Yesterday, one of the tournament officials from the Cataract City Classic told me he was disappointed because due to budget restrictions, they weren't able to get any marquee state powers in for the two-day event. Well from my experience at this event, there has never been a better collection of games put together. Five of the nine games were decided in the final seconds, and only one of the nine games was a double-digit win.
Alright, things didn't exactly get off to a roaring start with the first game that Lancaster won over Niagara Wheatfield, 43-34. The first quarter was almost unwatchable, with the teams tied at three after eight minutes. It wasn't some defensive clinic going on out there, and a half court shooting competition would yield more buckets. But the teams did settle in and make a game out of it by the second half. The Redskins were coming off an exciting win over Clarence so maybe they weren't as focused as they should have been. One player who was focused the whole game was 5-7 senior Jake Kroll. Kroll played with energy from start to finish (he accounted for his team's three points in the first quarter) and did a nice job keeping his teammates involved in the game. Jack Mulcahy, just a sophomore, showed some good things for the Falcons, and the team was never lacking for effort.
St. Joe's wound up beating Depew going away, 45-27. It was only a five point game at half and seemed like the chess match I had billed it to be. But the Marauders opened the second half with a press and the defensive pressure led by Keith Louie, Steve Moser, and Chad Kelly, spurred a 10-0 run that opened the game up.
Niagara Falls beat Jamestown in WNY's first battle between two heavyweights this season, 62-54. The Wolverines couldn't have started the Sal Constantino era any better. Falls came out very fired up in front of its home crowd and matched its defensive intensity with a decisive and aggressive offense that led to a 38-19 lead at the half. The Red Raiders adjusted in the second half and were able to get within four points, but the guard play by Falls was the difference down the stretch. Game MVP, Taijay Williams, hit some timely 3's and JJ Wilkins was active late defensively, while Darin Butts and Jaysean Paige from Jamestown were both held in check.
Day two began with the only overtime contest of the weekend, as Wilson edged St. Mary's, 61-59. A good game throughout, it was the late stages that provided some big moments. Tied at 52 with under two minutes to play, the Lakemen's Brennan Moxham and the Lancer's Jake Denz traded 3-pointers. Following a Wilson turnover, Moxham dove on a loose ball to give his team possession, then got to the line and put his team back up by two. As regulation expired, Nathan Meyers connected on an improbable shot to force the extra session. In OT, Moxham scored the final four points, with the game winning bucket coming as the shot clock expired from just inside the three-point line, with under ten seconds remaining.
Amherst held a slim lead over Section V's CG Finney during much of the game, but a late surge by the Falcons gave them a 53-44 win. Leading the game by a point half way through the final quarter, Amherst let the game get away from them during a decisive 14-2 run by the Falcons. The Tigers did a good job defending Finney star Jamell Johnson, and he still finished with a game-high 25 points.
Williamsville North made an early season statement in gutting out a huge victory over Section V power Batavia, 56-53. Freshman guard Sterling Taplin looked experienced beyond his years, drilling five second half 3-pointers, en route to a game-high 28 points. The Blue Devils had the ball with a chance to tie in the final seconds, but the Spartan defense blanketed Batavia and did not allow a shot to get off.
In the Classic's best game from start to finish, Williamsville South knocked off Canisius, 68-67. In a fast-paced, ultra intense game, the Billies came back from down ten to set up a thrilling back-and-forth finish. With under two minutes to play, the Crusaders' Matt Hart hit a '3' to put his team up by two. The Billies' Phil Hansen answered with a '3', only to have Hart come back and bury another, to restore the two-point lead. So it was only fitting that Hansen provided the late-game heroics for South, by swishing a second straight 3-bomb (his third of the quarter) with under ten seconds left, to raise his team up to victory.
The weekend still hadn't seen a game-ending buzzer beater, so that's exactly what Niagara Catholic provided in defeating East Aurora, 55-53. With the event's finale already pushed back an hour later than it was supposed to start, it looked like the Patriots and Blue Devils were heading to overtime, tied at 53. Instead, it was freshman Jonathan Jackson who took an inbound pass, dribbled toward the lane, and pulled up to can a jumper and time expired for the stunning finish.
The host Wolverines overcame a rocky start to close out the Cataract City Classic with a bang, winning 47-44 over Aquinas of Section V. Falls lacked the same intensity it sshowed early on against Jamestown, and quickly fell behind by double-digits in the early going. The Little Irish maintained that lead for most of the first half, before a late push by the Wolverines closed the gap to 23-20 at halftime. The game stayed close the rest of the way, but Aquinas seemed to always have a slight advantage. With the game tied at 44 and less than a minute to play, Falls had possession. After taking the shot clock all the way down, the Wolverines had a tough time getting a good look against the Little Irish defense. With one tick left on the shot clock, sophomore Jermaine Crumpton elevated over his defender and let a 3-pointer fly, which connected in dramatic fashion. Aquinas couldn't answer in the final seconds, and Niagara Falls celebrated its second big win in as many nights.
The Cataract City Classic Committee should be commended for putting together a first-class event that exceeded all expectations. Congratulations to Sal Constantino for beginning his career in style and helping to get people excited about Falls again. Also, a shoutout to the Wolverine Pep Band for always makes the environment a special one at NFHS.
-centercourt
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