HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS STATE FINAL FOUR PREVIEW
FREWSBURG GIRLS ADVANCE TO STATE TITLE GAME
The Frewsburg girls team has proven to the masses that they are not to be messed with! With a 69-45 win over Section I Champion Tuckahoe in the NYS Semifinal, Frewsburg advanced to the State Championship game. Four starters scored double digit points, led by 19 points from senior guard Ava Jimerson in the win last night. The Bears march on to the Class C title game, to face Section 2’s Stillwater High School. The Warriors won their semifinal game over Section III Champ Cooperstown, 59-37, last night. The Class C State Championship game will be held at Hudson Valley Community College tonight at 7:45PM.
JAMESTOWN BOYS FALL IN SEMIFINAL
The Jamestown Red and Green boys saw their season come to an end in the Class AAA State Semifinal last night, falling to Port Washington, 50-39. Senior guard Jaydian Johnson scored a team high 15 points for Jamestown in his final high school game.
PANAMA BOYS, WILL SOUTH GIRLS PLAY TODAY; LANCASTER GIRLS TOMORROW
Three teams play in State Semifinal games today and tomorrow:
Friday 3.21 - 11:45 AM - Class D Boys Semifinal - (VI) Panama vs (III) Sackets Harbor
Friday 3.21 - 3:15 PM - Class A Girls Semifinal - (VI) Williamsville South vs (I) Ardsley
Saturday 3.22 - 3:15PM - Class AAA Girls Semifinal (VI) Lancaster vs (I) Albertus Magnus
SABRES SUFFER LOSS IN FIRST EVER TRIP TO UTAH
A very depleted Sabres team took to Salt Lake City for the first time in franchise history last night, as the blue and gold lost to the Utah Hockey Club, 5-2.
Dealing with a handful of injuries and illnesses to forwards, the Sabres battled hard with Utah in the first period, with no scoring in the first seventeen minutes. Utah’s Logan Cooley opened the scoring, but just before the opening frame came to an end, a JJ Peterka one-timer on the power play tied the game for Buffalo.
Utah got the lone tally in the middle frame, despite Tyson Kozak having a Sabre goal taken off the goal due to goalie interference. Once again, though, special teams played a factor in Buffalo tying the game again. Ryan McLeod scored his 16th goal of the season, this one shorthanded, just ninety seconds into the third.
Over halfway into the third, the Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin lost his man defending a 3-on-3 rush for Utah, and allowed a wide-open look for their top sniper, Dylan Guenther, to take the lead again.
With under two minutes to play, Buffalo pulled their goalie in hopes to tie the game, when they drew a delayed penalty. Instead of intentionally giving possession to Utah to stop play and set up on the power play, Tage Thompson passed the puck across the blue line, missing Dahlin, bouncing off the far board and rolling directly into the Sabres open net. The own goal gave Utah a 4-2 lead. While on the power play, with James Reimer pulled again, Buffalo suffered a much more conventional empty net goal against: 200 foot dump from Utah’s own goal line, off the glove of Dahlin and into the Sabres goal. 5-3, Utah wins the first and only meeting in Salt Lake City this season.
Buffalo continues their Western Conference road trip with a matchup in Minnesota with the Wild on Saturday at 2PM.
BANDITS HOST LAS VEGAS TONIGHT
Banditland serves as host to the Desert Dogs of Las Vegas tonight, as the Buffalo Bandits aim to remain the top team in the NLL.
The Bandits, with a 10-2 record, still remain the #1 team in the league standings, while Las Vegas is 3-11, sitting in last place in the league. The Desert Dogs have lost their last two games by a combined seventeen goals, including a 20-11 loss at San Diego last week.
First faceoff tonight at KeyBank Center is at 7:30.
UB WBB TO HOST UMASS FOR WNIT SECOND ROUND ON SUNDAY
The last standing college hoops team in WNY is the Buffalo Bulls women, who host UMass on Sunday afternoon for a Second Round matchup in the WNIT.
The Bulls earned a bye through the first round with a 25 win season so far, the most wins of any team in the WNIT field. Buffalo lost in the First Round of the WNIT last season to Monmouth, who’s Head Coach ended up getting hired within the MAC at Toledo shortly thereafter.
UB players have a plethora of milestones on the horizon, including redshirt senior guard Chellia Watson, who is just 12 points away from 2,000 in her career. Watson also stands just five rebounds away from 500 career boards, and five assists from 300 dimes. Gowanda native Noelani Cornfield, who just surpassed the 1,000 point mark, is approaching 500 career assists and 400 rebounds to round out a stellar five year collegiate career. Finally, sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams is two points from 800 in her young career.
The Bulls host UMass, who’s fast lateral defense and height helped the Minutewomen dominate Stonehill in the First Round of the WNIT, with a 86-40 win at home. UMass, set to join Buffalo in the Mid American Conference next season, is led by Megan Olbrys, who led the team with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the victory over Stonehill. Freshman guard Yahmani McKayle added a triple double for the Minutewomen last night, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Tipoff for the Bulls’ WNIT Second Round game on Sunday is set for 2PM at Alumni Arena.
BISONS UNVEIL NEW THROWBACK UNIFORM, ONE WEEK AWAY FROM OPENING DAY
Just one week away from Bisons baseball returning to Western New York, Buffalo’s pro baseball team has unveiled a uniform, and with it, merchandise. Remember that old school ‘sliding Buster Bison’ logo the team used to rock back when they were the Cleveland affiliate? The once green and red logo has gotten a makeover, and is coming back in Blue Jays red, white, and blue, as part of the Bisons’ ‘Throwback Thursdays’ this season.
This move harkens back to a marketing campaign that the National Hockey League ran a couple of seasons ago, which capitalized on fans’ nostalgia for the good old days. Now, the Bisons are getting their own ‘Reverse Retro’ treatment.
https://x.com/BuffaloBisons/status/1902767497654247906
The Bisons season begins next Friday at home for a 2:30 first pitch vs Rochester.
The Scoreboard is presented by Zenner and Ritter Heating and Cooling
