Section VI champs to clash
The two-time defending Section VI Class B champions started their season with a big win in their own tournament – and earned a showdown this afternoon with the two-time defending Section VI Class C-2 champions.Nick Schmidt, Wil Bathurst (18 points each) and Sam Eckstrom (16) started their senior basketball seasons in style as Class B power Olean routed Maple Grove, 81-42.
The Huskies will face Silver Creek at 2:30 p.m. today after the Black Knights beat Bradford (Pa.), 78-45, to extend their regular-season win streak to 29.
Lancaster routs Nichols
A balanced effort by Lancaster and a 44-28 second half lifted it to the championship of its own Lancaster Tipoff with an impressive 78-54 victory over Nichols of the Monsignor Martin Association.Tyler Lis (eight points) was named MVP while Joe Jankowski had eight points and 16 rebounds. Lancaster (2-0) had 13 players score, including Mike Spangler with 12 points, Matt Devic with 11, Sean Murray with nine and Eric Zimpfer with eight.
Ryan Funk scored 30 points while Bryan Jost had 15 as Clarence opened its season with a 67-54 victory over North Tonawanda at the Amherst Tournament.
Beaten by a buzzer-beater in the opening round of the Town of Hamburg Lions Club Tournament, Lackawanna won with a buzzer-beater in Friday’s consolation game. Roosevelt Jones hit a three as time expired to give the Steelers an 81-78 victory over St. Francis in the 15th annual event. Cameren Smith had 22 points for Lackawanna (1-1).
Cataract Classic continues
The Cataract Classic at Niagara Falls continues with six games today, including an excellent pair of marquee matchups.Returning two-time first-team All-Western New York guard Sterling Taplin leads Williamsville North against returning fourth-team All-WNY selection Donte Williams and Bishop Timon-St. Jude at 6 p.m.
The 7:30 finale of the event has host Niagara Falls – which lost its season opener to Sir Edmund McNabb of Ontario as the event opened Friday night – welcoming in Section V (Rochester area) power Bishop Kearney, which this season features junior Jamestown transfer Branden Kellam.
O’Hara girls roll in Pa.
Jontay Walton had 19 points as Cardinal O’Hara, last season’s No. 1 small school, moved to 3-0 with a 58-48 victory over Slippery Rock (Pa.) at the West Middlesex Kiwanis Tip-Off Tournament in Bradford, Pa. Kelsey McCarthy added 12 points and Keyonte Edwards had 11.