Last year, Amherst won its third straight league title in ECIC III, despite dropping both regular season meetings with Cheektowaga.  Then the Tigers dropped  a third contest to the Warriors in the Class A2 championship.  Last night, Amherst knocked off Cheektowaga for a second straight time this season, giving them a huge leg up in the quest for a fourth straight ECIC III crown.  It's possible Amherst will get a chance to sweep a three-game series with Cheektowaga if the two meet up again in sectionals like last year.  Then again, I'm sure the Tigers would be just as happy not seeing the Warriors again this year.

 

Before a jam-packed crowd in the sweltering hot Amherst Jungle, the Tigers pounced on Cheektowaga early and never gave up the lead, enroute to a 73-63 win in ECIC III.  Amherst now holds a two-game lead over its chief competition in the league.

 

So what was the biggest difference from last year to this year?

 

"The biggest thing is maturity",  Amherst head coach Chris Kensy said.  "Last year we started five underclassmen".

 

TC Brown had scored eight of his game-high 26 points midway through the first quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Tigers fed off the roar of the crowd early on and took a 14-3 lead.  Late in the opening quarter, Cheektowaga's Dominick Welch came racing up the court in transition and maintained a full head of steam, as he lept towards the basket and threw down an insane dunk for a high school game – a one-handed, high rising power slam like you'd see in the NBA.  The #BOOM made the score 16-8 after one quarter, but more importantly, got the Warriors fired up heading into the second quarter.

 

Zak Ciezki scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the second quarter to keep his squad close with the Tigers heading towards halftime.  A pair of free throws from Ciezki with 18 seconds left before halftime had the Warriors within three points, before Brown ended the half for Amherst with a long-range bust to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 29-23 advantage.

 

The Tigers got the second half rolling with a 10-3 start, getting scoring from four different players along the way – Brown, Dorian Billups, Darien Lowe, & Nathan Woldu.  Amherst had regained a double figure lead midway through the quarter, leading 39-26.  Sophomore Stephan Parker came off the bench for Cheektowaga to hit a pair of treys, sandwiched between a pair of scores from Welch, to get the Warriors back within seven points late in the quarter.  Brown then led a late surge for the Tigers to get them back to a 49-38 lead heading to the final stanza.

 

The last eight minutes were fast paced and high scoring, as the teams combined for 49 points in the quarter, but neither team was able to steal any of the game's momentum.  Billups and Amadi Ikpeze both had dunks in the quarter to fire up the home crowd, but Cheektowaga would not give up or go away.  Ultimately, the Tigers kept on scoring with Cheektowaga, only giving up a point of their lead down the stretch.  Drequon Trotter sank a pair from the charity stripe for the Warriors with 32 seconds left, to make it a five-point game – the closest they would get, before Brown scored the game's last five points to seal the victory.

 

Following the game, Kensy was beaming with pride, and please with the total team effort.

 

"I think we have the best backcourt in WNY with Brown and Billups, but each one of these kids has something special to offer", Kensy said.   "Ikpeze, when we needed him most in the fourth quarter, he stepped up".  "Lowe, Woldu, you can go right down the list.  Since day one, they bought in, they know with hard work come the rewards – they never want to let the previous year's team down"

 

Woldu scored 14 points for Amherst, Ikpeze had nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and Lowe scored 10 points.

 

Welch finished with 14 points for Cheektowaga, while Trotter and Patrick Plummer each scored 10 points.

 

-centercourt