The Scoreboard - January 13th

MADISON FRANCIS’ LEGACY AT LANCASTER IS DEEPER THAN HER 2,000 POINTS

During the first quarter of a resounding 63-32 win over Jamestown, Madison Francis further etched her name into the Lancaster Basketball history books, as she scored her 2,000th career point as part of a twenty-two point performance on Friday Night Lights.

“It means everything to me,” Francis said after the game. “It was one of my goals coming into the season, so it’s just awesome to get it [at home].”

As part of the celebration, a handful of Francis’ many accolades were read off, which could’ve gone on all night long. The Mississippi State commit is the first player, boy or girl, to surpass the 2,000 point mark at Lancaster High School.

While Francis is the 15th girl in WNY to join the 2K Club, she is among elite company as just the third to have recorded both 2,000 points and 1,000 career rebounds, joining NYSPHSAA career rebounds record holder and Pioneer graduate Joelle Connelly, along with Silver Creek’s Abby Rice.

For a school that was never known for girls basketball, Francis single handedly changed the identity of the program over the last five years. Varsity Head Coach Jayson Jaskier took the position as a young teacher ten years ago. The season before he took over, the Legends had finished with a 4-14 overall record. Just a few years later, an eighth-grade Mattie Francis showed up to Varsity tryouts. That’s when Coach Jaskier knew he had hit the jackpot.

“She came in as an eighth grader, a very good player, very fundamentally sound, and just continued to develop…We’re very blessed that she’s here with us and we get to watch her do it live.” - Lancaster Head Coach Jayson Jaskier

Since Francis joined the team as a middle schooler in 2020-21, Lancaster has posted a 79-14 overall record, claiming three straight Section VI Championships and a Far West Regional Title last year.

Throughout the game this past Friday, Madison Francis spent plenty of time on the bench, cheering on the depth players on the Lancaster roster, including the Legends’ backup facilitator, 8th grader Reese Booker. The lone middle schooler on the roster received high praise from the four-star senior Francis, postgame:

“Reese is also an amazing player, she’s gonna be so good when she gets older, and I can’t wait to come back and see it.”

It’s that last quote from Francis that is the most impactful. It’s one thing to score the most points in school history and set a bunch of records, but it’s another to help foster a culture and stay connected to the future of the program. That is what elevates Madison Francis from being an all-time great at Lancaster High School, to being a living Legend.

BILLS BEAT THE BRONCOS, ADVANCE TO DIVISIONAL ROUND

The Buffalo Bills had their way with the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round yesterday, winning 31-7 at Highmark Stadium.

If it wasn’t for a miscommunication on the opening drive, resulting in a 43-yard Denver touchdown pass to Troy Franklin, the Bills dominated on both sides of the ball. After that play that put the Broncos up 7-0, Bills defensive backs Taylor Rapp and Rasul Douglas were in conversation all the way to the Buffalo sideline, figuring out where the error occurred in the coverage. From that point forward, the Bills controlled the clock, ran the ball effectively, scored on six of their next seven drives, and completely stifled the Denver offense.

Even when the Bills were up 10-7 in the second quarter and the Broncos perfectly executed a fake punt to keep their drive alive, the Buffalo defense still forced a punt four plays later, not allowing one mistake to derail their focus. A positive I saw from the defense from start to finish was the Bills’ open-field tackle ability. Their defenders were sound in one-on-one situations, breaking down and tackling cleanly. That was a problem in two of the Bills’ three losses this season, especially in week four, their 35-10 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore.

With the Bills advancing, and the Raven defeating the Steelers 28-14, the AFC Divisional Round is set, as Baltimore will take on Buffalo for a rematch. The NFL world will be treated to a game between the two MVP front-runners, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, next Sunday night at 6:30 from Highmark Stadium, with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship.

SABRES SOIL ANOTHER LEAD, FALL TO SEATTLE ON HOME ICE

The Buffalo Sabres came out strong but fell flat on their faces as they lost to the Seattle Kraken at home, 6-2 on Saturday afternoon.

The Sabres were up 2-0 after a fundamentally sound first period. Buffalo looked in control, out skating and out working the Kraken through 20 minutes, a reason why they were serenaded with cheers and applause on their way to the locker room.

Forty minutes of undisciplined and lackluster hockey later, and the Sabres were showered with boos from their hometown crowd after blowing another lead on their own ice this season. Head Coach Lindy Ruff had this to say about the collapse:

“Horrendous plays, bad puck management, shifts that got too long on the ice… I thought the second period was embarrassing, the way we played.”

The Sabres are now 16-22-5 overall, with a home record of 8-10-3. The blue and gold are back at home on Wednesday night as they host the Carolina Hurricanes at 6PM.

BANDITS RALLY TO BEAT TORONTO ROCK, REMAIN UNDEFEATED

The Buffalo Bandits remain the only undefeated team in the National Lacrosse League, as they rallied to defeat the winless Toronto Rock 15-13 on Friday night.

For a team that has played in front of sellout crowds for the last few seasons, the Bandits may have treated this weekend’s crowd to the greatest show possible. Tied at 5 goals apiece after one, Toronto took an 8-7 lead into halftime, with no lead having been larger than two goals to that point. Ian MacKay netted two power play goals to open the third quarter, giving Buffalo a 9-8 lead, but it only lasted for a minute, as the Rock struck back with two goals of their own, regaining the one goal advantage, 10-9 entering the fourth quarter. Back and forth the momentum went, 11-9 Toronto, 12-11 Buffalo, 13-12 Toronto. It was truly a game for the ages. In the final 1:13 of regulation, Buffalo scored three times, with Nick Weiss scoring the game winner with :43 left in the game.

The Bandits move to 4-0 ahead of perhaps their biggest game of the season. Buffalo hosts 4-1 Philadelphia at KeyBank Center on Saturday night at 7:30pm.