Hosted by Hamburg High School at 4111 Legion Drive in Hamburg, NY
Monday, January 24th
Iroquois @ Sweet Home - 6:30 pm
Orchard Park @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm
Hamburg @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, January 25th
Olmsted @ Burgard - 4:30 pm
St. Mary's @ St. Joe's - 6:30 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Lew-Port @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Pioneer @ Maryvale - 6:30 pm
Riverside @ McKinley - 6:30 pm
St. Francis @ Canisius - 7 pm
Randolph @ Southwestern - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 26th
Sweet Home @ Amherst - 7:30 pm
Orchard Park @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm
Williamsville East @ Willaimsville South - 7:30 pm
Hamburg @ Clarence - 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 27th
City Honors @ Burgard - 4 pm
Lew-Port @ Niagara Wheatfield - 6:30 pm
Southwestern @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm
Salamanca @ Olean - 7:30 pm
Dunkirk @ Fredonia - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 21st
Riverside @ Olmsted - 6 pm
St. Joe's @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Jamestown @ Elmira - 7 pm
Cheektowaga @ Tapestry - 7 pm
St. Mary's @ Nichols - 7:30 pm
Clarence @ Hamburg - 7:30 pm
NFL vs. ECIC Challenge at North Tonawanda
CSAT vs. Frontier - 5 pm
Lew-Port vs. Williamsville South - 6:30 pm
Niagara Wheatfield vs. Orchard Park - 8 pm
Saturday, January 22nd
Hilton @ Olean - 11 am
Hutch-Tech @ Middle College - 12:30 pm
Sherman @ Clymer - 3 pm
NFL vs. ECIC Challenge at North Tonawanda
Ken East vs. Depew - 12 pm
Lockport vs. Amherst - 1:30 pm
North Tonawanda vs. Iroquois - 3 pm
-centercourt
(Willie Lightfoot & Roddy Gayle wait to be announced as 8th grade starters for Falls before the 2018 Class AA Final/Photo: Harry Scull)
Monday, January 14th
St. Joe's @ St. Francis - 7 pm
Maritime @ BASCS - 7 pm
West Seneca West @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, January 15th
City Honors @ Olmsted - 6 pm
Maryvale @ Amherst - 6 pm
Lew-Port @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Lake Shore @ Williamsville East - 6:30 pm
Springville @ Cheektowaga - 6:30 pm
Sweet Home @ Williamsville North - 7 pm
West Seneca East @ Frontier - 7 pm
Lackawanna @ Williamsville South - 7:30 pm
Olean @ Southwestern - 7:30 pm
Jamestown @ Fredonia - 7:30 pm
Salamanca @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 16th
Cardinal O'Hara @ St. Francis - 6:30 pm
Tapestry @ Maritime - 6:30 pm
Lancaster @ Clarence - 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 17th
Hutch Tech @ City Honors - 6 pm
Williamsville North @ West Seneca West - 6:30 pm
Lake Shore @ Iroquois - 6:30 pm
Lackawanna @ Springville - 6:30 pm
East @ Northstar Christian - 7 pm
Nichols @ Orchard Park - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 18th
Wilson @ Medina - 6:30 pm
Niagara Falls @ Lew-Port - 7 pm
Jamestown @ Frontier - 7 pm
Randolph @ Salamanca - 7:30 pm
Allegany-Limestone @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
West Seneca East @ Amherst - 7:30 pm
MLK Classic at City Honors
City Honors vs. JFK - 4:30 pm
I-Prep vs. Maritime - 6 pm
Saturday, January 19th
Canisius @ St. Joe's - 2:30 pm
MLK Classic at City Honors
McKinley vs. Amherst - 2 pm
East vs. Health Sciences - 3:30 pm
Middle College vs. North Tonawanda - 5:45 pm
Sunday, January 20th
MLK Classic at Bishop Grimes
St. Francis vs. Mekeel Christian - 6:30 pm
* Game of the Week - Niagara Falls @ Lew-Port on Friday, January 18th
Was there ever even a question? The game that Falls' fans have been waiting for since the summer has almost arrived!
For the first time in a very long time, two of WNY's top five large schools hail from Niagara County. While Niagara Falls has won three consecutive Section VI titles in Class AA and always occupies an annual spot near the top of the large school rankings, Lew-Port is one of the smallest large schools in the area and hasn't won a sectional title since 1978. But the most significant transfer in my time covering hoops just might change that.
After averaging over 12 points per game as an eighth grader for Niagara Falls and helping lead the team to the Class AA Regional, Roddy Gayle transferred to Lew-Port over the summer. Now a freshman sensation in WNY high school basketball, Gayle has teamed with some very talented players who were already at Lew-Port. Trent Scott earned All-Centercourt Honorable Mention as a junior last season for the Lancers, eighth grader Jalen Duff has played like a veteran in the back court, and senior Zach Claybourne has been very productive for the team.
Gayle's departure would have left Falls with just one young prodigy in Willie Lightfoot, who also starred as an eighth grader at NFHS -- except for the return home by a third young prodigy from Niagara Falls.
When Niagara Catholic closed it's doors, 2018 Third Team All-Centercourt pick and Manhattan Cup MVP Jalen Bradberry returned to his home school. Bradberry has teamed with Lightfoot, along with seniors Josiah Harris & Moran Montgomery, to make this version of Falls an exciting brand of basketball that features shooting, speed, & pressure. The Wolverines are capable of overwhelming opponents when they start turning teams over, then running & scoring in transition.
The Wolverines and the Lancers are currently tied for first place in the NFL, both undefeated in league play. Lew-Port is also one of just three teams in WNY with an overall record that's unblemished, sitting at 11-0. Both teams are averaging 82 points per game (11 points above the next highest scoring Section VI team), with Falls allowing 53 points per game and the Lancers giving up 57 per outing.
While Gayle, Bradberry, and Lightfoot were supposed to be the next big thing together at Niagara Falls, instead we have something else to look forward to. There's a lot of pride among these three friends and both teams are ready to make a statement. Whatever happens Friday night, it's going to be awesome! It's the 'Game of the Week' - Cataract City-style!
-centercourt
(Davonte Gaines & Health Sciences punched their 'Ticket' to Binghamton)
Class AA: Fairport 63, Niagara Falls 32
N. Falls 12 - 6 - 5 - 9 = 32
Fairport 13 - 16 - 18 - 16 = 63
Player Stats: Fairport Red Raiders
Dan Masino 16 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk
Ryan Algier 13 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Blk, 1 Ast
Cameron Keeley 12 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast
Matt Muncey 5 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl
Stephen Gabel 7 Pts, 10 Reb
TJ Hendricks 5 Pts, 3 Ast, 2 Reb, 1 Stl
Jordan Holmes 2 Reb, 1 Blk
Nick Kennedy 3 Pts, 1 Reb
Jackson Sullivan 2 Pts, 1 Stl
Player Stats: Niagara Falls Wolverines
Charles Lamar 13 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Ast, 1 Blk
Tazaun Rose 6 Pts, 2 Ast, 1 Reb
Marquise Miller 6 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl
Tyler Sanders 4 Pts, 6 Reb
Syquan Ralands 3 Pts, 3 Reb
Cortese Myles 2 Ast
Quaran Dubois 2 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 Stl
Jamel Burton 2 Stl, 1 Reb, 1 Ast
Roderick Arrington 1 Reb
Game Stats
FG%: Red Raiders 50%, Wolverines 20.9%
3-Point %: Red Raiders 42.9%, Wolverines 33.3%
Points in Paint: Red Raiders 32, Wolverines 6
Points Off Turnovers: Red Raiders 19, Wolverines 9
Bench Points: Red Raiders 10, Wolverines 3
2nd Chance Points: Red Raiders 23, Wolverines 3
Rebounds: Red Raiders 40, Wolverines 24
Assists: Red Raiders 13, Wolverines 6
Steals: Red Raiders 7, Wolverines 6
********** ********** **********
Class A: Irondequoit 65, North Tonawanda 41
N. Tonawanda 7 - 9 - 9 - 16 = 41
Irondequoit 15 - 17 - 20 - 13 = 65
Player Stats: Irondequoit Eagles
Gerald Drumgoole 21 Pts, 12 Reb, 5 Stl, 1 Ast
Alex Goldsberry 18 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Stl
Zach Stenglein 15 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl
Tysean Sizer 7 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl
Devyn Walker 3 Pts, 1 Reb
Frederick June 1 Pt, 4 Reb, 1 Ast
Player Stats: North Tonawanda Jacks
Trevor Book 11 Pts, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Reb
Alex Quinn 9 Pts, 3 Reb
Vincent Tripi 8 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl
Zack Woodard 3 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 Ast
Patrick Milbrand 3 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast
Brandon Casterline 3 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast
Rory Farkas 2 Pts, 3 Ast, 2 Blk
Alex Johnson 2 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
Game Stats
FG%: Eagles 34.4%, Jacks 31.1%
3-Point %: Jacks 28.6%, Eagles 13.3%
Points in Paint: Eagles 32, Jacks 14
Points Off Turnovers: Eagles 31, Jacks 7
Bench Points: Jacks 8, Eagles 4
2nd Chance Points: Eagles 23, Jacks 8
Rebounds: Eagles 40, Jacks 37
Assists: Jacks 10, Eagles 8
Steals: Eagles 13, Jacks 6
********** ********** **********
Class B: Health Sciences 50, Mynderse 47
The Health 14 - 9 - 16 - 11 = 50
Mynderse 11 - 15 - 15 - 6 = 47
Player Stats: Health Sciences Falcons
Davonte Gaines 12 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 Ast
Tyron Lott 12 Pts, 5 Ast, 4 Reb, 1 S
Wize Threat 12 Pts, 1 Reb
Kameron Briggs 7 Pts
Shakir Cook 3 Pts, 6 Reb
Josiah Haygood 3 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Stl
Tayvion Nelson 1 Pt, 7 Reb, 3 Stl, 2 Blk
Player Stats: Mynderse Blue Devils
Quinten Battle 13 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl
Jake Jones 10 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl
Jake Mein 9 Pts, 14 Reb, 7 Blk, 2 Ast
Devin Anderson 8 Pts, 3 Reb
Brett Anderson 5 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast
Aiden Trout 2 Pts
Game Stats
FG%: Blue Devils 37.5%, Falcons 32.8%
3-Point %: Blue Devils 37.5%, Falcons 25%
Points in Paint: Falcons 24, Blue Devils 20
Points Off Turnovers: Falcons 17, Blue Devils 6
Bench Points: Falcons 6, Blue Devils 2
2nd Chance Points: Falcons 16, Blue Devils 3
Rebounds: Falcons 37, Blue Devils 37
Assists: Blue Devils 7, Falcons 6
Steals: Falcons 8, Blue Devils 3
********** ********** **********
Class C: Northstar Christian 77, Chautauqua Lake 70
Chautauqua Lake 14 - 15 - 19 - 22 = 70
Northstar Christian 14 - 27 - 15 - 21 = 77
Player Stats: Chautauqua Lake Thunderbirds
Devin Pope 30 Pts, 15 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl
Aaron Swan 26 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Ast
Tyler Meredith 12 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast
Joel Vinciguerra 2 Pts, 1 Reb
Kyler Majka 3 Reb
Alex Gleason 3 Reb
Player Stats: Northstar Christian Knights
Miles Brown 38 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Stl, 1 Ast, 1 Blk
Michael Brown 16 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl
Tyler Blizzard 8 Pts, 2 Stl, 1 Ast, 1 Reb
Tray Roberts 6 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl
Matthew Medeiros 5 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Stl
Bryan Clemetson 2 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl
Daniel Pickett 2 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 Stl
Game Stats
FG%: Knights 46.2%, Thunderbirds 38.5%
3-Point %: Thunderbirds 22.7%, Knights 18.8%
Points in Paint: Knights 42, Thunderbirds 34
Points Off Turnovers: Knights 18, Thunderbirds 8
Bench Points: Knights 10, Thunderbirds 2
2nd Chance Points: Thunderbirds 19, Knights 6
Rebounds: Thunderbirds 41, Knights 31
Assists: Knights 8, Thunderbirds 7
Steals: Knights 12, Thunderbirds 5
********** ********** **********
Class D: Franklinville 63, CG Finney 40
Franklinville 21 - 9 - 17 - 16 = 63
CG Finney 15 - 10 - 6 - 9 = 40
Player Stats: Franklinville Panthers
Sam Erickson 19 Pts, 9 Reb, 3 Stl
Brock Blecha 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Stl
Isaac Kopp 15 Pts, 6 Reb
Darren Clark 11 Pts, 12 Reb, 6 Ast
Dylan Burton 2 Pts, 6 Ast, 4 Reb
Player Stats: CG Finney Falcons
Keegan Occur 10 Pts, 5 Reb
Wesley Gerace 10 Pts, 3 Reb
Xavier Smith 9 Pts, 5 Reb
Cameron Odum 5 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Blk
Dylan Occur 3 Pts, 2 Ast
Max Harris 3 Pts
Game Stats
FG%: Panthers 43.6%, Falcons 28.8%
3-Point %: Panthers 30.8%, Falcons 26.1%
Points in Paint: Panthers 30, Falcons 14
Points Off Turnovers: Panthers 18, Falcons 9
Bench Points: Falcons 5, Panthers 0
2nd Chance Points: Panthers 9, Falcons 4
Rebounds: Panthers 43, Falcons 23
Assists: Panthers 15, Falcons 6
Steals: Falcons 6, Panthers 4
- centercourt
The third state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Park #2
Canisius #3
Williamsville South #8
Timon #23
St. Francis #24
Class B
Health Sciences #5
East Aurora #6
Dunkirk #15
Lackawanna #21
Class C
Chautauqua Lake #2
East #4
Class D
Ellicottville #5
Sherman #7
** According to the rankings...
- The news in Class AA is even more bleak than last week. Section V now has four teams ranked from the state's highest classification: Fairport, Aquinas, UPrep, & Bishop Kearney. Three of those teams have losses to our teams. Aquinas fell to Canisius, UPrep lost at Falls, and Bishop Kearney lost at Timon. However, I still can't bring myself to disagree with this. The team from Section VI that warrants the most consideration for a ranking is Niagara Falls. But the top results supporting the Wolverines being ranked happened at home to start the season - taking Park to OT and beating UPrep. Since then, they lost the rematch to UPrep, lost to Rochester East, and lost at NT.
- Park is your new CHSAA state champion, thanks to Cathedral Prep. Canisius made the trip to Erie, PA and lost to the Ramblers, which dropped them to #3 behind Park. For some reason, Byram Hills jumped Park and landed at #1 in NYS Class A, so I must assume they will knock the Pioneers off in the Federation Tournament.
- Williamsville South loses in the Class A state semifinal to Elmont. The Billies are ranked 3rd among public schools in NYS and are presently projected to face the defending state champions, who are coached by a man with a serious beard.
- Timon remained #23 in NYS Class A despite its loss to Williamsville South. I applaud the decision to not drop the Tigers, who are a top 25 team in Class A all day.
- St. Francis is now state ranked! I can't remember ever seeing this in my time on the scene, which dates back to the 2008 season. The Red Raiders deserve it and are more than worthy of their slot right next to Timon.
- Health Sciences takes on Glens Falls (in Binghamton) for the NYSPHAA Class B state championship. Remember, this is not a prediction, but according to the rankings - they are the second highest ranked public school in NYS. I'd love to see the Falcons join me in Binghamton this year. They face Rochester's Early College, ranked #16 in NYS Class B, on Thursday night at Villa Maria College in the I-90 Showcase.
- The weird development of the week in the state rankings occured in the latter portion on the Class B rankings. Dunkirk jumped from #22 to #15. Lackawanna fell from #17 to #21. Dunkirk won one game last week, while Lackawanna won two games. Neither team lost. Hmmm.
- It's Chautauqua Lake vs. Waterville for the NYS Class C state championship. The Thunderbirds are up to #2 in the state. I'm curious to see which approach they take in the Class C crossover against East - attempt to score 122 points or dig in defensively.
- In Class D, Ellicottville & Sherman are battling for the right to lose to Avoca, now #1 in NYS, in the Far West Regional. Still no love for Franklinville in the Class D top 20. I'm telling you, they're good and should be ranked. They have a potential meeting with Chautauqua Lake on Friday if both teams win first round matchups in the IAABO Tournament.
- Did anyone notice how North Tonawanda, who owns wins over Niagara Falls and Health Sciences, got dropped like they were hot from the Class A rankings after losing to Lockport? The Jacks potential matchup at Amherst on Friday would be a fascinating battle of teams with some big strong athletes and battles in the paint for rebounds would not be for the faint of heart.
- This has to be the first time since 2009 that Middle College hasn't cracked the state rankings by now. I know they're now in Class B and I'm not trying to make the case for them. Just found it interesting. Don't count them out, history is on their side.
Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.
-centercourt
The second state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #1
Park #2
Williamsville South #8
Timon #23
Class B
Health Sciences #7
East Aurora #8
Lackawanna #17
Dunkirk #22
Class C
Chautauqua Lake #3
East #7
Silver Creek #11
Barker #18
Class D
Ellicottville #6
Sherman #8
** According to the rankings...
- There are now at least three teams fro Section V ahead of Section VI in Class AA. Fairport (9), Aquinas (19), & UPrep (25) are in ranked in NYS Class AA. Niagara Falls has split with UPrep this season, with the loss coming this past weekend.
- Canisius returns to the Class A Fed Final and wins it for a second time in three seasons. The Crusaders are now the number one ranked team in NYS Class A. They moved to #1 due to Albany Academy, the defending Fed champs, losing a pair of out-of-state games. Canisius has started five juniors in their last two wins, so I guess we can go ahead and crown them for next season too. In all seriousness, I don't understand what losing games out-of-state has to do with NYS rankings. No offense intended to the boys from Delaware Avenue, but I suspect they would have gotten the same results as Albany Academy had they played those same two games.
- Williamsville South is now NYS Class A #8 (previously #9), while Timon climbed up two spots to #23. This transpired after a week in which both faced Amherst. South came back from six points down to force OT and take the win. Timon beat Amherst by 19 and trailed for one possession in the first quarter. The Billies travel to South Buffalo on Thursday night to battle Timon. The state's early line has South -8.5.
- St. Francis isn't getting any love on the state level yet. Some advice for the Red Raiders - try flirting with Neil Kerr. Tell him you really like his hair or his sense of style. Everyone likes a compliment...bound to get you the love you deserve.
- Cheektowaga debuted at #14 in NYS Class A last week and then was dropped from the rankings following the loss to Park.
- Four of the top seven teams in NYS Class C are from the Far West Region. East Rochester (#2) & Northstar Christian (#4) from Section V and Chautauqua Lake (#3) & East (#7) from Section VI.
- Silver Creek has quietly improved to 5-0 on the season and sits at #11 in NYS Class C.
- Barker fell three spots in NYS Class C for losing to Lyndonville, an unranked Class D team from Section V. Something has to give here. Either Barker should have fallen harder, or Lyndonville should be ranked in NYS Class D. Lyndonville is 3-1, with two wins over teams in Class B and the third over a state-ranked Class C team on the road (Barker). They lost to Elba, who is 4-0 and also unranked in NYS Class D. The only other working theory could be that Class D is largely considered stronger as a whole than Class C this season.
- Staying on the Class C rankings, I say it's time to throw Randolph a bone. The Cardinals have two losses, to Ellicottville and Franklinville. They also own a recent win over South Park. Even though the Sparks are clearly not the team I thought they were, that's still an impressive win for Randolph. And those two losses are not bad ones - by now, you should all know I'm high on Ellicottville. As for Franklinville...see below.
- Franklinville went from NYS Class D #19 to unranked for losing by three points at Walsh. Dropping a team from Class D rankings for losing to an undefeated Class B team sure sounds like crazy talk to me. I have no doubt that Franklinville will be in the final Class D state rankings this season, so I encourage the panel to come around on them soon. They are good.
Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.
-centercourt
For the next three nights, I will set up shop at centercourt from Depew High School to cover the ADPRO Public/Private Challenge. The 10 game showcase is WNY's largest annual high school basketball event, pairing the teams from the Monsignor Martin Association against public schools from various leagues throughout Section VI.
The event was originated by former St. Mary's AD/Coach Kevin Kelleher and ADPRO Senior vice president & former Sweet Home coach Paul Schintzius and started out as the ECIC / MMA Challenge. Since it's inception, the event has grown, now billed as the "Public/Private Challenge" as it expanded past just the ECIC to include teams from all over WNY. St. Mary's hosted the Challenge for years, before Canisius and St. Joe's each took a turn hosting the event. This season will mark the second straight year the event takes place at Depew.
Below is the complete three-day schedule, and as you will notice, it includes multiple games that will impact Large & Small School Poll votes and be talked about for the rest of the season.
Thursday, December 15th
Starpoint vs. Niagara Catholic - 5 pm
Newfane vs. Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm
Friday, December 16th
Maryvale vs. Nichols - 5 pm
West Seneca East vs. St. Mary's - 6:30 pm
Amherst vs. Timon - 8 pm
Saturday, December 17th
Fredonia vs. Walsh - 12 pm
Depew vs. CCA - 1:45 pm
Kenmore West vs. St. Francis - 3:30 pm
Cheektowaga vs. Park - 5:15 pm
Jamestown vs. Canisius - 7 pm
Below are links to some past ADPRO Challenge coverage:
Saturday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - Canisius vs. Williamsville South finale
Friday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - Park vs. Amherst finale
Thursday's games from 2015 ADPRO Challenge - St. Joe's vs. Niagara Falls finale
Canisius handles Olean in the 2013 featured matchup
St. Mary's defeats Clarence at 2013 ADPRO Challenge
-centercourt
The first state rankings for the 2017 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #2
Park #3
Williamsville South #9
Cheektowaga #14
North Tonawanda #20
Timon #25
Class B
Health Sciences #9
East Aurora #10
Dunkirk #20
Lackawanna #23
Class C
Chautauqua Lake #3
East #7
Silver Creek #12
Barker #15
Class D
Ellicottville #6
Sherman #8
Franklinville #19
** According to the rankings...
- For a second straight season, Section VI Class AA isn't getting much love on the state level. No arguments from me on this one yet. Section V has a pair of teams ranked, Fairport is #13 and Aquinas is #22. Canisius just defeated Aquinas over the weekend. Niagara Falls, who I consider the front runner of our Class AA, faces them on Thursday night at the ADPRO Challenge.
- Canisius & Park are back in a familiar position. They are the top two ranked teams in the CHSAA, meaning the Manhattan Cup winner would also be the favorite to win a catholic state title.
- Williamsville South is favored to emerge as the overall Class A champ for a third straight season, but pegged to drop the regional to Rochester East. When I saw Rochester East as Section V's highest ranked team, I began looking to see where UPrep was ranked. What I discovered was, UPrep has been bumped to Class AA by Section V. Good call!
- The state rankings are high on Cheektowaga, debuting at #14 in the state's Class A. It's rare to see them look past record (1-2), which I'm fine with. The Warriors are at Maryvale this Wednesday. Their big debut sets up an opening for Flyers if they can knock off Cheektowaga like they did in last season's quarterfinals, after starting the season 2-0 and defeating Olean.
- Health Sciences and East Aurora are the two highest ranked teams in the Far West Region. That would mean the Class B crossover game would also be a ticket to Glens Falls...err...Binghamton. (Going to take awhile to train the brain that Glens Falls no longer equals NYSPHAA state championships). Hornell is Section V's highest ranked team in Class B and East Aurora opened its season with a win over them.
- Chautauqua Lake and East are predicted to face off in the overall Class C Final. However, East Rochester of Section V is ranked #2 in Class C, ahead of both teams. History suggests that the Section VI winner beating the Section V winner in Class C is about as sure a thing as Olean advancing to the regional when they are in Class B. The last time Section VI didn't send its Class C sectional champion to the state final four was in 2009. That was so long ago that, to put in perspective, 2009 was the year Kyle Husband won his first Manhattan Cup at Canisius. My apologies to the Bombers of East Rochester, but I like what history is telling me and think Section VI keeps that streak going for at least a couple more years.
- Section VI has three Class D teams ranked in the state. As is always the case, Rochester's highest ranked Class D team is a private school (CG Finney this season). One of my favorite parts of the season is watching our Class D winner knock off what should be a Class B private school team, masquerading as a Class D public school. It makes for a great start to Regional Saturday.
Click HERE for the complete NYSSWA State Rankings.
-centercourt
The final state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the Far Western Region teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Aquinas #2
Fairport #15
Class A
Canisius #2
Park #6
Williamsville South #15
Batavia #16
Amherst #17
Pittsford Sutherland #18
Greece Athena #20
McKinley #24
Class B
Olean #2
Fredonia #12
Wellsville #14
North Rose-Wolcott #17
Walsh #18
St. Mary's #23
Health Sciences #25
Class C
Middle College #1
Early College #2
Northstar Christian #6
East Rochester #10
Olmsted #12
Perry #16
Class D
Panama #3
CG Finney #7
York #12
Genesee Valley #13
Elba #17
Ellicottville #20
Franklinville #21
** According to the rankings...
- The Canisius vs. Aquinas, Canisius vs Park, and Park vs. Aquinas games were the type of elite level NYS games we thought they were. Aquinas lost in the Class AA Federation Championship game by just seven points. Canisius defeated the Lil Irish twice, Aquinas beat Park by five, and Canisius needed overtime to move past Park for the Manhattan Cup.
- McKinley took a bit of a snub. With the Macks' only loses coming to Canisius and South (by four), they end up #24 in NYS Class A, behind #17 Amherst, who fell to the Billies by 10. With South, Batavia, & Amherst all bunched together in consecutive slots, McKinley seems a little far down seven spots behind Amherst.
- From the start of the season to the NYSPHAA Class B State Championship game, Fredonia was the only team to lose to Olean by single digits...and they did it all three times they played, including an overtime loss by two. Yet for whatever reason, they end up #12 in NYS Class B, behind the likes of Marlboro & Hudson who the Huskies knocked off by double figures, Bishop Grimes who struggled with Marlboro, and three other teams that didn't even reach Glens Falls. Sorry Neil Kerr, but even if you want to throw a bone to the other three teams that reached Glens Falls in Class B, the next team in line that didn't reach Glens Falls HAD to be Fredonia. You dropped the ball on that one big time. Do your research or listen to the Section VI rep who probably told you the same thing I'm saying!!!
- Championships don't matter to the panel, apparently. Nichols wins the Class B Manhattan Cup and ends up unranked, while Walsh & St. Mary's get in. If it's all about regular season records, don't have a postseason tournament.
- All season long, I mocked the Class C rankings for picking a new flavor of the week, while Middle College struggled to get in and then hovered around the middle of the Class C rankings because of the all-important record. Scoreboard!
- Staying with Class C for a moment, after seeing what was waiting for Middle College at Glens Falls and coming from WNY, we had it going on in Class C. Teams like Silver Creek, Chautauqua Lake, East, Tapestry, Randolph, and Portville are all deserving of being in the top 20 and could have competed in that state tournament.
- Panama finished at #3 in Class D, which is right where I would have had them also. Excellent season for the Panthers and the best in program history.
For complete state rankings, click here.
-centercourt
The tenth state rankings for the 2016 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #2
Park #6
Amherst #7
Williamsville South #11
McKinley #14
Class B
Olean #1
Walsh #13
St. Mary's #14
Health Sciences #20
Fredonia #23
Class C
Middle College #7
Tapestry #14
Cleveland Hill #19
Class D
Panama #10
Franklinville #13
** According to the rankings...
- Section V now has four teams ranked in Class AA, after Bishop Kearney entered the top 25. Canisius, Park, Amherst, & Timon all beat the Kings this season, while Niagara Falls, St. Joe's, & East all fell to Kearney.
- In NYS Class A, WNY has five of the top 14 teams. After Greece Athena, Section VI now has the next three public schools, meaning the top four public schools in NYS all hail from the Far West Region. Whichever team emerges from our Class A will face Greece Athena at Buff State in the 'de facto' NYSPHAA State championship. The winner gets Canisius in the Federation Championship. Remember, this is according to the rankings.
- Section V has the top two teams ranked in NYS Class C. That means the sectional championship between them (Northstar Christian & East Rochester) would also be a de facto state championship. That is until they get to the regional at Buff State to find Middle College waiting for them, where the Kats will extend Section VI's winning streak in the Class C regional to seven years. According to Neil Kerr, even a state championship would only get Middle College's record to 20-7 and he would still think Northstar Christian was better because of its stellar 23-2 record.
- Cleveland Hill enters the rankings again in Class C, landing at #19. They made a one-week appearance a few weeks ago, but were dropped after losing to Cardinal O'Hara. My reason for never having Cleveland Hill ranked locally this year was they had no wins vs. ranked small schools, but had three losses to unranked small schools (Dunkirk, Nichols, & O'Hara). However, finishing the season with wins over Eden, JFK, Tonawanda, Alden, & Depew got their record to 15-5, and the panel loves a good record. Had they noticed Olmsted's 16-4 record in the same class, the Owls might have swooped into these rankings as well.
- Franklinville remained ranked #13 in NYS Class D, despite losing to unranked Ellicottville last week, finishing second to them in the same division, and surrendering the #2 seed in Class D, while falling to the #3 seed. It's all about records for the state rankings.
For complete NYSSWA State Rankings, click here.
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The eighth state rankings for the 2016 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #3
Park #4
Amherst #8
Williamsville South #14
McKinley #20
Class B
Olean #1
Walsh #11
St. Mary's #16
Health Sciences #22
Class C
Middle College #9
Tapestry #16
Class D
Panama #13
Franklinville #14
** According to the rankings...
- Canisius beats #1 (Park) the week prior and moves up one spot from #3 to #2. This week, they lost to #6 Greece Athena and slipped back to #3, as Athena took over the #2 spot.
- Park slips to #4 in NYS Class A to make room for Greece Athena to get to #2 and continue to have Canisius (#3) ahead of Park as well.
I will make this rant very short...
-Health Sciences falls three spots in NYS Class B for getting hammered at unranked Class A Timon by 35. I guess I'm alright with that, but read below what happened to Walsh for losing to a ranked team in Class A by 15...
- Walsh loses on the road to NYS Class A #2 Canisius. The only other team in the state to beat the Eagles is Park. Yet they drop Walsh FOUR spots in NYS Class B from #7 to #11. What??? Do they put ANY thought into this stuff? I feel like I'm on a hidden camera show as I'm typing this, and Neil Kerr, who heads these rankings, is about to come around the corner in his Mount Vernon T-Shirt and say "Gotcha! You should have seen the look on your face when I said we dropped Walsh farther than Health Sciences for losing at Canisius!"
- Niagara Falls fell out of the rankings this after falling big at Bishop Kearney, also unranked in Class AA.
- Last week, Middle College hammered South Park by 20+ and completed the sweep of East, but lost to a team from PA, so they fell two spots in NYS Class C to #10. This week, they move up to #9 after being idle all week.
For complete NYSSWA State Rankings, click here.
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(Park and Canisius will battle again this Wednesday / Photo by James McCoy)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Monday, February 1st
Olmsted @ I-Prep - 6 pm
Niagara Catholic @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, February 2nd
McKinley @ East - 6 pm
Medina @ Wilson - 6 pm
Lew-Port @ Niagara Wheatfield - 6:30 pm
Niagara Falls @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Kenmore West @ North Tonawanda - 7 pm
Jamestown @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm
Lancaster @ Orchard Park - 7:30 pm
Cheektowaga @ East Aurora - 7:30 pm
Randolph @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, February 3rd
MST Seneca @ Olmsted - 6 pm
Park @ Canisius - 6 pm
St. Joe's @ Timon - 6:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Nichols - 6:30 pm
St. Francis @ Walsh - 6:30 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ Niagara Catholic - 7:30 pm
Thursday, February 4th
South Park @ McKinley - 6 pm
Newfane @ Roy-Hart - 6:30 pm
Chautauqua Lake @ Panama - 7:30 pm
Friday, February 5th
Olmsted @ Emerson - 6 pm
Park @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Niagara Wheatfield @ Grand Island - 6:30 pm
Lockport @ Kenmore West - 6:30 pm
Lew-Port @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Olean @ Fredonia - 7 pm
East Aurora @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm
Pine Valley @ Franklinville - 7:30 pm
Randolph @ Portville - 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 6th
St. Joe's @ Bishop Kearney - 1:30 pm
Cathedral Prep @ Canisius - 3 pm
Jamestown @ Leadership Academy - 4 pm
Battle at the Border at Niagara Falls HS
Timon vs. Sir Allan MacNab - 3 pm
Aquinas vs. Vaughn - 4:45 pm
Niagara Falls vs. Henry Carr - 6:30 pm
Game of the Week - Park @ Canisius on Wednesday, February 3rd
- Yes, this was the 'Game of the Week' just two weeks ago. But let's be honest, the Bernard J. Kennedy Field House is where everyone with a pulse for the local HS hoops scene will want to be on Wednesday night for the highly anticipated regular season rematch. For most, it will be their first look at the two giants together on the same court this season.
Round One went to the Crusaders. After Park got cooking early and flew out to a 13-point lead, the Crusaders dug in and nearly came all the way back before halftime. As the second half wore on and Stafford Trueheart's big game performance kept getting bigger, Canisius took control and looked like the better team. Park, who can generate instant offense better than anyone, didn't turn up soon enough and a desperation heave from behind half court to tie as the buzzer sounded was as close as they got at the end.
Since the first big game, the Crusaders have played three straight state ranked teams, defeating Walsh and Aquinas, before finally seeing its 22-game win streak against teams from NYS snapped by Greece Athena at the RAP Showcase on Saturday night. They will have a chance to get right against Cardinal O'Hara on Monday, prior to the rematch with Park.
The Pioneers have only faced St. Francis since the first showdown, who they knocked off by nearly 50 points. They'll attempt to tune up for the Crusaders with another contest against St. Francis on Monday, this time in their gym.
While the first battle of #1 vs. #2 was awesome because we finally got to watch the defending Federation Champions square off, the rematch will offer significantly more fanfare as the amount of spectators for this one will dramatically increase due to the venue. I expect the basketball on the court to be equally entertaining to the show we were treated to on January 23rd, but for me, the view won't change. I'll be right back in my usual spot at...
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The fourth state rankings for the 2016 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
They have this "We do not rank teams below .500 policy". I have never agreed with this policy, because if you really want to the best 25 teams in a classification represented in a somewhat accurate order, simply looking at records and standings will be very misleading. But whatever right? Policy is policy, thus teams like Middle College & East, who we all know are among the top 20 teams in NYS Class C (more likely top 10 for both) have to wait until they collect a bunch of lopsided league wins to counteract losses to highly ranked large schools from December's nonleague schedule. Basically, punishing teams for creating and playing a challenging schedule designed make the team better. But like I said, policy is policy, and as long as they stay consistent with that, we'll live with it.
But once you become inconsistent with your own policy, you quickly lose credibility. That's what I've caught the state rankings doing this week, and that inconsistency makes a mockery of the same rankings in other classifications. Here's what I discovered:
Mount Vernon had been #14 in NYS Class AA last week with a record of 1-1. After collecting one win and two losses, with the second loss to Green Tech (#19 in NYS Class AA), Mount Vernon's record dropped to 2-3. But it didn't drop them out of the state rankings - instead, you will find Mount Vernon sitting at #24 this week in NYS Class AA with a 2-3 record.
Let me guess - you're confident Mount Vernon is in fact a top 25 team in Class AA and feel that a heavy front-loaded schedule is responsible for the sub .500 record, but come postseason time, Mount Vernon will be right there in the mix?? And they are undoubtedly better than other teams you could have put in the #24 spot that Lockport (with a 7-2 record) occupied last week, right??
Well, I would agree 100%. Mount Vernon should be ranked. They are a top 25 team in Class AA. Duh!!! But you can't just decided that in this particular case, an exception is warranted. Stick to your inane, stupid, illogical policy that if you are below .500, you couldn't possibly be a team deserving of rank. Let's not try getting it right this week just because it's 'Big Bad Mount Vernon'. Instead, stand up and proudly exclaim "We do not believe Mount Vernon is a top 25 team at this time. The sluggish 2-3 start suggests that Mount Vernon is no longer a top 25 power, at least not at this time. This is our policy."
If it makes sense to the state rankings panel that Middle College is not one of the best 20 Class C teams in this state because they lost to Park and UPrep, then stay consistent. If East (who just beat Class AA #24 Lockport) is to receive no consideration as a top 20 team in Class C because they have losses to the likes of Bishop Kearney, Edison Tech, McKinley, Timon, & Middle College before getting to eat up the cupcakes on its schedule, then don't make exceptions for other teams. Lots of teams are worthy of the exception granted to Mount Vernon.
Class AA
No Teams Ranked
Class A
Park #1
Canisius #4
Amherst #13
McKinley #16
Williamsville South #24
Class B
Olean #1
Walsh #6
St. Mary's #15
Health Sciences #20
Class C
Tapestry #5
Class D
Franklinville #10
** According to the rankings...
- Lockport's consecutive losses to Aquinas & East got them dropped from the rankings in Class AA.
- Amherst bumped up five spots, from #18 to #13 in NYS Class A, after winning the Anthony Parlato Memorial Tournament.
- Williamsville South, who had been #20 in NYS Class A, falls to #24 after traveling to NYC and losing at Chaminade, who was ranked #9 in NYS Class A. If South was Mount Vernon, they may have moved into the top 10 for that loss...
- McKinley moves up seven spots in NYS Class A, from #23 to #16, following wins over Nichols & Cheektowaga.
- Franklinville slid four spots to #10 in NYS Class D after suffering its first loss of the season.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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The second state rankings for the 2016 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Park #1
Canisius #4
Amherst #19
Williamsville South #21
McKinley #24
Class B
Olean #1
Walsh #6
St. Mary's #18
Class C
Middle College #4
Tapestry #5
Class D
Franklinville #6
** According to the rankings...
- Our local Class AA teams are in a similar spot to last season. There should be a very competitive race for the Section VI Class AA title, with teams like Lancaster, Lockport, Niagara Falls, Williamsville North, Jamestown, & Kenmore West all in the mix, but right now there is no top heavy team cracking the state's top 25.
- Aquinas, who has only lost to Canisius and owns big wins over Timon and St. Joe's, is only ranked #22 in NYS Class AA. They aren't even the highest ranked team from Section V - that honor goes to Fairport, who sits at #10 in NYS Class AA.
- In Class A, Chaminade (#7) and Kennedy Catholic (#5) are the teams Canisius (#4) had to beat last season to win the CHSAA state title, so that race looks very similar to last season. The only exception, Park has moved ahead of all three with its bump to Class A, and sits at the very top, #1.
- Losing to the #1 team in Class A (Park) by six points caused Amherst to fall from #13 to #19. However, losing to the #4 team in Class A (Canisius) by 16 points had no effect on Williamsville South, who remained at #21. Absolutely no logic behind that one!
- Meanwhile, McKinley is undefeated and straight torching teams, but impressing no one on the state level, as they remain at #24 and behind both Amherst & South from Section VI.
- While McKinley's wins aren't impressing the state rankings panel, they sure were drooling over the Walsh results this week. Not sure if was beating CCA or Maryvale, but the Eagles soared up the charts in Class B, from #19 to #6. They only played those two games since the last rankings, so someone on the panel placed a high premium on those results!
- Section V is the Class C capital of the world. Not only do a quarter of the ranked teams from Class C hail from Section V, but two of them are now ranked ahead of Middle College, who slipped from #1 to #4. The best part is, Middle College hasn't lost since last week, when they were ranked #1. More logic.
- Franklinville is now the highest ranked team from the Far West Region. If that holds up, they'd be favored to reach Glens Falls.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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The 14th state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Aquinas #6
Jamestown #17
Niagara Falls #28 *
Class A
Greece Athena #2
Canisius #5
Williamsville South #10
McKinley #13
Olean #23
Amherst #28 *
Nichols #30 *
Class B
Leadership Academy #4
Park #5
East #11
Fredonia #16
Class C
Lyons #3
Middle College #6
Tapestry #7
Silver Creek #10
Class D
I-Prep #4
Sherman #8
Panama #14
** According to the rankings...
- Last week, I put an asterisk next to Niagara Falls at #28 in Class AA, because they had added five spots to include more teams. Now they've done it in Class A also. Suddenly, there's a top 30 in Class A, rather than the top 25 we've seen all season. Come on!! What about the 32nd best team in Class A??? Shouldn't #46 get a shout out somewhere too???
- Last week, Chaminade (who lost to Canisius in the CHSAA state semifinal) was tied with Amherst at #25 in Class A. Neither team has played since, but this week, Chaminade is up to #19 , while Amherst dropped out of the rankings, or to #28 if you like the tee-ball, everyone deserves a ranking theory. While I agree that Chaminade is significantly ahead of Amherst, I do not understand what the logic in moving both teams around that much when both of their seasons are over.
- Leadership, who narrowly escaped East, is #4 in Class B, while Park is #5. Both should get a shot at Westhill before the season ends, which should finally be the evidence the committee needed to push the Pioneers (CHSAA Class B state champs) ahead of Leadership Academy.
- I-Prep is the worst of the Class D teams playing in Glens Falls, ranked #4 of the four teams headed there. I doubt that is really the case.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Jamestown's Zack Panebianco scored 65 points in his last two regional appearances / Photo by Harry Scull)
Class AA: Aquinas 76, Jamestown 70
Aquinas: 17 - 20 - 16 - 23 = 76
Jamestown: 15 - 17 - 20 - 18 = 70
FG%: Jamestown 60.5, Aquinas 53.7
3-Point %: Jamestown 61.5, Aquinas 40
Points in Paint: Aquinas 38, Jamestown 18
Rebounds: Aquinas 22, Jamestown 21
Assists: Aquinas 15, Jamestown 11
Steals: Aquinas 15, Jamestown 9
Jamestown
Zack Panebianco - 31 Pts, 4 Asts, 3 Rebs, 2 Stls
Ben Larson - 14 Pts
Stephen Carlson - 11 Pts, 7 Rebs, 4 Stls, 2 Asts
James Rojas - 9 Pts, 4 Rebs, 2 Asts
Zacc Kinsey - 3 Pts, 3 Rebs, 2 Asts
Aquinas
Jalen Pickett - 18 Pts, 4 Rebs, 4 Stls, 3 Asts
DJ Roberts - 15 Pts, 4 Stls, 2 Rebs
Earnest Edwards - 14 Pts, 7 Rebs, 3 Asts, 2 Stls
Melvin Grayson - 11 Pts, 2 Asts
Patrick McLamore - 8 Pts, 3 Rebs, 2 Asts, 2 Stls
Griffin Kornaker - 6 Pts, 2 Asts, 2 Stls
***********************************
Class A: Greece Athena 62, Williamsville South 42
Greece Athena: 13 - 15 - 11 - 23 = 62
Williamsville South: 3 - 14 - 13 - 12 = 42
FG%: Athena 41.9, South 28.3
3-Point %: South 29.2, Athena 23.1
Rebounds: Athena 54, South 26
Points in Paint: Athena 38, South 16
South
Greg Dolan - 11 Pts, 4 Asts, 2 Stls
Kam Varner - 11 Pts, 3 Rebs
Sam Castronova - 10 Pts, 6 Rebs, 2 Asts, 2 Stls, 2 Blks
Graham Dolan - 3 Pts, 2 Stls
Myles Hall - 2 Pts, 5 Rebs, 3 Asts, 2 Stls
Matt Foster - 2 Pts, 3 Rebs
Athena
Anthony Lamb - 23 Pts, 21 Rebs, 3 Asts, 2 Blks, 2 Stls
Zac DiSalvo - 13 Pts, 6 Rebs, 3 Stls
Peter Florin - 8 Pts, 7 Rebs, 3 Asts
Brendon Wind - 8 Pts, 9 Rebs, 4 Asts
Tyler Kubanka - 8 Pts
********************************
Class B: Leadership Academy 57, East 55
L.A.: 17 - 20 - 17 - 7 = 57
East: 17 - 8 - 15 - 15 = 55
FG%: L.A. 37, East 34.4
3-Point %: L.A. 42.1, East 28
Rebounds: East 45, L.A. 40
East
Percy Bryant - 17 Pts, 7 Asts, 3 Rebs, 3 Stls
Malik Doughty - 10 Pts, 6 Rebs
Damone Brown - 8 Pts, 8 Rebs
Dion Morrison - 7 Pts, 4 Rebs, 3 Stls
Jovell Littlejohn - 4 Pts, 12 Rebs
Leadership Academy
Keith McGee - 26 Pts, 4 Rebs, 3 Asts, 7/13 on 3-pointers
Shabazz Mosley - 17 Pts, 9 Rebs, 2 Blks, 2 Asts
Devante Hagins - 7 Pts, 9 Rebs, 5 Asts, 3 Stls, 2 Blks
********************************
Class C: Lyons 67, Middle College 63
Middle College: 17 - 11 - 14 - 21 = 63
Lyons: 19 - 13 - 17 - 18 = 67
FG%: Lyons 46.2, Middle College 34.5
3-Point %: Lyons 47.4, Middle College 34.8
Rebounds: Middle College 43, Lyons 32
Points in Paint: Lyons 30, Middle College 20
Middle College
Fred Foster - 22 Pts, 15 Rebs, 2 Asts
JoJo Staton - 15 Pts, 3 Stls, 2 Asts
Amir Jemes - 10 Pts, 4 Asts
Brian Johnson - 6 Pts, 10 Rebs, 2 Stls
Billy Rivera - 6 Pts
Lyons
Damon Hunter - 31 Pts, 8 Rebs, 4 Asts, 2 Blks
Deondre McDonald - 9 Pts
Daryn Carswell - 7 Pts, 3 Rebs
Jordan Aumell - 6 Pts, 2 Rebs
Chris Peay - 4 Pts, 8 Rebs
********************************
Class D: I-Prep 83, Prattsburgh 79
I-Prep: 23 - 20 - 16 - 24 = 83
Prattsburgh: 19 - 14 - 15 - 31 = 79
FG%: I-Prep 44.9, Prattsburgh 35.4
3-Point %: Prattsburgh 34.8, I-Prep 20
Rebounds: I-Prep 56, Prattsburgh 48
Points in Paint: I-Prep 64, Prattsburgh 30
I-Prep
Davon Gant - 27 Pts, 19 Rebs, 9 Blks, 3 Asts, 3 Stls
Terrance James - 20 Pts, 11 Rebs, 9 Asts, 2 Blks, 2 Stls
Xavier Maye - 20 Pts, 15 Rebs, 66% from field
Zack Bashir - 7 Pts, 3 Stls, 2 Rebs
Jeffery Townsel - 6 Pts, 5 Rebs
Daniel Santiago - 3 Pts, 4 Rebs, 3 Asts
Prattsburgh
Garrett Socola - 14 Pts, 20 Rebs
Cameron Baird - 14 Pts, 9 Rebs
Ben Byington - 13 Pts, 5 Asts, 3 Rebs
Jeffery Gilbert - 13 Pts, 4/5 on 3-pointers
Philip Derick - 11 Pts, 3 Rebs
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The twelfth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #17
Class A
Canisius #5
McKinley #7
Amherst #12
Williamsville South #14
Class B
Park #9
Fredonia #11
Cleveland Hill #19
Class C
Middle College #5
Silver Creek #6
Tapestry #11
Randolph 25
Class D
Sherman #2
I-Prep #11
Panama 14
** According to the rankings...
- I've spent the last few weeks making snarky comments in this space about Webster Schroeder being ranked ahead of Jamestown in Class AA. I will no longer have to do that this year, because Webster Schroeder , ranked #18 in Class AA last week, went out in the quarterfinals to Irondequoit on Saturday night. And Jamestown is now ranked #17. So I was right.
- Aquinas will advance to Glens Falls with a 22-0 record after beating Jamestown in the regionals.
- Cleveland Hill will beat East tonight. The Golden Eagles moved up five spots in Class B, from #24 to #19, for hanging on to beat CSAT.
- Some matchups to look forward to, according to the rankings:
Sherman vs. I-Prep in the Class D Final
Middle College vs. Silver Creek in the class C crossover
Amherst vs. Will South in the Class A crossover
Park vs. Westhill in the Class B Federeation Championship
Canisius vs. Kennedy Catholic for the CHSAA state championship
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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The tenth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #24
Class A
Canisius #7
McKinley #8
Williamsville South #10
Amherst #13
Class B
Park #5
Fredonia #11
Class C
Middle College #5
Silver Creek #6
Tapestry #8
Salamanca #17
Class D
Sherman #2
I-Prep #10
** According to the rankings...
- Class AA is still a mess, mainly because this week, out of no where, they ranked 30 teams instead of 25 "to get some deserving squads in". Um, if they don't deserve a spot in the top 25, they don't deserve a spot at all. This isn't tee ball. Let's not change the way we do business in the third week of February.
- Webster Schroeder remains ahead of Jamestown in the state rankings. I watched them play prior to the Jamestown/Greece Athena game. Jamestown is better.
- Amherst who was dropped five spots for losing to Jamestown two weeks ago, jumped back up three places for beating Pioneer?
- Randolph dropped eight spots, from 16 to 24 in Class C for WINNING two games last week. I would have thought the loss to Maple Grove would have gotten them back into the poll...no?
- In two weeks time, Tapestry has gone from #19 in Class C to #8, for the following wins: Maritime, Buffalo Science, Buffalo Science again, & Global Concepts. The jump would not reflect the loss to Health Sciences or last night's win at Salamanca, as the rankings were done prior to those games. I like the Thunderhawks and they deserve a state ranking, I'm just not following the logic of such a significant leap over two weeks, considering the quality of wins.
- Park fell three spots for losing to Nichols, from #2 to #5 in Class B.
- Fredonia is up three spots in Class B, from #14 to #11 for winning at St. Mary's. After the recent wins over Olean & East, they should continue to ascend.
- St. Mary's has fallen out of the Class B rankings after back-to-back losses to Walsh & Fredonia.
- Sherman will play for a Class D state title.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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The ninth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #24
Class A
Canisius #6
McKinley #8
Williamsville South #10
Amherst #16
Class B
Park #2
Fredonia #14
St. Mary's #20
Class C
Middle College #5
Silver Creek #7
Salamanca #8
Tapestry #12
Randolph #24
Class D
Sherman #3
I-Prep #9
** According to the rankings...
- Class AA is a mess. Somehow, Bishop Kearney, who just lost to unbeaten & defending Class AA state champion, Green Tech, by two points, no longer deserves to be ranked.
- Webster Schroeder managed to leap frog Jamestown into the AA rankings, landing in the #19 spot. Like Jamestown, they lost to Rush-Henrietta. They have a total of four losses to Jamestown's three. One of Webster Schroeder's losses was to Greece Athena by 27 points. Jamestown lost to Athena by one. And can anyone guess what Jamestown has that Webster Schroeder does not? Four starters back from the Class AA state finalist team. Seriously, how does Webster Schroeder jump Jamestown and land at #19? Totally ridiculous!
- Amherst had no business losing on the road at Jamestown to the above mentioned Class AA state finalists who returned four starters, including the CC MVP. State rankings dropped them five spots, from 11 to 16 in Class A for that loss. Really?
- Ready for this? Randolph dropped eight spots, from 16 to 24 in Class C for WINNING two games last week. No losses since the last rankings, but an eight-spot free fall??? Hello???
- But Tapestry, who Randolph beat three weeks ago, moved up seven places in Class C from 19 to 12, after apparently really impressing the panel with last week's wins over Maritime & Buffalo Science.
- I better just stop now, I'm too fired up today. They must have done the rankings this week on a conference call after some intense Super Bowl parties.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Trevon Thompson & Silver Creek are eager for Salamanca's visit on Thursday)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Monday, February 9th
Cheektowaga @ I-Prep - 5:30 pm
Randolph @ Salamanca - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, February 10th
McKinley @ East - 5:30 pm
Wilson @ Medina - 6:30 pm
Walsh @ St. Mary's - 6:30 pm
St. Joe's @ Nichols - 6:30 pm
Lockport @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Niagara Wheatfield @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm
North Tonawanda @ Kenmore West - 6:30 pm
Canisius @ Aquinas - 7 pm
Cleveland Hill @ JFK - 7 pm
West Seneca East @ Williamsville East - 7:30 pm
Maple Grove @ Sherman - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, February 11th
Bishop Kearney @ St. Joe's - 7 pm
Fredonia @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm
Thursday, February 12th
Park @ Nichols - 6 pm
Salamanca @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
Friday, February 13th
Niagara Catholic @ Walsh - 6:30 pm
Kenmore West @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Niagara Falls @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm
Canisius @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Williamsville East @ Starpoint - 7:30 pm
Lancaster @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm
Tapestry @ Health Sciences - 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 15th
Timon @ Park - 2 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ Walsh - 2 pm
St. Francis @ Nichols - 3:30 pm
Niagara Catholic @ St. Joe's - 3:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Canisius - 4 pm
Game of the Week - Salamanca @ Silver Creek on Thursday, February 12th
- Since the start of the season, I've been beating the drum for CCAA I East, saying how competitive the league would be this year. After Thursday night's big game, we should know who will emerge as the this year's division champs. As of today, Salamanca & Silver Creek have identical 8-1 records in CCAA I East.
The two teams have plenty in common. Both are class C1 schools that expect to contend for a sectional title this season, after both reached the sectional semifinals last year (Silver Creek went a game farther, reaching the sectional final). Each team is led by a young, enthusiastic coach. The two best big men in the CCAA leagues play for these two: Bill Brooks of Silver Creek & Jared Fish of Salamanca. Brooks was a 2014 All-Centercourt 3rd Team selection, while Fish was HM in '14. And both teams have won this season, despite missing a key starter due to injury. Fish missed a few weeks with an ankle injury, while the Black Knights were without second leading scorer, Trevon Thompson, for several games. Both are healthy now and should start on Thursday.
Silver Creek's lone league loss came at Salamanca on January 16th, by 13 points. Both Fish and Thompson missed that game. Salamanca's league loss came at Randolph on January 13th, a team the Black Knights have already swept. Prior to arriving at Silver Creek on Thursday, the Warriors will try to avenge the loss at Randolph when they host the Cardinals on Monday night. Even if Salamanca losses a second time to Randolph, a win at Silver Creek would keep them tied for first place. But if Silver Creek wins on Thursday, they are alone at the top of CCAA I East.
Neither team is lacking for confidence coming in to this game, and both feel they are the better squad and this is their year. On Thusday we will find out if the recent success Silver Creek is enjoying is due to them taking the next step, or if Salamanca really does have the Black Knights' number and are a cut above the competitive CCAA I East.
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The eighth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #25
Class A
Canisius #6
McKinley #8
Williamsville South #10
Amherst #11
Class B
Park #2
Fredonia #14
St. Mary's #17
Class C
Middle College #6
Silver Creek #8
Salamanca #9
Randolph #16
Tapestry #19
Class D
Sherman #3
I-Prep #11
Panama #16
** According to the rankings...
- Jamestown got to watch its regional opponent, Aquinas, play after it lost to Greece Athena. The Lil Irish are 13-0 and the top ranked Class AA team in Section V.
- A win over the #11 team in Class A (Amherst) and a heart-breaking loss to the #2 team in Class A (Greece Athena) will get your ranked again in Class AA. Jamestown finally got back into the top 25 in Class AA this week, barely.
- Four of the top 11 Class A teams in NYS play right here in WNY.
- Greece Athena, who just beat Jamestown in a thriller, will play defending Class A Federation champ, Scotia, for the state title.
- Park (#2 in NYS Class B) will play Westhill (#1 in Class B and defending Fed champs) for this year's Class B Federation championship - something I've been predicting since December.
- Old pals, Middle College and Silver Creek will get together in the post season for a fourth straight year.
- Losing to unranked Maple Grove (Class D) had no bearing on the rankings, as Panama remained ranked #16 in Class D.
- Every team from WNY moved up in the rankings this week, except for Randolph, Tapestry, & Panama, who stayed in the same spot, and Middle College who slipped one spot.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Zack Panebianco shoots a free throw against ECIC I rival Will North. Photo by Cameron Hurst)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Tuesday, February 3rd
Nichols @ Canisius - 6:30 pm
North Tonawanda @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm
Niagara Wheatfield @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ St. Francis - 6:30 pm
West Seneca East @ Sweet Home - 6:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Niagara Catholic - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, February 4th
Timon @ St. Joe's - 7 pm
Thursday, February 5th
Hamburg @ West Seneca East - 7:30 pm
Allegany-Limestone @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
Canisius @ Cathedral Prep - 7:30 pm
Friday, February 6th
Lew-Port @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Niagara Falls @ North Tonawanda - 6:30 pm
Nichols @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ Niagara Catholic - 7:30 pm
Williamsville North @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 7th
Henry Carr @ Niagara Falls - 1 pm
Cardinal O'Hara @ Fredonia - 3 pm
Game of the Week - Williamsville North @ Jamestown on Friday, February 6th
- There's all kind of things at stake as these two get together on the first Friday night of February.
For starters, both teams are indefeated in ECIC I, making this a game for first place in the league. In the competitive league of all Class AA schools, these two have been a cut above the rest against the others all season, and thanks to a snow storm postponing the first scheduled meeting in January, both teams have had a chance to knock everyone else in league off already.
This is also a huge game in the realm of how the seeding will shake out in the upcoming sectionals a month from now. The schools are not only the class of ECIC I, but also viewed as the two best teams in Class AA. The winner will have a leg up on securing the top seed.
The Spartans and Red Raiders are currently the only two teams from Class AA ranked in the large school poll. North will enter as the #6 team, while Jamestown will come in as #3. Regardless of who wins, the game could have poll implications. The Spartans sit one spot behind Amherst, who is ranked #5. The Tigers just made the trip to Jamestown and lost by 10 points. Even in a loss, North could move past Amherst in the poll with a better showing, although I'm sure they aren't concerned with moral victories at the moment.
Every season this series tends to produce some classics, and here's hoping for more of the same. It's the first of two regular season meetings, and chances are, it could be the first of three games between them this season. See you in Jamestown on Friday for the 'Game of the Week'.
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The seventh state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #7
McKinley #9
Williamsville South #11
Amherst #13
Class B
Park #4
Fredonia #16
St. Mary's #19
Class C
Middle College #5
Silver Creek #9
Salamanca #10
Randolph #16
Tapestry #19
Class D
Sherman #3
I-Prep #12
Panama #16
** According to the rankings...
- Jamestown faces an even bigger task this weekend than it had back in December against Canisius. The Red Raiders play Greece Athena (#3 in Class A) on Saturday. The Crusaders are #7 in Class A.
- The state now agrees with me about Aquinas (12-0). I said at the beginning of the season I thought they were Section V's top Class AA team. They are now ranked #11, ahead of Fairport #16 & Bishop Kearney #20.
- Section VI's Class A is on the rise. All four teams the state has ranked moved up a spot this week, except McKinley, who jumped two spots.
- Whether it was Park's much more convincing win at Rochester's East High or the complete dismantling Aquinas put on them, Leadership Academy (Section V, Class B) is no longer ranked ahead of Park - something that bugged me for six weeks.
- St. Mary's losing a game it was supposed to (at Park) cost them two places in the poll.
- Fredonia's two wins over league opponents by a combined 75 points got them up from #22 to #16 in Class B.
- Silver Creek's win over Randolph got them ahead of Salamanca, who beat them.
- I-Prep's unbeaten league record in Yale Cup II is finally worth something - like the #12 ranking in Class D.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Jamestown faces Athena in a rematch of last year's Class AA regional. Photo by Scott Kindberg)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Monday, January 26th
Niagara Falls @ Timon - 6:30 pm
Park @ Walsh - 6:30 pm
Maple Grove @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, January 27th
North Tonawanda @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Amherst @ Jamestown - 7 pm
Lew-Port @ Niagara Catholic - 7 pm
Wednesday, January 28th
Grand Island @ Tapestry - 6 pm
Timon @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
Park @ St. Joe's - 7 pm
JFL @ West Seneca West - 7:30 pm
Randolph @ Portville - 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 29th
Middle College @ McKinley - 6 pm
Canisius @ Walsh - 6:30 pm
Allegany-Limestone @ Salamanca - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 30th
Lockport @ North Tonawanda - 6:30 pm
Williamsville North @ Bennett - 6:30 pm
Sweet Home @ Starpoint - 7 pm
JFK @ Lackawanna - 7 pm
Depew @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm
Panama @ Maple Grove - 7:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Nichols - 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 31st
St. Joe's vs. Canisius - 1 pm **at Canisius College
Randolph @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
RAP Showcase at Aquinas
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Charlotte - 12 pm
Jamestown vs. Greece Athena - 6:45 pm
Game of the Week - Middle College at McKinley on Thursday, January 29th
This game was originally supposed to be played on January 9th, but was postponed.
- After breaking the Yale Cup winning streak by winning 33 straight games against its competition from the Buffalo Public Schools, McKinley saw its run end at the hands of Middle College on January 31, 2014. The Kats proceeded to go into Mack High a week later and defeat McKinley for a second time and went on to win the Yale Cup.
McKinley would go on to win a third straight Section VI title in Class A1, while Middle College also earned a third straight Section VI crown, and made it all the way to the NYSPHAA Class C state championship game.
Once again this season, the two programs are considered elite in both the city and in their respective classifications in the section. The two games played between these annual powers will likely determine this year's Yale Cup champion just like a season ago. The Kats have already faced East twice and split with them. The Macks defeated East in their first meeting with the Panthers and will enter the game unbeaten in the city. A win on Thursday for the Kats is crucial to their chances of repeating as Yale Cup champions, as they will enter a game behind McKinley in Yale Cup I. A win for McKinley would have them well on their way to a returning to the status of Yale Cup Champs, and re-establish them as the city's top program.
As of now, McKinley is the #2 ranked large school in WNY, while Middle College is ranked #3 among WNY small schools.
Since the above game is a repeat from weeks earlier:
Game of the Week II - Jamestown vs. Greece Athena on Sat., January 31st
- Last season, Greece Athena spent the season as the favorite to win Class AA in Section V, and were also viewed as the team that would advance to Glens Falls to represent the Far West Region (Sections V & VI). The Trojans did capture the Class AA crown in Rochester, but Jamestown had other plans for who would be making the trip to Glens.
In a memorable championship game performance, Zack Panebianco took over for the Red Raiders and put the team on his back, enroute to a 34-point performance that helped advance his team all the way to the Class AA state title game.
This year, both teams from that regional game brought back four starters and are once again favorites to win their respective sections. One big change, Greece Athena is now in Class A, meaning there is no chance of the two meeting up in the postseason. Luckily, good teams get invited to showcases like the one held at Aquinas, and we'll get to see these two go at it once more. A rematch of last year's Class AA regional with eight of ten starters back? That's gotta be 'Game of the Week' material.
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The sixth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #8
McKinley #11
Williamsville South #12
Amherst #14
Class B
Park #5
St. Mary's #17
Fredonia #22
Class C
Middle College #4
Randolph #9
Salamanca #11
Silver Creek #13
Tapestry #20
Class D
Sherman #3
Panama #12
** According to the rankings...
- Last week, I wrote in this space "Middle College is going to Glens Falls". I got immediate feedback from multiple peole about that, because they took that statement as a bold prediction in January. But if you read what's in italics above, it says "According to the rankings", meaning, everything I write in this space is just that. I wrote 'Middle College is going to Glens Falls' because there are no teams from Section VI or Section V ranked ahead of them...hence, according to the rankings, they're going.
- Beating McKinley gets you moved up two spots (Canisius is up from 10 to 8 in Class A).
- Losing to Canisius gets you moved up three spots (McKinley is up from 14 to 11 in Class A).
- Taking care of business against the teams you're supposed to beat in your league will get you noticed. Williamsville South & Amherst both jumped up six places in the Class A rankings this week. South went from 18 to 12 after beating Sweet Home & Lake Shore, while Amherst jumped from 20 to 14 after downing Springville last week. Both teams face their stiffest league competition this week - South plays Starpoint & Amherst battles with Cheektowaga. Somehow I doubt either team jumps another six spots, should they gain those much more credible wins.
- The Class A sectionals are going to be off the charts this year, but we already knew that. After #11 McKinley & #12 South play in the Class A1 final, #14 Amherst awaits the winner in the crossover. The winner of that game gets #3 Greece Athena. According to the rankings of course.
- Leadership Academy of Section V is #4 in Class B, one spot ahead of Park at #5. They share one common opponent - both teams played at Rochester's East High. Leadership Academy beat them by six last Tuesday. Park just beat them by 25 yesterday. It will be intersesting to see if that is considered when the rankings come out again next week.
- There are at least four teams from Section V better than anything we have to offer in Class B. Fredonia is the only Section VI team ranked in Class B at #22.
- 45% of the teams ranked in Class C are from Section VI (5) & Section V (4).
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Amherst vs. Cheektowaga will be epic...again. Photo by Nick LoVerde)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Monday, January 19th
East vs. Franklin @ Monroe CC
Park @ Rochester East - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, January 20th
Timon @ Nichols - 6:30 pm
Kenmore West @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm
Williamsville South @ Starpoint - 7 pm
Walsh @ St. Francis - 7 pm
Niagara Catholic @ St. Mary's - 7:30 pm
Jamestown @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm
Silver Creek @ Randolph - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 21st
DaVinci @ Olmsted - 5:30 pm
I-Prep @ MST Seneca - 5:30 pm
Buffalo Arts @ Emerson - 5:30 pm
Thursday, January 22nd
Middle College @ East - 5:30 pm
Oracle @ Tapestry - 6 pm
Lackawanna @ Cleveland Hill - 6:30 pm
West Seneca East @ Starpoint - 7 pm
Depew @ East Aurora - 7:30 pm
Chautauqua Lake @ Cassadaga Valley - 7:30 pm
Frontier @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm
Portville @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 23rd
I-Prep @ Olmsted - 5:30 pm
Emerson @ MST Seneca - 5:30 pm
City Honors @ Buffalo Arts - 5:30 pm
UPrep @ Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Park - 6:30 pm
Kenmore West @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Wilson @ Newfane - 6:30 pm
St. Francis @ St. Joe's - 7 pm
Cheektowaga @ Amherst - 7:30 pm
Sherman @ Panama - 7:30 pm
Nichols @ Niagara Catholic - 7:30 pm
Portville @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 24th
West Seneca East @ West Seneca West - 3:30 pm
Timon @ Canisius - 4 pm
Game of the Week - Cheektowaga @ Amherst on Friday, January 23rd
- A late January game on a Friday night, between the two best teams in the league, who have developed an exciting and competitive rivalry. The game that may decide if ECIC III is a shared title or if it's owned outright. A game critical to the Class A2 seedings for sectionals a month from now. The Game of the Week.
Back in mid December, round one at Cheektowaga was a wild & epic affair. The game wasn't decided until TC Brown's contested 3-point attempt from straight away went in off the glass as the final buzzer rang. It managed to live up to a lot of preseason hype that was generated from a triad of encounters from the season prior, a year that seriously fueled this burgeoning rivalry. It doesn't hurt that both of these teams have players either.
Last season, Amherst won the league for a third straight time. However it was Cheektowaga who advanced farther in sectionals, ending the Tigers season in a wild overtime affair to win the Class A2 title - the first in Warrior history. It was also the third straight win over Amherst for the Warriors, who had knocked the league champs off twice in the regular season as well.
Most of the faces from last season are back for both teams. Over the last four games in this series, these guys have become quite familiar with each other. Cheektowaga's Dominick Welch and Amherst's TC Brown are returning 5th Team All-Centercourt selections. Zak Ciezki of the Warriors was All-Centercourt HM and just eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring mark for his career last week.
The atmosphere at the Jungle in Amherst will be as good as it gets on Friday. Tiger fans will be loud, both teams will be proud, and I'll be at the center of it all. Literally.
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The fifth state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
No teams ranked
Class A
Canisius #10
McKinley #14
Williamsville South #18
Amherst #20
Class B
Park #5
St. Mary's #17
Fredonia #24
Class C
Middle College #4
Silver Creek #9
Tapestry #11
Salamanca #20
Class D
Sherman #3
Panama #13
** According to the rankings...
- Greece Athena of Section V's Class A is far more highly regarded than any WNY team this season. The Trojans, who are ranked #4 in Class A, visited Fairport on January 4th and won by 28 points, yet Fairport continues to be ranked in Class AA (#19), while Jamestown is a mere honorable mention. The Red Raiders got their shot at the mighty Trojans on January 31st in the RAP Classic at Aquinas. We'll see if they can play a game closer than 28 points.
- Canisius' dismantling of Nichols last week was worth a two spot promotion in Class A, from 12 to 10.
- McKinley got bumped up three places in Class A, from 14 to 11, after beating East (unranked in Class B).
- The Canisius/McKinley game at the MLK Classic on Saturday will feature the #11 vs. #10 ranked teams in the state in Class A.
- Williamsville South has been unranked all season, but managed to leap frog Amherst into the Class A ranks this week, after downing Williamsville East.
- Beating Walsh in Walsh will cost you! St. Mary's fell two spots in Class B this week, from 15 to 17, after winning at the buzzer at Walsh, a place Nichols lost by 10. Completely irrational!
- Middle College is going to Glens Falls.
- The top three Class D teams from Section V are all...wait for it....private schools. I know, shocker.
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Middle College at McKinley on 2/8/14. Photo by John Hickey/Buffalo News)
Here's a list of what I think are the top games to follow this week:
Monday, January 5th
Bennett @ Silver Creek - 7:30 pm
Panama @ Clymer - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, January 6th
Canisius @ Nichols - 6:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Walsh - 6:30 pm
Maryvale @ Cheektowaga - 6:30 pm
St. Joe's @ Timon - 7 pm
Lew-Port @ North Tonawanda - 7 pm
Fredonia @ Olean - 7:30 pm
Sweet Home @ West Seneca East - 7:30 pm
Allegany-Limestone @ Randolph - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 7th
East @ McKinley - 6 pm
Thursday, January 8th
Cleveland Hill @ Tonawanda - 6:30 pm
Iroquois @ Starpoint - 7 pm
Amherst @ Maryvale - 7:30 pm
Jamestown @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm
Williamsville East @ Williamsville South - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 9th
Middle College @ McKinley - 6 pm
Lockport @ Lew-Port - 6:30 pm
North Tonawanda @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Walsh @ Park - 6:30 pm
Amherst @ Sweet Home - 7 pm
Silver Creek @ Allegany-Limestone - 7:30 pm
Randolph @ Portville - 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 10th
Canisius @ St. Joe's - 2 pm
Niagara Falls @ Aquinas - 5 pm
Game of the Week - Middle College @ McKinley on Friday, January 9th
- After breaking the Yale Cup winning streak by winning 33 straight games against its competition from the Buffalo Public Schools, McKinley saw its run end at the hands of Middle College on January 31, 2014. The Kats proceeded to go into Mack High a week later and defeat McKinley for a second time and went on to win the Yale Cup.
McKinley would go on to win a third straight Section VI title in Class A1, while Middle College also earned a third straight Section VI crown, and made it all the way to the NYSPHAA Class C state championship game.
Once again this season, the two programs are considered elite in both the city and in their respective classifications in the section. The two games played between these annual powers will likely determine this year's Yale Cup champion just like a season ago. The Kats already own a victory over East, the only other team likely to challenge these two in the city, who McKinley hosts prior to facing the Kats, on Wednesday. A win on Friday for the Kats would have them well on their way to a repeat, while a McKinley victory would establish a clear pecking order of the city's top programs.
As of now, McKinley is the #4 ranked large school in WNY, while Middle College is ranked #4 among WNY small schools.
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A new holiday tradition has begun in the Williamsville community - the Five Guys Tournament hosted by Williamsville North. This year was the third annual tournament and it's a new tradition the Spartans basketball program hopes will stick. And in keeping with tradition, the Spartans made sure the result remained the same - the championship trophy stays on Hopkins Road.
Ten seconds after Nicholas Clough struck from downtown to put his Flames in front, 3-2, North's Dylan Lambert drilled his own from beyond the arc to put the Spartans back on top - and it would be for good. Williamsville North led the final 29 minutes of the Five Guys Tournament championship game and came away with a 77-55 victory over district rival Williamsville East.
Maceo Jack earned Tournament MVP honors, after scoring 41 points over the two games. His points came in a variety of ways - from pull up jumpers to knifing through the defense to get to the rim, from converting three-point plays to dropping 3-pointers. And of course, there were dunks - none as exciting as the one he put down in transition courtesy of a perfect lob tossed by teammate Dylan Lambert. Jack rose up above the defense and used both hands to stuff the ball through the bending breakaway rim.
Another candidate for the MVP had to have been Lambert, who also had a heck of a performance, scoring 34 points in the two games, including a team-high 20 points in the title victory over the Flames. Many of those tournament points came on 3-pointers, seven in all, with five bombs coming against Williamsville East. But Lambert is far more to the Spartans than just a 3-point threat, he has become a heady team-leader who takes care of the ball, defends, and makes timely plays for North when they need them. One example would be at the end of the first half when Williamsville East had cut a 16-point Spartan lead to seven with an 11-2 run. Lambert had his number called after a North timeout and got to the charity stripe, where he sank both tosses. On the ensuing possession for the Flames, which was to be the last of the half, Lambert perfectly timed a steal by stepping in front of a pass and heading the other direction. He finished the play and the half with a #BOOM, rising up and flushing it with two-hands to send his squad to the break with a 33-22 lead.
The closest Williamsville East got in the second half was within five points midway through the third quarter. One of Lambert's five treys spurred a 7-2 North spurt that put them back up by ten. Chad Steinwachs turned in a big second half for the Spartans, scoring 12 of his 14 points over the final 16 minutes and helping to thwart any thoughts Williamsville East had of getting back into the game.
Point guard Sean Hill had a beautiful finish for North in the fourth quarter and finished with six points, but his contributions went far beyond scoring. Hill's energy on both ends of the court sets a tone for his team, but he's also the one who directs the Spartan sets and knows when to settle his squad. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the ovation Jeffery Calderon drew from the Green Squall when he entered the game and promptly drained a pair of treys, or that Sam Cimato scored five points & looked good.
In all a great team effort from North to win this tournament over the field they competed against (Will East, Pittsford Sutherland, & St. Mary's), maybe its best showing of the season. The Spartans improved to 5-2 on the season, heading back into league play, which starts off the New Year with a pair of home contests against Clarence (Tues 1/6) and then the big one, Jamestown on Thursday, January 8th.
Clough scored a game-high 23 points for Williamsville East in the loss, while Cort Williams added 15 points.
Pittsford Sutherland defeated St. Mary's, 63-57, in the consolation game. Takal Molson led the Lancers with 21 points.
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The third state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #20
Class A
Canisius #9
Nichols #13
McKinley #15
Amherst #22
Class B
Park #7
St. Mary's #9
Fredonia #15
East #22
Class C
Middle College #5
Silver Creek #10
Tapestry #13
Salamanca #18
Class D
Sherman #4
Panama #8
** According to the rankings...
- Section V will win all five games at the regionals this year, meaning we send no teams to Glens Falls.
- Aquinas is only the third best team in Section V's Class AA. It is my belief that they are likely the best from Section V.
- Nichols loss to Walsh was seen as practically inconsequential. The Vikings dropped just one spot, while Walsh continues to be unranked.
- Park is only the 7th best Class B team in the state. If there are really six teams better, Class B may supercede Class AA as the most talented classification.
- Even Leadership Academy (Section V Class B) is better than Park.
- The Class B2 final at Buff State is the defacto overall Class B final (no Class B1 schools ranked).
- The deepest classification in Section VI is Class C (four teams ranked).
For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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The second state rankings of the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AA
Jamestown #23
Class A
Canisius #10
Nichols #12
McKinley #16
Amherst #23
Class B
Park #8
St. Mary's #11
Fredonia #16
East #23
Class C
Middle College #6
Silver Creek #11
Tapestry #14
Class D
Sherman #4
Panama #8
** According to the rankings...
- Three teams from Section V - Bishop Kearney (13), Fairport (16), & Aquinas (18) - are better than what Section VI has to offer in Class AA.
- Canisius had a big week, knocking off two ranked Class AA teams: #4 Bishop Kearney & #10 Jamestown. The Crusaders' reward was a nine-spot jump up from #19, but not ahead of Holy Trinity (#9), who beat St. Joe's by 15 and Nichols by three last weekend. There are a total of four CHSAA Class A teams ranked ahead of Canisius.
- Jamestown and Bishop Kearney were treated differently for losing to Canisius. The Red Raiders dropped 13 places in the Class AA poll to #23, after opening at #10 in Week 1. Meanwhile, Kearney, who also lost to unranked St. Mary's (Manhasset, NY), only fell nine places from #4 to #13.
- Greece Athena is considered better than any team from WNY, ranked #5 in Class A.
- The only WNY team that will win a state title is Park in CHSAA Class B.
- A win at the buzzer over East was enough to overshadow a 19-point loss to St. Mary's, as Middle College moved up one place in the Class C ranking.
- What the Kats' win over East did do? Dropped the Panthers 14 places in Class B, from #9 to #23.
- Silver Creek's loss to Nichols bore no consequence - they remained at #11 in Class C.
- Sherman's four-point win over Panama literally caused the two teams to flip places in the Class D rankings.
- For the complete NYSSWA rankings, click here.
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(Olean's Wil Bathurst throws down an alley-oop dunk after a lob from Nick Schmidt during the 2014 Class B crossover game, where the Huskies defeated East, 62-59. Photo by Dave DeLuca )
- Jamestown finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in ECIC I, before embarking on an improbable run through the Class AA state playoffs. The Red Raiders made it all the way to the NYSPHAA Class AA state championship game and nearly won the whole thing, as they trailed eventual winner Green Tech by just two points with 13 seconds remaining.
- Nichols didn't bother to listen to anyone who had already handed Canisius the Manhattan Cup. Instead, the Vikings sent shock waves through the WNY high school hoops community when they toppled the Crusaders on their home floor in the semifanals of the Manhattan Cup playoffs. Nichols went on to win its third Cup in program history, defeating Timon in the final.
- Olean's team of the ages looked all-world in the Class B1 playoffs, winning its first three games by an average margin of 38 points. Then, after surviving in the Game of the Year against East in the Class B crossover, the Huskies surged ahead, straight to the Class B state title game. Once there, they fell victim to a red-hot Westhill team, in one of the most surreal games I've ever witnessed (Westhill led 49-18 at the half and won 93-55, led by a pair of juniors who combined for 79 points).
- Until Canisius was upset in the Manhattan Cup semifinal, they dominated the local competiton like we haven't seen in some time. Its closest game of the season against a WNY team had been a 12-point win over Nichols in the regular season. Following the season, the area's most highly touted player, sophomore point guard Howard Washington, transferred out of Canisius and now attends Montverde Academy in Florida.
- McKinley came off of its state championship season with a brand new starting lineup, and proceeded to win the overall Section VI Class A title, again.
- Cheektowaga & Amherst made both ECIC III and Class A2 exciting races to follow. Amherst took the league championship, despite falling in both regualr season contests to the Warriors. Then, in the Class A2 final at Buffalo State, they went at it in an overtime thriller that saw the Warriors take the third meeting as well and claim their first ever sectional crown.
- Middle College finished ahead of both East & McKinley to win the Yale Cup and then rolled all the way to the Class C state championship game for the third time in school history, before falling to Hoosic Valley.
- St. Mary's once again represented the MMA as the Class B school in the CHSAA state final. The Lancers had a senior laden team that swept both Nichols & Park, beat Class C state finalist Middle College, Class B2 champ Fredonia, beat Class AA finalist Clarence, and swept St. Joe's.
- Sherman won its second straight Section VI Class D title. Then, despite Batavia Notre Dame's best efforts to steal another Class D regional by playing in Class D with a private school, Sherman advanced to Glens Falls after knocking Batavia ND off. The Wildcats bombed in 10 first half 3-pointers, to build a 20-point halftime lead.
- Canisius, Fredonia, I-Prep, Barker, and Sherman were all undefeated league champions.
- The 2014 All-Centercourt First Team: Zack Panebianco, Jr. (Jamestown), Wil Bathurst, Sr. (Olean), Sterling Taplin, Sr. (Williamsville North), Johnathon Lewis, Sr. (East), Donte Williams, Sr. (Timon)
- 2014 CC MVP awarded to Player of the Year: Zack Panebianco (Jamestown)
- Sixth Man of the Year: Josh Huffman (Canisius)
- Coach of the Year: Jeff Anastasia (Olean)
- 2014 Centercourt All-Defensive Team: Johnathan Lewis (East), Ryan Richards (Canisius), D'Andre Steward (McKinley), TJ Scott (Middle College), Brian Stoldt (Alden)
-centercourt
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