough Lockport team, heading into a week with a couple tough challenges facing the Tigers. Monday night, Niagara Falls comes in, a rematch of a game won by Amherst last season. Then on Thursday night comes the rematch against rival Williamsville South, the battle of Main Street.
10. Williamsville South (A1) - Speaking of the battle, the Billies get to host this round on Thursday after taking on Sweet Home prior. Also a tough week for South with those two games and then an afternoon clash with the MMA's Nichols in what projects to be one of the best games of the entire Centercourt Classic.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - The Cardinals took on the team from their league that was in second place, Gowanda, and what do you know… another walloping. Time for a big test, one that I’m sure Randolph will be more than ready for, when they face Westfield on Saturday night in the Centercourt Classic, coming off of a game at Silver Creek the night before.
2. Westfield (C) - Did I mention that Saturday night‘s clash is not just a battle of the top two small schools locally, it’s also the top two teams in NYS Class C. Lucky me, and lucky WNY to get a preview of this tilt on Kenmore Avenue. Westfield will first have to pass a big test against Panama in a rematch on Thursday night. The Wolverines took round one in Panama by double figures.
3. Salamanca (B2) - Just one loss this season for the Warriors after earning another victory on Thursday night against Southwestern. Time for a visit from myself, which I am looking very forward to on Tuesday night when the team hosts Olean. They close the week with a return to Fredonia on Friday night and a game against East Aurora at the Reilly Center on Saturday.
4. Panama (D) - The Panthers registered an impressive result in a win over Falconer, but became the latest victim of Randolph the following night. Panama did take to the road for that one and proved to be the toughest opponent Randolph has seen locally this year and they were in the game all the way. This week comes the important rematch with Westfield on Thursday night with a chance to pull even in league play.
5. Olmsted (B1) - The Owls were off last week, but return to action against Bennett on Tuesday, before hosting MST in a rematch of a thrilling victory from earlier this season. Olmsted is 8-1 on the year and sits atop of the standings in both their league and their sectional bracket.
6. Akron (B1) - The Tigers put it all together on Friday night, knocking off a tough Wilson team by 24 points. With just one loss on the season, the Tigers approached a tough stretch of their schedule that will provide some good experience for an upcoming postseason run, beginning with a game at Medina on Tuesday and then a super fun game against St. Francis on Friday in the Centercourt Classic.
7. Eden (B2) - Hail to the Raiders, long overdue in these rankings this season after compiling a 9-1 record. They get a chance to avenge their only loss of the season against Global Concepts this week, and then a rematch with Tapestry, who they defeated earlier this year by 25 points.
8. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The Gators will look to get back into the win column against Southwestern on Tuesday, and then visit Fredonia & Dunkirk to finish off the week.
9. MST (B2) - I feel like everyone is snoozing on these guys, but I remain convinced that they deserve a place in the rankings and get an opportunity to turn some heads on Thursday night in the rematch with Olmsted. The Wolves are 8-4 on the year.
10. Fredonia (B1) - The Billies are 7-6 on the year, but reclaim this last spot in the rankings on the strength of a big win over Falconer, the 2nd time they’ve done it this year. A tough week coming up with a trip to Lake Shore and then home games against the Gators & Salamanca.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Prior to the 2018 season, Gabe Michael, who at the time was the head coach at Williamsville South and my closest friend, had a conversation with me about the best high school basketball events in WNY. As the conversation progressed, Coach Gabe made a declaration…"You should have your own event." Despite my initial resistance, it was Coach Gabe’s confidence in me and his desire to help me along that quickly turned a concept into the reality it is today. "But where would we even have it?" I asked. Coach Gabe knew exactly where he wanted to see it, it would be right here at The Home of the Billies.
The grand concept for the classic was an event unlike others that took place toward the end of the season, rather than most traditional events which take place during the first few weeks of the season in December. There were also some various MLK showcases and small events that occurred in January. We wanted to see the classic being an event that featured our area's prominent teams in playoff-type matchups outside of league play, shortly before the postseason began. It needed to be both an attractive event to want to attend, and of course, a fun one to be at.
For the first season, I wanted to start small as to not bite off more than I could chew. So the inaugural event was just four games that all took place in the same day and the first three games were small school games. The main event would feature the host school and eventual player of the year, CC MVP Greg Dolan, taking on Health Sciences, led by the the standout headed to Tennessee, Davante Gaines a.k.a. The Ticket. The big game was wildly exciting and delivered an overflow crowd. And so the Centercourt Classic was born.
That season would be the final one at Williamsville South for Coach Gabe, who left to take the position at St. Joe's the following season. The event continued on in the seasons to come, touring different venues each year, with one constant. The two coaches from that headline game would always agree to bring their teams to the event. To this day, Ty Parker and Health Sciences have not missed a Classic.
Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Coach Gabe, who had his Marauders participate in each subsequent event and had been suggesting St. Joe's as an ideal location, asked me late in the summer where it would be for the 2024 season. When I told him I was still without a venue for that season, he said to let him know when I was ready to get serious about his newest offer. Less than a week later, he had a sandwich meeting in place for me to hear the pitch from St. Joe’s. Everyone left that meeting excited, perhaps no one more so than Coach Gabe. The event was returning to his home court.
Less than four months after that and days prior to the start of the season, all of WNY was devastated by his sudden passing. St. Joe’s remained committed to putting on a first class high school basketball event for the community. Once again this season, the Classic remains at St. Joe's in the honor of Coach Gabe.
Purchase tickets for the 7th Annual Centercourt Classic
Below you will find:
- Fun Facts
- Records for player points in a game
- Record for most player points all-time
- Records for player rebounds in a game
- Records for most team points in a game
- Records for least points allowed in a game
- Biggest margin of victory
- Top 3 games in Classic history
- Game results with MVPs for every Classic
- All-time Centercourt Classic team W/L records
Fun Facts
- Every Centercourt Classic has featured a team that went on to play for a state championship
- Every Centercourt Classic has featured the eventual CC MVP for WNY's Player of the Year
- A team has gone on to win a state championship following 4 of the 6 Centercourt Classics
- Canisius coach Kyle Husband earned his 400th career victory at the Centercourt Classic
- West Seneca West's Adrian Baugh scored his 1,000th career point at the Centercourt Classic
Record for most points scored in a game by a player:
Jakye Rainey, Nichols - 43 points (2024)
Greg Dolan, Williamsville South - 36 points (2018)
Willard Anderson, East - 36 points (2018)
Max Schneider, Williamsville East - 35 points (2022)
Carson Conley, Randolph - 33 points (2023)
Jaiden Harrison, Timon - 32 points (2023)
Montrice Webster, Health Sciences - 31 points (2024)
Jakye Rainey, Nichols - 30 points (2022)
Most points scored by a player all-time
Jakye Rainey, Nichols - 99 points (2024, 2023, & 2022)
Most rebounds in a game
Quentin Nnagbo, Park - 18 rebounds (2019)
Most points scored by a team
Niagara Falls 94 points vs Nichols (2022)
St. Joe’s 88 points vs Lew-Porter (2020)
Health Sciences 85 points vs Nichols (2024)
Timon 85 points vs Jamestown (2023)
Olean 83 points vs Williamsville East (2022)
Least points allowed in a game
Amherst 38 points vs St Joes (2022)
Frontier 40 points vs Hamburg (2022)
Olean 42 points vs St. Francis (2019)
Canisius 44 points vs Niagara Falls (2024)
Health Sciences 47 points vs Randolph (2019)
Biggest margin of victory
31 points - East 74, St. Mary’s 43 (2018)
Top three games in classic history
3. Williamsville South 82, Health Sciences, 77 (2018)
2. Salamanca 55, Randolph, 54 in OT (2024)
1. Randolph 82, Nichols 78 in OT (2023)
Game Results & MVP Awards
6th Annual Centercourt Classic
at St. Joe's in 2024
St. Joe’s 56, Amherst 48 - Game MVPs: Cole Kaufman (St. Joe's) & Amir Dunn (Amherst)
Timon 81, Victor 57 - Game MVPs: Jaiden Harrison (Timon) & Nick Leonard (Victor)
Canisius 52, Niagara Falls 44 - Game MVPs: Nick Purdie (Canisius) & Ephraim Strong (Niagara Falls)
Salamanca 55 Randolph 54 - OT Game MVPs: Lucus Brown (Salamanca) & Drew Hind (Randolph)
Health sciences, 85, Nichols 57 - Game MVPs: Montrice Webster (Health Sciences) & Jakye Rainey (Nichols)
Jamestown 66, Saint Francis 59 - Game MVPs: Jaydian Johnson (Jamestown) & Jeremiah Neely (St. Francis)
5th Annual Centercourt Classic
at Hamburg in 2023
Canisius 67, Amherst 58 - Game MVPs: Shane Cerone (Canisius) & Jordan Alexander (Amherst)
Timon 85, Jamestown 75 - Game MVPs: Jaiden Harrison (Timon) & Trey Drake (Jamestown)
Randolph 82, Nichols 78 OT - Game MVPs: Carson Conley (Randolph) & Jakye Rainey (Nichols)
Health Sciences 66, St. Joe’s 50 - Game MVPs: Xavier Benton (Health Sciences) & Isaiah Odom (St. Joe's)
Niagara Wheatfield 76, Williamsville East 54 - Game MVPs: Xander Fletcher (Niagara Wheatfield) & Mason Evans (Williamsville East)
Frontier 60, Hamburg 40 - Game MVPs: Nate Errington (Frontier) & Nolan Smith (Hamburg)
Hamburg (Girls) 57, Frontier (Girls) 29 - Game MVPs Clara Strack (Hamburg) & Mya Brown (Frontier)
4th Annual Centercourt Classic
at Hamburg in 2022
Canisius 68, Jamestown 54 - Game MVPs: Declan Ryan (Canisius) & Trey Drake (Jamestown)
Rochester East 68, Health Sciences 55 - Game MVPs: Damani Barley (East) & Kydale Staton (Health Sciences)
Amherst 57, St. Joe’s 38 - Game MVPs: Teddy McDuffie (Amherst) & Justin Glover (St. Joe’s)
Olean 83, Williamsville East 75 - Game MVPs: Kamdyn McLean (Olean) & Max Schneider (Williamsville East)
Niagara Falls 94, Nichols 70 - Game - MVPs: Josiah Oliver (Niagara Falls) & Jakye Rainey (Nichols)
Niagara Wheatfield 59, Iroquois 54 - Game MVPs: Xander Fletcher (Niagara Wheatfield) & Trey Kleitz (Iroquois)
Hamburg 72, Cardinal O’Hara 57 - Game MVPs: Benjamin Bills (Hamburg) & Chris Wright (Cardinal O’Hara)
** 2021
The event was unable to take place in 2021 due to Covid. The regular season was shortened to 7 weeks and restricted fan access in person. Lew-Port was set to host that year and excited to do so, with the likes of Roddy Gayle, Jalen Duff, and Coach Matt Bradshaw.
3rd Annual Centercourt Classic
at Williamsville North in 2020
Health Sciences 53, Canisius 48 - Game MVPs: Jonezy Jones (Health Sciences) & Eric Kegler (Canisius)
St. Joe’s 88, Lewport 64 - Game MVPs: Daesean Ashley (St. Joe’s) & Roddy Gayle (Lew-Port)
Cardinal O’Hara 59, Middle College 53 - Game MVPs: Chris Wright (Cardinal O’Hara) & Devonte Prince (Middle College)
East 66, Nichols 54 - Game MVPs: Danny Carter (East) & Hugh Purks (Nichols)
Williamsville North 52, Jamestown 51 - Game MVPs: Brett Swiech (Williamsville North) & Demari Jones (Jamestown)
Randolph 65, Iroquois 49 - Game MVPs: Tyler Hind (Randolph) & Trey Kleitz (Iroquois)
2nd Annual Centercourt Classic
at Villa Maria College in 2019
Niagara Falls 72, Canisius 59 - Game MVPs: Jalen Bradberry (Niagara Falls) & Dwayne Vass (Canisius)
Park 65, Iroquois 60 - Game MVPs: Quentin Nnagbo (Park) & Keenan Robertson (Iroquois)
Olean 53, Saint Francis 42 - Game MVPs: Matt Droney (Olean) & David Bartholomew (St. Francis)
Lewport 68, St. Joe's 49 - Game MVPs: Roddy Gayle (Lew-Port) & Daesean Ashley (St. Joes)
West Seneca West 58, Timon 57 - Game MVPs: Adrian Baugh (West Seneca West) & Tahron Goudelock (Timon)
Health Sciences 65, Randolph 47 - Game MVPs: Tyron Lott (Health Sciences) & Tyler Hind (Randolph)
The Inaugural Centercourt Classic
at Williamsville South in 2018
Williamsville South 82, Health Sciences 77 - Game MVPs: Greg Dolan (Williamsville South) & Davante Gaines (Health Sciences)
East 74, Saint Mary’s 43 - Game MVPs: Willard Anderson (East) & Eric Brown (St. Mary’s)
Newfane 62, Ellicottville 51 - Game MVPs: Kyle DeVoogel (Newfane) & Elliot Bowen (Ellicottville)
Franklinville 81, Medina 53 - Game MVPs: Sam Erickson (Franklinville) & Jalen Cooper (Medina)
All-time team records at the Centertcourt Classic
Health Sciences 4–2
Canisius 3–2
St. Joe's 2–3
Randolph 2-2
Jamestown 1-3
Nichols 0-4
Niagara Falls 2-1
Timon 2-1
Amherst 1-2
Niagara Wheatfield 2-0
Olean 2–0
Cardinal O’Hara 1-1
Hamburg 1-1
Lew-Port 1-1
Iroquois 0–2
Williamsville East 0-2
St. Francis 0-2
Following teams are 1-0: Franklinville, Newfane, Salamanca, Rochester East, West Seneca West, Williamsville North, Hamburg (girls)
Following teams are 0-1: Ellicottville, Medina, St. Mary’s, Victor, Irondequoit, Middle College, Frontier (girls)
-🏀centercourt🏀
- Saturday's victory over St. Joe's marked the fourth consecutive in the series for Canisius. The Crusaders will now assume the top spot in the local rankings, and deservedly so, as they remain undefeated against competition in NYS. Trailing by 5 points with 2:09 left in the game, sophomore Jack Cullinan buried a 3-pointer to bring the Crusaders within 2 points of St. Joe's who they had trailed since early in the opening quarter. Then his steal and basket in the final minute tied the game, ultimately allowing the opportunity for Nicholas Purdie to sink the game winning '3' from the corner off an assist from Patrick Cullinan.
- Carson Swanson picked up 3 more 30 pieces for Westfield in victories just last week, one of them earning him 39 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 steals. That’s the second time this season he has scored at least 39 in a triple-double. He also netted 34 pts in a win at at Clymer & 30 pts against Allegany-Limestone.
- Randolph's Broden Brooks scored all 36 of his game-high total in a win over Frewsburg from long range. Those 12 triples were one shy of tying the local record set on February 17, 2010 when Joe Licata scored 41 points & canned 13 bombs in a 108-84 by Williamsville South at Iroquois.
- A couple scores to report from Randolph last week: a 74-12 victory along with an 82-30 decision. This includes shutting out a team out during a quarter and allowing just 7 points through three quarters in another game. Yikes.
Middle College also got into the mix of winning games by big margins last week, steamrolling Burgard 72-20. Undefeated Forestville even took notice, dropping a 70-22 decision on North Collins.
Ellicottville allowed just 4 points in the first half of a 45-28 victory at North Collins on Monday. Cattaraugus-Little Valley also got defensive in the first half at Cassadaga Valley, allowing just 4 points scored by the Cougars in the first half.
- On Wednesday night, South and Starpoint lit up the scoreboard with the Billies taking an 89-74 decision. The game featured 55 combined points from Carter Lampke and Nate Wilemski, along with 51 combined points from Jackson Griesmer and Cohen Vogel.
- Antonio Andrews now has 7 double-doubles this season, collecting two more last week. One of them was earned in a win at Williamsville East on Wednesday when the Tigers avenged an earlier loss. Andrews knocked down the game-winning shot from the corner with less than a second left.
- Amherst & South each have just one loss in ECIC II. The Tigers took Round 1 with the rematch scheduled for January 30th at Williamsville South.
- Justus Kleitz banged 10 triples in a 74-47 victory over Lackawanna, erupting for 45 points on the evening. The outburst was two points shy of his career-high, which he also earned this season in an overtime victory against St. Mary’s, which is also the WNY season-high in 2025.
- Another eruption I must mention is Wilson's Aidan Neumann popping off for 40 points in a victory over MST. The junior scored 13 times from the field, including a traditional three-point play and six 3-pointers. The performance came the game following his 30-point game in a 77-56 win over Barker.
- There now have been 5 occasions in which a WNY player scored 40 or more in a game this season. The 30-point mark has happened 61 times already in the 2025 season!
- Trailing by a point in the second quarter on Thursday night, Salamanca went on a 31-5 run against visiting Dunkirk to put the game out of reach quickly.
- Jamestown's Jaydian Johnson is the newest member of the 1,000 career point club, earning the milestone with a 34-point performance and a big victory over Frontier last week.
- Cheektowaga continues rolling along in league play, most recently taking a 30-point lead after three quarters on visiting Pioneer in a 71-50 win.
- And then there were two. With Akron’s loss at Albion on Friday night, just Grand Island and Forestville remain undefeated in WNY this season. That is until Sherman took down Forestville. The Vikings now stand alone.
- We are now down to 5 teams left in the area without a victory. That number would be 4, however, a game against a pair of winless squads was postponed last week.
- Just like last year, Timon is once again, the highest scoring team in WNY this season. They finish the season with a nonleague game at Jamestown, another team pouring in buckets at a rapid rate. Last season, the two teams got together and fired shots until a second half avalanche in South Buffalo put the game out of reach. Should be a much tighter contest this season and projects to be one of the most entertaining of the year.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. Canisius (AA) - To be the best you’ve got beat the best and that’s exactly what the Crusaders did on Saturday afternoon against their rivals from Kenmore Avenue. Canisius made it a defensive battle which always favors their style, even though they trailed the entire way. Two more Top 10's on the slate this week with a nonleague game against South on Monday and another Saturday afternoon on Delaware Avenue, this time against the defending champions from Timon.
2. St. Joe's (AA) - Worked hard to build a double-digit lead at Canisius in the second half, only to watch it evaporate down the stretch. The Marauders will have to do two things to win a title this season, get better at closing out games and beat their rivals. Back at it against Health Sciences on Monday and then trips to O’Hara & St. Mary’s.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Found a tough test from Williamsville South on Monday night at home, but passed that challenge. Monday, they head to Hilbert to take on another Williamsville, the Flames from East. Then another grueling weekend tournament against teams from PA… Chester and Lower Marion.
4. Timon (AA) - Following a 30-point win over O'Hara, the Tigers got into a battle against Nichols, but came out on top. A rematch with league rival St. Francis at home on Wednesday night, before the first of two games against Canisius beginning Saturday afternoon.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - The Red & Green continue to fly through league play, earning big victories over Lancaster and Frontier, then they lit up the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon in a victory over visiting St. Mary’s. Next up for Jamestown, hosting Clarence on Wednesday and then Orchard Park on Saturday.
6. Grand Island (A1) - The Vikings are for real, as evidenced by a comeback victory in the second half against a tough Lockport team on the road. They finished off the week with a rout over Niagara Wheatfield. Another quality opponent is on the slate for next week when Orchard Park visits on Tuesday, followed by a league game with North Tonawanda on Thursday.
7. Lockport (AA1) - The Lions suffered their first league loss of the season on Tuesday night at the hands of visiting Grand Island. Lockport will try to get right in a road trip to Lew-Port on Tuesday, before facing another quality opponent from Class A who have been rolling along, the Amherst Tigers.
8. Health Sciences (AA2) - The Falcons take on St. Joe’s in the nightcap of the MLK event at Hilbert College on Monday night and then head to South Park Saturday afternoon.
9. Amherst (A1) - The Tigers redeemed themselves with a late victory at Williamsville East on the last second shot from the corner made by Antonio Andrews, the double-double machine. The winning ways continued at Hamburg and against Starpoint to close out the week. On Wednesday night, they head to Pioneer before a nonleague challenge against Lockport at the ECIC/NFL Challenge.
10. Williamsville South (A1) - The Billies are sure playing good basketball right now after nearly coming away with a victory in Niagara Falls on Tuesday, they defeated Starpoint and then unloaded a can on district rival Williamsville East Friday night. Your reward Williamsville South, a date with the new WNY number one team, the Canisius Crusaders on Monday night.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - Have you seen the scores these guys are winning by down in Randolph? Check the Random Smatterings for more on that, but suffice it to say, the Cardinals still haven’t lost a game in league play in several years and it doesn’t appear likely that’s happening this year. Panama comes in Tuesday and then Gowanda visits Friday.
2. Westfield (C) - More road victories for the Wolverines as their winning streak continues to mount and the points continue to pile up for Carson Swanson. Then on Sunday afternoon, the Wolverines added another victory over a Top 10 Small School when they defeated Allegany-Limestone. Friday night they visit Sherman.
3. Salamanca (B2) - The Warriors remained undefeated in league play with a victory at Falconer on Monday night and a big win over Dunkirk at home Thursday. One game on the schedule next week, at Southwestern Thursday night.
4. Akron (B1) - After knocking off Newfane last week, the Tigers got tripped up for the first time on the season when they visited Albion. They will take their 10-1 record into Barker on Wednesday night before hosting the Lakemen from Wilson on Friday, who continue to be a problem for teams.
5. Panama (D) - After wins at Sherman and at home against Chautauqua Lake, the Panthers still have just one loss this season at the hands of Westfield. Monday, they have a tough nonleague matchup with Falconer and another scheduled for Tuesday at Randolph.
6. Olmsted (B1) - The Owls got a big victory over Middle College last week and have an idle week ahead to reset for the second half of the season and begin thinking about a postseason run.
7. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The Gators took their second loss of the year at Olean and then on Sunday lost for a third time against Westfield at SUNY Fredonia. Three games ahead this week, and they’re all good ones. Monday a nonleague matchup against Holland at JCC and on Wednesday night, a rescheduled game at Fredonia.
8. Falconer (B2) - Rebounded from a loss to Salamanca with a victory over Southwestern. Monday, they take on Panama at JCC and host Fredonia on Friday.
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
* Tuesday, January 14th at 6:30 pm *
Grand Island Vikings (8-0, 3-0)
Class A1 - NFL - Ranked #8
at
Lockport Lions (7-3, 4-0)
Class AA1 - NFL - Ranked #6
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
- I deserve to be fed to the gators! After publishing rankings on Sunday and settling into some NFL playoff action, I ended up receiving a couple text messages later that night - one asking me if I forgot and the other saying they were surprised about my decision. "Did you forget to rank A-L?" the first message read. I have copied and pasted my response back to that text:
"I forgot to rank them 🤢. Like I didn't forget about them, I just pasted the teams from last time and pulled them out to move them down and somehow lost my way. I feel so stupid."
Allegany-Limestone arrived at Salamanca last week undefeated and I had them as the #3 ranked small school going in. Due to the 19-point loss, I had intended to move them from #3 down to #5. My mistake and my sincere apologies to the Allegany-Limestone Gators.
- Westfield's Carson Swanson did 2K the right way, earning the 2,000+ point career milestone and an 87–40 victory over Maple Grove at home. The senior dropped a 43-point triple-double on the evening, with 12 steals & 10 assists.
- Tacari McCray accounted for 28 of his teams 47 points last week in Olmsted’s one-point victory at MST.
- CSAT picked up just their second victory of the season, but it came against a quality opponent in BASCS by six points, led by a game-high 27 points from James Floyd, and 22 points from Jayden Adams.
- Medina sophomore Preston Woodworth has been solid all season for the Mustangs and just scored a career high 33-points in the Mustangs 71–43 win over Newfane.
- Akron sophomore Derren Brooks is a legitimate big man for the Tigers and is part of what makes his team so imposing. He scored 15 points, grabbed 13 boards, & swatted 4 shots in the victory at Roy-Hart last week.
- Speaking of Roy-Hart, I hit the jackpot by heading there on Tuesday last week with one of the best games I’ve seen all season...a one-point victory for visiting Akron to remain undefeated. Dan Aquilina, a senior who is averaging 18.1 points & 6.9 rebounds per game for the Rams, scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half, drilled three big triples to change the momentum of the game, and grabbed 13 rebounds on the night.
- If you’ve never been to 'The Barn' in Roy-Hart for a game, it’s a great place to watch one with tight spaces - you get that small school feel for a high school game. Also, the cheerleaders there, along with their coach, are accommodating, gracious, and lovely. They were kind enough to share their cheer space when 'Johnny -Come-Lately' came strolling in right before warm-ups for the varsity game.
- Cheektowaga is 6-2 on the season and looks to have early control in ECIC III following a 17-point victory at Iroquois, who just earned a victory over Pioneer in the same league.
- Amherst picked up bounce back wins over Sweet Home and Williamsville South last week with Elijah Dixon continuing to light up the scoreboard. The senior guard is averaging 27 points over his last three outings. In the victory against Sweet Home, they also got a triple-double from Adam Sarzynski & a double-double from Antonio Andrews.
- Elijah Farmer was just two dimes short of a triple-double in Jamestown's 30-point victory at Williamsville North last week.
- Chris Fagnan registered a career high 27 points in the Spartans loss to Jamestown. The Williamsville North freshman is averaging 14.6 per routing on the season.
- Max Mancabelli and Brody Monaco each missed just one shot from the field in nine attempts during Orchard Parks 87–58 win at Lancaster. Mancabelli also added 7 steals & 5 assists in the win.
- After starting the year 0–6, East has rattled off 4 consecutive victories.
- Randolph led Silver Creek 47–8 at halftime on Friday night.
- Health Sciences took a 74-7 lead into the final frame against I-Prep on Wednesday.
- 11 Marauders scored in St. Joe's 30-point victory over St. Francis on Tuesday.
- Portville junior Aiden DeFazio scored a career high 32-points in an 81–28 victory over Cassadaga Valley.
- Timon freshman Malak Bontzolakes is shooting 45% from beyond the ark on 31 attempts and is perfect from the free throw stripe this season through 11 games.
- Franklinville did not allow a field goal in the first half against North Collins on Thursday, taking a 31–1 lead to halftime en route to a 64–20 victory.
- Forestville scored 36 points in the opening quarter against West Valley on Monday, the same number of points allowed the entire game, a 83–36 win.
- Speaking of Forestville, they are 1 of 3 remaining undefeated teams in WNY, along with Grand Island & Akron. I’m predicting the good times don’t last beyond Monday night, when the Hornets head to Franklinville. Grand Island receives a huge test on Tuesday night at Lockport, while Akron is in a good position to show up at the Centercourt Classic on January 31st unblemished, that is if they can win a second time over Wilson and not get tripped up at Medina on the 28th.
- Still 7 teams without a win out there in WNY.
- High school players will try to mimic everything they see in college & the pros, with the exception of going to the middle of the scorer's table and sitting down when they want to sub in. In most cases, they half squat in front of the person trying to do the scorebook, until tell them to either sit or go to the middle of the table because they can't see.
- Frank Wolf asked me during our weekly show what 3 gyms I am most excited to walk into a game for. After reflecting on the question, I realized that my three favorite gyms that I've always looked the most forward to walking into were #BuffState, JCC, & the arena in Glens Falls.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - After flying past St. Francis by 30, the Marauders earned a 10-point victory in South Buffalo, something they didn’t even do during the 2021 Manhattan Cup Championship season. The big week is here finally, so after a trip to Park on Monday, preparations will be in full swing for a Saturday afternoon dance at…
2. Canisius (AA) - Delaware Avenue, Home of the Canisius Crusaders, a team who has owned the rivalry series with St. Joe’s on the hardwood. These guys aren’t buying the power shift suggestion from my season preview for one minute and aim to show WNY who the real McCoy is on Saturday. They earned a couple victories over Nichols & Park last week, and will need to do the same at St. Francis on Monday. Then we get to finally watch the top two teams in the area dance!
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Nothing to report here on the Wolverines front, except a pair of double-digit victories over a pair of programs you may have heard of… Health Sciences & Aquinas. Falls is really good, something Williamsville South will find out on Monday night when they visit the Cataract City.
4. Timon (AA) - Knocked off Park to start the week off, before falling at home to St. Joe's on Friday. The Tigers get right back to it on Monday with a trip to O’Hara and then host another Friday night special, this time against what has been a most competitive Nichols squad.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - The Red & Green are going to start calling league games 'Hammer Time' if this keeps up. A 30-point victory at Williamsville North, followed by a 21-point victory at Orchard Park make it three straight double-digit victories in league play to open the season. They return to the cozy confines of 'The Mac' and will try to keep that trend going with visits from Lancaster & Frontier this week, before ending the week with a nongame against St. Mary’s on Saturday.
6. Lockport (AA1) - Earned a hard-fault victory over visiting Ken West by just three points, before returning to form with a 40-point blowout at CSAT. The energy should be at a fever pitch on Tuesday night when undefeated Grand Island visits, can’t wait!
7. Health Sciences (AA2) - Took an early 9-point lead on Niagara Falls Thursday night, before getting schooled for three quarters. The Falcons are winning their Yale Cup games by an average margin of 48 points, a 61-point margin if you take out the McKinley win by eight points. They face Hutch-Tech for a second time on Friday.
8. Grand Island (A1) - Knocked off Ken East by 28 points and then took down Maritime by a lot more than that. Time to find out how good these Vikings really are on Tuesday when they put their 8-0 record on the line against a most legitimate Lockport team at the Lions' Den.
9. Amherst (A1) - Bounced back with a 13-point victory at Sweet Home and then earned their way into the rankings with a 13-point win over rival South on Friday. The division in ECIC II has started off every bit as competitive as it looked like it would and there’s plenty more fun ahead with Amherst taking to the road for games at Williamsville East and Hamburg, before finishing the week with a third straight Friday night home game, this time against Starpoint.
10. Williamsville South (A1) - Improved to 6–1 with a 12-point win at Hamburg to start the week before the rubber met the road on Friday night and the Billies were forced to hand over possession of Main Street at the hands of Amherst. Besides the ultra competitive league they moved into, they also signed up for a grueling nonleague schedule to prepare for another championship run this season. They won’t find many challenges bigger than the one they signed up for on Monday, a trip to Niagara Falls. Right back at it on Wednesday against Starpoint, and then their first of two tilts with Williamsville East on Friday. So many good games to monitor this season, love this stuff!
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - The team that hasn’t lost a league game in years is up to their old tricks, demolishing divisional opponents again. A win at Portville by 34 points was followed by a 72–19 shellacking of Silver Creek. So great news for Frewsburg and Cassadaga Valley, the two teams that host the Cardinals this week.
2. Westfield (C) - A 47-point victory over Maple Grove on 2K night in Swanson Land was followed by a 16-point victory over Chautauqua Lake. Undefeated locally with games at Brocton and then against Clymer on the slate this week.
3. Salamanca (B2) - One of those Class C teams is going to have to lose for me to move the Warriors ahead of them, but they have certainly handed in an application that would qualify them for a higher ranking. A 25-point win over Niagara Wheatfield followed by a 19-point victory over previously undefeated Allegany-Lmestone. Yes, Lucus graduated, it’s just those Southern Tier hoop teams you know? Salamanca heads to Falconer on Monday and then welcomes in Dunkirk Thursday. I know I said I wouldn’t make it down before the 28th, but you’ve got me reconsidering plans.
4. Akron (B1) - All these guys do is win exciting games...well at least that was the case last week. I got to watch an exciting one-point victory for the Tigers against an equally tough Roy-Hart squad, and then predicted a thriller that delivered just that, when North Tonawanda visited Friday night. Akron earned their second overtime victory of the season against the Jacks that night after taking down BASCS in the extra session before the holiday break. Those are the kind of games you need to play in!
5. Panama (D) - Victors for the third straight time by a lot of points when they knocked off Clymer last week. The Panthers are at Sherman on Monday and then host Chautauqua Lake on Thursday night.
6. Falconer (B2) - Suffered a tough three-point loss at Allegany-Limestone last week. Any sting left from that one would be long gone with a victory over visiting Salamanca on Monday night. They also visit Southwestern on Thursday and take on Rochester SOTA at SUNY Fredonia on Sunday.
7. Holland (C) - The Dutchmen stated their case with a 57-55 victory over Olmsted and now sit at 8-3 on the season with no bad losses. They’ll get a chance to add a couple good victories to their résumé against a pair of teams just under them in these rankings, with games against Eden and MST coming up.
8. Olmsted (B1) - After getting clipped by Holland, they were the ones doing the clipping when they took a one-point decision over MST on Wednesday. The Owls will go for the season sweep over Middle College on Wednesday.
9. MST (B2) - The Wolves dropped a heartbreaker against Olmsted on Wednesday and are now eyeing up three more tough games this week, been beginning with a trip to Wilson, where a victory will not come easy, if at all. On Wednesday, they host Bennett and then Saturday they take on Holland over at McKinley.
10. Eden (B2) - Remember these guys? The Raiders are still playing good basketball this season and they’ve earned their place in these rankings. They will need a victory on Monday against visiting Tapestry, a team they’ve already defeated once. Then on Wednesday, Holland comes to town.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
* Thursday, January 9th at 7 pm *
Niagara Falls Wolverines (3-5)
Class AAA - Independent - Ranked #3
at
Health Sciences Falcons (5-2, 4-0)
Class AA2 - Yale Cup I - Ranked #6
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
- In 2023, Niagara Falls had a 23-point lead at halftime over Canisius, but behind Shane Cerone’s career-high 43 points, the Crusaders won that game in overtime. Last season, Canisius trailed by 13 points against Niagara Falls, but a 27-4 run flipped the game. On Saturday afternoon, the Crusaders trailed by 16 points, before a 29-3 run got them back in a position to win.
- Saturday's game between Canisius and Niagara Falls was just the 6th time the two teams have squared off in the last 15 years, with the Crusaders winning the four most recent meetings. Canisius hosted matchups in 2011 2020, and this season. The other three games were played on a neutral court, in 2019 at the Centercourt Classic, Hilbert in 2023, and last season at D’Youville.
- Kirill Sorkin and Elijah Dixon treated fans to a classic scorer's duel on Friday night, going back-and-forth with big moments and big shots as both players finished with 35 points by game’s end. It was a career-high mark for both players.
- The 80-69 victory for Williamsville East at Amherst on Friday night was the first league loss for the Tigers since January 11, 2022 (at Will East), snapping a 32-game league winning streak. The victory for the Flames was the first time Amherst has lost a league game at home since February 13, 2018 against Hamburg. The last time the Tigers had lost by double figures at home was against the Gabe Michael & Greg Dolan led Williamsville South Billies on December 22, 2017.
- Iroquois junior Justus Kleitz dropped a career-high 47 points in an overtime victory against St. Mary’s and followed it up with two more performances of 30+ points. His career scoring total is now past the halfway point to the all-time record set by Jaiden Harrison last season. More importantly, he has led his team to a 6-1 start to the season.
- Kleitz is one of two players along with Westfield's Carson Swanson to have four games of 30 points or more this season. Falconer's Roger Markham has done it three times, while Tacari McCray (Olmsted), Chris Krencik (Eden), Jackson Griesmer (Starpoint), Carson Kwiatkowski (Allegany-Limestone), & Carter Brink (Panama) have all accomplished it twice.
- Two of Falconer junior Roger Markham games over 30 points came against the same opponent, Dunkirk , with the 2nd coming in an overtime victory against the visiting Marauders.
- There have been 38 occasions so far this season where a WNY player has netted 30+ points in a game.
- Some recent Tournament MVPs:
Frewsburg Tournament - Roger Markham (Falconer), Live Like Luca Tournament - Matt Zielinski (St. Francis), Westfield Winter Classic - Carson Swanson (Westfield), Clarence Tournament - Riley Lincoln (Clarence), Greg Martin Tournament at Iroquois - Justus Kleitz (Iroquois), Maryvale Tournament - Jaleel Flowers (BASCS), CCA Tournament - Jayce Wylke (Grand Island), & Tully Tournament - Drew Hind (Randolph).
- The Tonawanda Timberwolves have played just three games this season.
- At the Hoops for Hope Tournament over break, the Fairport/Timon game was one of the best I’ve watched this season. Nakyhi Harris had just scored with 5 seconds left to put the Tigers in front, before the Red Raiders went the length of the court and got a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer from Landon Brunken off an incredible assist from Leshard Lowry.
- The last second victory for Fairport prevented a game taking place between Health Sciences and Timon, instead moving Fairport onto the championship game. These two annual Top 10 programs in WNY should be getting together on the hardwood every season to entertain fans.
- The Hoops for Hope Tournament was my first look at Health Sciences on the new season. The additions of Nas Young and Zayvion Hawkins to the backcourt and the way the Falcons are able to attack offensively reminds me similarly of when they had Amir Moye and Xavier Benton in that same role. Two players who really stood out for Health over the two games were Joel Ball and Angel Pedro.
- Antonio Andrews recorded a 22 point/20 rebound double-double in Amherst's 72–53 win over McKinley. In that same game, junior Adam Sarzynski earned a triple-double with 15 points, 12 dimes, & 10 boards.
- Without naming the team, there was an instance recently where a team was left looking for a game after deciding not to reschedule, due to the reason in the game was postponed in the first place. A team actually backed out of a contest because a player was on vacation and another was injured and thought their opponent would kindly reschedule. You can’t make this stuff up!
- Grand Island senior Jayce Wylke scored 26 points in the team's victory over CSAT on Friday night, which placed him in the career 1000 point club.
- The change in venue for the NYSSPA state championships to Binghamton has also tweaked the format for the times games are played. This season a state championship game in Class B will be played at 10 am and a state championship game in Class A tips at 11:45 am. I just want know why there is such a hurry to get home on a Sunday night that games couldn't at least start in the afternoon hour as they always have for at least 40 years? These kids will have reached a state championship, and it says to me that there is more concern for getting home from a long weekend than allowing the game to be played at an appropriate championship time. It's rare to see a random nonleague game on a Saturday in January tip prior to noon or 1 pm. I think the kids deserve better here.
- Just 6 teams remain unbeaten in WNY on the season:
Grand Island, Orchard Park, Akron, Olmsted, Allegany-Limestone, and Forestville.
- There are still 8 teams in WNY without a victory on the season.
Grand Island, Orchard Park, Health Sciences, McKinley, and Westfield all continue to have a point differential over +20.
- The 8 highest scoring teams in WNY in order this season:
Grand Island, Timon, Westfield, McKinley, Panama, Lockport, Cheektowaga, & Orchard Park.
- The 8 teams allowing the fewest points this season in order:
Grand Island, Randolph, Health Sciences, Allegany-Limestone, Forestville, Westfield, Silver Creek, and Salamanca.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - A 12-point win at Niagara Falls is enough for me to keep the Marauders in the top spot, despite a disappointing showing on the road at Albany Academy, ranked #1 in NYS Class AA. They take to the road this week for a pair of league games at St. Francis and then a Friday night tilt with Timon.
2. Canisius (AA) - Traveled to New Orleans over Christmas break for a Jesuit Tournament and returned home with one victory over Regis and a pair of losses to out-of-state teams. Began the New Year with an exciting one-point victory over visiting Niagara Falls. The Crusaders will host Nichols and Park this week.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Not too many teams would remain #3 in WNY coming off of four straight losses. However, they took a long trip to Rome Free Academy, a team highly ranked in NYS Class AAA above Falls, for one of those losses, another at Cicero-North Syracuse, and the other two to the teams ranked ahead of them locally. They do own a win over Timon and they visit Health Sciences on Thursday night, where a win would keep everything in perspective.
4. Timon (AA) - Knocked off Pioneer after falling the day prior at the buzzer to Fairport in overtime. The Tigers also added a 30-point win over Lackawanna on Thursday. After a visit to Park on Tuesday, Timon will prepare for a Friday night special against #1 ranked St. Joes.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - Long road trips north for afternoon games, one over break at Sweet Home, and the other on a Saturday at Clarence. Jamestown took home a pair of wins from both trips and presumably snagged some pizza for the ride back. Two more road trips north this week, first at Williamsville North and then a Saturday afternoon affair with undefeated Orchard Park.
6. Health Sciences (AA2) - Looked thoroughly impressive in a 63-27 win against Pioneer in the Hoops for Hope Tournament, before falling short of the mark against tournament champion Fairport the following day. Big Health has a big game on Thursday night against an angry Falls squad riding a four-game skid.
7. Lockport (AA1) - Bounced back from a loss at Rush-Henrietta over break to make quick work of North Tonawanda on Friday night. The Lions will look to remain undefeated in league play, beginning with a visit from Kenmore West.
8. Williamsville South (A1) - Improved to 5-1 on the season, collecting wins at Webster Schroder over break and then at Sweet Home on Friday night. The Billies can claim sole possession of first place in ECIC II with a pair of victories this week. They host Hamburg on Monday, a team coming off a victory at Starpoint. Then, on Friday night, they travel down Main Street, a street they currently own, to put possession of the pavement on the line at Amherst.
9. Orchard Park (AA1) - Now sitting at 4-0 after a 31-point win at Frontier on Saturday. The Quakers will get ready for a huge early season league battle with reigning champ Jamestown on Saturday afternoon by making the trip to Lancaster on Tuesday night.
10. Grand Island (A1) - It has been full throttle for the Vikings through their first six wins of the season, boasting the best point differential in WNY, including a 33-point win over CSAT on Friday night.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - Defeated Southwestern over break and then emerged victorious on the road at the Tully Tournament. The Cardinals begin league play this week at Portville on Monday and then host Silver Creek on Thursday.
2. Westfield (C) - Winners of the Westfield Winter Classic over break to improve their record to 8-1 on the season. The Wolverines can make it 10-0 with victories over visiting Maple Grove and Chautauqua Lake in the days ahead.
3. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The team that reached Glens Falls in 2022 is once again making a lot of noise down south. Victories over Cuba-Rushford, Bradford, and Fredonia have the Gators sitting at 7–0 on the season. They host Falconer on Monday night and then take to the road for a big one at Salamanca on Thursday, so the Gators will get a couple nice tests in the no-nights-off CCAA I West.
4. Salamanca (B2) - Handled Bradford before dropping their first game of the season to Wellsville the following day. The sting of their first loss propelled them to a lopsided win at Cleveland Hill, followed by a convincing victory against Southwestern. The Warriors welcome Niagara Wheatfield to the Southern Tier on Tuesday, ahead of that huge league battle with the undefeated Gators.
5. Akron (B1) - Conversely, the Tigers from Akron have yet to let a team get within 10 points of them in league play up north in the N-O through four contests. They will try to keep that trend going on the road at Roy-Hart, never an easy facility to play at, and then host North Tonawanda for a nonleague game at the end of the week.
6. Panama (D) - It was like old times down in Panama on Friday night with a Barmore swinging from the rim and the team celebrating a victory. This time it was a 91–46 blitzing Gowanda. On Wednesday night they host Clymer.
7. Olmsted (B1) - Defeated Middle College by 10 points to remain undefeated on the season heading into a week with three games on the slate. The Owls begin by traveling to Holland and then to MST on Tuesday night in what should be a most interesting game to monitor. They finish off the week versus Burgard.
8. Fredonia (B1) - Knocked off Park in the first round of the Clarence Tournament, before falling to the hosts on the following day. Then the Hillbillies lost again at Allegany-Limestone on Friday by 17. They'll look to get back in the win column against visiting Olean and Dunkirk this week.
9. Falconer (B2) - Avenged an earlier loss to Dunkirk and then earned a pair of victories over Chautauqua Lake to improve their record to 6-3 on the season. The Golden Falcons head to undefeated Allegany-Limestone on Monday night.
10. MST (B2) - Tough call for the last spot. Why not Middle College who just beat them handily over break? Why not Global Concepts, who have only lost to CG Finney & O'Hara? Why not Forestville, who is undefeated? Instead of answering why not, here's why...call it a hunch. Christmas break games can be deceiving. Resumes boasting quality wins are lacking for any team vying for this spot. I like the roster at MST. I like the coach. I believe their best is yet to come and they will back this up with a strong showing, or even a win, when they host undefeated Olmsted on Tuesday. If I'm wrong, I'll own it and reassess the situation next week.
-🏀centercourt🏀
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
* Friday, January 3rd at 7 pm *
Williamsville East Flames (3-3, 0-1)
Class AA2 - ECIC II
at
Amherst Tigers (6-0, 0-0)
Class A1 - ECIC II
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
- My trip to Panama last week reminded me of a similar trip four years ago. Westfield was the team I predicted to win Class D that season, so I wanted to look at them & went down to see that at Westfield. Panama was visiting that evening and I found multiple freshman playing in that game with promising futures. Carter Brink, Bryce Hinsdale, and Alex Barmore were all starters for that Panama team, while eventual 2022 Class D Champion, Westfield, had one freshman starter that really made an impression, Carson Swanson.
- If you ever make the trip to Panama for a game, don’t worry about finding someplace to eat along the way. Taco-in-a-bag is waiting for you upon entry.
- I wasn’t sure how much support I would find around Carson Swanson in Westfield this season after they graduated a pair of big guys who gave opposing teams fits from last Season. What I found was what I think is an even better version of the team this year, complemented by the shooting of junior Lincoln Thomas, the inside play of Grant Beadle, and the significant improvement in Zach Maguire’s game.
- Jayce Wylke and Dane Brown are standouts for this season's Grand Island team, but the supporting roles played by Jonathan Neville, Nico Fratello, and Jake Castiglia, along with contributions from KJ Wilkes off the bench, are what make them a complete team. The Vikings have played with excellent chemistry together in the two outings I’ve watched.
- I showed up last Tuesday in Lew-Port well prepared for the night ahead. Had my five questions ready to go, stayed on top of the game, and had a final score tweet, along with point totals, prepared as the final seconds ticked down. As the game ended and the players lined up to shake hands, my computer screen went black. I lost everything I had worked on! After a sprint to the men's room and back, I feverishly worked on getting my computer back up and the posts re-typed out. Jayce Wilke and Grand Island coach Chris Simpson then appeared in front of me 15 minutes later as I’m still scrambling to get everything back. He was there to do five questions. I reached in my pocket to pull out the questions...they were gone (lost them in the sprint). Complete end-of-game meltdown on my end. I later found the questions laying in the hallway.
- Following the Williamsville East loss at St. Joe's, the team account on X posted thanks to the Marauder Rowdies for creating a great high school atmosphere. Props to the Flames for not only scheduling St. Joe’s again this year, but also for welcoming a hostile environment on the road. An elite student section can take a quality high school environment to another level.
- St. Joe's is loaded with talent this season and plays a fast and furious style. Something that stands out when watching them this season, is how important Gionni Zelasko and Mahli Shabazz are to the team's success. I see them as the team's two most efficient players, who just play ball within the flow of the game. Gionni is the team's orchestrator on offense, while Shabazz sets the tone defensively.
- MST improved to 4-0 with an 87-46 win against Burgard last week. Four players finished in double figures, led by Terrance Watson-Cole, who recorded a double-double with 21 points.
- On Wednesday night, Matt Siener scored 29 points with 13 rebounds in an overtime win over Hamburg. He also made the shot that forced OT.
- BASCS: you have my attention! After going into Akron and taking them to overtime, they went to Fredonia and knocked off the Hillbillies by 9 points. Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School is now 4-2 on the season and also has a 23-point win over Lake Shore, who just won the Hamburg Lion's Tournament. The Wolverines are a Class A2 large school and early indications suggest they are in the top four of that class - the kind of team that reaches #BuffState.
- Bennett's Demario Badger scored 18 points, dished 11 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Tigers' win over Burgard on Tuesday.
- Five tournaments took place in WNY last week. Williamsville North won the Depew Tournament with freshman Chris Fagnan taking MVP honors. Harlem Brannon of Kenmore West was awarded MVP following Ken-Ton Tournament championship. Kyle McNamara was honored as tournament MVP when Lake Shore won the Hamburg Lions Tournament and Carson Swanson earned MVP for Westfield at the Southwestern Tournament. Akron won the Jack Silvernail Tournament with victories over BASCS & Pembroke and Brayden Lamont was awarded the MVP.
- Kenmore West junior Harlem Brannon has recorded a double-double in his last three games, after beginning the season with three straight games of double figure scoring with four or more steals, assists, and rebounds in each outing.
- The guy who does the PA at Ken West is very good at his job!
- One more thing with Ken West… I can usually find a good parking spot when I hit these games, if anyone’s got any secret parking strategies for Ken West, please!
- How is JJ Shanklin only a freshman? The Cheektowaga standout has a control over his game that you rarely see at his age.
- Following the Jamestown win at Lockport on Saturday, I did five questions with Dominic Gonzalez, after watching him earn a pair of steals in the final minute that allowed the Red and Green to go ahead on the scoreboard. Footage of his answers was scrapped after the video was interrupted halfway through by the custodian firing up the leaf blower, making the answers impossible to hear upon watching it back.
- Niagara Falls has just four seniors on its roster this season and only one of them saw minutes against St. Joe's on Monday night. The future remains bright in the Cataract City and it’s not exactly dimly lit at the moment either with team ranked #3 in the area.
- St. Joe’s had four players finish in double figures in its 51-39 win at Falls, with three of them throwing down a #BOOM in the victory. They became the first team from WNY to win by double digits in Niagara Falls since eventual state champion Park did it on December 7, 2018. The Marauders have won all five of their games against local competition this season by double figures.
- Apparently, the NFHS Pep Band got into a little too much eggnog over the weekend prior to the big tilt on Monday night in Falls. When the team took the floor for warm-ups, there was definitely something missing from the usual atmosphere, despite the place being packed with fans and littered with former high school standouts & First Team selections all over the place. I’m thinking if Vegas set lines on our local high school games, the Pep Band would have to be worth at least three points.
- There were 11 teams that suffered their first loss of the season last week, reducing the number of undefeated squads from 25 to 14. There were 16 different teams earning their first victory of the year, leaving just 10 teams without a win.
- Despite having one loss on their record, McKinley still has the highest point differential of any team in WNY, currently at +31.1. Those wins came over East, City Honors, & Niagara Wheatfield.
- There are only two players in WNY averaging 30 or more points per game. Westfield's Carson Swanson and Randolph's Drew Hind. As luck would have it, those two square off in the night session of the Centercourt Classic on Saturday, February 1st.
- Lew-Port freshman Devan Barnwell is averaging 18.6 points per game with at least four 3-pointers in every game through five outings. He leads WNY with 28 treys so far this season.
- My pick for the best action to catch the week after Christmas would be the Hoops for Hope Tournament at Hilbert College on December 27th & December 28th, opening with Health Sciences against Pioneer & Timon against Fairport on the other side of the bracket. It leaves the potential for a Timon vs Health Sciences championship game, a matchup for some reason we’ve never been treated to in this area. If you were looking for something a little further south, the IAABO at Allegany-Limestone is the way to go!
- 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🎅🏻
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎄 🎁🎁🎁🎁
☃️Merry Christmas ☃️
-🏀centercourt🏀
Friday, March 14th
Far West Regionals at Gates Chili
Class B - 5:30 pm
Akron vs World of Inquiry
Class AAA - 7:45 pm
Jamestown vs Rush-Henrietta
Saturday, March 15th
Far West Regionals at Rush-Henrietta
Class AA - 12 pm
Health Sciences vs Greece Athena
Class D - 1:45 pm
Panama vs Fillmore
Class A - 4 pm
Williamsville South vs Wayne
Class C - 5:45 pm
Westfield vs Honeoye
Thursday, March 20th
NYSPHAA State Semifinals at Binghamton
Class AA - 2:30 pm
Class AA - 4:15 pm
Class AAA - 6 pm
Class AAA - 7:45 pm
Friday, March 21st
NYSPHAA State Semifinals at Binghamton
Class D - 10 am
Class D - 11:45 am
Class C - 1:30 pm
Class C - 3:15 pm
NYSPHAA State Championships at Binghamton
Class AA State Championship - 6 pm
Class AAA State Championship - 7:45 pm
Saturday, March 22nd
NYSPHAA State Semifinals at Binghamton
Class B - 10 am
Class B - 11:45 am
Class A - 1:30 pm
Class A - 3:15 pm
NYSPHAA State Championships at Binghamton
Class D State Championship - 6 pm
Class C State Championship - 7:45 pm
Sunday, March 23rd
NYSPHAA State Championships at Binghamton
Class B State Championship - 10 am
Class A State Championship - 11:45 am
-🏀centercourt🏀
(Jeson Huff & 4th-ranked Timon have won 4 straight)
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's (AA) - No Nate, no problem when Williamsville East came calling on Tuesday in a 24-point victory. They followed it up with a road victory on Friday night at Nichols. The Marauders biggest local test of the season to date is also the last taste of high school hoops that I’ll be getting before Santa arrives. Huge game Monday night in Niagara Falls!
2. Canisius (AA) - An undefeated start to the season, 6-0 to be exact, after making quick work of Rochester Prep and Cardinal O’Hara, along with coming back from Rochester with a quality win at McQuaid. After Christmas comes a three-game tournament in New Orleans, which is sure to provide some elite competition.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Carlos and the Wolverines took the week off to get ready for Big Smooth Nate and the new look Marauders on Monday night. You really couldn’t ask for a better scenario here. Two nights before Christmas, one of the best games this area could deliver and it’s the only game in town to see. The number one team in WNY comes in to face the storied Wolverines, who are near unbeatable at home against local competition. In fact, they haven’t lost a home game against another team from WNY since December 4, 2021. That was also the last time St. Joe’s made a trip to the Cataract City.
4. Timon (AA) - A thoroughly impressive display by the Tigers on Wednesday night, taking down the previously unbeaten Billies from Williamsville South by 17 points without Nakyhi Harris playing. Timon followed that up by storming past St. Mary’s on Friday. The Tigers will celebrate Christmas on Wednesday and then get back to work on Friday afternoon at Hilbert when they take on Fairport in round one of the Hoops for Hope Tournament.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - Trailing in the closing minutes on the road at Lockport, Jamestown got the critical plays they needed, most notably, a steal & score from Dominic Gonzalez, before picking up some Little Caesars and celebrating all the way home. These guys take being the Red and Green very serious, hence no games on the schedule during the week of Christmas.
6. Lockport (AA1) - Took down Niagara Wheatfield handily before suffering the first loss of the season by three points in an outstanding game against Jamestown. So much to like about this team, if you haven’t watched them yet, make it a point to. Next week, the Lions compete in the Rush-Henrietta Tournament.
7. Health Sciences (AA2) - Improved to 3-0 with a 16-point victory at Clarence, followed by a 12-point league win over the visiting Macks from McKinley. The Falcons draw Pioneer in round one of the Hoops for Hope Tournament and then will take on either Fairport or Timon the following day.
8. Williamsville South (A1) - Chose to take an early season nonleague game in one of the toughest environments in the area at Timon Wednesday. Despite leaving with a 17 point loss, the Billies had their moments in this one and will be a better team for it. They visit Webster Schroder in their only action next week.
9. Orchard Park (AA1) - Went on the road and knocked off St. Mary’s by 13 points and then took down Albion by 18. The Quakers will be undefeated for the New Year.
10. Grand Island (A1) - The Vikings got 20 first half points and a 20-point victory on the road at Lew-Port on Tuesday and then gave the whole roster plenty of minutes in a 44-point win over Buffalo Arts. Another team that will be undefeated for the New Year.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - In their home opener, the Cardinals flexed their muscles against a quality Falconer team, knocking them off by 24 points and then they went to Maple Grove on Friday night and won by 44.
2. Westfield (C) - Took the win home against league rival Panama with an emphatic 22-point victory, propelled by the fire shooting of Lincoln Thomas, and then emerged victorious in the Southwestern Tournament over the weekend. They host the Westfield Winter Classic after Christmas.
3. Salamanca (B2) - A great start to the season for the Warriors with a 52-51 victory at Olean followed by a 23-point road victory at Fredonia. Salamanca has a pair of games in the IAABO Tournament next week.
4. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - Another squad that is 4-0 and quickly gaining my attention after an 18-point went over Southwestern and a 23-point victory against Dunkirk. The Gators are the host School for the IAABO Tournament and have a pair of games in it next week.
5. Akron (B1) - Winners of the Jack Silvernail Tournament, including an overtime victory over BASCS, to get to the championship game, a win over Pembroke. The Tigers finished up the week with a road win at Wilson.
6. Panama (D) - Went to Maple Grove on Tuesday and won by 28 points before suffering a home loss to Westfield. Frewsburg visits Monday night ahead of the holiday.
7. MST (B2) - Beat up Burgard by 41 points and now sit pretty heading into Christmas at 4-0. The Wolves come back next week to take on Middle College and City Honors on Friday and Saturday.
8. Olmsted (B1) - Now 4-0 on the season after gaining wins over Bennett and CCA.
9. Fredonia (B1) - Now riding a three-game skid after losses to Salamanca and BASCS at home. The Hillbillies hope to get some mojo back after some family time when they head to the Clarence Tournament next week, where they open against Park.
10. Falconer (B2) - Tucked behind Fredonia for now due to an overtime loss on the road there and the performance at Randolph on Tuesday. They lost a tough road game in Dunkirk the night before and just bested Olean in overtime on Thursday, so I'm almost ready to look past that Fredonia result.
* Rankings will return after the New Year *
-🏀centercourt🏀
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
* Saturday, December 21st at 3 pm *
Jamestown Red & Green (2-1, 0-0)
Class AAA - ECIC I
at
Lockport Lions (4-0, 1-0)
Class AA1 - NFL
Game of the Week Livestream link
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
Thursday, December 19h at 7:30 pm
Westfield Wolverines (3-1, 2-0)
Class C - CCAA II West
at
Panama Panthers (2-0, 2-0)
Class D - CCAA II West
Westfield vs Panama Livestream link
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
(Jamestown's Elijah Farmer)
- The defending Class A Champions from Williamsville South have opened their season with three straight wins. The addition of Stash Foster coming over from Williamsville North is a significant one, considering the backcourt of Carter Lampke and Nate Wilemski that he joins. Add the interior contributions from Noah Redd & Sean Munzert, and you have a team that’s really well put together. Redd inparticular, really stood out to me with his length and activity at both ends. And every team should have a Sam Tedesco coming off the bench, man is he fun to watch.
- One thing the departure of Foster from North has done for the Spartans is allow the ball to be placed squarely in the hands of Chris Fagnan, the team's freshman point guard. He has responded with a Game MVP award at the Jolly Boys. Fagnan has shown a fearlessness at the varsity level, consistently attacking defenses in the paint. A bright future is ahead for him.
- While watching the game between Orchard Park and Lackawanna last week, what really stood out to me was who the two best athletes on the floor were: Carter Swiatek from the Quakers and Lackawanna's Sunday Ikeguwonu. Both had outstanding seasons on the football field (Ikeguwonu won the Trench Trophy) and will continue with that sport after high school.
- Speaking of the Quakers, they'll have a nice frontcourt for the next two years with underclassmen, Brody Monaco and John Meka.
- Off the top of my head, Albany Academy, Nazareth from NYC, Cathedral Prep, McQuaid, Aquinas, Jamestown, Health Sciences, Will South with Greg Dolan, Cheektowaga with Dom Welch, Lew-Port with Roddy Gayle -- these are just some of the teams I can immediately recall playing in the Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament over the last decade. The fact that Canisius has won that tournament for 13 consecutive seasons, in the words of the late Roger Weiss, "warrants an investigation". Pretty impressive stuff! I heard Long Island Lutheran is looking for games next year...
- Whatever Jamestown's Elijah Farmer has been doing since last season ended, it’s working! The junior has improved tremendously, following what was already a very solid sophomore campaign.
- The defending Class B2 Champions from Falconer changed leagues this season, joining the best small school league in WNY, CCAA I West. After opening league action with a win over Southwestern, the Falcons fell in overtime at Fredonia on Friday night and then dropped another tough one last night at Dunkirk by one point. They will take that two-game skid on the road again tonight when they travel to defending Class C Champion, Randolph. One thing is for sure, this team will be battle-tested by season's end.
- Dunkirk, one of the teams just mentioned in CCAA I West, has their best team in the last several years. Led by senior Greg Orcutt, the Marauders' improvement this season will make that a truly no-nights-off division.
- Another division that can go ahead and adopt the no-nights-off slogan is ECIC II (Amherst, Will East, Will South, Starpoint, Hamburg, Sweet Home). The addition of Williamsville South and the improvement we are seeing at Sweet Home will make every game an interesting one in that league.
- Tonight’s matchup between Grand Island and Lew-Port is sure to be a talking point at the Wylke family Christmas next week, with cousins Jayce from G.I. and Michael from L-P facing off this evening.
- Carson Swanson of Westfield remains on pace to take the scoring record at the end of the season. He has now opened his varsity campaign with four straight games over 30 points. I will be heading down to watch him in person on Thursday when they take on league rival, and Class D favorite, Panama.
- Get ready to do this all over again next season with Iroquois junior Justus Kleitz, who already has 1123 points with at least 40 games left in his career.
- We have now seen 19 occasions this season where a player has scored 30 or more in a game. Swanson has four of those himself, while Allegany-Limestone's Carson Kwiatkowski and Falconer's Roger Markham have each done it twice already. Starpoint's Jackson Griesmer was one point shy of his second 30-point effort in the Spartans' 11-point win over Williamsville East. Jayce Wylke of Grand Island also has a 32-point game & a 29-point game. Two players, Justus Kleitz & Frewsburg's Blake Weaver, have dropped 37 points in the last week, which is the second highest output in WNY this season. Carson Swanson's 41 points is the current season-high.
- The following teams all currently have a point differential of +20 points or more:
Jamestown, McKinley, Orchard Park, Health Sciences, Sweet Home, Grand Island, Iroquois, Amherst, Williamsville South Lew-Port, Akron, Allegany-Limestone, Silver Creek, Westfield, Panama
- Of all the teams with a point differential of +20 points or more, only Jamestown has faced a ranked team. That will change this week for Williamsville South, McKinley, Westfield, and Panama.
- The law of averages is hard at work between the unbeaten teams and the winless teams. As of today, there are 25 teams without a loss and 26 teams without a win.
- Forestville currently has the most victories with 5. Portville and East each of the most losses with 5.
- It’s only mid December, but Franklinville, Wilson, and Alden have all nearly played 1/3 of their regular season schedule. Each of those teams has already played in six games. With all three teams playing again this week, each will have less than 1/3 of the regular season left to play with over two months remaining until the postseason begins.
- West Seneca East basketball is going to begin the new year with the record of 5-0!
-🏀centercourt🏀
1. St. Joe's (AA) - Defeated Cardinal O’Hara by more han they lost by at Long Island Lutheran and followed it up with a win over defending Class AAA champ UPrep from Rochester, getting a 26 point, 20 rebound, 4 block effort out of Nate Blenman. Williamsville East comes in on Tuesday night and SJCI finishes off the week at Nichols on Friday.
2. Canisius (AA) - The Crusaders have started the season 3-0 wins at St. Mary’s and against Jamestown & Cathedral Prep in the Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament. Canisius has now won that event for 13 straight years, which is wildly impressive when you consider the caliber of competition they invite there each season. They have a pair of games against Rochester teams and finish the week against Cardinal O’Hara coming up.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Dropped one to Cicero-North Syracuse on Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after a road victory at Nichols. Wolverines will enjoy a nice week off from gameplay and look forward to some fun practices with Coach Bradberry.
4. Timon (AA) - A pair of victories last week for the Tigers, at St. Francis and then over a tough UPrep team on Saturday. They head to St. Mary’s on Friday night, but not before a date with the Billies from Williamsville South this Wednesday.
5. Jamestown (AAA) - There was a lot to like about the way this team competed in a loss at Canisius on Friday. And despite a loss and quick road trip turnaround, they came back and buried Lyons the following afternoon by 34 points. On Saturday afternoon, they take the long trek north to face Lockport.
6. Health Sciences (AA2) - Clobbered Hutch Tech in their first action of the season.
7. Williamsville South (A1) - Had an impressive showing in a district rivalry victory at Williamsville North on Tuesday night and finished the week with a double figure victory over Kenmore West. Wednesday night's game at Timon will tell us a lot about where this team stands.
8. Lockport (AA1) - The Lions were clicking on all cylinders Saturday afternoon in a 20-point victory over visiting St. Mary’s. They will need all of those cylinders and a great week practice to get ready for a big game Saturday against an outstanding team from Jamestown.
9. Orchard Park (AA1) - Some new faces, but the same good brand of basketball being played at OP, opening the year with a resounding victory over Lackawanna. The Quakers face a nice challenge Tuesday night at St. Mary’s.
10. Grand Island (A1) - The Vikings looked terrific at the Cataract Classic and are now 2-0 following a 20-point win over BASCS. While I am anything but a fan of the unchallenging nonleague schedule they assembled, they are a good team that will pile up a boatload of wins this season. The team will look for two of those wins this week at Lew-Port and at Buffalo Arts.
Small Schools
1. Randolph (C) - It's been very quiet down in Randolph to start the year. That should change on Tuesday night when Falconer arrives. Friday night the Cardinals play Maple Grove.
2. Westfield (C) - Won a pair of games by a combined 63 points over Clymer and Sherman last week. They get a big test on Thursday at Class D favorite Panama and then participate in the Southwestern Tournament over the weekend, beginning against Ellicottville.
3. Panama (D) - The Panthers head to Maple Grove on Monday night, following a 16-point win at Chautauqua Lake. Then on Thursday night comes the Centercourt Game of the Week with Westfield coming to town.
4. Akron (B1) - A 31-point victory over Albion and a 26-point win against Barker for the league favorites in the N-O last week. The annual Jack Silvernail Tournament tips this week, with the Tigers beginning against BASCS. They also visit Wilson this Friday.
5. Olmsted (B1) - The Owls earned another victory with a 26-point shellacking of Riverside. On Thursday they are at Bennett and take on CCA on Saturday.
6. Salamanca (B2) - The season finally begins for the Warriors, they hope, on Monday at Olean, followed by another tough game at Fredonia on Thursday.
7. Fredonia (B1) - Destroyed Buffalo Culinary by a 64-point margin and then needed overtime to get past Falconer before dropping one at Harbor Creek from Pennsylvania in a no shot clock game. I would move to another state to be centercourt if NYS eliminated the shot clock.
8. Allegany-Limestone (B2) - The Gators are 2-0 in the Niagara-Orleans league, after a lengthy road trip over the weekend gave them a pair of nonleague games against those two from Niagara County. They will return to action in the best small school league in WNY with games against Southwestern on Monday and Dunkirk on Thursday.
9. Falconer (B2) - There’s no shame in an overtime loss at Fredonia, which leaves the Falcons to wonder if things would’ve gone differently had they not lost Mathis Baehr to an ACL injury during football season. Big game coming Tuesday night against the defending champions from Class C in Randolph, one day after, facing the Marauders in Dunkirk. If that wasn’t a tough enough week already, how about a game against Olean on Thursday?
10. MST (B2) - The Wolves enter the rankings on the strength of a victory over I-Prep and convincing victory over Bennett. They'll look to make it three straight wins on Wednesday against Burgard.
Class AAA (3 Teams)
Niagara Falls - Independent
Jamestown - ECIC I
Lancaster - ECIC I
Class AA1 (9 Teams)
Lockport - NFL
Orchard Park - ECIC I
Clarence - ECIC I
McKinley - Yale Cup I
Williamsville North - ECIC I
Frontier - ECIC I
Hutch-Tech - Yale Cup I
I-Prep - Yale Cup I
West Seneca West - Independent
Class AA2 (9 Teams)
Health Sciences - Yale Cup I
Williamsville East - ECIC II
Hamburg - ECIC II
Ken West - NFL
Starpoint - ECIC II
Sweet Home - ECIC II
Niagara Wheatfield - NFL
North Tonawanda - NFL
Buffalo Culinary - Yale Cup III
Class A1 (12 Teams)
Williamsville South - ECIC II
Amherst - ECIC II
Grand Island - NFL
Pioneer - ECIC III
Cheektowaga - ECIC III
CSAT - NFL
South Park - Yale Cup I
Iroquois - ECIC III
Ken East - NFL
Lake Shore - ECIC III
West Seneca East - ECIC III
Buffalo Arts - Yale Cup III
Class A2 (13 Teams)
Olean - CCAA I West
Lackawanna - ECIC III
Lew-Port – NFL
Dunkirk - CCAA I West
Maryvale - ECIC IV
BASCS - Independent
Depew - ECIC IV
East Aurora - ECIC IV
City Honors - Yale Cup III
Albion - N-O
Burgard Yale Cup II
Springville - ECIC IV
Tonawanda - ECIC IV
Class B1 (11 Teams)
Akron - N-O
East - Yale Cup III
Fredonia - CCAA I West
Olmsted - Yale Cup II
Newfane - N-O
Middle College - Yale Cup II
Medina - N-O
Bennett - Yale Cup II
Cleveland Hill - ECIC V
Alden - ECIC IV
Southwestern - CCAA I West
Class B2 (12 Teams)
Salamanca - CCAA I West
Falconer - CCAA I East
Eden - ECIC V
Allegany-Limestone - CCAA I West
Wilson - N-O
Roy-Hart - N-O
Tapestry - ECIC V
MST - Yale Cup II
Portville - CCAA I East
Silver Creek - CCAA I East
JFK - ECIC V
Riverside - Yale Cup III
Class C (16 Teams)
Randolph - CCAA I East
Westfield - CCAA II West
Chautauqua Lake - CCAA II West
Holland - ECIC IV
Ellicottville - CCAA II East
Franklinville - CCAA II East
Maple Grove - CCAA II West
Global Concepts - ECIC V
Brocton - CCAA II West
Barker - N-O
Frewsburg - CCAA I East
Maritime - Independent
Gowanda - CCAA I East
North Collins - CCAA II East
Cattaraugus-Little Valley - CCAA II East
Cassadaga Valley - CCAA I East
Class D (6 Teams)
Panama - CCAA II West
Sherman - CCAA II West
Clymer - CCAA II West
Pine Valley - CCAA II East
Forestville - CCAA II East
Brocton - CCAA II East
Monsignor Martin Class AA
St. Joe's
Canisius
Timon
St. Francis
Nichols
Monsignor Martin Class A
St. Mary's
The Park School
Cardinal O'Hara
-centercourt
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
Tom Keenan Memorial Tournament
Friday, December 13th at 5 pm
Jamestown Red & Green (1-0)
Class AAA - ECIC I
at
Canisius Crusaders (0-0)
Class AA - Monsignor Martin Association
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
Click HERE to watch the Game
-🏀centercourt🏀
Centercourt 'Game of the Week'
Tuesday, December 10th at 7 pm
Williamsville South Billies (1-0)
Class A1 - ECIC II
at
Williamsville North Spartans (1-1)
Class AA1 - ECIC I
* Centercourt & 2017 Coach of the Year Ryan Mountain on the call *
** Brought to you by Empire Electric **
-🏀centercourt🏀
- The basketball regular season is 12 weeks long, 14 weeks until Championship Saturday, and 16 weeks long for the teams and myself that reach the state final four!
- Westfield's Carson Swanson is off to a grand start to the 2025 season. The senior guard has posted three consecutive high scoring outings of 35, 31 and most recently 41 points. That puts his season average at 35.7. Based on my preseason projection of Westfield facing Randolph in a rematch of last season's Class C Championship game, if Swanson were to continue scoring at this clip, he would claim the all-time scoring record from Jaiden Harrison one year after he broke it. Stay tuned.
- Despite an 0-2 start to the season for Clarence, I think the Red Devils will be just fine. They play hard, play together, and have a nice blend of guard play and size. Losses to Lockport and Nichols are not bad losses, and it should be noted that the team was missing it’s two returning starters from last season, Greg Erbacher and Bryce Tubin. Clarence at full strength should be able to compete for that Class AA1 title come March.
- Wilson has a dynamic duo that’s worth checking out. Aidan Neumann is a smooth do-it-all guard with good instincts and vision. Ryan Hough offers the team pure athleticism, a little bit of length, and absolutely plays his tail off. He also gets up and bends the rim effortlessly, like 7 #BOOMs in his first two games effortlessly. Both are juniors.
- Niagara Falls plays every good large school in Western New York this year, literally. That’s what the independent schedule has afforded them, and they are taking full advantage of. In addition, they are playing even better teams out of the area. They also have the ability to beat any of the other teams in our area. I'm not necessarily predicting that will happen, but they are certainly capable. Falls has St. Joes visiting on December 23rd and they head to Delaware Avenue two weeks after that, if anyone is interested.
- You never quite know what you’re going to get when walking into a Yale cup gym for a game. What I mean by this, is there is always a JV game that proceeds it. It seems like the vast majority of times I go to a Yale Cup game, the JV game prior is a wild affair that ends with at least one overtime session, and some of the purest amateur entertainment. Sometimes it’s good basketball, sometimes it’s pure madness, but always an unforgettable part of my winter travels.
- There have been 10 scoring performances of 30 points or more so far this season. Three of them belong to Carson Swanson of Westfield and two of them came from Eden. The second highest output of the season was Chris Krencik of the Raiders scoring 36 points in their season opening win over Gowanda. One week later, Eden beat them again and this time Tyler Wakelam dropped 34 points.
- Grand Island looks like a team that got a taste of real success last season and now they want more. They reached #BuffState and look like a lock to do it again. They are balanced, play fast and have chemistry that feeds off each other. It doesn’t hurt that Jayce Wylke is a stand out.
- When I walked into Medina for their game against Lancaster, I was greeted by the two officials assigned to the game. This is the best game of the night they asked? "I think so," I said. Three overtimes later...nailed that one. What a thriller I got to enjoy! There was so much to keep track of. I will try to summarize it like this: the heart and fight that two teams show as they go back-and-forth and look on the verge of winning a game like that is just awesome. Justin and Ryan Hartwig combined for 61 points and their teammate, Ashton Sikora, played so well once he got into game that head coach Craig Krempa couldn’t take him out. That game had no losers, both teams were awesome.
Medina had a couple talented players check in after needing to sit the first quarter, and contribute regularly after that. I’m not suggesting that the game turns out differently if they played the first eight minutes because I don’t think it would’ve. But what I will say is there’s a lot to be excited about with that basketball team at Medina and there’s a reason they were able to compete with a larger school like they did last night. I hope the young talent there all completely buys in and fully commits to the program, because they have the potential to win a sectional title while they’re there. Cole Callard was very good for them, but he’s only one of two seniors on that team. Jerrell Nealy, Preston Woodworth, Jayzon Wills, Christian Moss, Azion Johnson, Kolton Fletcher, Briley Allen & Jimmy Dieter all played minutes in that game as underclassmen.
- I want to commend Bennett for last Thursday. The BPS canceled school that day, but that didn’t stop the Tigers from securing a bus and taking the hour-long ride north that night, when the kids didn’t even have to be in school that day. Bennett still showed up at the Newfane Tip-Off Tournament, brought some fans and some energy, and went out there & competed hard. Their JV team did the same and then cheered loudly in full support for 32 minutes as the varsity team played.
- Last year, I watched Isaiah Hill run the football at Maryvale and couldn’t wait to see it again this year. Unfortunately, when I went to watch it this year, he only played on the defensive side of the ball, as he was recovering from an injury. But I did get to watch him play basketball last week, and I’ll say that it’s always fun to watch a future Division I football player grind away under the basket. Hill will be making plays for the basketball team all season.
- Olmsted's Tacari McCray can straight shoot it. From outside, getting to the basket, and so smooth with those mid range pull-ups. He is so good at altering his shot against the momentum of his body. Pure score.
- Timon had a player check into the game at Niagara Falls on Saturday that immediately jumped off the page at me and had an impact in the game. He’s a freshman. Get a load of Malak Bontzolakas when you get a chance to watch Timon this year. The Tigers got a good one for the present and the future.
- I will leave you on this note… Of all the games I’ve seen so far (20 different teams already), the team I can’t wait to see again is Lew-Port. They were so entertaining to watch because of the way they play. It’s as if all moving parts are connected. Constant ball movement and subtle manipulation of the defense creates open looks and they have some kids (Greydan Barnwell, Michael Wylke, & Devan Barnwell) that can really knock down shots. All three are underclassman and the latter two are freshmen. This isn’t a team with size or depth, but the skill, chemistry, and heart of this team is undeniable. They look like a small school and the teams in Class B should be delighted that they are not, because I think they’d win the section if they were. Expect to see that group at #BuffState in Class A2 this season.
-🏀centercourt🏀
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🏀
The 2025 Preview contains:
- Commentary
- What's New
- League Changes
- Player Movement
- Returning 2024 All-Centercourt Players with statistics
- 25 More Players to watch in 2025
- Teams sorted by league, noting the returning All-League selections
(MMA, Yale Cup, ECIC, NFL, N-O, CCAA, Independents)
- Coaching Changes
- Classification Changes
- Preseason Top 10 Large & Small Schools
- Predictions
Commentary
Following the 2021 season, I began receiving calls about Jaiden Harrison, who had just completed his freshman season at West Seneca East. What are your thoughts on him? How good do you think he’s going to be? My answer was that I thought he would be a future player of the year and reach the Division I level. Harrison had begun exploring the different private school options in the area and eventually selected the Tigers in South Buffalo. After a three-year career at Timon that included a pair of state championship appearances, a CC MVP for Player of the Year, and the all-time scoring record, Harrison proved to be one of the most significant transfers in my time watching high school hoops.
As the 2024 season wrapped up, calls from many of the same camps were coming my way about a sophomore who would likely be changing schools. This time, it was about Nate Blenman, who began his sophomore season coming off the bench at Amherst. Blenman soon made it blatantly obvious he was not only a starter, but one of the best players in the area. So my answer about Blenman was identical to the one I gave about Harrison…his potential is that impressive! In June it became official - Blenman would attend St. Joe's, signaling the most significant WNY transfer since Harrison.
At 6-8 and possessing the rare skill set that he has, one that combines power around the rim with the finesse of soft hands & polished footwork, along with a shooter's touch, his presence in any program would instantly change their fortunes. But the news that it would be St. Joe's, a team that brought back the farm, meant we could be looking at an immediate power shift. All five starters return to the Marauders from the 2024 squad that was one of two local teams to defeat the mighty Tigers from Timon last year. Three of those starters (Jaymeir Goosby, Gionni Zelasko, & Mekhi Gidney) each earned All-Catholic selections. Mahli Shabazz has been offered by Buff State, Liam Horan played extended minutes as a sophomore & delivered some big moments, Jahzi Lanzot is back to instantly infuse the team with his defensive energy & a timely trey, and Cole Kaufman earned Game MVP honors last season in Marauders' Centercourt Classic victory over Amherst. There's even the two big guys back from a year ago, Peyton Brock & Jerimiah Guerrero, who took turns manning the middle in 2024. And for good measure, St. Joe's also added one of the top freshmen in WNY: Gary Alexander, a Tapestry transfer and floor general who will most certainly be one of the first players checking into the lineup each night. The Marauders did bring a Manhattan Cup title back to Kenmore Avenue wooo in 2021, however it was their only championship in over a decade.
The power in the Monsignor Martin has recently been held by three programs. Canisius dominated most of a decade from 2009 through 2017, winning seven Manhattan Cups during that span. The Park School then went back-to-back prior to the Crusaders sandwiching a pair of championships around the St. Joe's title, and then most recently, we watched Timon’s two-year power reign. In order for the Marauders to be able to jam out to Snap's 'The Power' on March 1st at the Koessler Center, they need to not only overcome Nakyhi Harris & the two-time defending champs from Timon, they also need to be better than Canisius. The Crusaders took all three meetings from Joe's last year and have owned the Marauders since 2012, dominating the series with 26 wins in 31 games during that span. And like their rivals, Canisius also has plenty of farm hands back...along with a couple transfers of its own.
The upcoming 2025 season has me as excited for what’s ahead as I’ve been in a long time. In the Monsignor Martin, the top three teams this year (Timon, Canisius, Joe’s) will all be outstanding. The top three public schools, which I expect to be Jamestown, Falls, & Health, will also be nasty. They all play each other! Joe's and Canisius both scheduled all three publics, while Timon plays in a tournament with Health Sciences on the opposite end of the bracket and scheduled both Falls & Jamestown. That’s a lot of must-see basketball coming up! In the words of Bart Scott, "Can'tWait"!
***
Despite living at the opposite end of WNY, I’ve become an advocate for Southern Tier teams over the years. In part, it's because I’ve heard the chirps about players piling up stats against no competition because they hail from a small town in the sticks off the beaten path. But mostly, the advocacy comes from what should be painfully obvious to their competition by now -- they win championships, consistently! Obviously, we would expect our Class D Champion to be a Southern Tier team, it would have to be by default. However, every other classification has multiple teams outside the Southern Tier competing in it, but often falling short of that sectional prize that tends to head back south.
The evidence of this from last season is actually staggering: In total, 6 of the 9 Section VI championships went to teams from the Southern Tier - Jamestown (AA1), Olean (A2), Salamanca (B1), Falconer (B2), Randolph (C), and Pine Valley (D). Niagara Falls (Niagara County) took the two-man competition in Class AAA over Lancaster, Health Sciences won Class AA2 with no Southern Tier teams in the bracket (though did lose to Jamestown in the crossover), and Williamsville South (Erie County) emerged victorious in Class A1. The only Southern Tier team in that entire classification was Pioneer, and even they shared a piece of the league championship with Will South in 2024 & reached Buff State. To really drive the point home, I will offer that there are only 29 teams between Chautauqua & Cattaraugus Counties, and 20.4% of them won championships. Falls was one of 10 Niagara County teams to win a title, while just two of the 50 teams from Erie County (.04%) hoisted a sectional plaque. It’s always worth the gas money to take a drive south for some hoops, I’m just saying…
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What's New ??
- The Centercourt Classic returns to St. Joe's, once again featuring three sessions between Friday night & all day Saturday, on the weekend ahead of the Super Bowl, January 31st & February 1st. A 7th game was added to the lineup for this season.
- After mourning the the final Niagara Falls vs Jamestown game under the bright lights at #Buff State (dubbed by me as the Last Dance in 2022), Falls once again is joined by its sectional rivals in Class AAA, setting up a grand waltz to be performed on Friday, March 7th.
- Regionals shift back to Rochester this season, once again a two-night event, Friday & Saturday, March 14th & 15th.
- The Manhattan Cup Playoffs are a four-night event beginning February 20th with a pair of pre-quarterfinals. The Cup will be decided on Saturday, March 1st at Canisius College.
- The NYSPHAA state championships will be played at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton for at least the next three seasons, using a slightly different format for the 18 games played over four days.
- Nichols returns to Class A for state rankings, along with all-state team selections.
- The Yale Cup has added a third division, Yale Cup III. BPS teams used to compete as one city division for the illustrious Yale Cup from its inception dating back decades, until the 2011 season.
- West Seneca West has left the ECIC to compete as an independent.
- There will be no last minute changes to classifications of Section VI teams like the one that sent (eventual champion) Salamanca & Fredonia to Class B1 from Class B2 in late February of 2024, just as the sectional brackets were about to be seeded.
- Jamestown (Red & Green), West Seneca West (Warhawks), Cheektowaga (Chargers), Tonawanda (Timberwolves), Barker (Bulldogs), & Iroquois (Redhawks) have all changed their school mascots -- at least until canines, birds, lightning, & Christmas colors become offensive.
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League changes
West Seneca West: ECIC I ---> Independent
Williamsville South: ECIC III ---> ECIC II
Lackawanna & Iroquois: ECIC IV ---> ECIC III
Maryvale: ECIC III ---> ECIC IV
East Aurora: ECIC V ---> ECIC IV
Falconer: CCAA I East ---> CCAA I West
Middle College & Bennett: Yale Cup I ---> Yale Cup II
East, City Honors, Buffalo Culinary, Buffalo Arts, & Riverside: Yale Cup II ---> Yale Cup III
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Player Movement
Key Transfers
Nate Blenman: Amherst ---> St. Joe's
Zayvion Hawkins: Amherst --> Health Sciences
Brandon Singletary: Park ---> Health Sciences
Nahsaan Young: Tapestry ---> Health Sciences
Brandon Mickell: South Park ---> Health Sciences
TJ Askew: St. Francis ---> Canisius
Ondre Foster: St. Joe's ---> Canisius
Stash Foster: Williamsville North ---> Williamsville South
Landon Patterson: Olmsted ---> St. Mary's
Haile Doucet: Canisius ---> MST
Zyaire Wallace: Timon ---> Sweet Home
Shadir Rainey: Cheektowaga ---> Sweet Home
Kameron Brage: Tapestry ---> Park
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Returning All-Centercourt Talent
*** Nearly half of the 2024 All-Centercourt Top 60 return to the WNY high school hoops scene this season, including 6 of the Top 11 players, 10 of the Top 25 players , 18 more players that received Honorable Mentions following last season, and the 2024 Centercourt 6th Man of the Year.
Returning First Teamer
Nakyhi Harris - Timon, Senior
Junior Season Stats
19.7 PPG
6.2 RPG
2.6 APG
2.5 SPG
The two-time Manhattan Cup Champion is now unquestionably the leader of the Tigers. His all-around skill set & versatility earned him a Division II scholarship offer from Daemen and make him the must-see talent in the area.
Amir Moye - Health Sciences, Junior
Sophomore Season Stats
19.7 PPG
6.9 APG
5.2 RPG
3.5 SPG
After leading the Falcons to titles in both the Yale Cup & Class A2 and then picking up his first Division I offer over the summer, Moye suffered an injury that could keep him sidelined for the 2025 Season.
Returning Second Teamers
Jaydian Johnson - Jamestown, Senior
Junior Season Stats
19.1 PPG
5.2 RPG
4.4 APG
1.8 SPG
Had a breakout junior season to become one of the area's top high school talents, leading Jamestown to another league & sectional title, ultimately reaching the state final four.
Carson Swanson - Westfield, Senior
Junior Season Stats:
28.7 PPG
6.9 APG
5,7 RPG
5.5 SPG
Looking to get Westfield a 2nd Section VI title in four years after banging the game-tying triple to force OT in last season's title game. Swanson will likely eclipse 2,000 career points midway through the regular season & at the very least, should have Jaiden Harrison looking over his shoulder as March approaches.
Junior Season Stats:
21.3 PPG
3.9 RPG
3.9 APG
2.6 SPG
The two-time First Team all-state selection who led the Cardinals to a state title in 2023, has never lost a league contest in his career. Along with being a sniper, Hind has an exceptional understanding of floor spacing and where the ball needs to be.
Nicholas Purdie - Canisius, Senior
Junior Season Stats:
15.7 PPG
6.0 RPG
2.4 APG
1.6 SPG
Emerged as a leader during his junior season on Delaware Avenue. An excellent on-ball defender who's also strong with the ball in his hands, Purdie's toughness & competitiveness epitomizes Canisius basketball.
Returning Third Teamer
Jaymeir Goosby - St. Joe's, Senior
Junior Season Stats:
17.0 PPG
6.0 RPG
3.3 APG
2.2 SPG
Equally adept at stretching defenses with his deep range & slicing through the paint to create or finish, Goosby has explosive quickness and plays at a different speed. Received a Division II offer from Daemen University.
Returning Fourth Teamer
Charlie Croff - Lockport, Junior
Sophomore Season Stats:
17.0 PPG
6.5 RPG
2.9 APG
2.6 SPG
Became the centerpiece of the offense at Lockport in his sophomore year, earning NFL Player of the Year honors and leading a young Lions squad to the Class AA Final. Croff's on a mission to bring a Section VI title back to Lockport for the first time since 1999 when his father led the Lions to a championship.
Returning Fifth Teamers
Nate Blenman - St. Joe's, Junior
Sophomore Season Stats:
14.1 PPG
10.0 RPG
1.4 SPG
1.2 BPG
A matchup nightmare for opposing coaches and a complete game-changer at both ends. The future Division I player has already begun collecting offers with plenty more to come.
Carter Lampke - Williamsville South, Senior
Junior Season Stats:
15.3 PPG
4.9 RPG
2.0 SPG
2.0 APG
Capable of heating up & scoring buckets in bunches. Helped lead the Billies to the Far West Regional in Class A after earning a league crown & the first Section VI title in 8 years.
Returning 2024 Honorable Mentions
Carter Brink - Panama, Senior
25.7 PPG / 4.7 APG / 3.9 RPG / 2.5 SPG * as a junior
Jayce Wylke - Grand Island, Senior
19.8 PPG / 3.8 RPG / 3.0 APG / 2.3 SPG * as a junior
Sam Platt - Pioneer, Senior
18.5 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 2.5 APG / 1.9 SPG * as a junior
Carson Kwiatkowski - Allegany-Limestone, Senior
17.3 PPG / 3.1 RPG / Made 71 3-pointers * as a junior
Stash Foster - Williamsville South, Senior
16.3 PPG / 4.0 APG / 3.1 RPG / 2.8 SPG * as a junior
Caedyn Tingley - Olean, Senior
12.7 PPG / 2.1 APG / 1.2 SPG / 46 treys * as a junior
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East, Senior
11.9 PPG / 10.7 RPG / 2.1 BPG / 1.5 APG * as a junior
Hezekiah Hall - Nichols, Senior
11.0 PPG / 8.1 RPG / 1.4 BPG / 1.2 SPG * as a junior
Jack Kempf - Starpoint, Senior
10.0 PPG / 13.3 RPG / 3.9 BPG / 1.8 APG * as a junior
Gionni Zelasko - St. Joe's, Senior
9.0 PPG / 4.5 APG / 3.3 RPG / 1.7 SPG * as a junior
Johnny Esposito - Canisius, Senior
7.9 PPG / 2.4 RPG / 1.4 APG / 1.3 SPG * as a junior
Justus Kelitz - Iroquois, Junior
26.0 PPG / 3.9 APG / 2.9 RPG / 2.9 SPG *as a sophomore
Roger Markham - Falconer, Junior
18.0 PPG / 4.6 APG / 4.5 RPG / 3.3 SPG *as a sophomore
Will Szablewski - St. Mary's, Junior
13.4 PPG / 6.8 RPG / 2.3 APG / 1.9 SPG *as a sophomore
Dominic Gonzalez - Jamestown, Junior
13.1 PPG / 2.7 APG / 2.3 RPG / 1.5 SPG *as a sophomore
Harlem Brannon - Ken West, Junior
11.8 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 2.8 SPG / 2.6 APG *as a sophomore
Nate Wilemski - Williamsville South, Junior
11.5 PPG / 4.8 RPG / 2.8 APG / 1.8 SPG *as a sophomore
John Strong - Niagara Falls, Junior
9.5 PPG / 7.5 RPG / 3.0 APG / 2.0 SPG *as a sophomore
Returning 6th Man of 2024
Damien Johnson - Tinon, Senior
6.7 PPG / 1.9 RPG / 1.6 APG / 1.2 SPG *as a junior
*************************************************************************
25 More Players to Watch
More impact players for 2025 not already mentioned above
Staz Chiddick - Health Sciences, Senior
Patrick Cullinan - Canisius, Senior
Patrick Enright - Canisius, Senior
Mahli Shabazz - St. Joe's, Senior
Mekhi Gidney - St. Joe's, Senior
Aaron Hicks - Timon, Senior
Antonio Andrews - Amherst, Senior
Cohen Vogel - Starpoint, Senior
Dan Aquilina - Roy-Hart, Senior
Mike Griffin - Lockport, Senior
Maddox Isaac - Salamanca, Senior
Jaxsyn Moritz - Maryvale, Senior
Luca Quinn - Olean, Senior
Greg Orcutt - Dunkirk, Senior
Elijah Farmer - Jamestown, Senior
Tre Gayle - Niagara Falls, Junior
Jaike Ralands - Niagara Falls, Junior
Zayvion Hawkins - Health Sciences, Junior
Tacari McCray - Olmsted, Junior
Tre Paulfrey - Nichols, Junior
Israel Wilson - St. Mary's, Junior
Greydan Barnwell - Lew-Port, Junior
Benjamin Gerstung - Akron, Junior
Aidan Neumann - Wilson, Junior
Brandon Singletary - Health Sciences, Sophomore
***********************************************
League-By-League: Returning All-League Talent
Monsignor Martin Association
CLASS AA
St. Joe's - Jaymeir Goosby 12, Gioni Zelasko 12, Mekhi Gidney 12, Nate Blenman 11, Gary Alexander 9
Canisius - Nicholas Purdie 12
Timon - Nakyhi Harris 12
St. Francis
CLASS A
St. Mary's - Will Szablewski 11
Nichols - Hezekiah Hall 12
The Park School
Cardinal O'Hara
Section VI
YALE CUP I
Health Sciences - Staz Chiddick 12, Brandon Mickell 12, Zayvion Hawkins 11, Nahsaan Young 11
McKinley - Davonte Hughes 12, Everette Abernathy 12, Assad Sheikh 12, Cardell Staples 11
Hutch-Tech - Juel Joseph 12
South Park
I-Prep
YALE CUP II
Olmsted - Tacari McCray 11, Izeal Bullock 12, Griffin Potwora 12
Middle College - Anthony Johnson 11
Bennett - Koul Deng 11
Burgard - Tyler Livingston 11
MST Seneca - Makir Bom 12
YALE CUP III
Buffalo Arts - Jamere Robinson 12, Jaiden Daniels 12
Riverside - Nelson Camacho 12, Javon Elliott 11
East
Buffalo Culinary
City Honors
ECIC I
Jamestown - Jaydian Johnson 12, Dom Gonzalez 11, Elijah Farmer 11
Clarence - Greg Erbacher 12
Orchard Park
Williamsville North
Frontier
Lancaster
ECIC II
Williamsville East - Aaron Weiss 12, Jack DeLuca 12, Kirill Sorken 12, Puneet Singh 12
Williamsville South - Carter Lampke 12, Stash Foster 12, Nate Wilemski 11
Starpoint - Cohen Vogel 12, Jack Kempf 12, Jackson Griesmer 12, Ben Olson 12
Hamburg - Ash Hunter 12, Jimmy Steffen 12
Sweet Home - Shaun McGrath 11
Amherst - Antonio Andrews 12
ECIC III
Pioneer - Sam Platt 12, Karter Giboo 12, Isaac Platt 10
Iroquois - Justus Kleitz 11, TJ Domino 11
Lackawanna - Leferald Hines 12
Cheektowaga - JJ Shanklin 10
Lake Shore
West Seneca East
ECIC IV
Maryvale - Jaxsyn Moritz 12
Alden - Rob Westmiller 12
East Aurora
Depew
Springville
Tonawanda
ECIC V
Eden - Tyler Wakelam 12, Kobe Genco 9
Tapestry - Kamron Brage 11, James Smith 12
Holland - Brady Wiskup 12
Cleveland Hill - Javier Nelson 12
JFK - Michael Mingle 12
Global Concepts
Niagara Frontier League
Niagara Division
Lockport - Charlie Croff 11, Mike Griffin 12, Maurice Woods 12, Caleb Barry 12
North Tonawanda - Jack Giancola 12
Kenmore West - Harlem Brannon 11
Niagara Wheatfield
Frontier Division
Lew-Port - Greydan Barnwell 11
Grand Island - Jayce Wylke 12
CSAT
Kenmore East
Niagara-Orleans
Akron - Benjamin Gerstung 11, Brayden Lamont 12, Blake Gerstung 11
Roy-Hart - Dan Aquilina 12, Brayden Ricker 12
Wilson - Aiden Neumann 11, Ryan Hough 11
Newfane - Mac Capen 11, Brayden Seitz 11
Albion - Kyle Raddner 12, Wylie Ollie 11
Barker - Owen Harris 12
Medina
CCAA I West
Olean - Caedyn Tingley 12, Luca Quinn 12, Sullivan Hoffman 12
Salamanca - Avery Brown 12, Maddox Isaac 12
Fredonia - Ashton Putney 12, RJ Koopman 11
Falconer - Roger Markham 11
Dunkirk - Greg Orcutt 12, Kavion Tell 10
Allegany-Limestone - Carson Kwiatkowski 12
Southwestern
CCAA I East
Randolph - Drew Hind 12, Griffin Nelson 12
Silver Creek - Simon White 12
Portville - Aiden DeFazio 11
Frewsburg
Cassadaga Valley
Gowanda
CCAA II West
Panama - Bryce Hinsdale 12, Carter Brink 12, Alex Barmore 12, Tate Cantanese 12
Westfield - Carson Swanson 12, Zach Maguire 12
Chautauqua Lake - Nick Jacobson 11, Nate Henry 12, Brenden Klossner 12, Asher Olson 11
Sherman - Jacob Ferranto 11
Brocton - Michael Garcia 12
Clymer
Maple Grove
CCAA II East
Ellicottville - Blake Smith 10, Carter Smith 12
Franklinville - Bretton Blecha 12, Matthew Spittler 12
North Collins - Walter Ebersole 12
Forestville - Jacob Anders 10
Cattaraugus-Little Valley - DJ Szata 12
Pine Valley
West Valley
Independent Teams
Niagara Falls
West Seneca West
Maritime
BASCS
*********************************************
Teams with New Coaches (13)
Nichols - Matt Hartman
Williamsville North - Dylan Lambert
Lancaster - Craig Krempa
Clarence - Colin Quinn
West Seneca West - Jeff Haskell
Depew - Brandon Camacho
Alden - Matt Moretti
Burgard - Warren Adams
Portville - Tom Yanetsko
Cassadaga Valley - Phil Schrader
Forestville - Ralph Jackson
Silver Creek - Nate Shuart
Kyle Nelson - Frewsburg
***************************************
Classification Changes (19)
1 Team moves down from Class AA to Class A:
Nichols
1 Team moves up from Class AA1 to Class AAA:
Jamestown
2 Teams move up from Class AA2 to ClassAA1:
I-Prep & West Seneca West
1 Team moves down from Class AA1 to Class AA2:
Niagara Wheatfield
1 Team moves up from Class A1 to Class AA2:
Buffalo Culinary
2 Teams move up from Class A2 to Class A1:
City Honors & Iroquois
1 Team moves up from Class B1 to Class A1:
Buffalo Arts
4 Teams move up from Class B1 to Class A2:
East Aurora, Burgard, & BASCS
1 Team moves down from Class A2 to Class B1:
Alden
1 Team moves up from Class B2 to Class B1:
East
1 Team moves down from Class A1 to Class B2:
Riverside
1 Team moves down from Class B1 to Class B2:
Salamanca
1 Team moves down from Class B2 to Class C:
Maritime
1 Team moves down from Class C to Class D:
Panama
****************************************
Preseason Rankings
** 9 of the 10 teams that appeared in the 2024 Preseason Large School Rankings were Top 10 teams when the season ended and I was 8 of 10 predicting Top 10 small schools in 2024
Large Schools
1. St. Joe's
2. Canisius
3. Timon
4. Jamestown
5. Niagara Falls
6. Health Sciences
7. Williamsville South
8. Lockport
9. Williamsville East
10. Olean
Small Schools
1. Randolph
2. Westfield
3. Panama
4. Akron
5. Olmsted
6. Salamanca
7. Fredonia
8. Allegany-Limestone
9. Falconer
10. Chautauqua Lake
**************************************
Predictions
* The 2024 Preview correctly predicted 10 of the 14 league champions
MMA - St. Joe's
Yale Cup I - Health Sciences
Yale Cup II - Olmsted
Yale Cup III - East
ECIC I - Jamestown
ECIC II - Williamsville South
ECIC III - Pioneer
ECIC IV - Maryvale
ECIC V - Eden
NFL - Lockport
N-O - Akron
CCAA I West - Olean
CCAA II West - Panama
CCAA I East - Randolph
CCAA II East - Ellicottville
*********************************************
* I was 6 of 8 predicting these end-of-year champions in the 2023 Preview
Manhattan Cup
Final Two:
Canisius & St. Joe's
** St. Joe's **
Class AAA
Final Two:
Niagara Falls & Jamestown
** Niagara Falls **
Class AA1
Final Four:
Orchard Park, Lockport, Clarence, & McKinley
** Lockport **
Class AA2
Final Four:
Ken West, Health Sciences, Williamsville East, & Starpoint
** Health Sciences **
Class A1
Final Four:
Amherst, Grand Island, Williamsville South, & Pioneer
** Williamsville South **
Class A2
Final Four:
Olean, Lackawanna, Dunkirk, & Lew-Port
** Olean **
Class B1
Final Four:
Fredonia, Akron, Middle College, & Olmsted
** Akron **
Class B2
Final Four:
Salamanca, Falconer, Eden, & Allegany-Limestone
** Salamanca **
Class C
Final Four:
Randolph, Chautauqua Lake, Westfield, & Holland
** Randolph **
Class D
Final Four:
Pine Valley, Clymer, Sherman, & Panama
** Panama **
-🏀centercourt🏀
The 7th Annual Centercourt Classic at St. Joe's
Friday, January 31st
Session 1
Akron vs St. Francis - 6 pm
St. Joe's vs Jamestown - 7:45 pm
Saturday, February 1st
Session 2
Timon vs Starpoint - 12 pm
Williamsville South vs Nichols - 1:45 pm
Niagara Falls vs Lockport - 3:30 pm
Session 3
Randolph vs Westfield - 6:15 pm
Canisius vs Health Sciences - 8 pm
Info on Tickets will be made available soon!
🏀centercourt🏀
The 2024 CC MVP
Jaiden Harrison
Timon, Senior
20.3 PPG / 7.6 RPG / 6.3 APG / 2.1 SPG / 1.0 BPG
- Four-time All-Centercourt Top 20 selection
- Manhattan Cup Champion
- MVP of the Manhattan Cup
- POY in the Monsignor Martin Association
- Game MVP at the Centercourt Classic
- All-Time Scoring Leader in WNY History
- Led WNY in assists
- Led Timon in PPG, RPG, APG, & BPG
- Season-High 34 pts in a win over Jamestown
- 5 games scoring 30+ pts
- 14 games scoring 20+ pts
- 15 games with 8+ rebounds
- 14 games with 6+ assists
- 4 games with 4+ steals
- Recorded 3 Triple-Doubles
- Recorded 12 Double-Doubles
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
- 2,476 Career Points
First Team All-Centercourt
Nichols, Senior
29.7 PPG / 6.7 RPG / 3.1 APG / 2.4 SPG
- Three-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- First Team All-Catholic
- Game MVP at the Centercourt Classic
- Scoring leader in WNY
- Season-high 45 pts in a win over St. Francis
- 4 games scoring 40+ pts
- 13 games scoring 30+ pts
- 20 games scoring 20+ pts
- 10 games over 30 pts
- Grabbed 15 rebounds in a win at St. Joe's
- 6 games with 8+ rebounds
Earned 10 steals in a win vs City Honors
Led WNY with 99 treys
- Buried 8 triples in a win vs St. Francis
- 6 games with 6+ treys
- 4 games with 6+ assists
- Shot 84% on FTs
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Nichols' all-time scoring & 3-pt leader
- Career 2,000 point scorer
Jacob Humphrey
Timon, Senior
18.7 PPG / 4.3 APG / 4.1 RPG / 2.8 SPG
- Two-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- Manhattan Cup Champion
- First Team All-Catholic
- Game MVP at the Centercourt Classic
- MVP of Coaches vs Cancer Tournament
- Shot 59% on FGs & 47% on 3-pointers
- Career-high 37 pts in win at Canisius
Scored 33 pts in state championship game
- Scored 31 of 36 pts vs McKinley by halftime
- 4 games scoring 30+ pts
- 10 games with 20+ pts
- Led MMA in steals
- Earned 12 steals in a win vs Maritime
- 8 games with 4+ steals
- 7 games with 6+ assists
- 5 games with 5+ treys
- 7 double-doubles
- All-Centercourt Defender
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Lucus Brown
Salamanca, Senior
25.1 PPG / 5.6 RPG / 3.9 SPG / 3.0 APG
- Four-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- Section VI Class B Champion
- MVP of the Section VI Class B1 Tournament
- CCAA I West Champion
- POY CCAA I West
- Game MVP at Centercourt Classic
- 2 Game MVPs at IAABO Showcase
- NYSPHAA Class B All-Tournament
- Career-high 38 pts in win at Clymer
- Scored 29 pts in win vs Will South
- Had 25, 7 R, & 7 A in win vs Olean
- 6 games scoring 30+ pts
- 21 games scoring 20+ pts
- 4 games with 8+ rebounds
- 8 steals in win vs Sweet Home
- 14 games with 4+ steals
- Salamanca all-time scoring, 3-pt & stls leader
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- All-Centercourt Defender
- 1,948 career points scored
Amir Moye
Health Sciences, Sophomore
19.7 PPG / 6.9 APG / 5.2 RPG / 3.5 SPG
- Two-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
Section VI Class AA2 Champion
Yale Cup I Champion
MVP of Section VI Class AA2 Tournament
POY in Yale Cup I
- Live Like Luca All-Tournament
- Career-high 29 pts in a win vs Nichols
- Had 27 & 10 reb in Class AA2 Final win
- 13 games scoring 20+ pts
- 2nd highest APG in WNY
- 19 games with 6+ assists
- Earned game-winning asst & steal in AA2 Final
- 11 games with 4+ steals
- Recorded 6 double-doubles
- All-Centercourt Defender
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
Timon, Junior
19.7 PPG / 6.2 RPG / 2.6 APG / 2.5 SPG
- Three-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- Manhattan Cup Champion
- First Team All-Catholic
- Coaches vs Cancer All-Tournament
- Shot 57% FG
- Shot 53% on 3-pointers
- Season-high 34 pts in win vs Niagara Falls
- 7 games scoring 25+ pts
- 15 games scoring 20+ pts
- 9 games with 8+ rebounds
- Earned 7 steals in win vs Lackawanna
- 7 games with 4+ steals
- Recorded 3 double-doubles
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Second Team All-Centercourt
Jaydian Johnson
Jamestown, Junior
19.1 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 4.4 APG / 1.8 SPG
- Two-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- Section VI Class AA Champion
- ECIC I Champion
- POY All-ECIC
- POY in ECIC II
- MVP of Class AA1 Tournament
- MVP of the Olean Tip-Off Tournament
- Game MVP at Centercourt Classic
- Career-high 27 pts in win vs Lockport
- 11 games scoring 20+ pts
- Dished 10 assists in win at Frontier
- 6 games with 6+ assists
- 5 games with 4+ steals
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
Lancaster, Senior
27.9 PPG / 8.6 RPG / 2.4 aPG / 2.4 SPG
- Three-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- First Team All-ECIC
- First Team ECIC I
Section VI All-Tournament Team
- Career-high 47 pts vs Orchard Park
- 42 pts, 10 R, 3 A, 3 S in win vs Ken West
- 34 pts & 15 boards vs Orchard Park
- 3 games scoring 40+ pts
- 11 games scoring 30+ pts
- 15 games scoring 20+ pts
- 12 games with 8+ rebounds
- 5 games with 4+ steals
- 7 double-doubles
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Westfield, Junior
28.7 PPG / 6.9 APG / 5.7 RPG / 5.5 SPG
Two-Time All-Centercourt Top 60 Selection
CCAA II West Champion
POY CCAA II West
MVP of Westfield Winter Classic
Section VI Class C All-Tournament
- MVP of Southwestern Holiday Tournament
Olean Tip-Off All-Tournament
- Led Section VI in Scoring
- Career-high 46 pts in win at Maple Grove
- 28 pts, 12 A, 8 R, & 8 S in win at Brocton
- 10 games scoring 30+ pts
- 20 games scoring 20+ pts
- Led WNY in assists & steals
- 19 games with 4+ steals
- 16 games with 6+ assists
- 4 games with 8+ rebounds
- Recorded 1 triple & 4 double-doubles
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Drew Hind
Randolph, Junior
21.3 PPG / 3.9 RPG / 3.9 APG / 2.6 SPG
- Three-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- Section VI Class C Champion
- CCAA I East Champion
- POY in CCAA I East
MVP of Section VI Class C Tournament
Game MVP of Centercourt Classic
- MVP Tully Tournament
- Career-high 36 pts sectional win vs Barker
- 25 pts, 9 S, & 8 A in win at Chautauqua Lake
- 3 games scoring 30+ pts
- 13 games scoring 20+ pts
- Double figure scoring in all 24 games
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Nicholas Purdie
Canisius, Junior
15.7 PPG / 6.0 RPG / 2.4 APG / 1.6 SPG
- Monsignor Martin Association Champion
- First Team All-Catholic
- Game MVP at Centercourt Classic
- MVP of Tom Keenan Tournament
- Led Canisius is pts, steals, & rebounds
- Career-high 27 pts & 6 stls in win vs O'Hara
- 25 pts & 8 R in playoff win vs Nichols
- 7 games scoring 20+ pts
- Shot 44% on 3-pointers
- 7 games with 8+ rebounds
- Recorded 5 double-doubles
- All-Centercourt Defender
Third Team All-Centercourt
St. Joe's, Junior
17.0 PPG / 6.0 RPG / 3.3 APG / 2.2 SPG
- First Team All-Catholic
- Season-high 29 pts in win at McQuaid
- 6 games scoring 20+ pts
- 25 games scoring in double figures
- Earned 8 steals in a win vs Holy Trinity
- 4 games with 4+ steals
- 7 games with 8+ rebounds
- 3 games with 6+ assists
- 7/9 from 3-point in win at McQuaid
- 6 games with 4+ 3-pointers
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
Nick Estell
Niagara Falls, Senior
13.1 PPG / 3.6 RPG / 3.3 APG / 1.4 SPG
- Section VI Class AAA Champion
- MVP of Section VI Class AAA Tournament
- Game MVP at Cataract Classic
- NYSPHAA Class AAA All-Tournament
- Led Falls in points & assists
- Career-high 33 pts in win at Nichols
- Shot 75% on 3-pointers win vs Health
- Shot 51% on FGs
- Shot 77% on FTs
- Shot 43% on 3-pointers
Luke Walck
Chairman of the Boards
Niagara Wheatfield, Senior
17.4 PPG / 14.4 RPG / 2.7 APG / 2.1 SPG
- First Team All-NFL
- Led NYS with 317 rebounds
- Career-high 31 pts in win at NT
- 25 pts, 17 R & 10 B in win vs North
- 19 pts, 18 R, & 9 B in win vs CSAT
- 23 pts & 20 boards in win vs Lew-Port
- 9 games scoring 20+ pts
- 20 games scoring in double figures
- 11 games with 16+ rebounds
- 16 games with 14 + rebounds
- All 22 games with 9+ rebounds
- 5 games with 5+ blocks
- Recorded 19 double-doubles
Chris McDonald
Orchard Park, Senior
16.0 PPG / 7.9 RPG / 2.8 APG / 2.2 SPG
First Team All-ECIC
First Team ECIC I
- MVP of Depew Holiday Tournament
- Section VI Class AA1 All-Tournament
- Season-high 24 pts in win vs Hutch Tech
- 18 pts & 13 R in win vs Jamestown
- 5 games scoring 20+ pts
- All 21 games double figure scoring
- Grabbed 17 boards in win vs Lew-Port
- 15 games with 7+ rebounds
- 5 games with 4+ steals
- 2 games with 6+ assists
- Recorded 5 double-doubles
Nate Errington
Frontier, Senior
14.9 PPG / 14.1 RPG / 1.4 APG / 1.3 BPG / 1.2 SPG
- Two-time All-Centercourt Top 60 selection
- First Team ECIC I
- MVP of Hamburg Lions Club Tournament
- Live Like Luca All-Tournament
- Season-high 25 pts & 16 boards win vs CSAT
- Season-high 21 rebounds win vs Health Sciences
- 3 games with 20+ rebounds
- 17 games with 10+ rebounds
- 19 games with 9+ rebounds
- Frontier all-time rebounds leader
- Recorded 14 double-doubles
- All-Centercourt Defender
Fourth Team All-Centercourt
Frontier, Senior
16.0 PPG / 10.0 RPG / 1.5 APG / 1.2 BPG / 1.0 SPG
First Team ECIC I
- MVP of the Live Luca Luca Tournament
- Hamburg Lions All-Tournament
- Season-high 24 pts & 15 boards vs Jamestown
- 7 games scoring 20+
- 16 games scoring in double figures
- 2 games with 19 rebounds
- 12 games with 8+ rebounds
- Recorded 9 double-doubles
Taesyn Slating
Eden, Senior
19.2 PPG / 10.8 RPG / 3.3 BPG / 2.1 APG / 2.0 SPG
- POY in ECIC V
- Section VI Class B2 All-Tournament
- Career-high 37 pts in win vs JFK
- 25 pts & 18 boards in win at JFK
- 2 games scoring 30+ pts
- 9 games scoring 20+ pts
- 20 games scoring in double figures
- 20 games with 8+ rebounds
- 2nd in WNY in blocks
- 14 games with 3+ blocks
- 14 double-doubles
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Lockport, Sophomore
17.0 PPG / 6.5 RPG / 2.9 APG / 1.6 SPG
- NFL Champion
- POY in NFL
- Section VI Class AA1 All-Tournament
- Lockport Rotary All-Tournament
- Career-high 36 pts vs St. Mary's
- 6 games with 20+ pts
- 21 games scoring in double figures
- 9 games with 8+ rebounds
- 4 games with 6+ assists
- 9 games with 6+ assists
- 3 games with 4+ steals
- 3 double-doubles
David Washington
Hutch Tech, Senior
21.7 PPG / 5.0 RPG / 3.5 SPG / 1.5 APG
- POY in Yale Cup I
- MVP of the Frewsburg Tournament
- Career-high 44 pts win vs Chautauqua Lake
- Scored 32 pts & 5 steals in win vs East
- 22 pts, 9 S, & 7 R in sectional at Orchard Park
- 22 pts, 8 R, 6 S in a win at Middle College
- 2 games scoring 30+ pts
- 17 games scoring 20+ pts
- 20 games scoring in double figure
- 9 games with 4+ steals
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Career 1,000 point scorer
Pat Benzer
Canisius, Senior
11.4 PPG / 5.7 RPG / 1.2 APG / .7 SPG
- Monsignor Martin Champion
- Second Team All-Catholic
- Tom Keenan Memorial All-Tournament
- 21 pts on 82% FG in win vs St. Francis
- 18 pts & 7 boards in win at Timon
- 16 games scoring in double figures
- Led Canisius in Blocks & 3-pointers
- 8 offensive rebounds in win vs Nichols
- 7 games with 8+ rebounds
- All-Centercourt Defender
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
Fifth Team All-Centercourt
Daryl Montgomery
Cheektowaga, Senior
19.0 PPG /7.0 RPG / 1.2 SPG / 1.1 APG
- ECIC III Champion
- POY in ECIC III
- Game MVP at ECIC vs CCAA Showcase
- Ken-Ton All-Tournament
- Season-high 28 pts in win at Lake Shore
- 27 pts in win vs Salamanca
- 26 pts & 13 boards in win at Maryvale
- 11 games scoring 20+ points
- 20 games scoring in double figures
- 15 rebounds in win at West Seneca West
- 8 games with 8+ rebounds
- Recorded 4 double-doubles
- 7 games with 4+ 3-pointers
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- All-Centercourt Defender
Ephraim Strong
Niagara Falls, Senior
10.6 PPG / 4.8 RPG / 2.6 SPG / 1.7 APG
- Section VI Class AAA Champion
- Section VI Class AAA All-Tournament
- Game MVP at Centercourt Classic
- Career-high 29 pts in win at Will South
- Led Niagara Falls in steals
- 9 boards & 7 steals in win at Will South
- 5 games with 4+ steals
- 8 games scoring in double figures
- All-Centercourt Defender
Williamsville South, Junior
15.3 PPG / 4.9 RPG / 2.0 SPG / 2.0 APG
- Section VI Class A Champion
- Section VI Class A1 Champion
- ECIC III Champion
- First Team ECIC III
- Section VI Class A1 All-Tournament
- Game MVP at Bob Hettler Showcase
- Career-high 31 pts in win vs Lake Shore
- 8 games scoring 20+ pts
- 3 games with 8+ rebounds
- Earned 6 steals vs St. Francis
- Shot 50% on 5 made 3's vs Wayne
Ahmir Dunn
Amherst, Senior
13.2 PPG / 5.1 RPG / 4.2 APG / 2.8 SPG
- ECIC II Champion
- First Team ECIC II
- Game MVP at CentercourtCalssic
- Section VI Class A1 All-Tournament
- Coaches vs Cancer All-Tournament
- Career-high 29 pts in win vs Will East
- 17 games scoring in double figures
- 8 games with 4+ steals
- 7 games with 6+ assists
- 5 games with 8+ rebounds
- All-Centercourt Defender
Nate Blenman
Amherst, Sophomore
14.1 PPG / 10.0 RPG / 1.4 SPG / 1.2 BPG
- ECIC II Champion
- First Team ECIC II
- Game MVP at Bob Hettler Showcase
- Coaches vs Cancer All-Tournament
- Career-high 26 pts & 10 R in win vs St. Mary's
- 16 pts, 15 R, & 4 B in win vs Lake Shore
- 21 games soring in double figures
- 6 games with 12+ rebounds
- 19 games with 8+ rebounds
- 4 games with 3+ blocks
- Recorded 16 double-doubles
Honorable Mention
Gavin Smith - Frewsburg, Senior
* First Team CCAA I East
25.7 PPG / 6.8 RPG / 3.0 SPG / 2.3 APG
Shamere Davis - MST Seneca, Senior
* Player of the Year in Yale Cup II
22.4 PPG / 5.8 RPG / 2.0 SPG / 1.4 APG
Davion White - Fredonia, Senior
* First Team CCAA I West
18.0 PPG / 7.9 RPG / 2.8 APG / 1.6 SPG
Sajon Beasley - McKinley, Senior
* First Team Yale Cup I
17.8 PPG / 3.4 APG / 2.0 SPG / 1.6 RPG
Ezekiel Alexander - Olmsted, Senior
* Player of the Year in Yale Cup II
16.8 PPG / 5.4 APG / 5.3 RPG / 1.6 SPG
Cameron D'Hilly - Cleveland Hill, Senior
* First Team ECIC V
16.1 PPG / 7.6 RPG / 1.2 BPG / 1.0 SPG
Jeremiah Neely, St. Francis, Senior
* Second Team All-Catholic
15.7 PPG / 8.5 RPG / 1.6 SPG / 1.2 APG
Mike Hahn - Fredonia, Senior
* First Team CCAA I West
15.3 PPG / 6.5 RPG / 1.7 SPG / 1.7 APG
Sean Gilmartin - Clarence, Senior
* First Team ECIC I
14.5 PPG / 4.5 APG / 2.2 RPG / 1.9 SPG
Michael Whitt - Health Sciences, Senior
* First Team Yale Cup I
13.7 PPG / 5.0 RPG / 1.2 APG / 1.0 SPG
Patrick Bodecker - East Aurora, Senior
* First Team ECIC V
13.7 PPG / 7.3 RPG / 1.1 SPG / 49% FG
Shawn Watson - Niagara Wheatfield, Senior
* First Team NFL
13.6 / 6.8 RPG / 3.1 APG / 1.7 SPG
Mason Evans, Williamsville East, Senior
* First Team ECIC II
13.5 PPG / 3.5 RPG / 3.3 APG / 2.7 SPG
Kyan Gray - Lackawanna, Senior
* Player of the Year in ECIC IV
12.8 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 1.7 SPG / 1.6 APG
Ben Dickinson - Newfane, Senior
* First Team N-O
12.3 PPG / 10.0 RPG / 2.6 SPG / 2.4 APG
Landon Braman - Newfane, Senior
* Player of the Year in the N-O
11.9 PPG / 4.6 APG / 4.3 RPG / 2.1 SPG
Bishop Butts - Jamestown, Senior
* All-Centercourt Defender
9.9 PPG / 6.0 RPG / 2.4 BPG / 1.7 SPG
Carter Brink - Panama, Junior
* Player of the Year in CCAA II East
25.7 PPG / 4.7 APG / 3.9 RPG / 2.5 SPG
Jayce Wylke - Grand Island, Junior
* First Team NFL
19.8 PPG / 3.8 RPG / 3.0 APG / 2.3 SPG
Sam Platt - Pioneer, Junior
* First Team ECIC III
18.5 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 2.5 APG / 1.9 SPG
Carson Kwiatkowski - Allegany-Limestone, Junior
* First Team CCAA I West
17.3 PPG / 3.1 RPG / Made 71 3-pointers
Stash Foster - Williamsville North, Junior
* First Team ECIC I
16.3 PPG / 4.0 APG / 3.1 RPG / 2.8 SPG
Caedyn Tingley - Olean, Junior
* First Team CCAA I West
12.7 PPG / 2.1 APG / 1.2 SPG / 46 treys
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East, Junior
* First Team ECIC II
11.9 PPG / 10.7 RPG / 2.1 BPG / 1.5 APG
Hezekiah Hall - Nichols, Junior
* Second Team All-Catholic
11.0 PPG / 8.1 RPG / 1.4 BPG / 1.2 SPG
Jack Kempf - Starpoint, Junior
* Averaged double-double & led WNY in Blocked Shots
10.0 PPG / 13.3 RPG / 3.9 BPG / 1.8 APG
Gionni Zelasko - St. Joe's, Junior
* First Team All-Catholic
9.0 PPG / 4.5 APG / 3.3 RPG / 1.7 SPG
Johnny Esposito - Canisius, Junior
* Averaged 13.8 PPG during postseason
7.9 PPG / 2.4 RPG / 1.4 APG / 1.3 SPG
Justus Kelitz - Iroquois, Sophomore
* Player of the Year in ECIC IV
26.0 PPG / 3.9 APG / 2.9 RPG / 2.9 SPG
Roger Markham - Falconer, Sophomore
* First Team CCAA I East
18.0 PPG / 4.6 APG / 4.5 RPG / 3.3 SPG
Will Szablewski - St. Mary's, Sophomore
* All-Catholic Honorable Mention
13.4 PPG / 6.8 RPG / 2.3 APG / 1.9 SPG
Dominic Gonzalez - Jamestown, Sophomore
* NYSPHAA & Section VI Class AA All-Tournament
13.1 PPG / 2.7 APG / 2.3 RPG / 1.5 SPG
Harlem Brannon - Ken West, Sophomore
* First Team NFL
11.8 PPG / 5.2 RPG / 2.8 SPG / 2.6 APG
Nate Wilemski - Williamsville South, Sophomore
* First Team ECIC III
11.5 PPG / 4.8 RPG / 2.8 APG / 1.8 SPG
John Strong - Niagara Falls, Sophomore
* All-Centercourt Defender
9.5 PPG / 7.5 RPG / 3.0 APG / 2.0 SPG
Centercourt 6th Man of the Year
Timon, Junior
6.7 PPG / 1.9 RPG / 1.6 APG / 1.2 SPG
It was no secret who the best team in Buffalo was this season. The Timon Tigers posted a starting lineup that featured one of the most outstanding guard trios ever to play together in WNY. But there was also a dog waiting in the wings every game, who checked in as the Tigers sixth man and wreaked havoc at both ends. Damien Johnson plays like such a dog, I swear he growls at Coach Rowe when it’s time for the sixth man to make his first appearance.
After the obvious big three in South Buffalo, it was Johnson who was the next statistical leader in points, assists, and steals. In a win over St. Mary’s, he dished 10 dimes. During the ultimate dogfight, the Manhattan Cup Final, Johnson earned 4 steals to help lead his team to a second consecutive Manhattan Cup Championship. On the season, Johnson knocked down 24 bombs from long range and finished in double figure scoring six times.
One of my favorite moments of the season was seeing him at a Cheektowaga game on the same afternoon that his team played that night. I told Johnson and his friends that I was heading to Timon next and jokingly asked Johnson if he was going....“I PLAY”, Johnson barked back at me. I knew who he was then, and also knew the WNY basketball community would know his name by season's end.
All-Centercourt Defenders
First Team
Jacob Humphrey - Timon, Senior
Jahyden Clark - Canisius, Junior
Ephraim Strong - Niagara Falls, Senior
Bishop Butts - Jamestown, Senior
Griffin Nelson - Randolph, Junior
Second Team
John Strong - Niagara Falls, Sophomore
Amir Moye - Health Sciences, Sophomore
Ahmir Dunn - Amherst, Senior
Stash Foster - Williamsville North, Junior
Nate Errington - Frontier, Senior
Third Team
Lucus Brown - Salamanca, Senior
Daryl Montgomery - Cheektowaga, Senior
John Opfer - Williamsville South, Senior
Michael Munzert - Williamsville South, Senior
Jack Kempf - Starpoint, Junior
Fourth Team
Zayvion Hawkins - Amherst, Sophomore
Nicholas Purdie - Canisius, Junior
Pat Benzer - Canisius, Senior
Luke Walck - Niagara Wheatfield, Senior
Ben Dickinson - Newfane, Senior
Centercourt #BOOM Squad
David Washington - Hutch Tech, Senior
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East, Junior
Pat Benzer - Canisius, Senior
Bishop Butts - Jamestown, Senior
Hezekiah Hall - Nichols, Junior
Cameron D'Hilly - Cleveland Hill, Senior
Ian Cooper - Lockport, Senior
Jordan Alexander - Lancaster, Senior
Channing Francis - Lancaster, Senior
Ben Dickinson - Newfane, Senior
Jaymeir Goosby - St. Joe's, Junior
Jacob Humphrey - Timon, Senior
Jaiden Harrison - Timon, Senior
Nakyhi Harris - Timon, Junior
Amir Moye - Health Sciences, Sophomore
Carson Swanson - Westfield, Junior
Jack Kempf - Starpoint, Junior
Staz Chiddick - Health Sciences, Junior
Nate Blenman - Amherst, Sophomore
Will Szablewski - St. Mary's, Sophomore
Taesyn Slating - Eden, Senior
Benjamin Gerstung - Akron, Sophomore
Centercourt Sniper Squad '3'
Jakye Rainey - Nichols, Senior
Jaiden Harrison - Timon, Senior
Mike Hahn - Fredonia, Senior
Kevin McElwain - Randolph, Sophomore
Carson Kwiatkowski - Allegany-Limestone, Junior
Lucus Brown - Salamanca, Senior
Brett Erbacher - Clarence, Senior
Nakyhi Harris - Timon, Junior
Jaymeir Goosby - St. Joe's, Junior
Aidan Neumann - Wilson, Sophomore
Gavin Johnson - Cardinal O'Hara, Junior
Ash Hunter - Hamburg, Junior
Israel Wilson - St. Mary's, Sophomore
Greydan Barnwell - Lew-Port, Junior
Mayen Majong - Bennett, Senior
Carson Swanson - Westfield, Junior
Gavin Smith - Frewsburg, Senior
Justus Kleitz - Iroquois, Sophomore
Blake Martin - Wilson, Senior
Daryl Montgomery - Cheektowaga, Senior
Centercourt Dime Droppers
Jaiden Harrison - Timon, Senior
Carson Swanson - Westfield, Junior
Amir Moye - Health Sciences, Sophomore
Kobe Genco - Eden, 8th Grader
Cohen Vogel - Starpoint, Junior
Tre Paulfrey - Nichols, Sophomore
Jaydian Johnson - Jamestown, Junior
Ezekiel Alexander - Olmsted, Senior
Jacob Humphrey - Timon, Senior
Gionni Zelasko - St. Joe's, Junior
Carter Brink - Panama, Junior
Roger Markham - Falconer, Sophomore
Sean Gilmartin - Clarence, Senior
Ahmir Dunn - Amherst, Senior
Remington Albee - Roy-Hart, Senior
Centercourt Coach of the Year
Adam Bennett - Salamanca
Over a decade ago, I knew Adam Bennett as the fresh-faced assistant coach at Olean, who always went out of his way to say hello when I made the trip down there. After the Huskies won the state championship in 2016, Bennett took over as head coach at Salamanca High School and seemed very eager with the opportunity. He had spent years soaking in knowledge from brilliant basketball minds around him, namely Hall of Famer & legend Jeff Anastasia, St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt, and former Olean AD & girls coach, Don Scholla. In his first season as the head coach at Salamanca, the team won 15 games and finished second in league play. However, the following season was a losing campaign for the team, finishing with just nine wins.
Fast-forward a couple seasons, both winning ones for the program, Bennett made the decision to move his team into the toughest league in the Southern Tier… the same one ruled by Olean and the master of head coaches, Anastasia. I had gotten to know him better by then, and remember him telling me about that decision & what a good one it was for his program in order to get better. He believed in the immense potential of an 8th grader who started on his varsity squad named Lucus Brown. I didn’t tell him at the time, but I thought his expectations were a bit too lofty. It’s a whole new world up there, I thought, and reality is going to hit and hit hard. That first season in CCAA I West was Brown's freshman season and a difficult campaign for every team in WNY, as it was the Covid-shortened year that excluded spectators and required masks. The team went just 7–8 that year and finished fifth in league play.
Enter 2022, the season Salamanca Basketball became a household name in the area. Bennett was now in his sixth year as head coach, and his young standout was ready to breakout. That move into the tough league and the lumps they took in their inaugural season there, proved to pay huge dividends when the Warriors won not only a sectional title, but entertained the Sports Arena at Buff State with a thrilling regional victory to earn the first trip to Glens Falls in school history.
Bennett and Salamanca entered 2023 more motivated than ever with the success in 2022 and eyed a return trip to the promised land, despite being moved up an entire classification, no longer a Class C team. They won 20 games and went undefeated in league play to earn the title. The team returned to the Section VI Finals, this time in Class B2. Salamanca was upset in the championship game and left with the bitter taste of defeat in their mouth, losing to a tough Fredonia team they had taken care of twice earlier that year.
Once again competing in Class B2 for the 2024 Season, but now with just one remaining starter that played on the state run two seasons prior, the end goal remained the same coming in - Glens Falls! However, the strong league schedule was no longer enough for Bennett’s program. They wanted to play anybody they could, and signed up for some tough nonleague games.
Coming off of a historical run to the Far West Regional in football, several of the key pieces hadn’t even thought about hoops yet when the season started in December. I was on hand for Salamanca's first game this year against Cheektowaga. Boy did the late football season show against a talented Class A1 team. After getting handled for four quarters and forgetting how to play defense altogether, I left saying that’s the worst Salamanca team I’ve watched in three years. I even expressed that opinion to Bennett the next time I spoke to him. He agreed. However, unlike myself, it didn’t change his opinion of his own group at all. He still had full faith in his team's ability to achieve the goals ahead and said as much.
The next opponent on the schedule was eventual Class A1 Champion, Williamsville South, a team I had just watched the night prior. The Warriors were in big trouble, I thought, and decided against going to the game I had initially planned on making the trip for. Later that evening, I retweeted the Salamanca team account - a 56-38 victory over the Billies.
I was sure to be on hand for their next game, a trip to Niagara County's Class AA Niagara Wheatfield, who was fresh off a win over Lockport. Behind a 32-point performance from Lucus Brown and blistering team defense, they headed home with a 15-point victory. The next time they took the floor was a 31-point win against Class AA Sweet Home.
The Warriors had quickly restored my confidence and were now an easy choice to rank second among small schools behind reigning state champion Randolph - a team they'd face in early February. After earning a hard-fought comeback victory in the game that stole the show at the 2024 Centercourt Classic, Salamanca took the top spot amongst small schools in the area.
After finishing the regular season 15-5 and earning a second straight league championship in the division I thought they were crazy to join, Salamanca was the top seed in Class B2 and an overwhelming favorite to win the bracket. Instead, news came down just before the playoffs that an opt out by Buffalo Arts would force Salamanca to move up into Class B1, a bracket viewed as the most competitive, and one they had done little scout.
To make things more interesting, after the seedings came out, they would have to host Fredonia in a quarterfinal. The Hillbillies remember, were the team that dashed their hopes last season and had caught fire late in the season this year, knocking Salamanca off in their second league meeting.
Playing their best basketball of the season, and seemingly unfazed by a bump in classification on short notice, Salamanca marched through the local competition and won every Section VI playoff game by double figures. That list included Fredonia in the quarterfinal, N-O co-league champions Akron & Newfane, and Falconer in the regional qualifier game - all teams that would finish among the Top 10 WNY Small Schools at season's end.
The final hurdle for a return to Glens Falls in a higher classification was Avon, the team they had beaten in the regional two years earlier, ranked in the top five well ahead of Salamanca in NYS Class B for the second half of the season. Before a raucous crowd full of fans from both teams, Salamanca punched their ticket again.
Bennett will be the first to tell you that he's surrounded himself with great basketball minds and will incorporate anything he sees another team have success with for his own benefit. He speaks with ultimate respect for the abilities of the other coaches in his league, his rivals, and his mentors. He's assembled an outstanding staff of assistant coaches, including the Hall of Famer he was working under when I met him. And while you can see elements from all the greats he’s learned from, Salamanca basketball is a team with its own unique identity, and already one others will try to emulate.
Bennett is one of the rare ones that goes far above, and beyond to create an experience within his program that bonds young men together for life both on & off the court, while teaching the game. His teams play with such a fierce competitiveness, pride, and unity that most programs don’t commit to the consistent hard work to attain.
While every team has players that deal with loss and hardships, I want you to trust me as an audience...what some of the young men at Salamanca have collectively overcome together is remarkable. Also, remarkable is the class that those young men conduct themselves with, along with the chemistry and cohesion they have built together and showed as a team all season.
Salamanca's 2024 accomplishments include six victories over five other sectional champions (South by 18, Olean twice by 15 & 14, Falconer by 10, Randolph, & Avon) wins over eight state-ranked teams across four classifications, and a second straight league championship. They are the undisputed #1 small school in WNY and one of three teams to advance to the NYS Final Four.
They did all of this with one player placing among the Centercourt Top 60, a tremendous staff & community, a relentless team that truly played together & for each other, and a head coach who has always seen the best in his program and his players - even when others did not.
Salamanca's Adam Bennett is a most deserving Centercourt Coach of the Year for the 2024 season.
-centercourt
The 2024 CC MVP
Jaiden Harrison
Timon, Senior
20.3 PPG / 7.6 RPG / 6.3 APG / 2.1 SPG / 1.0 BPG
- Four-time All-Centercourt Top 20 selection
- Manhattan Cup Champion
- MVP of the Manhattan Cup
- POY in the Monsignor Martin Association
- Game MVP at the Centercourt Classic
- All-Time Scoring Leader in WNY History
- Led WNY in assists
- Led Timon in PPG, RPG, APG, & BPG
- Season-High 34 pts in a win over Jamestown
- 5 games scoring 30+ pts
- 14 games scoring 20+ pts
- 15 games with 8+ rebounds
- 14 games with 6+ assists
- 4 games with 4+ steals
- Recorded 3 Triple-Doubles
- Recorded 12 Double-Doubles
- Centercourt #BOOM Squad
- Centercourt Sniper Squad
- Centercourt Dime Dropper
2,476 Career Points
-centercourt
Centercourt Coach of the Year
Adam Bennett - Salamanca
Over a decade ago, I knew Adam Bennett as the fresh-faced assistant coach at Olean, who always went out of his way to say hello when I made the trip down there. After the Huskies won the state championship in 2016, Bennett took over as head coach at Salamanca High School and seemed very eager with the opportunity. He had spent years soaking in knowledge from brilliant basketball minds around him, namely Hall of Famer & legend Jeff Anastasia, St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt, and former Olean AD & girls coach, Don Scholla. In his first season as the head coach at Salamanca, the team won 15 games and finished second in league play. However, the following season was a losing campaign for the team, finishing with just nine wins.
Fast-forward a couple seasons, both winning ones for the program, Bennett made the decision to move his team into the toughest league in the Southern Tier… the same one ruled by Olean and the master of head coaches, Anastasia. I had gotten to know him better by then, and remember him telling me about that decision & what a good one it was for his program in order to get better. He believed in the immense potential of an 8th grader who started on his varsity squad named Lucus Brown. I didn’t tell him at the time, but I thought his expectations were a bit too lofty. It’s a whole new world up there, I thought, and reality is going to hit and hit hard. That first season in CCAA I West was Brown's freshman season and a difficult campaign for every team in WNY, as it was the Covid-shortened year that excluded spectators and required masks. The team went just 7–8 that year and finished fifth in league play.
Enter 2022, the season Salamanca Basketball became a household name in the area. Bennett was now in his sixth year as head coach, and his young standout was ready to breakout. That move into the tough league and the lumps they took in their inaugural season there, proved to pay huge dividends when the Warriors won not only a sectional title, but entertained the Sports Arena at Buff State with a thrilling regional victory to earn the first trip to Glens Falls in school history.
Bennett and Salamanca entered 2023 more motivated than ever with the success in 2022 and eyed a return trip to the promised land, despite being moved up an entire classification, no longer a Class C team. They won 20 games and went undefeated in league play to earn the title. The team returned to the Section VI Finals, this time in Class B2. Salamanca was upset in the championship game and left with the bitter taste of defeat in their mouth, losing to a tough Fredonia team they had taken care of twice earlier that year.
Once again competing in Class B2 for the 2024 Season, but now with just one remaining starter that played on the state run two seasons prior, the end goal remained the same coming in - Glens Falls! However, the strong league schedule was no longer enough for Bennett’s program. They wanted to play anybody they could, and signed up for some tough nonleague games.
Coming off of a historical run to the Far West Regional in football, several of the key pieces hadn’t even thought about hoops yet when the season started in December. I was on hand for Salamanca's first game this year against Cheektowaga. Boy did the late football season show against a talented Class A1 team. After getting handled for four quarters and forgetting how to play defense altogether, I left saying that’s the worst Salamanca team I’ve watched in three years. I even expressed that opinion to Bennett the next time I spoke to him. He agreed. However, unlike myself, it didn’t change his opinion of his own group at all. He still had full faith in his team's ability to achieve the goals ahead and said as much.
The next opponent on the schedule was eventual Class A1 Champion, Williamsville South, a team I had just watched the night prior. The Warriors were in big trouble, I thought, and decided against going to the game I had initially planned on making the trip for. Later that evening, I retweeted the Salamanca team account - a 56-38 victory over the Billies.
I was sure to be on hand for their next game, a trip to Niagara County's Class AA Niagara Wheatfield, who was fresh off a win over Lockport. Behind a 32-point performance from Lucus Brown and blistering team defense, they headed home with a 15-point victory. The next time they took the floor was a 31-point win against Class AA Sweet Home.
The Warriors had quickly restored my confidence and were now an easy choice to rank second among small schools behind reigning state champion Randolph - a team they'd face in early February. After earning a hard-fought comeback victory in the game that stole the show at the 2024 Centercourt Classic, Salamanca took the top spot amongst small schools in the area.
After finishing the regular season 15-5 and earning a second straight league championship in the division I thought they were crazy to join, Salamanca was the top seed in Class B2 and an overwhelming favorite to win the bracket. Instead, news came down just before the playoffs that an opt out by Buffalo Arts would force Salamanca to move up into Class B1, a bracket viewed as the most competitive, and one they had done little scout.
To make things more interesting, after the seedings came out, they would have to host Fredonia in a quarterfinal. The Hillbillies remember, were the team that dashed their hopes last season and had caught fire late in the season this year, knocking Salamanca off in their second league meeting.
Playing their best basketball of the season, and seemingly unfazed by a bump in classification on short notice, Salamanca marched through the local competition and won every Section VI playoff game by double figures. That list included Fredonia in the quarterfinal, N-O co-league champions Akron & Newfane, and Falconer in the regional qualifier game - all teams that would finish among the Top 10 WNY Small Schools at season's end.
The final hurdle for a return to Glens Falls in a higher classification was Avon, the team they had beaten in the regional two years earlier, ranked in the top five well ahead of Salamanca in NYS Class B for the second half of the season. Before a raucous crowd full of fans from both teams, Salamanca punched their ticket again.
Bennett will be the first to tell you that he's surrounded himself with great basketball minds and will incorporate anything he sees another team have success with for his own benefit. He speaks with ultimate respect for the abilities of the other coaches in his league, his rivals, and his mentors. He's assembled an outstanding staff of assistant coaches, including the Hall of Famer he was working under when I met him. And while you can see elements from all the greats he’s learned from, Salamanca basketball is a team with its own unique identity, and already one others will try to emulate.
Bennett is one of the rare ones that goes far above, and beyond to create an experience within his program that bonds young men together for life both on & off the court, while teaching the game. His teams play with such a fierce competitiveness, pride, and unity that most programs don’t commit to the consistent hard work to attain.
While every team has players that deal with loss and hardships, I want you to trust me as an audience...what some of the young men at Salamanca have collectively overcome together is remarkable. Also, remarkable is the class that those young men conduct themselves with, along with the chemistry and cohesion they have built together and showed as a team all season.
Salamanca's 2024 accomplishments include six victories over five other sectional champions (South by 18, Olean twice by 15 & 14, Falconer by 10, Randolph, & Avon) wins over eight state-ranked teams across four classifications, and a second straight league championship. They are the undisputed #1 small school in WNY and one of three teams to advance to the NYS Final Four.
They did all of this with one player placing among the Centercourt Top 60, a tremendous staff & community, a relentless team that truly played together & for each other, and a head coach who has always seen the best in his program and his players - even when others did not.
Salamanca's Adam Bennett is a most deserving Centercourt Coach of the Year for the 2024 season.
-centercourt
Large Schools
1. Timon (AA) - Manhattan Cup Champions, CHSAA Finalists
2.Canisius (AA) Monsignor Martin Association Champions, Manhattan Cup Finalists
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) - Section VI Class AAA Champions, Far West Regional Champions
4. Jamestown (AA1) - Section VI Class AA Champions, Far West Regional Champions, ECIC I Champions
5. Health Sciences (AA2) - Section VI Class AA2 Champions, Yale Cup I Champions
6. St. Joe's (AA) - Manhattan Cup Semifinalists
7. Nichols (AA) - Manhattan Cup Semifinalists
8. Williamsville South (A1) - Section VI Class A1 Champions, ECIC III Champions
9. Amherst (A1) - ECIC II Champions, Section VI Class AAA Finalist
10. Orchard Park (AA1) - Section VI Class AA1 Semifinalists
Small Schools
1. Salamanca (B1) - Section VI Class B Champions, Far West Regional Champions, CCAA I West Champions
2. Randolph (C) - Section VI Class AAA Champions, CCAA I East Champions
3. Westfield (C) - CCAA II West Champions, Section VI Class C Finalists
4. Newfane (B1) - N-O Champions, Section VI Class B1 Finalists
5. Akron (B1) - N-O Champions, Section VI Class B1 Semifinalists
6. Falconer (B2) - Section VI Class B2 Champions
7. Eden (B2) - Section VI Class B2 Finalists
8. Olmsted (B1) - Yale Cup II Champions, Section VI Class B1 Semifinalists
9. Fredonia (B1) - Only WNY small school to defeat Salamanca in 2024
10. Panama (C) - Only losses on of the 2024 Season to Randolph & Westfield
-centercourt
Monsignor Martin Association
Player of the Year:
Jaiden Harrison - Timon, 12
First Team
Jacob Humphrey - Timon, 12
Jakye Rainey - Nichols, 12
Nakyhi Harris - Timon, 11
Nicholas Purdie - Canisius, 11
Jaymeir Goosby - St, Joe's, 11
Second Team
Pat Benzer - Canisius, 12
Gionni Zelasko - St. Joe's, 11
Hezekiah Hall - Nichols, 11
Mekhi Gidney - St. Joe's, 11
Jeremiah Neely - St. Francis, 12
Honorable Mention
St. Mary's: Will Szablewski 10
Park: Jarrell Green 12
Cardinal O'Hara: Simmarion Threet 12
******************************
ECIC I
Player of the Year:
Jaydian Johnson - Jamestown, 11
First Team
Jordan Alexander - Lancaster, 12
Matt LaRusch - Frontier, 12
Chris McDonald - Orchard Park, 12
Nate Errington - Frontier, 12
Sean Gilmartin - Clarence, 12
Second Team
Stash Foster - Williamsville North, 11
Dominic Gonzalez - Jamestown, 10
Cullen Colpoys - Orchard Park, 12
Channing Francis - Lancaster, 12
Bishop Butts - Jamestown, 12
Honorable Mention
Jamestown: Elijah Farmer 10
Orchard Park: Deacon Fischer 12
Williamsville North: Chase Dade 12
Clarence: Brett Erbacher 12, Greg Erbacher 11
Frontier: Kian Bennett 12
**********************************
ECIC II
Player of the Year:
Ahmir Dunn - Amherst, 12
First Team
Nate Blenman - Amherst, 10
Mason Evans - Willaimsville East, 12
Ash Hunter - Hamburg, 11
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East, 11
Antonio Andrews - Amherst, 11
Cohen Vogel - Starpoint, 11
Second Team
Ryan Vanderlip - West Seneca West, 12
Jackson Griesmer - Starpoint
Tyshaun Viverette - Sweet Home, 12
Zayvion Hawkins - Amherst, 10
Jack Kempf - Starpoint, 11
Bryce Terry - Hamburg, 11
Third Team
Gavin French - West Seneca West, 11
Jack DeLuca - Williamsville East, 11
Kirill Sorken - Williamsville East, 11
Landon Haug - Sweet Home, 12
Ben Olson - Starpoint, 11
Evan Meader - Hamburg, 12
Patrick Sarzynski - Amherst, 12
Shaun McGrath - Sweet Home, 10
Puneet Singh - Williamsville East, 11
Jimmy Steffen - Hamburg, 11
Tyler Gervasio - West Seneca West, 12
**********************************
ECIC III
Player of the Year:
Daryl Montgomery - Cheektowaga, 12
First Team
Dalton Giboo - Pioneer, 12
Carter Lampke - Williamsville South, 11
Sam Platt - Pioneer, 11
Ro'Mel Speaks - Cheektowaga, 12
Nate Wilemski - Williamsville South, 10
Second Team
Karter Giboo - Pioneer, 11
Jason Jasinski - West Seneca East, 12
Jaxsyn Moritz - Maryvale, 11
Michael Munzert - Williamsville South, 12
John Opfer - Williamsville South, 12
Honorable Mention
Lake Shore: Aiden Button 12, Troy Kennedy 12, Gavin Wiktor 12
West Seneca East: Devon Madding 12
Cheektowaga: JJ Shanklin 9
Pioneer: Isaac Platt 9
***************************************
ECIC IV
Co-Players of the Year:
Kyan Gray - Lackawanna, 12
Justus Kleitz - Iroquois, 10
First Team
Tommy Che - Depew, 12
Max Perry - Springville, 12
CJ Kannick - Depew, 12
Leferald Hines - Lackawanna, 11
Second Team
Jason Brotsko - Iroquois, 12
Casey Wright - Tonawanda, 12
Tim Boucher - Alden, 12
Teagan Nolan - Springville, 12
Rob Westmiller - Alden, 11
Honorable Mention
Lackawanna: Basim Simmons 12
Depew: Tyler Pagano, 12
Iroquois: TJ Domino 10
Springville: Garrison Heichberger 12
****************************************
ECIC V
Player of the Year:
Taesyn Slating - Eden, 12
First Team
Patrick Bodecker - East Aurora, 12
Cameron D'Hilly - Cleveland Hill, 12
Brady Wiskup - Holland, 11
Hunter Gould - East Aurora, 12
Nashaan Young - Tapestry, 10
Second Team
Michael Weyland - Eden, 12
Javier Nelson - Cleveland Hill, 11
Darius Brown - Global Concepts, 12
Kemauri Avery - JFK, 12
Michael Mingle - JFK, 11
Kamron Brage - Tapestry, 10
Honorable Mention
Holland: Dax Bengart 12
Tapestry: James Smith 11, Gary Alexander 8
Eden: Tyler Wakelam 11, Kobe Genco 8
Global Concepts: Edwin Garcia 12
East Aurora: Charlie Meyer 12
***************************************
Niagara Frontier League
Player of the Year:
Charlie Croff - Lockport, 10
First Team
Luke Walck - Niagara Wheatfield, 12
Jayce Wylke - Grand Island - 11
Shawn Watson - Niagara Wheatfield, 12
Mike Griffin - Lockport, 11
Greydan Barnwell - Lew-Port, 10
Second Team
Joe Alvarez - Ken West, 12
Harlem Brannon - Ken West, 10
Lukacz Basiliko - Grand Island, 12
Roman Nuchereno - Grand Island, 12
Kylan Davis - CSAT, 12
Third Team
Maurice Woods - Lockport, 11
Caleb Barry - Lockport, 11
Jack Giancola - North Tonawanda, 10
Nick Argenio - Ken West, 12
Ian Cooper - Lockport, 12
***********************
Niagara-Orleans League
Player of the Year:
Landon Braman - Newfane, 12
First Team
Ben Dickinson - Newfane, 12
Luey Castro - Barker, 12
Benjamin Gerstung - Akron, 10
Dan Aquilina - Roy-Hart, 11
Blake Martin - Wilson, 12
Second Team
Nate Snow - Newfane, 12
Brale Abrams - Akron, 12
Remington Albee - Roy-Hart, 12
Aiden Mescall - Barker, 12
Aiden Neumann - Wilson, 10
Blake Preston - Albion, 12
Honorable Mention
Newfane: Mac Capen 10, Brayden Seitz 10
Akron: Trace Hill 12, Brayden Lamont 11, Blake Gerstung 10
Roy-Hart: Jayden Swygert 12, Jackson Webber 12, Brayden Ricker 11
Albion: Wylie Ollie 10, Kyle Raddner 11
Medina: Justin Pitts 12
Barker: Owen Harris 11
Wilson: Ryan Hough 10
************************************
CCAA I West
Player of the Year:
Lucus Brown - Salamanca, 12
First Team
Carson Kwiatkowski - Allegany-Limestone, 11
Greg Orcutt - Dunkirk, 11
Mike Hahn - Fredonia, 12
Davion White - Fredonia, 12
Caedyn Tingley - Olean, 11
Second Team
Mike Frederick - Allegany-Limestone, 12
Luca Quinn - Olean, 11
Avery Brown - Salamanca, 11
Jaxson Ross - Salamanca, 12
Sam Arrington - Southwestern, 12
Honorable Mention
Salamanca: Maddox Isaac 11
Allegany-Limestone: Kellan Brady 12, Sean Conroy 12
Fredonia: Ashton Putney 11, RJ Koopman 10
Olean: Dwayne Motley 12, Sullivan Hoffman 11
Southwestern: Declan Kennedy 12
Dunkirk: Kavion Tell 9
**********************************
CCAA I East
Player of the Year:
Drew Hind - Randolph, 11
First Team
Gavin Smith - Frewsburg, 12
Quentin Centner - Gowanda, 12
Roger Markham - Falconer, 10
Griffin Nelson - Randolph, 11
Ace Pierce - Cassadaga Valley, 12
Second Team
Ray Cortes - Silver Creek, 12
Mathis Baehr - Falconer, 11
Aiden DeFazio - Portville, 10
Roan Kelly - Randolph, 12
Simon White - Silver Creek, 11
***********************************
CCAA II West
Co-Players of the Year:
Carson Swanson - Westfield, 11
Carter Brink - Panama 11
First Team
Jack Mansfield - Maple Grove, 12
Kaden Beckerink - Clymer, 12
Bryce Hinsdale - Panama 11
Zach Maguire - Westfield, 11
Nick Jacobson - Chautauqua Lake, 10
Second Team
Jonah Foley - Maple Grove, 12
Aaron Fuller - Westfield, 12
Marcus Laney - Maple Grove, 12
Jonathan Massing - Clymer, 12
Jacob Ferranto - Sherman, 10
Honorable Mention
Westfield: Chris Vacanti 12
Panama: Alex Barmore 11, Tate Cantanese 11
Sherman: Daniel Meeder 12
Brocton: Michael Garcia 11
Chautauqua Lake: Nate Henry 11, Brenden Klossner 11, Asher Olson 10
Maple Grove: Nathan Cresanti 12
************************************
CCAA II East
Player of the Year:
Derek Ebersole - North Collins, 12
First Team
Owen Chudy - Ellicottville, 12
Miles Volk - Pine Valley, 11
Bretton Blecha - Franklinville, 11
Jon Sheldon - Pine Valley, 12
Blake Smith - Ellicottville, 9
Second Team
Matthew Spittler - Franklinville, 11
Noah Shenk - Franklinville, 12
William Benatovich - Ellicottville, 12
Carter Smith - Ellicottville, 11
Nick Seabolt - Pine Valley, 12
Honorable Mention
Forestville: Jackson Rebbmann 12, Jacob Anders 9
Franklinville: Beau Bielecki 12
North Collins: Walter Ebersole 10
Cattaraugua-Little Valley: DJ Szata 11
West Valley: Jadon Schoepflin 12
***************************************************
YALE CUP I
Player of the Year:
Amir Moye - Health Sciences, 11
David Washington - Hutch Tech, 12
First Team
Michael Whitt - Heath Sciences, 12
Sajon Beasley - McKinley, 12
Jaykwon Kyle - Middle College, 11
Brandon Mickell - South Park, 11
Second Team
Montrice Webster - Heath Sciences, 12
Emir Lindsay - IPrep, 12
Jussean Pearsall - East, 12
Mayen Majong - Bennett, 12
Yarsiah Kerkulah - Hutch Tech, 12
Third Team
Davonte Hughes 10 - McKinley, 11
Rhondell Johnson - East, 12
Zymir Perdue - Middle College, 11
Jakari Lott - Health Sciences, 12
Everette Abernathy - McKinley, 11
Honorable Mention
Health Sciences: Staz Chiddick 11
Hutch-Tech: Sean Jones 12, Juel Joseph 11
Middle College: Demetrius Washington 12, Anthony Johnson 10
South Park: Noah Willoughby 12, Anthony Harris 12, Cajimere Bennett 12
McKinley: Assad Sheikh 11, Cardell Staples 10
I-Prep: Damone Lee 12, Jaydan Daniels 12
East: Mysean Morrison 12
Bennett: Tyrone Traver 12, Koul Deng 10
***********************************
YALE CUP II
Co-Players of the Year:
Shamere Davis - MST Seneca, 12
Ezekiel Alexander - Olmsted, 12
First Team
Trekwon Guilford - Burgard, 12
Tacari McCray - Olmsted, 10
Javon Elliott - Riverside, 10
Elias Sherrieb - City Honors, 12
Second Team
Landon Jaeckle - Riverside, 12
Jalen Robinson - Buffalo Arts, 12
Jamere Robinson - Buffalo Culinary, 11
Ashton Taylor - Burgard, 12
John Curry - MST Seneca, 12
Third Team
Izeal Bullock - Olmsted, 11
Na'Jai Starks - Burgard, 12
Corey Staples - MST Seneca, 12
Karim Saminur - City Honors, 12
Makir Bom - MST Seneca, 11
Honorable Mention
Burgard: Tyler Livingston 11
Olmsted: Griffin Potwora 11
Emerson: Cincere Brown 12
Buffalo Arts: Jaiden Daniels 11
Riverside: Nelson Camacho 11
City Honors: Adam Santiago 12
****************************
All-ECIC
Player of the Year
Jaydian Johnson - Jamestown, 11
First Team
Jordan Alexander - Lancaster, 12
Chris McDonald - Orchard Park, 12
Ahmir Dunn - Amherst, 12
Daryl Montgomery - Cheektowaga, 12
Justus Kleitz - Iroquois, 10
Second Team
Taesyn Slating - Eden, 12
Nate Errington - Frontier, 12
Matthew LaRusch - Frontier, 12
Sam Platt - Pioneer, 11
Nate Blenman - Amherst, 10
Kyan Gray - Lackawanna, 12
Honorable Mention
Carter Lampke - Williamsville South, 11
Mason Evans - Willaimsville East, 12
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East, 11
Sean Gilmartin - Clarence, 12
Ash Hunter - Hamburg, 11
Nate Wilemski - Williamsville South, 10
Patrick Bodecker - East Aurora, 12
Cameron D'Hilly - Cleveland Hill, 12
Antonio Andrews - Amherst, 11
-centercourt
Class AAA
MVP: Nick Estell - Niagara Falls
Ephraim Strong - Niagara Falls
John Strong - Niagara Falls
Michael Taylor - Niagara Falls
Ryan Hartwig - Lancaster
Jordan Alexander - Lancaster
Class AA1
MVP: Jaydian Johnson
Dom Gonzalez - Jamestown
Charlie Croff - Lockport
Caleb Barry - Lockport
Chris McDonald - Orchard Park
Shawn Watson - Niagara Wheatfield
Class AA2
MVP: Amir Moye - Health Sciences
Michael Whitt - Health Sciences
Aaron Weiss - Williamsville East
Mason Evans - Williamsville East
Nathan Jaskolka - Hamburg
Harlem Brannon - Ken West
Class A1
MVP: Nate Wilemski - Williamsville South
Carter Lampke - Williamsville South
Zayvion Hawkins - Amherst
Ahmir Dunn - Amherst
Dalton Giboo - Pioneer
Lukacz Basiliko - Grand Island
Class A2
MVP: Mykel Rivera - Olean
Caedyn Tingley - Olean
Tyler Pagano - Depew
Tommy Che - Depew
Kian Gray - Lackawanna
Jason Brotsko - Iroquois
Class B1
MVP: Lucus Brown - Salamanca
Jaxson Ross - Salamanca
Mac Capen - Newfane
Nate Snow - Newfane
Ezekiel Alexander - Olmsted
Brayden Lamont - Akron
Class B2
MVP: Roger Markham - Falconer
Zach Markham - Falconer
Taesyn Slating - Eden
Kobe Genco - Eden
Carson Kwiatkowski - Allegany-Limestone
Shamere Davis - MST Seneca
Class C
MVP: Drew Hind - Randolph
Roan Kelly - Randolph
Carson Swanson - Westfield
Aaron Fuller - Westfield
Gavin Smith - Frewsburg
Jordan Mescall - Panama
Class D
MVP: Jon Sheldon - Pine Valley
Miles Volk - Pine Valley
Tyler Mihalko - Clymer
Kameron Einink - Clymer
Daniel Meeder - Sherman
Jacob Anders - Forestville
-centercourt
Monday, February 26th
Class AA2 Semifinal - 5 pm
Health Sciences #1 (18-3) * Yale Cup I Champions
vs.
Kenmore West Blue Devils #5 (12-9) * Finished 4th in NFL
Health Sciences
- Ranked #4 Large School
- Defeated Sweet Home to get here
- Best win this season - St. Joe's
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class AA Semifinals to Niagara Falls
- Led by Amir Moye & Michael Whitt
Kenmore West
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated Starpoint to get here
- Best win this season - Starpoint
- Reached Buff State in 2017, losing in the Class AA Semifinals to Lancaster
- Led by Harlem Brannon & Joe Alvarez
Class AA2 Semifinal - 6:30 pm
Hamburg Bulldogs #2 (15-6) * Finished 2nd in ECIC II
vs.
Williamsville East Flames #3 (12-9) * Finished 3rd in ECIC II
Hamburg
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated West Seneca West to get here
- Best win this season - Starpoint
- Reached Buff State in 2016, losing in the Class A1 Semifinals to Williamsville South
- Led by Ash Hunter & James Steffen
Williamsville East
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated North Tonawanda to get here
- Best win this season - Lockport
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class A1 Semifinals to McKinley
- Led by Aaron Weiss & Mason Evans
Class AA1 Semifinal - 8 pm
Jamestown Red Raiders #1 (17-4) * Champions of ECIC I
vs.
Orchard Park Quakers #4 (17-4) *Finished 2nd in ECIC I
Jamestown
- Ranked #6 Large School
- Defeated Clarence to get here
- Best win this season - Lancaster
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing the Class AA Final to Niagara Falls
- Led by Jaydian Johnson & Dominic Gonzalez
Orchard Park
- Ranked #8 Large School
- Defeated Hutch Tech to get here
- Best win this season - Jamestown
- Reached Buff State in 2022, losing in the Class AA Semifinals to Niagara Falls
- Led by Chris McDonald & Cullen Colpoys
******** ******** **********
Tuesday, February 27th
Class AA1 Semifinal - 5 pm
Lockport Lions #2 (15-6) * Champions of the NFL
vs.
Niagara Wheatfield #3 (16-5) * Finished 2nd in NFL
Lockport
- Ranked #10 Large School
- Defeated Frontier to get here
- Best win this season - Frontier
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class AA Semifinals to Jamestown
- Led by Charlie Croff & Mike Griffin
Niagara Wheatfield
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated McKinley to get here
- Best win this season - Lockport
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class A1 Final to McKinley
- Led by Luke Walck & Shawn Watson
Class A1 Semifinal - 6:30 pm
Amherst Tigers #1 (17-4) * Champions of ECIC II
vs.
Grand Island Vikings #5 (18-4) * Finished 3rd in NFL
Amherst
- Ranked #7 Large School
- Defeated Lake Shore to get here
- Best win this season - Niagara Falls
- Reached Buff State in 2023, winning overall Class A
- Led by Nate Blenman & Ahmir Dunn
Grand Island
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated Cheektowaga to get here
- Best win this season - Cheektowaga
- Reached Buff State in 2017, losing in the Class A1 Semifinals to North Tonawanda
- Led by Jayce Wylke & Lukacz Basilico
Class A1 Semifinal - 8 pm
Pioneer Panthers #2 (17-4) * Champions of ECIC III
vs.
Williamsville South Billies #3 (13-8) * Champions of ECIC III
Pioneer
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated CSAT to get here
- Best win this season - Williamsville South
- Reached Buff State in 2022,losing in the Class A2 Semifinals to Health Sciences
- Led by Sam Platt & Dalton Giboo
Williamsville South
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated South Park to get here
- Best win this season - Niagara Wheatfield
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class A2 Final to Amherst
- Led by Carter Lampke & Nate Wilemski
*********** ************* ***************
Wednesday, February 28th
Class A2 Semifinal - 5 pm
Lackawanna Steelers #1 (14-4) * Champions of ECIC IV
vs.
Olean Huskies #5 (9-12) * Finished 3rd in CCAA I West
Lackawanna
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated Springville to get here
- Best win of the season - Grand Island
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class B1 Semifinals to Lew-Port
- Led by Kyan Gray & Laferald Hines
Olean
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated City Honors to get here
- Best win this season - Allegany-Limestone
- Reached Buff State in 2022, winning the Class B1 Championship
Led by Caedyn Tingley & Luca Quinn
Class A2 Semifinal - 6:30 pm
Iroquois Chiefs #2 (16-5) * Finished 2nd in ECIC IV
vs.
Depew Wildcats #3 (10-11) * Finished 3rd in ECIC III
Iroquois
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated Lew-Port to get here
- Best win this season - Depew
- Reached Buff State in 2019, losing in the Class A2 Semifinals to Amherst
- Led by Justus Kleitz & Jason Brostko
Depew
- Unranked Large School
- Defeated Alden to get here
- Best win this season - Lackawanna
- Reached Buff State in 2020, losing in the Class B1 Semifinals to Olean
- Led by Tommy Che & CJ Kanick
Class B2 Semifinal - 8 pm
MST Seneca Wolves #1 (12-7) * Finished 3rd in Yale Cup II
vs.
Falconer Golden Falcons #5 (13-9) * Finished 3rd in CCAA I East
MST Seneca
- Unranked Small School
- Defeated Wilson to get here
- Best win this season - Burgard
- Reached Buff State in 2017, losing in the Class B2 Semifinals to Newfane
- Led by Shamere Davis & Corey Staples
Falconer
- Unranked Small School
- Defeated Roy-Hart to get here
- Best win this season - Olean
- Reached Buff State in 2007, losing in the Class B1 Final to East
- Led by Roger Markham & Mathis Baehr
******** ******** **********
Thursday, February 29th
Class B2 Semifinal - 5 pm
Eden Raiders #2 (17-4) #2 * Finished 2nd in ECIC V
vs.
Allegany-Limestone Gators #6 (11-11) * Finished 4th in CCAA I West
Eden
- Unranked Small School
- Defeated Silver Creek to get here
- Best win this season - Tapestry
- First appearance at Buff State in program history
- Led by Taesyn Slating & Mike Weyland
Allegany-Limestone
- Unranked Small School
- Defeated Tapestry to get here
- Best win this season - East Auora
- Reached Buff State in 2022, winning overall Class B
- Led by Carson Kwiatkowski & Michael Frederick
Class B1 Semifinal - 6:30 pm
Salamanca Warriors #1 (16-5) * Champions of CCAA I West
vs.
Akron Tigers #4 (18-3) * Champions of Niagara-Orleans
Salamanca
- Ranked #1 Small School
- Defeated Fredonia to get here
- Best win this season - Niagara Wheatfield
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class B2 Final to Fredonia
- Led by Lucus Brown & Avery Brown
Akron
- Ranked #4 Small School
- Defeated East Aurora to get here
- Best win this season - Newfane
- Reached Buff State in 2010, winning the Class B2 Championship
- Led by Ben Gerstung & Trace Hill
Class B1 Semifinal - 8 pm
Newfane Panthers #3 (19-2) *Champions of Niagara-Orleans
vs.
Olmsted Owls #2 (15-6) * Champions of Yale Cup II
Newfane
- Ranked #3 Small School
- Defeated Burgard to get here
- Best win this season - Akron
- Reached Buff State in 2023, losing in the Class B2 Semifinals to Fredonia
- Led by Landon Braman & Ben Dickinson
Olmsted
- Ranked #7 Small School
- Defeated Middle College to get here
- Best win this season - Middle College
- Reached Buff State in 2020, losing in the Class B2 Semifinals to Newfane
- Led by Tacari McCray & Ezekiel Alexander
******** ******** **********
Friday, March 1st
Class AAA Semifinal - 6:30 pm
Class A1 Semifinal - 8 pm
******** ******** **********
Saturday, March 2nd
Class B2 Final - 12 pm
Class B1 Final - 1:45 pm
Class A2 Final - 3:30 pm
Class AA2 Final - 7 pm
Class AA1 Final - 8:45 pm
-centercourt
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