|
Flyers denied Class A title by Macks, ending improbable postseason run
By Steven Dlugosz Times
 | | BITTERSWEET ENDING...Maryvale boys basketball head coach Mark Kensy, right, and JV coach Chris Kensy, left, console Flyers center Matt Brennan, who walks off the court late in Maryvale's 81-62 loss to McKinley on Tuesday. (Times photo) |
|
The clock struck midnight for the never-say-die Maryvale boys basketball team Tuesday night at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena, as McKinley of Buffalo's Yale Cup League proved too tough for the resiliant Flyers to overcome in the Section VI Class A championship.
Maryvale, which entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed in Class A-2, lost to the fourth-seeded Macks of A-1, 81-62.
The Flyers were hurt by the hot shooting of McKinley, particularly by guards Mansa Habeeb, who scored a game-high 24 points, and diminutive guard William Robinson, who added 23, including 14 in the third quarter. Robinson also nailed four three-pointers, while Habeeb connected on three shots from downtown.
Trailing 15-9 after one quarter, Maryvale saw McKinley go on runs of 7-0 and 12-2 in the second. Habeeb hit all of his three-pointers in a span of a minute and a half, including a four-point play to give the Macks a commanding 20-point lead with 1:05 left before halftime.
 | | ALL OVER HIM...Depew's Greg Osika applies tight defense to Maryvale's Brooks Estarfaa during Saturday's A- 2 title game. (Times photo) |
|
After trailing 36-20 at the half, Maryvale began to open up its offense in the third, going on a 14-4 run late in the quarter and into the fourth to close the deficit to 60-49 on a three-point play by forward Matt Mohr with 5:30 remaining.
However, Habeeb then broke the hearts of Flyers fans by converting a three-point play of his own to get McKinley (21-4) rolling again. Maryvale got no closer than 12 points of McKinley for the remainder of the contest. The Macks went 14-18 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
Mohr led the locals with 14 points, while senior center Matt Brennan and sophomore point guard Brooks Estarfaa added 13 apiece. Freshman forward Andre Davis, a revelation in the postseason, contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds. Brennan added nine boards and three steals, while Mohr notched eight rebounds and three assists.
 | | LOOK OF DESPAIR...Players on Depew's bench can't believe their season is coming to an end on Saturday in the Class A-2 finals at Buffalo State College. Pictured, from left, are Tyler Stevens, Mike Sanders, Greg Osika and Pat Vanini. (Times photo) |
|
Forward Chandler Williams contributed 12 points in the post for McKinley.
The Flyers had forced teams it previously faced in the postseason- including Grover Cleveland and Depew in the A-2 playoffs- to beat them from long range by clogging the lane. However, McKinley broke this defense by simply hitting their shots, according to Maryvale head coach Mark Kensy.
"Robinson surprised us the most," Kensy said. "He produced like he had earlier in the season. He's really the kid that hurt us the most."
Maryvale's coach added that Tuesday's game was similar in some ways to the Flyers' loss one year ago to Sweet Home in the Class A finals.
"We didn't take advantage of our chances, even though we got shots where we wanted to," said Kensy. "We ran into a team that got hot from long range."
The second quarter was most costly to Maryvale, as the Flyers shot just 4-16 from the field, missing their first eight shots. Maryvale also committed eight turnovers in the first quarter. Also, the Flyers shot just 14- 25 from the free-throw line, uncharacteristic of the usually effective charity stripe team.
Still, Maryvale advanced farther than many observers had predicted, showing resolve and toughness in the postseason in defeating favored, more athletic teams such as Grover and Depew. The Flyers returned to this year's team just two starters- Mohr and Brennan- from last year's squad that went 22-2 overall.
Mohr said the Flyers' second loss to Depew in the regular season was the turning point for his team.
"That made us realize that we were still a good team, but that we needed to play better," said Mohr, who was playing in his third straight Class A finals game. "We just faced a team (McKinley) that shot lightsout tonight. We've got a good group coming up that should be back here next year."
Brennan, who asserted himself as a go-to guy in the post this season, said Maryvale accomplished everything it was capable of.
"(McKinley) caught fire and we got beat by a great team," the visibly upset center told the Times in a quiet Maryvale locker room. "But we've got great talent coming back next season. It's their team now."
Much of the locals' optimism for next season comes from the strong late-season play of Davis and Estarfaa, as well as newcomers from this year's junior varsity team that went 16-4 under Kensy's son, Chris, who coached his first season.
Mark Kensy said his team earned everything it obtained in the playoffs this campaign.
"We proved we belonged," said the 22nd-year coach, whose team was making its fourth consecutive Class A title appearance. "We beat teams. Other teams didn't beat themselves...We got better as the season went along like I hoped we would. I'm really proud of our kids."
Graduating Flyers include Mohr, Brennan, Jeremy Mountain, Dan Litz and John Rutherford.
Maryvale-Depew: Part III
The Flyers (17-7) advanced to the crossover title game by knocking off No. 1 seed Depew on Saturday in the A-2 championship, 47-38. Maryvale again played remarkable defense, holding Depew scoreless for a stretch of 6:14 from the middle of the third quarter to early in the fourth. During that time, the Flyers went on a 15-0 run, turning a sixpoint deficit into a 36-27 advantage.
Mohr and Estarfaa each hit key three-pointers early in the final quarter, and a free throw by Brennan gave Maryvale its biggest lead of the afternoon at nine. After junior guard Greg Osika brought the Wildcats to within 38-32 on a layup with 3:30 remaining, Maryvale's Jake Nowak answered with a three-point play, converting a layup while being fouled. After Depew senior Brad Kujawa made two free throws to cut the deficit to seven, the Wildcats missed two wide-open three-point attempts. A pair of free throws by Estarfaa essentially iced the game for Maryvale with a minute remaining, giving the Flyers a 45-36 lead.
Maryvale, which won its fourth consecutive Class A-2 title, only gave up a combined 80 points to Grover Cleveland and Depew in the A-2 semifinals and finals, respectively. That number is very surprising given the offensive performance by each of those teams in their postseason games previous to playing the Flyers.
Depew was coming off a thrilling, last-second 79-78 A-2 semifinal win against Lafayette, a run-and-gun contest in which both teams played at a frantic pace. Saturday's game was played in typical Flyers fashion- a halfcourt game with minimal fastbreak chances for either team. Senior guard Scott Jachimiak, an integral part of Depew's lineup as a sixth man, was hobbled with an ankle injury, limiting his effectiveness all afternoon.
This is a loss that will no doubt stick with Depew for a while. Coming into the game, the Wildcats were 21-1, having beaten Maryvale 51-44 and 67-63 in two regular-season meetings.
However, from the outset on Saturday, it appeared something was missing from Depew's attack. Closein misses and perimeter shots that went awry seemed to be common occurrences for Wildcat shooters. Depew also committed nine turnovers in the second half. A late run, which helped the Wildcats rally against Lafayette, simply never happened against the Flyers.
A joyous Maryvale student section began chanting "Go home Depew" and "Champions, champions," as the final seconds ticked down.
Davis enjoyed another outstanding contest on the boards, grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds. Mohr contributed 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Brennan added 12 points and eight boards. Senior Eric Wild led the Wildcats with 11 points and eight rebounds. Kujawa added 10 points, while Osika contributed eight points and six steals.
Both teams had trouble scoring to open the game and were deadlocked at eight apiece after one quarter. In the second, the iron was again unkind to both of the local squads, but a late trey by Wild gave Depew an 18-14 advantage at halftime.
Wild and Mohr traded threes to open the third, and a drive from Wild with 3:45 remaining in the quarter gave the 'Cats a 27-21 lead. From that point on, however, a lid seemingly began to form on the basket at which Depew was shooting. Easy misses on jumpers, runners and layups hindered the 'Cats. Also, excellent boxing out by Brennan and Davis limited the number of secondchance shots for Depew.
After playing mostly a 1-2-2 "hybrid" defense against Grover Cleveland, Maryvale went primarily to a man-to-man defense against the balanced Wildcats. Kensy said his team's game plan worked well.
"Our program was built on manto man defense," said Kensy. "Brennan's a horse and Davis has showed so much poise. Going into the game, I was hoping we could outscore Depew. Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. It's a great win. It's not all about scoring. We boxed out very well. To see my team grow, it's especially gratifying. To win four (A- 2) championships is amazing. How many teams can say they've accomplished that?"
Depew head coach Larry Jones, whose team was playing its first A- 2 championship since the 1994-95 season, did not believe that the difficulty of beating a team three times in a season was the reason for his team's sub-par performance.
"I don't believe in that," said a visibly upset Jones outside a somber Depew locker room. "Maryvale kicked our (butts) three times last year. I thought we were the better team. That's not to take anything away from Maryvale, because they did an outstanding job, but we just didn't hit our shots today."
The Wildcats are graduating several seniors who helped transform a team that went 10-12 last season to 21-2 this year, ranking No. 5 among Western New York large schools. Guard Chris Jones (son of coach Larry), forwards Wild and Kujawa, center Paul Nieman and Jachimiak will all be saying goodbye to Depew basketball. The five have played together since grade school and represent one of the finest units in Wildcats history, according to Jones.
"I can't begin to tell you about the heart of the players on this team," said Jones, who added that he believes that the last time Depew boys basketball won a sectional title was 40 years ago. "We don't have the best individual players in Western New York, but I believe we are the best team, though. This is hard (to say goodbye). I don't love any one of these guys any less than my own son (Chris). I'm so close to this group. As coaches, we pour our lives into these kids."
Other graduating players include Mike Sanders and Jordan Kroecker. Wild, one of the Wildcats' emotional leaders this season, was disconsolate after the loss to Maryvale.
"It's tough because we know we were the better team," said a tearyeyed Wild. "We just missed easy shots...It's going to be tough to say goodbye to teammates. I won't ever feel the same way about another group of guys as I do about this year's team."
| 
)
)
)