If you didn't know better, you would think they stage these things.  Newfane digs itself a big hole at home and then begins a monumental run that ignites the crowd.  Before you know it, the Panthers have erased a double-digit deficit and the gymnasium, known as the Panther's Den, has become so infused with energy that you'd think it was 1965 and the Beatles just walked in.  I really think Wilson would have been better off in a back-and-forth, one possesion game all the way through.

Instead, the Lakemen controlled things for nearly three full quarters and held a sizeable lead.  A basket by Tyler Truesdell late in the third quarter put Wilson up 56-44, matching its largest lead of the game.  That's when the switch was flipped.  Newfane went on to score the next 18 points, unanswered, and never looked back on its way to a 69-66 win over the number three ranked small school in WNY. 

Late in the second quarter, Panther junior guard Sean Seefeldt picked up his third personal foul and was then hit with a technical, sending him to the bench with four fouls.  That resulted in a six-point swing as the Lakemen hit three free throws and then Truesdell connected on a 3-pointer to give Wilson a 33-22 lead.  Newfane had closed the gap to five points in the third quarter, before the Tyler Martin show began.  The junior guard scored Wilson's next 11 points, converting a three-point play, stealing the ball and scoring on the break, canning a '3', and then stealing the ball again before shaking his defender and drilling another long-range bomb.  When the flurry was over, the Lakemen were up 54-42 and the Panthers were hearing all about it from their coach during a timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, the teams traded baskets and then the game-shifting run began.    Newfane got seven points from its leader, Rohn Pierce, five points from TJ Manhardt, four points from Seefeldt, and a basket from Dan Hambruch to account for the 18 point surge.  A 3-pointer from Martin got Wilson within two points and the Lakemen even missed a pair of good looks from downtown which would have given them the lead back with under a minute to play.  With one last chance to tie things up, Wilson inbounded with 2.7 seconds on the clock, but had its pass stolen by Newfane's Steve Kneeland to end the game.

Newfane was lead by 24 points and 12 rebounds from Pierce, while Hambruch added 19 points.   The Panthers also got major defensive contributions from Manhardt and Drew McCullough all game.  Martin scored a game-high 29 points and Trusdell chipped in with 15 points for Wilson.

The game had all the markings a Newfane/Wilson contest.  A capacity crowd with people trying to find anywhere to sit, an overflow Newfane student section clad in blue and riding the same Wilson player all night whenever he touched the ball, a Wilson student section unsuccessfully trying to match the well-rehearsed Blue Zone, multiple administrators from each school on hand and strategically placed in the four corners of the gym, and a very intense and physical game on the court.   A total of 55 team fouls were called, eclipsing the rivalry mark of 54 when these two played in Wilson in 2008.  There was even a fan ejected for running onto the floor, ripping a Wilson poster off the wall and crumpling it up, gesturing to the crowd, and then throwing it at a Wilson cheerleader. 

I've promoted this rivalry matchup many times in the past.  For high school hoops, only the St. Joe's and Canisius rivalry compares in WNY.  If you're unwilling to hop in a car and drive a little ways north, it's truly your loss.  I have seen McShea, hoopster, and hollywood make the trip, and all would back what I'm saying.  The rematch is Friday, January 28th, 7 pm at Wilson.  You can bet I'll be there and I'll even have Mrs. Court with me.

-centercourt