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Depew offense stopped; L-P wins Super Sunday
 | | HANGING IN THE BALANCE...John F. Kennedy guard Ben Walkow hangs in the air for a shot attempt Friday against the uptight defense of Gowanda's Josh Bartholomew, while Levi Hubbard of the Panthers also looks on. (Times photo) |
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Despite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Lewiston- Porter in the Super Sunday Small Schools Club Hockey championship game, Depew simply couldn't solve a pair of sizzling Lancer goaltenders in a tough loss for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats (29-6-4 overall) outshot Lew-Port, 34-18, but found themselves on the short end of a 3-1 decision. That's because Lancer goaltenders Lorne Shotwell and Cameron Crapsi stood on their heads in stopping all but one Depew scoring chance- a goal by Wildcats junior forward Alfredo Scarpone late in the first period.
Scarpone's goal, which came on "Goodbye" to the Flyers as time ticked down. Jones said his team will take any postseason victory it can get against Maryvale.
"(Maryvale) had won Class A-2 four times in a row, so for us to finally beat them is great," Jones told the Times. "I've thought that (beating the Flyers) is what we were capable of. (Maryvale's) a young team and they'll be back. They weren't quitting tonight and they made a little run in the fourth quarter, but we kept our composure."
Jones added that Maryvale played the same style of zone defense from last season's contest at Buffalo State- a boxed-in formation that forced the Wildcats to take many three-pointers. This time, however, Depew was successful from long range. Stevens knocked down three treys in the first half. Senior Pat Vanini and Battaglia each added a pair of shots from downtown.
"We had a lot of good looks from deep, although some of that came from going down low to Dudkowski enough to keep (Maryvale's) defense honest," Jones said.
Osika, whose squad also dropped a 71-54 decision to the Flyers two years ago in the A-2 quarterfinals, described beating Maryvale as "a weight off the team's shoulders."
After holding a 12-9 lead after one quarter, Vanini and Osika drilled consecutive three-pointers to open the second. Then, Osika stripped a Maryvale dribbler and fed Vanini with a pretty pass for a layup. Maryvale head coach Mark Kensy called time-out, but Battaglia later drained a trey to put Depew up 25- 13. Stevens later swished a threepointer from the left elbow just before the first half ended to put the 'Cats up, 28-14, at the break.
In the third quarter, Davis and other Maryvale players missed several point-blank scoring opportunities near the basket. They may have been "hearing the footsteps" of Depew defenders, as many times in the first half, the Flyers' ball handlers would dribble into the paint and be swarmed by Depew players, who cut off passing lanes. In the third quarter, it was more of the Flyers simply going cold from the field, clanging the iron with missed jumpers.
The Wildcats' lead grew to as much as 24 points in the second half, as a strong drive to the basket by Osika gave Depew a 41-15 lead late in the frame. After three quarters, the 'Cats held a 41-19 advantage, as the Flyers connected on just seven of their first 33 shot attempts from the field.
"I thought we had a lot of good looks," said Flyers head coach Mark Kensy, whose team started several underclassmen this season. "We can't shoot the way we did and expect to come out on top. We didn't cash in on our opportunities. I think we were a little bit nervous...Depew's a very good team, to take nothing away from them. They had too many guns for us to stop."
In the fourth, Maryvale came out with desperation, as Estarfaa and senior Jake Nowak drilled treys to close the Flyers' deficit to 16. After consecutive put-backs by Depew, Nowak drilled another three-pointer, and a free throw by junior Josh Thomas brought Maryvale to within 47- 31 with four minutes remaining. However, Depew made six of seven free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal the win.
Osika led a balanced Depew attack with 13 points, five assists and five steals, while Dudkowski hauled down a team-high 12 rebounds. Also, Stevens added 11 points and Battaglia, 10. Estarfaa and Nowak scored 10 points apiece to pace the Flyers, Nowak also added four steals and three assists. Thomas and Davis paced Maryvale with seven rebounds apiece.
Depew finished 10-12 at the freethrow line, while Maryvale went 7- 13 at the charity stripe. The Wildcats committed just 10 turnovers, while the Flyers made 12 miscues.
Warriors, Bears fall hard
in quarterfinal home losses
The Cheektowaga Central Warriors boys varsity basketball team entered the Section VI tournament Friday with its highest-ever seeding at number three in Class A-2. That did not intimidate City League opponent Buffalo East, as the Bulls blew out the Warriors on Central's home court, 71-28.
Right from the start the game was not even close. Whatever it was- nerves, excitement or adrenaline- the Warriors never showed up.
"I thought our team was focused and ready for the game," Warriors head coach Luke Vogel stated about his team. "East is the most talented team we've seen this year, probably in the last three years that I've seen. They made us look very small. It was a thorough (butt)-kicking."
The problem right from the onset was Bulls forward Damien Goodwin. Goodwin was a monster when it came to rebounding on both ends. The Warriors never boxed him out, and that cost them dearly.
The other problem for the Warriors was getting into an up-tempo style at the start of the contest. With Buffalo East's height advantage, that was not a prudent thing to do, as every time a Warrior tried to take the ball to the rim East would close down the lane, and defenders would be immediately in a shooter's face, making it difficult to get a good shot. Central senior guard Terrence McCullough was given several open looks from three-point range but was unable to connect.
Damond Rainey was the only Warrior to break double figures with 11 points. East held senior guard and Central leading scorer Donte Parker to only four points. David Holmes was the only other Warrior to even break five points.
Vogel said that East was a better squad than its No. 6 seed indicates, adding that state playoff spots are given based on the size of opposing teams that a squad defeats.
"If (seeds) were based on how good a team is, East would be a number one seed," Vogel stated.
Central finished its season 12-8 overall. In summation, it was a successful year for the Warriors, as Vogel said this to say about his team's season: "I am proud of them after we got off to an awful start. To reach the third seed after a 2-4 start is incredible, and shows the kind of heart the kids have."
In the Class B-2 quarterfinals, John F. Kennedy, seeded fourth, dropped a disappointing, 72-56, decision at home Friday to No. 5 seed Gowanda.
A decisive third quarter- in which the Bears were outscored 28-12- doomed Kennedy. JFK, trailing 57- 45 after three quarters, cut the Panthers' lead to seven points with six minutes remaining on a three-pointer by senior guard Ben Walkow. However, Gowanda connected on 11 of 13 free-throw attempts down the stretch to seal the win.
Many fouls highlighted the contest, as the squads combined to attempt 65 shots from the charity stripe. Gowanda knocked down just three of 13 free-throw attempts in the first half, as JFK held a 33-29 lead at the break. Walkow- who finished with a team-high 20 points- scored 14 points in the first half.
However, Gowanda's Alex McMahon (20 points), Jay John (15), Josh Bartholomew (13) and Aaron Benton (12) asserted themselves in the second half, as JFK struggled to find a defensive solution.
"We had no answers for any of their players, unfortunately," said JFK head coach Tony Krupski. "(The third period) was probably the worst defensive quarter of the season. As the game wore on, you could see (Gowanda's) confidence growing, while our guys were struggling to get stops every trip down the floor."
Kennedy senior center Mike Bartoszek contributed a solid performance with 11 points and six rebounds.
JFK finished its season 6-15 overall. Krupski expressed optimism for the future, adding that five juniors and one freshman are returning next season.
In the Monsignor Martin Association Manhattan Cup prequarterfinals last Thursday, St. Mary's of Lancaster dropped an 81-46 decision to top-seeded Nichols. The Lancers finished a forgettable season 3-17 overall.
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