We waited all season long for it.
Olean vs. East for the overall Class B title.
It was billed as the game of the year before the season even began. After playing each other at Buff State in the three seasons prior, the final chapter of this four-year rivalry had to be written. They were the only two schools to occupy the top spot in the small school poll this year. Certainly there were times this season when the case could be made for either team, times when each team played at such a high level, you were convinced they were the best. I personally went back-and-forth on it – Olean…no East…wait, Olean has turned the corner…hold on, East has its chip back. Tough for a game to live up to the kind of season-long hype it was given. But just before tip, I looked around the Buffalo Sports Arena to see the place was full – a bigger crowd than even the Class AA final drew. You could see the championship swagger in the eyes of the Olean players. The chip on the shoulders of East's players complimented the focused scowls on their faces. There was an undeniable buzz in the air that happens before a special game.
It was a special game. It lived up to all the hype and then some, creating more lasting memories. The game of the year was just that – a thriller between #1 & #2 that wasn't decided until after the clock showed all zeros.
1st Quarter
– Olean big, Sam Eckstrom, went to work quickly, scoring the game's first two buckets from in close to get the Huskies out to a 4-0 lead.
– Tyree Tyson posted up Eckstrom to get the Panthers on the board at the 6:04 mark, 4-2.
– Luke Hennessy answered high off the glass and the Olean fans began to get excited, 6-2.
– AJ Ayala, who played his best ever game for East last night, converts a traditional three-point play to spark a tone setting run for the Panthers. East began forcing turnovers and limiting second chance opportunities for the Huskies, while doing what they do best – flying in transition. A pair of layups from Johnathon Lewis, and baskets from Tyson, Damone Brown, and Percy Bryant accounted for a 13-0 surge that pushed the score to a 15-6 lead for East, with under two minutes to play in the opening quarter.
– A pair of free throws from Nick Schmidt, along with Wil Bathurst's first points of the game for Olean, rounded out the first quarter scoring.
End of the 1st Quarter: East 15, Olean 10
2nd Quarter
– The Huskies and Panthers traded baskets three consecutive times to begin the second quarter. Bathurst for Olean, Ayala for East. Schmidt for the Huskies, Ayala for the Panthers. Eckstrom for Olean, Ayala again for East, and this time from downtown.
– Lewis scores for East, Bathurst answers for Olean, and it's a 24-18 Panther's lead with 3:31 left until halftime.
– Things once again got really interesting, as Lewis and Brown connected on consecutive 3-pointers for East, followed by a pair of free throws by Lewis, and suddenly the Panthers have their largest lead of the game, 32-18. Olean, who already looked concerned, starts looking really concerned. Bathurst had words for his teammates prior to the pair of throws sank by Lewis.
– Bathurst comes back down on the other end and pops a trey. Eckstrom then scores the last basket of the first half following an East miss, and the Huskies head off to the locker rooms having cut their deficit to single digits.
Halftime: East 32, Olean 23
** If you didn't see an Olean run coming to start the second half, it might be time to get one of those specially trained German Shepherds. The game of the year still had a long way to go.
3rd Quarter:
– Bathurst opened the scoring by sinking two foul shots. Tyson came right back with a score inside for East. Panthers 34, Huskies 25.
– Bathurst scores again for the Huskies, and that run I mentioned above is underway. Eckstrom goes one of two from the stripe, the Huskies get the ball back, and Schmidt drills his first 3-pointer of the night. East 34, Olean 31, with 6:22 left in the third quarter.
– A free throw from East's Shawn Young is answered by two from Eckstrom. Lewis ends a four-minute field goal drought for the Panthers, pushing East's lead back to 37-33.
– Bathurst for '3', Schmidt for '3', Bathurst again from in close. Within 90 seconds, the Huskies capitalize on a suddenly stagnent offense from East with eight straight points and regain the lead, 41-37 with 2:45 to play in the third quarter.
– Young gets a tough shot inside to fall, followed by Ayala getting back into the swing of things, and the game is back to square one – all tied up, 41-41.
– Schmidt sinks his third trey of the game, nothing but net, like always, to give his team the lead and some momentum heading into the final stanza.
End of the 3rd Quarter: Olean 44, East 41
4th Quarter:
– Remember that momentum from the end of the third quarter? How about chasing that with an alley-oop to Bathurst? That's what the Huskies dialed up, and…boom! Eckstrom followed it up with another Olean score. Olean 48, East 41, with 7:20 left to play.
– Lewis can only get one to fall from the stripe for East. Olean 48, East 42.
– Don't leave him open. Don't let him shoot. Too late. Schmidt drills his fourth 3-pointer in ten minutes to give Olean its largest lead of the game and bring the crowd to its feet, 51-42, with 5:59 remaining.
– Just 15 seconds later, the Huskies are out in transition again and Bathurst finishes with a two-handed dunk. Olean fans errupt. The Huskies now lead 53-42 and have all the momentum. It looked like it was over.
– But remember, this was the game of the year.
– Needing a spark, East got one in the form of a 3-pointer from Ayala. Olean's lead, 53-45.
– With its season on the line, East goes East on the Huskies. They force a turnover. Bryant finishes a tough shot on the break with 3:48 remaining. Olean 53, East 47.
– Another turnover, and another fast break basket from Bryant just 25 seconds later. Olean 53, East 49.
– Eckstrom draws contact and get to the line. He hits two from the charity stripe. Olean 55, East 49, with 2:39 to go.
– Lewis, who I tweeted earlier this year plays like he wants it more than anyone else, begins a final push to get his Panthers to victory. He pulls a '3' – swish. Olean 55, East 52, with 2:15 on the clock.
– Following a scoreless minute in the game, Bathurst gets to the line, where he sinks a pair 0f tosses. Lewis answers at the other end, blowing past his defender and finishing in traffic. Eckstrom goes to the line and sinks two more. Lewis once again takes his defender off the dribble and finishes a tough shot. Olean 59, East 56, with 29 seconds remaining.
– Schmidt hits a free throw, but misses the back end of his trip to the line, giving East an opening. Lewis brings the ball up, and without hesitation, drills a 3-pointer over a defender. Olean 60, East 59, with 20 seconds left.
– Olean is fortunate to complete a full court pass to Bathurst, after it's nearly stolen by Bryant. Bryant fouls out of the game, preventing Bathurst from the easy finish. Bathurst to the line with 10.8 ticks left, where he hits one of two. Olean 61, East 59.
– Lewis pushes the ball up court for a potential game-tying or game-winning shot, but is trapped by Olean. There's contact, Lewis falls to the court, and Olean's Schmidt steal the ball, quickly calling a timeout – an extremely heady, smart play from a savvy veteran.
– Schmidt is fouled on the inbounds and heads to the line with three seconds left to ice the game. He hits the first shot, but the second misses. Olean 62, East 59
– Johnathon Lewis heaves one from just before halfcourt. The shot was in line. The shot looked like it was going to fall. Instead, it drew the back of the rim and bounced out. Ball game!
FINAL: Olean 62, East 59
The Huskies win their third straight Class B title and advance to regionals. The game felt like it was the defacto state championship for Class B. Let's hope it was and Olean brings a state championship back to WNY.
Bathurst finished with a game-high 25 points, Schmidt scored 18 points (four 2nd half treys), and Eckstrom added 17 points.
Lewis led East with 24 points, while Ayala finished with 15 points.
-centercourt
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