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North gains statement win in Jamestown

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Coming off a closely contested home loss to ECIC I foe Clarence, the Spartans faced the unenviable task of a road trip to Jamestown – never an easy place to play and never an easy team to face.  But rather than drop a second straight contest and fall behind in the league race, Williamsville North quickly took control of the Red Raiders…and they made it look easy.

 

Williamsville North handed Jamestown its first loss of the season with a convincing 63-49 victory in front of a packed James F. McElrath Gymnasium.  Sterling Taplin scored a game-high 21 points, and along with his Spartan teammates, kept the large crowd so quiet that a handful of North fans could be heard over everyone throughout.

 

The Spartans trailed 6-4 midway through the opening quarter, when Aman Washington sank one from downtown to put North in front.  The basket was part of a 14-0 first quarter run that had his team owning a double-digit lead less than seven minutes into the game.  Jamestown briefly took the advantage back in the second quarter, and held a lead for 17 seconds, before the Spartans closed the half with 3-pointers from David Berkun and Ryan Majewski, along with a bucket from freshman Maceo Jack.

 

In the third quarter, the Spartans had extended its lead on a basket from Taplin to 44-32 with 2:04 left.  Jamestown reponded with an 8-0 run that extended into the early moments of the fourth, and trailed by just four points with seven minutes remaining. But those final minutes, like most of the game, belonged to the Spartans.  Taplin keyed a 17-4 stretch by scoring seven points, that included his now signature up-and-under move and a '3', and also had a slick assist as he threaded a pass inside to Jack.  With over two minutes remaining in the game, the unbeaten Red Raiders trailed by 17 points, Spartan fans were on their feet, and Jamestown's faithful fans were filing out the doors.

 

North sophomore George Attea scored 12 points and  and grabbed seven rebounds.  Jack and Berkun each added nine points. The team effort also included seven points and 11 rebounds from Washington.

 

Tommy Campion led Jamestown with 16 points, Zack Panebianco scored 14 points, and Brandon Kellam netted nine points to go with his 12 boards.

 

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8 responses to “North gains statement win in Jamestown”

  1. Gus Buster Avatar
    Gus Buster

    Is this a sign of another year without any truly great teams?

    Reply
  2. centercourt Avatar
    centercourt

    I think based on Olean’s win over Canisius and them being in Class B would suggest they qualify. I realize they lost to Nichols, but if healthy come sectionals, I bet they get the results of a truly great team.
    I love the competitiveness that this season has already provided – and there’s a ton of ball left to go.

    Reply
  3. Gus Buster Avatar
    Gus Buster

    You are probably right about Olean. They have everything a team needs at least for a B team. I also love the idea of any given night, but it likely means a lot of competitive games locally but probably means our teams will struggle when they play section 5.

    Reply
  4. Gus Buster Avatar
    Gus Buster

    And there still is time for teams to rise above the pack.

    Reply
  5. centercourt Avatar
    centercourt

    As far as getting past Section V:
    C & B – Between Olean and either Silver Creek or Middle College, Section VI is advancing.
    AA – 50/50 shot. We have Falls, North, & Jamestown. They have Fairport, Kearney, Webster Schroeder, & McQuaid. Falls plays WS next month and already beat a healthy BK. My sense is we’ll draw Fairport, and the AA final will be a thriller that goes down to the wire.
    A – Projects as McKinley vs. Aquinas. They matchup very well with each other. Both are super athletic and lack a true big. St. Joe’s had a much easier time beating Aquinas than they did McKinley.
    D – I’d have an easier time guessing your weight right now, I think.

    Reply
  6. TML1000 Avatar
    TML1000

    Section V does not have any real dominating teams in any class.
    If not AQ in class A, it will likely be Charlotte, who recently defeated AQ in a close game.
    Class B could very well be Batavia, who has not lost since they laid an egg in the Cataract against North. We can expect them to at least be playing soundly and give olean a test come March.
    Class C has about 100 teams and it anyone’s guess who could emerge but it is safe to say they will not have the resumes that either MEC or SC will have. Last year’s Far West class D champ, Batavia/N-D has moved up to c and is undefeated thus far.
    Shockingly in class D, the top team does not appear to be a private school, but University Prep, a new entrant into the sectional scene. Their only loss this season is to a local team, Niagara Catholic.

    Reply
  7. TML1000 Avatar
    TML1000

    With all that, it would be surprising if section VI did not “win” regional Saturday and have at least three teams advance to Glens Falls. I would say four is a real possibility for the first time in a while.

    Reply
  8. Coach Boeheim Avatar
    Coach Boeheim

    We barely beat USF yesterday, what’s the word on this Taplin kid, can he play? MCW and Triche will be gone after this season, and I will need a guard for the ’14-’15 season.

    Reply

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