HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS CROWNED
Blue patches were handed out to seventeen Section VI Champion basketball teams over the weekend:
Boys
- Jamestown took down Niagara Falls 63-49 to claim the Class AAA crown
- Lockport upset Orchard Park in the AA1 Final, 78-74 the Lions were victorious
- Health Sciences outlasted Williamsville East for the AA2 title with a 41-37 win
- Williamsville South pulled away from Grand Island in the A1 Final, winning 66-45
- Lackawanna held on to win the Class A2 title, defeating Buffalo Science 49-45
- Akron handled Olmsted in the B1 title game, winning 49-38
- Wilson won their program’s first title with a 56-47 win over Allegany-Limestone in B2
- Westfield shot the lights out in the Class C Final, beating Holland 72-57
- Panama took the Class D crown with a 83-38 win over Forestville
Girls
- In Class AAA, Lancaster swept the season series over Jamestown with a 67-46 win
- Starpoint upset top-seeded North Tonawanda with a 50-43 win in Class AA
- Will South won the Battle of Main Street, defeating Amherst 71-67 in Class A1
- Depew won a dogfight over Lew-Port to take Class A2, 54-52 final
- Newfane kept pace in front of Health Sciences to win the B1 Title 59-38
- Salamanca topped Wilson in the B2 Final 51-32
- Frewsburg rolled past Maple Grove in the C Championship, winning 66-32
- Sherman defeated Panama 45-41 to claim the Class D title
Before the state playoffs resume next weekend, here’s the schedule for the crossover games to determine who will represent each class in the Far West Regionals:
Tuesday March 11th at Buffalo State:
- 5:00 - Boys Class B Crossover - Wilson vs Akron
- 6:30 - Boys Class A Crossover - Williamsville South vs Lackawanna
- 8PM - Boys Class AA Crossover - Lockport vs Health Sciences
Wednesday March 12th at Buffalo State:
- 5:00 - Girls Class B Crossover - Newfane vs Salamanca
- 7:00 - Girls Class A Crossover - Williamsville South vs Depew
DAEMEN MBB AND WBB SWEEP ECC HOOPS TOURNAMENTS; SET SIGHTS ON NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Daemen University swept the weekend, as the Wildcats won both the men’s and women’s East Coast Conference Tournaments.
The #1 nationally ranked men’s team defeated Staten Island in the semifinal, despite only leading by six at halftime. The Wildcats pulled away for a 90-57 win to clinch a spot in the title game, to face St. Thomas Aquinas, a team Daemen had never beaten in postseason play. In the Final yesterday, the Wildcats took a five-point lead to the intermission, but multiple scoring runs put Daemen up by as many as 16 points with six minutes left in the second half. Then, the Spartans came roaring back, shirking the Daemen lead to 83-80 within the final minute of the game. The Wildcats, as they’ve done all season, found a way to preserve the win, 88-80 final. The Daemen men claim their first ECC Tournament Championship in program history. Cardinal O’Hara High School grad Justin Hemphill earned Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament honors, after recording 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the title game.
The Wildcat women’s team took care of business against 5th seeded Molloy in the semis, using a hot start to lift them to a 62-44 win. In the championship game, Daemen again started strong vs #2 seed CSI, but faltered in the middle two quarters. What was an eight-point lead after one frame was a one-point deficit entering the final 10 minutes. The Wildcats outscored the Dolphins 21-12 in the fourth quarter, claiming the title with a 76-68 final score. Daemen’s women’s program captures their fourth consecutive ECC postseason tournament championship. Cecilia Lapertosa was named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament, recording two double doubles.
The NCAA Division II Brackets were revealed last night. The Daemen men are a number one seed and will host the East Regional, beginning with their meeting with former conference foe Bridgeport on Saturday.
The Wildcat women were selected as a 2 seed and will take on Jefferson in the first round of the East Regional on Friday at Bentley University.
JOSH ALLEN’S PAY DAY, BILLS PREPARE FOR FREE AGENCY
Buffalo’s reigning MVP Quarterback got a pay raise last night, as the Bills and Josh Allen agreed to terms on a new, six-year, #333 Million contract.
The gunslinger’s new deal includes 250 Million Dollars in guaranteed money, the most of any contract in NFL history. In terms of overall value, the 333 Million Dollar deal is the second-largest contract value in the NFL, just behind Patrick Mahomes’ 450 Million Dollar, 10 year deal signed back in 2020.
This keeps Allen in Buffalo through the 2030 season, two years longer than his previous contract. With the wealth spread across more years, the contract lowers Allen’s salary cap hit, giving the Bills more flexibility in free agency, which has begun today.
Buffalo is expected to make moves to improve their defense on all levels, and perhaps add depth offensively to the wide receiver room. For updates throughout the day, follow me on X (@JackKreuzer) for the latest deals affecting the Bills.
BANDITS LOSE AT HOME TO CALGARY SATURDAY NIGHT
A lackluster fourth quarter cost the Buffalo Bandits their second loss of the season on Saturday at home, falling to the Calgary Roughnecks 17-11.
At the tail end of a back-and-forth second quarter that saw nine goals scored between the two teams, Calgary scored to take a 7-6 lead with just three seconds left in the first half. The Bandits would tie the game twice in the third quarter, but the injuries they’ve been facing on defense showed, as Calgary continued to respond. The Roughnecks took a 10-9 lead in the final minute of the third and never looked back. Despite two fourth quarter tallies from Buffalo to keep it close, the Roughnecks poured it on, ending the game with four unanswered goals, winning it 17-11.
The loss doesn’t hurt Buffalo’s spot in the standings, still atop the NLL with a 9-2 record. Similar to their home-and-home with San Diego in the last month, Buffalo can once again get their revenge when they head on the road this coming Saturday night in Calgary.
SABRES LOSE TO FLORIDA IN JOSH NORRIS’ DEBUT; HOST EDMONTON TONIGHT
The Sabres lost to the Florida Panthers, 4-0 on Saturday night, extending their losing streak to six straight games.
In Josh Norris’ debut with the team, the newly acquired centerman was flanked by JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch as the most deployed offensive line. Norris recorded just one shot in the twenty minutes of ice time he saw, playing on both the top power play and secondary penalty kill units.
Buffalo hosts Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers tonight at 7PM.
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