|
Cleveland Hill boys earn first 'W' with Black-and-Blue win over JFK
By Steven Dlugosz Times
 | | BEAR TRAP...Guard Anthony Rose, right, and Cleveland Hill kept Andre Gordon, left, and Joe Duquette of John F. Kennedy at bay Friday night, as the Eagles won, 33-30. (Times photo) |
|
Even though it struggled with its shooting and turned the ball over often, the Cleveland Hill boys varsity basketball team got what it needed most Friday against local rival John F. Kennedy- a win.
The Golden Eagles (1-9 overall, 1-5 in Erie County Interscholastic Conference-IV) earned their first victory of the season, 33-30 at home against the Bears.
Cleve Hill made enough important plays down the stretch to seal the win and was the beneficiary of equally cold shooting by JFK. The Bears (2-10 overall, 1-4 in ECIC-IV) connected on just 11 of 66 shots from the field, a 17 percent clip, and made only six of 25 free throw attempts (24 percent). In the second half, JFK went just 3-16 at the charity stripe.
Still, JFK had a couple of chances late to tie the game. Senior guards Adam Ferraro and Joe Duquette had good looks from downtown, but their three-point attempts each hit the back of the rim.
Despite scoring just three points in the first quarter, the Eagles trailed only 20-13 at halftime and cut the deficit to four heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Cleve Hill junior guard Anthony Rose hit two free throws to forge a 27-27 tie. Senior guard/forward Kurt Nagel then swished a jumper with 3:42 remaining to give the Eagles their first lead since the opening minute of the contest.
After JFK senior center Corey Knox tied the game with a put-back, Nagel scored off a Cleve Hill miss to give his team the lead back. Nagel missed two free throws with 12 seconds left to give JFK one last chance, but the Bears could not connect from long range.
Both teams missed many in-close shots and layups throughout the contest.
Nagel, who contributed nine points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, said Cleve Hill was "geared up" to play the rival Bears.
"I'd been waiting all day for this," Nagel said with a grin. "It feels good, winning our first game."
Junior guard Joe Sanders led Cleve Hill with 12 points. Knox paced JFK with 10 points, while Duquette added eight.
Players on the Cleve Hill bench celebrated after the final buzzer and Eagles head coach Jason Przybysz displayed a look of satisfaction.
"What a relief," said Przybysz, who credited his team's defense for stepping up in the second half. "Our quickness in the man-to-man aided us on covering (JFK's) shooters....We still need to work on our production, because not scoring 40 points in a varsity game isn't going to get you many wins. But, any win can help immensely."
JFK head coach Tony Krupski was disconsolate after the loss.
"You can't shoot 17 percent from the field and 24 percent from the free-throw line and expect to win a game," Krupski told the Times. "We had a lot of good looks but just missed a lot of shots. Credit Cleve Hill for hanging around. They deserved to win. We had a chance to put them away early in the second half and we just didn't do it.
"We turned the ball over a lot and did not play fundamentally sound," Krupski added. "I can't explain it, I really can't."
The Bears lost to non-league foe Royalton-Hartland at home in overtime, 56-53 on January 3. Juniors Mike Bartoszek and Angelo Yavicoli led JFK with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
JFK also dropped a 91-46 decision to ECIC-IV opponent Lackawanna at home Tuesday. The Bears, who were outscored 48-21 in the second half, were led by junior Jake Winkowski, who scored 12 points.
The Bears will face league foe Holland at home Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Cleve Hill will take on ECIC-IV opponent Eden tonight on the road at 7:30 p.m.
Depew boys hoops riding
momentum of win streak
Just over halfway through the season, the Depew boys varsity basketball team appears to be a front-runner in ECIC-III, having won five straight games overall.
The Wildcats (11-1 overall, 3-1 in league play) earned an important league win over local rival Maryvale on January 3, as Depew senior forward Brad Kujawa went 8-for-8 at the free throw line down the stretch to seal a 51-44 victory.
Kujawa and fellow frontcourtman Paul Nieman, a senior, led Depew with 12 points, while senior forward Eric Wild added 11. Nieman and Wild also combined for 15 rebounds, while guards Chris Jones (senior) and Greg Osika (junior) contributed a combined seven steals and forced nine Maryvale turnovers.
Flyers senior center Matt Brennan had a good performance with 20 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore point guard Brooks Estarfaa added 10 points and five boards. Freshman forward Andre Davis led Maryvale with nine rebounds.
Kujawa did a fine job of limiting one of Maryvale's top scorers- senior sharpshooter Matt Mohr- to just one bucket and six points.
"Brad did an outstanding job of playing 'D' on Mohr," said Depew head coach Larry Jones. "We knew going in that Brennan was a horse down low, and he did score on us. But we knew we'd have a decent chance to win if we stopped at least one of their big guys."
Depew then throttled league foe Tonawanda on the road Friday, 84- 44, as 14 out of 15 Wildcats scored. Kujawa led the way with 16 points, while sophomore Tyler Stevens added 11.
Depew also easily defeated nonleague opponent Alden at home Tuesday, 92-45. Wild led the locals with 23 points, while Kujawa added 14 and senior guard Scott Jachimiak, 11. Wild also grabbed seven boards.
Maryvale pounded ECIC-III foe Springville on the road Friday, 61- 31, as the locals jumped out to a 19- 7 lead and never looked back. Eleven Flyers scored in the effort, as Mohr led the locals with 15 points and five steals. Brennan added six points, 12 rebounds and three assists, while Davis hauled down eight boards.
The Flyers return to action tonight to take on league foe Tonawanda for a 7:30 p.m. home contest. Depew faces Springville at home Tuesday, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Central looks for answers
after three-game slide
Cheektowaga Central (7-6 overall, 2-3 in ECIC-III) is in need of a turnaround after losing three straight games, including two league contests.
The Warriors were the victim of seven three-pointers made by Pioneer's Lucas Haskell in a 64-59 road loss to the Panthers on January 3. After opening a 20-11 first-quarter lead and recording five assists after one quarter, Central's offense struggled to keep its rhythm going, as the Warriors dished out just five assists the entire rest of the game.
Junior point guard Donte Parker led the locals with 17 points, while seniors Chris Huggins-Weaver (forward) and Deval Watkins (guard) added 12 and 10, respectively. Huggins-Weaver also corraled 10 rebounds.
Central then fell to Starpoint on the road Friday, 61-52. Junior forward Marcus Redmond, who missed the first half of the season, led the locals with 14 points, while Parker added 12.
Warriors head coach Luke Vogel said his team must improve on teamfirst concepts- sharing the ball and working hard- or the Warriors will not reach their potential.
"If we don't learn to play as a team, we'll be a 'coulda, shoulda team,'" Vogel told the Times. "We've got some major issues we have to work on. We've got to play with team chemistry. We've had games recently that we could've won, but didn't, because of selfish play."
Part of Vogel's frustration comes from Huggins-Weaver, who is shooting over 65 percent from the field, only getting a handful of shot attempts per game because teammates are not passing to him in the post, as well as other teams' game plans.
In a 75-62 non-league loss at home Monday to Niagara Catholic, senior forward Kevin Hairston led the Warriors with 20 points. Huggins-Weaver added 13.
Central looks to get back on track tonight against league foe Springville at home, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Depew girls beat Central, open season winning 7 of 10
The Depew girls varsity basketball team (7-3 overall, 4-2 in ECICIII) took a 10-point lead into halftime last Thursday on the road against local foe Central en route to a 62-49 victory. The Lady Wildcats opened a 14-3 lead to open the contest, as Depew's full-court pressure forced many Central turnovers.
Four Lady Wildcats scored in double figures, including sophomore forward Alexis Wayne (16 points), senior point guard Jordan Schrimmel (13), senior center Jen Godson (12) and freshman guard Jenna Majka (10).
With its outside shooting not on target, Central was able to hang around in the contest because of the effective low-post play of junior forward Breanna Harris, who tallied a game-high 21 points. Junior guard Margo Pagano added 10 points.
The Lady Warriors' Tuesday contest at Springville was postponed to Wednesday night, with results coming too late for press time. Depew lost to non-league foe Williamsville East, 49-39, also on Tuesday.
Central returns to action tomorrow at first-place league opponent Pioneer, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Depew faces ECIC-III foe Springville on the road tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
Maryvale wins two of three
Following two non-league wins, the Maryvale girls could not find their offensive touch Tuesday in a 48-37 loss at league foe Tonawanda. Junior guard Rebecca Dennee led the locals with 10 points.
Maryvale defeated Lake Shore (January 3), 47-21, and Williamsville North (Saturday), 40- 39.
The Lady Flyers return to action at Starpoint tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
| 
)