The Scoreboard - March 3rd

CANISIUS HOOPS DEFEATES ST. JOE’S IN OVERTIME FOR MANHATTAN CUP TITLE

A standing-room only crowd at the Koessler Athletic Center witnessed one of the most thrilling basketball games in WNY this season, as the Canisius Crusaders defeated their rival St. Joe’s Marauders 51-49 in Overtime to claim the Manhattan Cup Championship.

With both student sections packed to the top row of the bleachers behind either basket, the environment was like no other in WNY. Early in the first quarter, the student bodies went back and forth, taunting their opponent while boasting their own schools’ championships claimed this scholastic year.

It was the third meeting between the top two ranked large schools in WNY, with the home team having defended their hardwood in the Monsignor Martin regular season.

The first quarter was a wash, despite Canisius getting their supporters fired up with three made triples and the Marauders fan base roaring after a two-hand jam from Nate Blenman. After one, the score was 11-11, as expected, this game would likely come down to the wire.

In the second frame, Canisius began to pull away, with sound execution offensively leading to open looks from beyond the arc. St. Joe’s created scoring in transition and converted on multiple inbounding bounds plays to keep the lead within striking range. By halftime, six different Crusaders had knocked down a trifecta.

During the second quarter, Canisius senior Nicholas Purdie cashed in on a three-pointer of his own, bringing his career scoring total over 1,000 points. After his Crusaders ended the first half on a 5-0 run, taking their largest lead to that point, 28-21, Purdie was honored with a plaque and commemorative basketball presented by Coach Kyle Husband for surpassing the milestone.

Out of halftime, Canisius paced the Marauders, extending their lead to ten points before the final quarter. Every time St. Joe’s would cut into the deficit, Canisius would respond with a run of their own.

In the final quarter, St. Joe’s and their quick lateral defense began to create stops, leading to fast break opportunities, and free throw attempts. Finally, with under a minute to play in regulation, Blenman hit a right arc three to tie the game for the first time since early in the second quarter. The Marauders shot 12 of 14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, part of the 15-4 run St. Joe’s went on to send the game to overtime.

Both teams missed their first attempts from the field in the extra period, before Blenman was sent to the free throw line for St. Joe’s. The Junior who sent the game to OT missed both attempts. Two possessions later, Canisius’ Mr. 1K Purdie swished an eight-foot baseline floater over Blenman to give Canisius the lead.

St. Joe’s had a look at the final shot of the game, but a running layup from Jaymeir Goosby was off the mark, and the put-back effort from Blenman was too strong. Canisius senior Patrick Enright boxed out Blenman and snagged the rebound as the buzzer sounded, signaling victory for the blue and gold. For the first time since 2022, Canisius stands alone at the top of the mountain of Monsignor Martin basketball.

ST. JOE’S, ORCHARD PARK, WILL EAST CLAIM HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Friday at KeyBank Center was Championship Day for high school federation hockey teams, as the triple-header saw three champions crowned.

In the Monsignor Martin Final, St. Joe’s erased a 2-0 third period deficit to defeat St. Francis and claim their second consecutive Niagara Cup. Sophomore forward Niko Mackiewicz was named game MVP, with two goals for the Marauders, including the game winner. St. Joe’s advances to the Catholic State Title Game this Saturday vs Iona Prep.

The sandwich game went the way most anticipated it going, as Orchard Park rolled past Lancaster, 8-3, in the Large School Final. Two first period goals from Quakers’ Sophomore forward Gavin Reashor set the tone for OP, who defended their DI crown, now Sectional winners of four straight seasons.

The nightcap downtown was as advertised, a hard-nosed, high-flying battle between two Williamsville schools that lived up to all of the hype. Will East edged Will North 4-1 for the small school title. Senior goaltender Jacob Sexton stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced in net for the Flames. East claims their first championship since 2015.

Both Orchard Park and Williamsville East will advance to the state playoffs. Both teams will take on the DI and DII champions out of Section V respectively on Saturday at the LECOM HarborCenter with a trip to the state semifinal on the line.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS PREVIEW

Girl's high school basketball teams in Section VI are in the thick of the postseason, with semifinals beginning tomorrow. Here’s a breakdown of who is playing Tuesday night with a trip to Buffalo State for the title game on the line. (We’ll have a preview of the semifinal games to be played later in the week on Wednesday’s Scoreboard.)

Class A2

#1 seed Depew cruised past Albion in the quarterfinal with a 67-25 win at home. Tomorrow night, they’ll take on #5 seed East Aurora at host-site Kenmore West. The Blue Devils topped #4 seed Buffalo Academy of Science, 47-24, in the quarterfinal. The two ECIC IV members met twice in the regular season, with Depew claiming victory over EA both times. Depew junior guard Olivia Leazott scored a game-high 18 points in each of the two games vs East Aurora this year, including an 11-rebound double double on the road in December. For EA, they’ll look to senior forward Megan Cassidy, who leads the team with 17 points per game, to help pull off the upset. Tip-off for that game is at 5:00pm tomorrow night.

On the other side of the bracket, also at Ken West, is #2 seed Lew-Port taking on #6 seed Maryvale. The Lancers handled Springville, 61-36, in the quarterfinal last week, while the Flyers defeated third-seed City Honors, 55-39. That sets up a meeting between two teams that haven’t faced each other since last season, when Lew-Port dominated in a 74-37 non-league win. Tip-off for tomorrow’s semifinal is at 6:30pm.

Class B2

Another team that was featured on WBFO’s Friday Night Lights, #4 seed Wilson takes on #8 seed Portville. The Lakewomen had to find a way to win when it mattered most in the quarterfinal, beating a stout Allegany-Limestone team 27-25 last week. Portville, on the other hand, made taking down #1 seed Riverside look relatively easy on Saturday, with a 50-37 win on the road. This semifinal is a rematch of last year’s B2 Championship game, which Portville won, 51-29. Tip-off for the rematch is tomorrow at Maryvale, at 5:00pm.

The nightcap from Maryvale is the other B2 semifinal, featuring #2 seed Salamanca and #3 seed Eden. The Warriors handled Roy-Hart 68-40 in the quarterfinal, while the Raiders topped JFK 56-47 on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between Eden and Salamanca in the internet-era, with no prior meetings on the record books available going back twenty years. Tip-off for that semifinal is at 6:30pm tomorrow.

SABRES LOSE FRONT HALF OF HOME AND HOME WITH MONTREAL

The Buffalo Sabres lost on Saturday night at home to Montreal, 4-2.

The Sabres, who had won six straight home games entering the match this weekend, played to a scoreless tie after one period, despite each team garnering a power play in the opening twenty minutes. In the second, Montreal struck first on their second man-advantage opportunity, just over a minute into the frame. Five minutes later, Alex Tuch got Buffalo on the board, tying the game at one, before Rasmus Dahlin dimed up Jiri Kulich for a one-timer to put the Sabres up 2-1 just 90 seconds later. However, the Candiens got to their game, fast break and off the rush, to play tic tac toe for the tying tally from Josh Anderson. With less than ten seconds left in the period, Buffalo got caught puck-watching as Montreal converted on an Alex Newhook deflection to give the Habs the 3-2 lead and break the spirits of the Sabres as they headed to the locker room. The third period saw more physicality that could be picked up when the teams meet again tonight, but the Sabres were unable to muster up another equalizer, falling 4-2 after an empty net goal.

The fourth and final meeting between the divisional foes this season is tonight in Montreal. Puck-drop is at 7PM.

BANDITS’ DEFENSE SHINES IN WIN AT SASKATCHEWAN

The Buffalo Bandits picked up their ninth win on the season this weekend, outdueling the Saskatchewan Rush, 9-7 on the road Saturday night. This game had major implications in the standings, as the Rush sit in second place in the NLL as the only other team in the league with nine wins.

Another slow start for Buffalo saw the Bandits trail 4-2 after one period, then the teams split a goal apiece in the second. Buffalo turned up the pressure in the third frame, striking three times, including two tallies from Tehoka Nanticoke. The second of such goals gave the visitors their first lead of the game. In the final fifteen minutes, Saskatchewan tied it at 6-6 in a clean fourth quarter that saw no penalties called. Buffalo strung three straight goals together in crunch time, with Kyle Buchanen, Justin Martin, and Nick Weiss converting to give the Bandits a 9-6 lead with two minutes to play. It was too little, too late for the Rush, who got one goal back in the final minute, as Buffalo hung on to win it, 9-7.

The Bandits return to KeyBank Center for a home game this Saturday night, to host the 6-6 Calgary Roughnecks in Banditland.

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