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TIMES SPORTSWATCH
Depew, Pioneer boys to square off Friday
 | | CENTER OF ATTENTION...Cheektowaga Central guard Donte Parker dribbles between several Springville defenders last Thursday in the Warriors' 57-38 win. (Times photo) |
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Depew boys varsity basketball head coach Larry Jones has been looking forward to this matchup for weeks- his Wildcats taking on Erie County Interscholastic Conference-III front-runner Pioneer tomorrow on the road in an important league showdown.
The Wildcats (12-1 overall, 4-1 in league play) come into tomorrow's contest winners of six straight overall, including Tuesday's 80-34 pounding of league opponent Springville at home.
Pioneer (8-5 overall, 5-1 in ECICIII) had won five straight contests before Tuesday's one-point loss at Cheektowaga Central, its first league defeat of the season.
Depew's only loss this season also came at the hands of Central, when the Warriors eeked out a 42-41 victory.
The Wildcats will try to control the high-scoring Pioneer duo of guard Lucas Haskell and center Ron Malicki, who form a potent insideoutside combination. A defensive key for the Wildcats is senior forward Brad Kujawa, who is a versatile stopper who often draws matchups against the opponent's best shooter.
Kujawa said Depew cannot give Haskell open looks.
"We need to get a hand in his face and play some help defense at times," the senior said. "They've got (Haskell) and the big guy, Malicki, inside, so we need to help each other out."
Another Wildcats senior, guard Scott Jachimiak, was confident about his team's chances of succeeding against the Panthers.
"We'll be okay as long as we keep moving on 'D' and don't stand around," said Jachimiak, who scored a team-high 15 points against Springville. "Pioneer is a good team and they won't back down, so we've got to be ready to play."
Jones said his team matches up well with Pioneer, who leads his Wildcats by one-half game for ECIC-III supremacy.
"We've got a lot of guys as seniors playing against their underclassmen," said Jones. "That's not to say (Pioneer's) underclassmen won't play well against us. Haskell and Malicki are a tough duo and Pioneer loves to spread the floor for them and some of their other guys. Brad (Kujawa) is a good defender for us, and Eric (Wild) just came back from being sick, so they'll draw some key defensive assignments. We'll play 10 guys against them, whereas they'll probably play about six or seven, so our depth should be a key."
Jones said a win would improve his team's already confident psyche.
"If we can beat them," Jones said, "that kind of puts us in the driver's seat."
Thirteen players scored against winless Springville, as Depew built a 49-17 halftime advantage.
Central won a pair of ECIC-III contests during the last week, easily defeating Springville at home last Thursday, 57-38, before edging Pioneer, 64-63, also at home, on Tuesday.
Warriors senior forward Dante Brown connected on a pair of free throws with two seconds left to provide the winning margin against Pioneer. Junior point guard Donte Parker led the locals with 18 points and 10 assists. In addition, Parker played excellent defense, holding Haskell scoreless.
Junior forwards Terrance McCullough and Marcus Redmond added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Senior center Chris Huggins- Weaver had an excellent all-around performance against Springville, contributing 14 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. Parker added 11 points and four steals, while senior forward Kevin Hairston recorded 10 points, five assists and four steals.
After taking an 8-2 lead after one quarter, Central scored 21 points in the second to open a 29-14 halftime lead. The Warriors then scored 10 of the first 12 points in the third quarter, highlighted by a one-handed, breakaway dunk by Hairston.
The Warriors (9-6 overall, 4-3 in league play) will face Maroon Madness rival Maryvale in an important league contest tomorrow at home, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Flyers enter tomorrow's contest with a nine-game winning streak against the cross-town Warriors.
Maryvale (8-4 overall, 4-2 in ECIC-III) also recently earned a pair of league victories at home, a 74-33 blowout of Tonawanda last Thursday and a 72-46 win over Starpoint on Tuesday.
The Flyers outscored Tonawanda 44-11 in the second half. Senior center Matt Brennan was a force down low, recording 18 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals, while sophomore point guard Brooks Estarfaa added 19 points, four boards and three assists in three quarters of action. Freshman forward Andre Davis contributed 10 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Matt Mohr had four points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The Flyers also forced 35 Tonawanda turnovers.
Against Starpoint, Brennan led the Flyers with 22 points and 16 rebounds, while Estarfaa added 17 points and eight assists. Mohr contributed 13 points and 10 boards, and Davis chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Bears bounce back, earn
big win over Dutchmen
The John F. Kennedy boys hoops squad bounced back from a tough loss at Cleveland Hill with a 56-40 win at home Tuesday against ECICIV opponent Holland.
Senior forward Jasen Ineson led the Bears with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while junior Jake Winkowski added 11.
After leading by just four points after three quarters, the Bears (3-10 overall, 2-4 in league play) outscored Holland 22-10 in the fourth. JFK head coach Tony Krupski described the victory as a total team effort.
"I knew we were capable of putting together a game like this," said Krupski, whose team faces Lackawanna at home Friday at 7 p.m. "We really needed this victory tonight."
Wayne leads Depew girls
to win over Springville
Alexis Wayne, a sophomore on the Depew girls varsity basketball team, broke out in a big way Friday against league opponent Springville, leading the Lady Wildcats to a 57- 54 road win over the Lady Griffins.
Wayne recorded a team-high 25 points, 12 rebounds and five steals, also connecting on 11 of 15 free throw attempts. The sophomore's two foul shots with 14 seconds remaining helped seal the victory for the locals.
"That's the kind of game we expect from her," Depew head coach Jim Ferguson said of Wayne's effort. "She's been averaging about 14 points and 10 rebounds a game for us, so she's really stepped up this year."
Senior point guard Jordan Schrimmel added 17 points, while senior center Jen Godson chipped in with 11. Schrimmel, who is averaging 22 points per game, now needs only 42 points to reach 1,000 for her varsity career.
The Lady Wildcats (8-3 overall, 5-2 in ECIC-III) return to action tonight at home against league foe Tonawanda, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Depew will then face non-league opponent Immaculata at home Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Maryvale, Central struggle
to find offense in ECIC-III
The Maryvale and Central girls varsity basketball teams haven't had much success putting the ball in the hoop against league opponents this season.
No Maryvale player reached double figures in scoring Friday in a 50-29 loss at ECIC-III opponent Starpoint.
The Lady Flyers, who fell to 4-9 overall, 2-5 in league play with the loss, were held to just nine points in the first half. Guards Toni Caruso (junior) and Olivia Gmerek (sophomore) led Maryvale with eight and seven points, respectively.
Central (2-10 overall, 1-7 in ECIC-III) fell hard to unbeaten league opponent Pioneer on the road Friday, 77-23. Eleven different Pioneer players scored against the Lady Warriors, who trailed 38-14 at halftime. Junior forward Breanna Harris led the locals with eight points.
On January 10, the Lady Warriors hung close with ECIC-III foe Springville at home before losing, 55-47. Harris again led the locals with 20 points.
Maryvale and Central each play tonight. The Lady Flyers take on Springville at home for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while the Lady Warriors face Starpoint at home at 6:30 p.m.
Kennedy, Cleve Hill girls
seeking consistent play
The JFK and Cleve Hill girls varsity basketball teams are each attempting to avoid inhabiting the ECIC-IV basement, as both squads are enduring long losing streaks.
The Lady Bears (1-10 overall, 0- 7 in ECIC-IV) managed to stay close with second-place Lackawanna on the road Friday but still lost, 53-43. Junior guard Krissy Weselowski led
tip-off scheduled for 12 p.m.
the locals with 12 points, while forwards
The Lady Eagles (2-9 overall, 1-6
Jen Weselowski (senior) and
in league play) were routed by East
Melissa Schultz (junior) each contributed
Aurora on the road Friday, 61-15. No
11.
Cleve Hill player scored more than
JFK, which is in last place in
four points, as the Lady Eagles managed
ECIC-IV, has lost nine straight since
just five second-half points.
defeating Cardinal O'Hara in the
Cleve Hill has lost five straight
season-opening Akron Tournament.
since knocking off JFK on December
The Lady Bears look to break that
19. The Lady Eagles return to
slide Saturday on the road against
action tomorrow at home against
local, non-league rival Central, with
league foe Holland at 7 p.m.
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