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Wildcats, Flyers refuse to lose, setting up all-local hoops final
By Steven Dlugosz Times
The Buffalo State College Sports Arena will be decked out Saturday afternoon with fans wearing maroon as well as turquoise and white. That's because those supporters' favorite boys basketball teams will be facing one another in the Section VI Class A-2 finals- Maryvale and Depew.
The Wildcats and Flyers advanced to the big game, which will take place at 3:30 p.m., by winning A-2 semifinal contests Tuesday at Buffalo State in similarly thrilling but very different styles.
Just when it seemed Maryvale's surprising, stifling defensive effort that led to a 46-42 win over Grover Cleveland would highlight the A-2 evening, Depew won a game for the ages later that night, as senior forward Brad Kujawa hit the "shot heard 'round the world" with just over two seconds remaining in overtime to give the Wildcats an improbable 79-78 victory over Lafayette.
Depew (21-1 overall) and Maryvale (16-6 overall) came into Tuesday's games as the No. 1 and 2 seeds in Class A-2. However, the two squads were viewed by many as underdogs against Yale Cup teams Grover Cleveland and Lafayette, who were seeded third and fourth, respectively. Depew and Maryvale head coaches Larry Jones and Mark Kensy said there was no doubt outsiders were skeptical about the Erie County Interscholastic Conference- III teams' chances of moving on to the A-2 final.
"I don't think anybody gave us a chance," said Kensy, whose team advanced to the A-2 finals for the fourth consecutive season. "We didn't use that as motivation, though, because we know we're a good team."
Jones, whose squad was ranked No. 5 among Western New York large schools entering the game, said Tuesday's win shows what primarily suburban teams are made of.
"It says ECIC-III teams can play," said a fatigued but relieved Jones af- ter the frenetic contest. "We're not afraid of anybody."
The Wildcats faced several deficits in the final quarter, including a 12-point disadvantage midway through the frame and a six-point bulge with about half a minute to go.
But Depew simply refused to give in to an athletic, aggressive Lafayette team that played well in its own right. With his team facing a 78-76 deficit with 7.4 seconds remaining, Jones called time-out to set up one final play. Kujawa caught the ensuing inbounds pass a few feet behind the three-point line and, after seeing that no Lafayette player was close to him, launched a high-arcing shot that dropped into the hoop, setting off a wild celebration on the Wildcats' bench and in the stands. Several Lafayette players kneeled to the ground in shock.
The remaining time ran off the clock, and after a full-court pass by Lafayette went awry, Depew players and fans stormed the court.
However, after referees conferred, they decided 2.8 seconds should be put back on the clock, giving Lafayette one final chance after its coach, Karl Maggiore, had frantically signaled for a time-out after Kujawa's bucket. Lafayette guard John Whitlock's final halfcourt heave hit the top of the backboard and bounced over the shot clock, giving Depew a heart-stopping win.
Kujawa described his game-winning shot as the "biggest in my life."
"I'm speechless right now," said Kujawa, in between exchanging hugs and high-fives with teammates and fans. "I couldn't believe it at first. This is something I've dreamed about for a long time, to hit a shot to win a game at Buff State."
Kujawa was just one of several Wildcats who stepped up huge for Depew in different stages of the contest. Just when it seemed as if Depew was in danger of falling out of the game, a new player would emerge with a determined effort.
Senior forward Eric Wild, who scored a team-high 24 points (including 14 in the second half), made several monumental plays, none bigger than his three-pointer from the right corner at the end of regulation, which sent the game into overtime. The senior also converted two other three-point plays- one on a trey another on a put-back and foul- that helped Depew stay in the game.
After the Wildcats took a 74-71 lead early in overtime on a Chris Jones three-pointer, Lafayette roared back to take the lead, going ahead 78-76 on Whitlock's layup with 10 seconds remaining.
Depew stayed in the game in part thanks to its tenacious resolve and partly due to Lafayette's ineffectiveness at the free-throw line, as the Violets went just 8-18 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
Much of the Depew-Lafayette game was played at a frenetic pace, as Depew trailed 17-16 after one quarter. The Violets opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run, but the Wildcats clawed their way back using a swarming defense and hot perimeter shooting. Senior guard Scott Jachimiak's layup brought Depew to within 33-31 of Lafayette at halftime.
Facing a 43-36 deficit with 4:20 left in the third, the Wildcats went on a 7-2 run to forge a two-point deficit with a minute remaining in the frame. However, Lafayette came back with a 10-0 run at the end of third and the beginning of the fourth to seemingly take command, putting Depew in a 55-43 hole with six minutes remaining.
Again, the Wildcats looked to their leaders to get their team back in the game and they did just that. Kujawa hit a three from the left corner to cut Lafayette's lead to seven with 4:35 left, then added another trey to bring the Wildcats to within 57-53 just over a minute later. Even a breakaway dunk by Witlock, which gave the Violets a 66-60 lead with 36 seconds remaining, could not shake Depew, as Wild's two threepointers sent the game into the extra session.
"It was a war and a half," Coach Jones said of the contest. "It was the greatest game I've ever been associated with, and I've been in basketball for 37 years. (The win) was what we deserved. Lafayette was sensational. We just kept hitting big shots. We got a little lucky, but it was a great comeback and our guys came up big...We've played so many games in the last 12 to 14 months. When the season ended last year, we started tournaments just about right after, heading into the summer."
In addition to Wild's 24 points and nine rebounds, Kujawa added 20 points and nine boards, while Jachimiak added 19 points. Jones and junior guard Greg Osika contributed six assists apiece, with Osika notching four steals.
Witlock paced Lafayette with a game-high 25 points, while Violet teammates Jeff Curry and Jamal Garner added 20 and 18, respectively.
Maryvale's victory was no less impressive, given that Grover Cleveland was coming off a 90-point performance on Friday in a victory over No. 6 seed Cheektowaga Central.
The Flyers outscored the Presidents 13-5 in the third quarter, as senior center Matt Brennan asserted himself by scoring 11 of his teamhigh 19 points.
Maryvale's defense was the story of the game and especially in the third, when Grover Cleveland did not hit a field goal. The Flyers' 1-2-2, or "hybrid" zone as Kensy stated, gave Grover virtually no room to drive through the paint to the basket.
Kensy described his team's week of practice as the "best preparation period of the entire season."
"(Grover Cleveland head coach) Earl Schunk told me after the game that he thought we knew his team better than he did," the Flyers coach said.
Frustrated by a lack of driving lanes, Grover resorted to shooting many three-pointers, without much success in the second half. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Edwards, who burned Central for 29 points Friday, was held to seven by Maryvale. Another sharpshooter- guard Anthony Caba- managed just five points. Star forward Anthony Greene, who scored a game-high 20 points, was limited to just seven after halftime.
Although Brennan and senior teammate Matt Mohr were playing their third consecutive sectional appearance at Buff State, several younger Flyers- particularly sophomore Brooks Estarfaa and freshman Andre Davis- showed the poise of seasoned veterans.
Estarfaa, the Flyers' point guard, helped direct Maryvale around Grover's full-court press, while Davis contributed 12 points down low against Greene.
Davis told the Times he overcame early jitters to play well.
"I was really nervous at the beginning," said Davis, who did not see action in a couple games early in the regular season. "The experience of playing today was great. Grover had some big guys and it was a tough game, but we came ready to play."
Mohr, who was plagued by ineffectiveness the entire contest and was limited to three points, made up for his errors with a key play with 10 seconds remaining. With the Flyers leading 43-40 with 10 seconds remaining, Mohr broke up a Presidents pass and was fouled, canning two free throws. Brennan, who grabbed nine rebounds, later made one of two foul shots to ice the game.
The Flyers trailed by as many as eight points early in the second quarter but used an 11-4 run midway through the frame to stay close. Davis' nine first-half points were huge for the locals.
"He became a man tonight," Kensy said of Davis. "He's come so far throughout the season."
The 22nd-year Flyers coach used one of his trademark lines after the game- "Winning never gets old."
"Boy, it's sweet," he said. "I'm so proud of my guys right now. We've got about 20 kids that practice with us, including J.V., and many sit on the bench to watch us. It was just a total team effort tonight."
Mohr contributed 11 rebounds and five steals, while Estarfaa added 10 points and five rebounds. Senior forward Jeremy Mountain (seven assists) and Davis (six boards) also played vital roles.
Schunk said his team most likely underestimated the Flyers.
"I think the guys came out thinking it would be easy," the Presidents coach said. "It wasn't. We just played slow."
Depew won both matchups with Maryvale this season, by 51-44 and 67-63 margins. The Wildcats are looking to turn the tables on the Flyers this season and win all three matchups, one year after Maryvale won a trio of contests- including the A-2 quarterfinals- against Depew.
"It's two teams that are very familiar with one another," Larry Jones said of the matchup. "It should be very interesting to see."
The Wildcats and Flyers each opened the postseason on Friday with wins over eighth-seeded South Park and No. 7 seed Albion in the quarterfinals, respectively.
In Depew's 58-41 win over South Park of the Yale Cup League, senior center Paul Nieman led the Wildcats with 15 points, while Jachimiak added 14 and Kujawa, 10. Depew led just 26-24 at halftime but opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run, as Nieman and Kujawa combined for 19 points in the second half.
Maryvale had to rally from a seven-point third quarter deficit to defeat Niagara-Orleans opponent Albion, 60-55, as Estarfaa's baseline jumper with 1:30 remaining finally gave the Flyers the lead for good. Mohr led the locals with 24 points, also notching eight rebounds and four steals, while Davis stepped up big with 14 points and nine boards. Estarfaa added 10 points, while Brennan was limited to just eight points, well below his season average, despite grabbing nine rebounds.
The Flyers shot 15-16 from the free-throw line.
For the first few minutes of Friday's Class A-2 quarterfinals game, the Cheektowaga Central boys hoops team looked like it was primed to upset No. 3 seed Grover Cleveland on the road. However, as Warriors head coach Luke Vogel said, it was just a matter of time before the co-Yale Cup champion Presidents started hitting their shots and getting to the basket.
Did they ever.
No. 6 seed Central led 18-9 with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. However, Grover's fullcourt press defense, coupled with lights-out shooting by Edwards, enabled the Presidents to forge an 18- all tie by the end of the first. Edwards finished with a game-high 29 points.
The Presidents then dominated the second half and won easily, 90-56. Grover shot a blistering 55 percent from the field for the game. Central (13-9) had its season ended one game earlier than last year, when the Warriors advanced to the A-2 semifinals at Buffalo State.
Vogel said he knew heading into the game that Grover presented his team with matchup problems.
"They were as good as advertised," said the fourth-year Warriors coach. "I was so impressed with their athletic ability. We would've needed to play at the level at which we started for the entire game to have a chance."
Central junior guard Donte Parker did his best to try to keep the Warriors in the contest, scoring 14 of his team-high 24 points in the first half. However, it seemed as if no other Central player asserted himself to either get open or hit close-in shots, leaving Parker to drive to the hoop against taller Grover players.
Grover led 47-32 at halftime and outscored Central 26-14 in the third quarter and 17-10 in the fourth. Greene gave Central lots of problems down low, scoring 19 points, including a couple of thunderous twohanded slam dunks. The Warriors also committed eight turnovers in the third quarter.
Senior forwards Chris Huggins- Weaver and Kevin Hairston scored 10 points apiece for Central.
Central opened the postseason on February 23 with a 63-24 win against 11th-seeded Tonawanda in the prequarterfinals. Junior guard Terrance McCullough led the locals with 17 points, while Parker added 15.
In the B-2 playoffs, No. 9 seed John F. Kennedy lost to eighthseeded Royalton-Hartland on February 21 on the road in the prequarterfinals, 56-44. Senior center Corey Knox led the Bears with 13 points and seven rebounds.
JFK, which trailed by 10 at halftime and 15 after three quarters, was unable to get closer than seven points within Roy-Hart. The Bears were hurt by cold shooting, converting just 18 of 57 shots from the field, including 1-14 from three-point range.
The defeat marked the first time in eight seasons that the Bears were eliminated in a playoff prequarterfinal contest. Head coach Tony Krupski said his team was unable to step up in the clutch.
"We worked hard to get back into the game and had chances to get closer," said Krupski, whose team finished 5-16. "We just couldn't get another defensive stop or another big basket. That was really our season in a nutshell."
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