Five Sectional Champions were crowned across high school basketball classifications in Western New York. Championship games continue Thursday, and BTPM Local Sports provides previews of all four matchups, beginning with an afternoon game for the boys' Section VI Class A1 title.
Section VI Boys Class A1
(6) Lewiston-Porter Lancers vs (1) Grand Island Vikings
5:00 PM at Buffalo State University
The Niagara Frontier League may very well have been the strongest it's been, from top to bottom, in decades. Three teams from the NFL are playing in Sectional Championship games this week, with a fourth team that fell in the semifinals. One team from the NFL is guaranteed a blue patch, with regular season champs Grand Island facing divisional foe Lewiston-Porter for the third time this season.
The Vikings (20-2; 13-1 NFL) returned all but one starter from their run to the Class A1 Championship Game one season ago, when they fell to Williamsville South. In search of their second title in program history, and first since 1993, GI is primed for an historic postseason run. In the regular season, they lost just one game to a Western New York opponent: Class AA Finalist, and NFL rival, North Tonawanda. The Vikings rolled past West Seneca East in the Quarterfinals, before avenging their demons from a season ago, defeating the Will South Billies on BTPM's Friday Night Lights in the Semifnal.
With size, skill, and grit, Grand Island has role players up and down the lineup, with numerous "go-to" scorers in key moments, and a superstar that towers over the opponent. Standing at 6'7, junior guard "Downtown" Dane Brown earned his nickname last year at Buffalo State when he knocked down six three-point shots in the A1 Semifinal against Pioneer, en route to a then-career high 30 point night.
The Lew-Port Lancers (16-7; 8-6 NFL) were one of the hottest teams in Section VI, winning eleven of twelve games in a stretch from December 22 through February 3. That streak came to a screeching halt, however, when the Lancers lost four straight games to close the regular season. In the Pre-Quarterfinals, Lew-Port narrowly survived a comeback attempt from NFL opponent Kenmore East, holding on for a 56-54 win.
The Lancers found their groove in the Quarterfinal, rising to the challenge of playing a blistering hot shooting Dunkirk team on the road, stifling the Marauders with a 74-58 win. That required a career-best performance from senior guard Grayden Barnwell, who dropped 40 points against Dunkirk. Proving their defense was up to the task, LP staved off a gritty South Park team for a 50-36 win at Buffalo State in the Semifinal, with a second consecutive double-double from Grayden Barnwell, to punch their ticket to the Final.
In their two regular season meetings, Grand Island jumped out to a big lead early in both games, holding double-digit leads at halftime in each. The Vikings sailed to a 63-48 victory on the road in mid-December and swept the series with the Lancers in late-January with a 76-49 win at home. In the latter, the afore-mentioned Kevin Durant-esq lanky sharpshooter, Dane Brown, set a new career high in scoring with 37 points, hitting seven shots from beyond the arc.
Spotlight Players:
(1) Grand Island - Dane Brown (Junior Guard)
Season Stats: 24 PPG, 7 RPG, 47% 3PT
This Season vs Lew-Port: 31 PPG, 9 RPG, 3 BPG
Postseason Stats: 18 PPG, 8 RPG, 3 BPG
(6) Lewiston-Porter - Grayden Barnwell (XXXXX Guard)
Season Stats: 17 PPG, 6 RPG, 5 APG
This Season vs Grand Island: 11 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG
Postseason Stats: 21 PPG, 9 RPG, 5 APG
Section VI Boys Class A2
(7) Olean Huskies vs (4) Fredonia Hillbillies
6:35 PM at Buffalo State University
In what could be the game of the night, two underdogs from the Southern Tier battle, with seventh-seeded Olean and fourth-seeded Fredonia in the Final, after each knocking off a higher ranked team in the semifinal. Another Championship featuring two divisional opponents on Thursday night.
Fredonia (20-2; 10-2 CCAA I) only lost to one team all season, and they did so twice. The Dunkirk Marauders swept their season series vs the Hillbillies to split the regular season CCAA I title with Fredonia. Led by three senior guards, Colin Luce, Donovan Dowdy, and RJ Koopman, Fredonia can run with any team in WNY. Their 5-out offensive scheme gets teams with more size off balance, forced to defend all forty-seven feet in the half-court. Add on top of that, the undersized Hillbillies take pride in rebounding as a team, which has them averaging 28 boards per contest, despite not having a single player taller than 6'1.
After a dominant win over City Honors, Fredonia proved they could shut down a top ten player in the area, when they defeated top-seed Iroquois in the Semifinal. The Hillbillies held Iroquois senior guard Justus Kleitz, who had averaged 33 points per game, to just nineteen points, and didn't allow any other Redhawk to score more than nine points.
Olean (17-6; 8-4 CCAA I) has been riding the winning wave since early January, having won eleven of their last thirteen games, with losses to Class AAA Finalist Jamestown, and their opponent Thursday night, Fredonia. Overall team defense is the key for Olean, as only two teams from Section VI have scored more than 50 points in a game against the Huskies all season. That gives the Huskies a chance to win every time they take to the court.
Offensively, Olean is balanced and unselfish, with six players averaging at least five points per game. Their leader scorer, Mykel Rivera, averages twelve points per game. Also notable from their football team in the fall is Joe Mest, who is the Huskies' best shooter from distance, knocking down 46 triples on the season. After battling past Albion in the Pre-Quarterfinal, the Huskies pulled out a clutch 45-44 win at second-seeded Maryvale, to advance to Buffalo State. In the Semifinal against East Aurora, underdog Olean was at it again, with terrific first quarter to jump out to a 18-2 lead. The Huskies paced the Blue Devils from there on out, winning 52-39.
During the regular season, Fredonia swept the series over Olean. In their first meeting on December 15, the Hillbillies erased a five-point halftime deficit in the third quarter to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Led by a 16-point 10-rebound double-double from Dowdy, Fredonia pulled away for a 48-34 victory at home. In late January, the rematch came down to the wire, despite Olean getting off to a hot start, leading 18-6 after one. Fredonia once again dug out of a halftime hole, of eight points that night, to make it a one possession game heading to the fourth. Despite Rivera dropping 21 points for the huskies, Fredonia found a way to win again, thanks in part to a then-career high 15-point performance from sophomore Graham Putney, who connected on five of his seven attempts from long range.
Fredonia eyes down their program's thirteenth title, having won two titles this decade, in 2021 and 2023. Olean aims for the twenty-second Section VI Championship in program history, currently sitting second all-time behind Niagara Falls (24). The Huskies have won 13 blue patches in a span of the last 18 years, since 2008, with their most recent championship in Class A1 in 2024.
Spotlight Players:
(4) Fredonia - RJ Koopman (Senior Guard)
Season Stats: 10 PPG, 11 RPG
(7) Olean - Mykel Rivera (Senior Guard)
Season Stats: 12 PPG (no other stats available)
Section VI Boys Class AA
(7) North Tonawanda Lumberjacks vs (1) Orchard Park Quakers
8:00 PM at Buffalo State University
The night cap at Buffalo State is expected to be a doozy, with the guarantee of a drought coming to an end. Top seeded Orchard Park has never won a boys basketball Section VI Championship, and North Tonawanda's last of four titles came in 1961.
The Quakers (19-3; 8-2 ECIC I) have displayed excellent poise and determination in their execution, specifically offensively, all season. Even in their three losses, to Williamsville North, Manhattan Cup Runner-Up St. Joe's, and Class AAA Finalist Jamestown, Orchard Park was able to get to the basket almost every offensive possession.
Head Coach Chris Frankowski has had his team flying around defensively since their lost at home to Jamestown on February 4, a game in which the Quakers started flat and never recovered. Two games later, OP avenged their early-season loss to Will North with a sound beatdown of the Spartans, 87-48 on the road. Orchard Park Handled Williamsville East and Kenmore West in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal after clinching the top spot in Class AA.
North Tonawanda (16-7; 9-5 NFL) is another example of the depth that the Niagara Frontier League put on the floor this season, as the third NFL representative in a Sectional Final Thursday night. The Lumberjacks were on a seesaw of wins and losses, back-and-forth, from December 16 through January 23. Since then, NT has won ten of their last twelve games, including a win over NFL Champs and A1 Finalist Grand Island.
The Lumberjacks, who aren't the flashiest or most athletic team by any means, play a smart, well-coach style of basketball, and fight tooth and nail for every point they get. Under the direction of Head Coach Chris Juergens, North Tonawanda shocked many in the high school hoops world when they took down second seeded Sweet Home in the Quarterfinal, 53-41. Able to defend the talent that six-seed McKinley brought to Buffalo State last weekend, the NT was able to stave off elimination again with a 66-49 win in the Semifinal.
Spotlight Players:
(1) Orchard Park - Brody Monaco (Senior Forward)
Season Stats: 13 PPG, 7 RPG
(7) North Tonawanda - Jack Giancola (Senior Forward)
Season Stats: 16 PPG, 10 RPG
Section VI Girls Class B
(8) Eden Raiders vs (2) Southwestern Trojans
6:00 PM at Fredonia State University
Eden and Southwestern meet in the Sectional Championship for the third time in five seasons. Eden won the Class B2 Title in 2022, before Southwestern took the crown in 2023.
Often, teams that roll out young lineups are viewed as a problem for opponents to worry about years down the line. Not when it comest to Southwestern (16-7; 11-1 CCAA I), who is one of the youngest varsity teams in Section VI with two 8th graders and a sophomore in their starting five. The Trojans live and die with their starters, who combine for 56 of the team's 60 points per game. Middle schooler student point guards Gianna Sirianni and Jada Edwards combine for 24 points per night. Sophomore Charlotte Beaver is the team's top rebounder, bringing down 6 boards per game.
After rolling tenth-seed Alden in the Quarterfinal with a 76-27 win, the Trojans snuck past third-seed Salamanca for a 57-63 victory in the Semifinal. That effort required a game-high nineteen points from Edwards. Southwestern heads into Thursday night looking for their seventeenth title as a program, and ninth since 2012.
Eden (16-7; 8-4 ECIC IV) is also a youthful team, with just one senior on the roster. The Raiders are similarly balanced offensively, with their starting five relied on for just about all of their offense. Led by junior guard Libby Gernatt's nine points per game, the Eden rotation features two sophomores (Macey Scott and Raegan Waring) and freshman Gabby Koszelak.
The Raiers mde light work of the number one seed, Olmsted, with a 61-25 win on the road. Their 44-40 win over Akron in the Semifinal saw double digit scoring performances from three Raiders. Eden seeks their fourth Sectional Championship as a program, most recently winning in the aforementioned 2022 Final over Southwestern.
Spotlight Players:
(2) Southwestern - Gianna Sirianni (8th Grade Point Guard)
Season Stats: 15 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG
(8) Eden - Macey Scott (Sophomore Forward)
Season Stats: 9 PPG, 9 RPG
