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Depew boys cruising; other locals struggling
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| SWARMING...Cheektowaga Central guard Damond Rainey ties up Pioneer center Mike Malicki Friday. The Warriors are currently 7-3 in ECIC-III. (Times photo) |
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Using a smothering defense and opportunistic, balanced offense, the Depew boys basketball team has its sights set on two now-obtainable goals- winning Erie County Interscholastic Conference-III and capturing the No. 1 seed in Section VI Class A-2- both benchmarks the 'Cats garnered last season.
Depew (14-1 overall, 10-0 in league play) has maintained its stranglehold on first place in ECICIII, dominating league opponents Springville (66-31) and Starpoint (48-32) on the road Friday and Monday, respectively.
The Wildcats, who with one more league win can clinch their second consecutive ECIC-III title, overcame a rough start against Springville. After shooting 2-11 and committing seven turnovers- resulting in an 8-5 deficit after one quarter- Depew head coach Larry Jones pulled his starters and inserted several reserves.
The result was a 29-6 second quarter in favor of the Wildcats, as sophomore guard Jake Maryniewski, as well as forwards Ken Nowak and Zak Sauer, sparked the locals. In the second, Depew shot 12-19 from the field, knocking down all three attempts from three-point range. The 'Cats also forced 11 Springville turnovers, recording nine assists and six steals.
"It was a good lesson to be learned," Jones said of the swap of starters and reserves during Friday's game. "We were so sluggish against Springville's zone to start the game."
Junior forward Anthony Battaglia led Depew with 11 points, while Nowak added nine. Twelve Wildcats scored.
Depew will travel to Amherst tonight for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off before facing winless Tonawanda on the road Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
In other local ECIC-III action, Cheektowaga Central (9-6 overall, 7-3 in ECIC-III) edged league opponent Pioneer at home Friday, 55- 51, as junior guard Damond Rainey stepped up with a career-high 15 points, five assists and five rebounds. Also, senior forward Marqus Redmond added 12 points and 10 boards. Senior shooting guard Terrence McCullough contributed 13 points, connecting on three threepointers.
The Warriors took advantage of poor free-throw shooting by Pioneer, which went just 4-20 at the charity stripe.
After trailing 18-8 at the beginning of the second quarter, Central closed the first half on a 16-3 run. The Warriors, who led 30-24 at halftime, then hung on in the second half.
Despite the win, Warriors head coach Luke Vogel believed his team was quite fortunate to come out on top.
"It was not a very clean game," Vogel said of the contest. "If Pioneer shoots free throws a little better, it's a different outcome."
Central then dropped a heartbreaker Monday at Amherst, 67-64, as a halfcourt three-pointer at the buzzer by the Tigers' Kevin Ford sent Amherst past the Warriors.
The nailbiting contest was a backand forth affair that featured several clutch shots, including a threepointer by Central senior guard Donte Parker that tied the game just before Ford's game-winning shot.
Parker led the locals with 23 points, which was matched by Amherst guard Nico McLean, who drilled a shot from his own free thrown line to end the first quarter. The heave gave Amherst a 20-16 lead after one frame.
From there, the squads battled back and forth, with neither team leading by more than six. Late in the contest, Amherst's Kurt Ebsary connected on one of two free throws to give the Tigers a 64-61 lead. Parker's game-tying shot sent Warriors fans into a frenzy, but Ford's subsequent answer sent Amherst fans storming onto the court in jubilation.
Central returns to action tonight at home against league foe Springville at 6:30 p.m. The Warriors will then travel to Starpoint Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest.
Meanwhile, Maryvale (6-9 overall, 5-5 in ECIC-III) split a pair of league games Friday and Monday, defeating Starpoint at home before falling to Pioneer on the road, respectively.
In a 70-48 win against Starpoint, junior guard Jamie Quigley enjoyed a perfect shooting night, connecting on all four of his three-point attempts, also going 4-4 from the freethrow line, en route to a 16-point performance.
Sophomore forward Andre Davis added 15 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Blair Estarfaa also recorded 15 points and three treys.
However, Maryvale could not maintain its momentum against Pioneer, as the Panthers outscored the Flyers 22-6 in a decisive third quarter en route to a 61-52 Pioneer win. Maryvale post players had trouble boxing out Pioneer center Mike Malicki, who recorded 15 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
Junior point guard Brooks Estarfaa led the locals with 16 points, while junior forward Josh Thomas added 14.
The Flyers return to action tomorrow at home against league opponent Tonawanda, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Maryvale will also travel to Springville on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Bears, Eagles tread water in competitive ECIC-IV
With four teams boasting seven wins or more in ECIC-IV, the John F. Kennedy and Cleveland Hill boys basketball teams are trying their best to stay competitive.
JFK (4-11 overall, 3-7 in league play) endured a poor shooting performance in a 74-51 loss at Alden Monday, connecting on just 18 of 76 field goal attempts, a 24 percent clip. The Bears went just 3-24 from threepoint range, also knocking down just 12 of 25 free-throw attempts.
Senior guard Ben Walkow was JFK's lone threat offensively, scoring a career-high 28 points, including three treys. No other Bears player scored more than six.
"I really thought we had some looks against (Alden's) zone," said JFK head coach Tony Krupski. "The more zone defenses we are facing, the more comfortable we are getting at playing against them. It seems like we're so close, but yet so far away, from breaking through offensively."
Junior forward R.J. Smith led Kennedy with 10 rebounds.
The Bears trailed 22-8 after one quarter and 54-34 after three quarters. JFK got no closer than within 11 points of the Bulldogs in the second half.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Hill (4-12 overall, 4-6 in ECIC-IV) split a pair of league games, losing to Lackawanna, 99-57, on Monday before edging the Buffalo Academy of Science Tuesday, 45-40.
Against Lackawanna, junior forward Curtis Hairston led the Eagles with 21 points, while senior forward Dwan Robinson added 14.
Against the Buffalo Academy of Science, Robinson led the locals with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
JFK will host league foe Holland tonight at 7 p.m., while Cleve Hill travels to ECIC-IV power East Aurora tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Lady Warriors improving; JFK, Cleve Hill around .500
The Cheektowaga Central girls basketball team might be flying toward the postseason under the radar, but it has shown marked improvement after going winless in ECICIII last season.
Central improved to 10-6 overall, 6-4 in league play after thumping Starpoint Tuesday, 67-47. Senior guard Taylor Pagano led the locals with 22 points, while her twin sister, Margo, added 14.
Meanwhile, in local ECIC-IV action, JFK (8-7 overall, 5-5 in league play) edged Alden Tuesday, 45-39. Juniors Krissy Wesolowski and Amanda Zanghi led the Lady Bears with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Cleve Hill (6-8 overall, 5-4 in ECIC-IV) dropped a 42-24 decision Tuesday to Lackawanna.
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