On the heels of the first ever NYSPHAA State Championship won by a Buffalo City School, South Park is off and running again, this time on the hardwood.  The Sparks have started out the season with a 4-1 mark, the same record the football team had through five games.

 

When former South Park head coach Ron Killinger retired after 13 seasons of coaching, his last two with the Sparks, St. Joe's lacrosse head coach Peter Hudecki seized an opportunity to coach a different sport, at a different school, and took over as the head man for South Park.  So far, the combination of a winning mentality carried over from the football season, along with a talented group of basketball players, has resulted in the Sparks getting off to their best start in several years.

 

South Park's most recent hardwood accomplishment was its two victories over the weekend that resulted in them claiming the Wilson Tip-Off Tournament championship.  On Friday night, the Sparks downed Niagara Catholic of the Monsignor Martin Association, 49-42.  Shakur Harris led the way for South Park, scoring 21 points, while the Sparks limited the Patriots to just four of their players getting into the scorebook.  Raymond Mushat added 10 points in the first round victory for South Park.

 

The following night, South Park was even more impressive, rolling up 46 points and building a 20-point lead by halftime, en route to a resounding 81-56 victory over the host Lakemen.  Mike McDonald scored a game-high 20 points in that victory, while finished with Harris 19 points.  Tony Robinson added 17 points and Raymond Mushat 12 points in the Sparks' tournament championship victory.  Harris was awarded Tournament MVP.  South Park won on the second night with Greg Hudecki filling in on the bench for his son Peter, who was attending a lacrosse convention.  Greg, who himself had coached for several years, was very pleased to be able to help his son out, and with the performance of the Sparks and their growth together as a team.

 

"We're trying to get team chemistry together right now and these kids are all coachable," Hudecki said, something his son later agreed with when I spoke with him via cell phone.

 

"I think Brett  Sippel (Wilson head coach) does a fantastic job and we were happy to just come out and play," Hudecki said. "It's a joy for the kids to actually leave South Park and come out to a different venue and play.  This was a nice country drive for us."

 

The tournament championship was the second of the season for South Park, who also won the Hamburg Lion's Club Tournament held at Frontier High School in the first week of December.  There, the Sparks scored a season-opening victory against Class AA Frontier, before defeating Lackawanna in the championship game.  Harris was also named MVP of that tournament.

 

The only loss to date for South Park came against Lancaster, the section's largest school.  The Legends have since won at defending Class AA champion Jamestown, to remain unbeaten to start the year.

 

South Park will look to become a factor in the Yale Cup I race this season, with league play beginning this week for the Sparks.  They'll face a stiff test right off the bat, drawing league favorite Middle College to get things started.

 

"It's going to get a big test for us, and the kids are really excited for it" said Hudecki.

 

-centercourt