A guy named Gary Lantinen from Barker, actually took the time to write the local paper in Lockport to complain about Newfane's student section, The Blue Zone, for chanting "airball"  and "start your tractors".   I'll probably put up a separate post on this at another time, but for now I have these thoughts. First, you're giving thick-skinned farmers a bad rap by being so overly sensitive (besides, they all know you shouldn't run those machines cold).  Second, he may have set the stage for numerous "Gary needs a hug" chants the next time the Raiders visit Newfane. 

 

After suggesting that Maryvale might lack scoring options beyond Blair Estarfaa, the Flyers dropped 99 points on Pioneer.

 

Maryvale's 99 points were the fifth most scored by a WNY team this season.  The top four are Jamestown  106, Newfane 102, Chautauqua Lake 101, and Bishop Timon-St. Jude 100.

 

There are only three teams in WNY that remain undefeated: Niagara Falls, McKinley, and Dunkirk.

 

Don't be surprised if Cleveland Hill starts rattling off victories and finds itself in the thick of the ECIC IV race.  After some early season struggles following last season's appearance at Buffalo State, the Golden Eagles are finally healthy, with both Daryl Spencer and Julian Glover back in the lineup.

 

Cassadaga Valley moved up to Class B2 this season.  Of its 18 regular season games, only two are against a Class B school (both against Falconer).   Three games are against Class D schools and the rest against Class C.

 

After losing at McKinley, East took out its frustrations on Lafayette, beating them 85-28.

 

Niagara Falls has gotten some some good contributions recently from Ramir Burton, who was brought up from the JV team after Dale Stewart left the team.

 

Lockport will be without the services of its leading scorer, Andrew Bailey, for the remainder of the season, after he was dismissed from the team.

 

There is a very good possibility that we will see a Falls/McKinley game at Buffalo State.  That matchup would create a major buzz among hoop fans, as we are rarely treated to a game between Falls and a Buffalo school.  The last two times it happened were in 2008 when Falls played Grover in the MLK Classic at Hutch Tech and in 2005 when Falls played Riverside at Buffalo State for the AA championship.

 

When I-Prep at Grover was playing against Canisius at the MLK Classic, it looked like the Crusaders were playing against themselves.  The Presidents new uniforms are a dead ringer for the Canisius jerseys, except they say "Prep".

 

Speaking of Prep, some of the fine bloggers from Section V get quite worked up over schools like OTC, I-Prep at Grover, and Tapestry Charter, because they think of them as true "Prep" schools like the one Paul Harris attended his senior year (Notre Dame Prep).  Even though we all know that the aforementioned schools don't get their pick of the city's best players, I say we perpetuate this myth and make them think I-Prep is compiling a team that will rout the Falls next year.

 

-centercourt