The turn-by-turn directions from Map Quest say that Olean and Archbishop Walsh are only separated by 1.7 miles. After what I saw last night in Cattaraugus County, the two schools should have even less separating them in the small school poll.

 

Top-ranked Olean used a strong second half to overcome a tentative start and defeat tenth-ranked Dunkirk, 65-50.  Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Walsh soared out to a big lead and kept the pressure on all game, stunning the second-ranked Lancers, 69-50.

 

 Olean got off to a good start and led 7-2 early, before Dunkirk's full-court press began to rattle the young Huskies.  The Marauders were quick and aggressive with their pressure and used a 13-4 run to take a 15-11 lead early in the second quarter.  The teams traded runs again in the second quarter, with the Huskies going up by five, only to see Dunkirk take back the lead late in the half.  A rebound and put-back by sophomore big man Sam Eckstrom as the halftime buzzer sounded, gave Olean the lead at intermission, and as it turned out, for good.

 

Wil Bathurst opened the second half on a tear, netting the first five points of the half and outscoring Dunkirk, 9-4, over the first five minutes of the third quarter.  Once the Huskies had solved the Dunkirk press, they seemed to settle in defensively as well, and limited the Marauders to six points in the third.

 

The momentum carried into the final stanza for Olean, as Eckstrom and Nick Schmidt each converted traditional three-point plays during a 13-4 spurt at the start of the fourth.  The Huskies lead reached 57-39 midway through the quarter, effectively ending any hopes Dunkirk had of an upset. 

 

Eckstrom led all scorers in the game with 19 points, grabbed 14 boards, and blocked three shots.  Bathurst added 18 points, along with eight rebounds, and five blocks.  Jacob Locket and Mike Donaldson each scored 12 points for Dunkirk in the loss.

 

***

 

Archbishop Walsh controlled the game's tempo from the outset, building a 21-7 lead after eight minutes.  After playing the Lancers even in the second quarter, Walsh extended its lead in both the third and fourth quarters and had an answer for everything the Lancers did to adjust. 

 

Walsh shot 57% from the field and were even more accurate from beyond the arc, drilling 63% of its 3-point attempts.  St. Mary's defensive energy did little to hinder the Eagles fine shooting performance.  

 

The Eagles now have an emphatic signature win to add to its resume.  After pushing WNY's top-ranked large school, St. Joe's, two weeks ago, Walsh proved that to be no fluke in dismantling St. Mary's.  The Eagles' only losses have come at the hands of three of the four top ranked large schools (St. Joe's, Canisius, & Timon), and the number one small school (Olean). 

 

The schools will meet again on Valentine's Day at St. Mary's.  The Lancers will look to avoid a fourth loss this season to a WNY small school and a third loss to a team from Olean.

 

Ryan Whelpley led the Eagles with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds.  Marcus Clarke scored 22 points for Walsh, while Matt Bysiek added 11 points. 

 

-centercourt