(Elijah Ramadan has really come on for Olean this season. / Photo by Bob Clark, Olean Times Herald)

 

Every team wants to maximize its potential, with the ultimate goal of winning championships, or in other words, being the best.  Though no team has won anything of significance as the calendar has just recently switched to January, in Class B, Olean is considered the best.  The Huskies are not only the top ranked small school in WNY, they also sit atop the NYSSWA state rankings in Class B.  It's a ranking they've earned this season by handling their business – and then some.  The Huskies have been all over teams to start the season, including some pretty good ones.  Timon, East Aurora, and Hornell are just three of the eight teams that have fallen victim to Olean, with all eight falling by double figures.  In fact, Olean's average margin of victory through eight games had been over 28 points. While that may all sound like a dream scenario, in reality teams need to be challenged to grow.  On Thursday night, league rival Fredonia arrived in Olean and gave the Huskies that challenge.

 

Jake Cavana scored all 11 of his points in the second half to help the Huskies fend off Fredonia, 47-42, in a back-and-forth affair.  The win improves Olean to 9-0 on the season, and moves them into sole possession of first place in CCAA I West, while the Hillbilles move to 7-3 on the year.

 

Fredonia was the first to get on the scoreboard with a bucket from Jarod Burmaster, and would trade leads with the Huskies throughout the opening frame.  Patrick Moore connected on a pair of 3-pointers and Burmaster added another for the Hillbilles in the first eight minutes, to counteract a pair of scores each from Olean's Elijah Ramadan & Ben Eckstrom, and take the early 11-8 lead after one.

 

Olean defended exceptionally well in the second quarter, and limited Fredonia to a single field goal in the stanza.  The defensive effort allowed the Huskies to regain the advantage and make the game's first run, closing the half on a 9-0 spurt and getting scoring from five different players to claim a 23-14 lead at the game's intermission.

 

Burmaster hit a '3' to start the second half, followed by another score from Moore to get the Hillbillies back within four, before Cavana & Eckstrom each connected for Olean to make it 27-19.  As the third quarter was reaching the midway point, Fredonia began to mount a run of its own that would eventually put them back in front.  Moore heated up for the Hillbillies, scoring from the charity stripe and twice from the field, including one from downtown.  Eric Swoyer also connected from long range during 10-0 surge from the Hillbilles that put them back in front, 29-27.

 

Olean called a 30-second timeout after relinquishing the lead, and then quickly regained it.  Cavana and Monty Shoemaker each splashed from beyond the arc, and Cavana added another score on a strong finish to cap an 8-0 run that put the Huskies back on top, 35-29, with 1:37 left in the third.  Six points from Burmaster before the end of the third would bring Fredonia back within a possession, 37-35, heading to the final stanza.

 

The Huskies managed to extend their lead to eight points after Shoemaker hit a corner trey in a tightly contested and defensive finish that saw both teams connect just twice from the floor.  Olean handled the final minutes well enough to get out with the victory and never allowed a final run from the Hillbillies in their first competitive battle of the year.

 

"They kept their composure down the stretch and every time we tried to make a run to catch back up, we couldn't get that next stop," Fredonia coach Greg Lauer said.

 

Moore and Burmaster each netted 17 points for the Hillbilles in the loss.

 

Olean coach Jeff Anastasia was pleased with his team's defensive effort and acknowledged that the team's offensive production had dipped significantly from previous outings, but credited the Hillbillies for making things difficult and recognized that not all games are smooth sailing, something his team needed to experience.

 

"Fredonia knows us real well – they're well coached," Anastasia said.  "I think you need a game like this because of when it comes down to playoff time.  You're not going to have plays that you need to run because you've never had to run them.  You know, when you're up 20, why are you going to run this last second play."

 

Derek Schmidt grabbed six boards and assisted five scores for Olean in the win.  Four players scored in double figures for the Huskies, with Cavana, Shoemaker, Eckstrom, & Ramadan all totaling 11 points.  Eckstrom added seven rebounds and two blocks, while Ramadan earned a double-double, cleaning the glass 11 times, along with a pair of dimes.

 

Ramadan was a player for Olean that seemed vastly improved from a year ago, and did a little bit of everything for his team, particularly down the stretch in the fourth quarter, securing rebounds or tipping them to a teammate, and winning those 50/50 loose ball situations, while taking care of the ball himself.

 

"He's been big for us all year," Anastasia said of Ramadan.  "He handles the ball, he penetrates very well, he can post up, he penetrates & kicks, he has really excellent court vision, and he's a competitor.  He's really come on for us this year."

 

Both teams are back in action on Saturday as participants in the United Way Showcase at Jamestown High School.  Fredonia will face Silver Creek at 2:15 pm, while Olean matches up with the host Red Raiders at 7:30 pm.

 

Point Totals

Olean:  Elijah Ramadan 11, Jake Cavana 11, Monty Shoemaker 11, Ben Eckstrom 11, Zack Ryan 2, Derek Schmidt 1

Fredonia:  Patrick Moore 17, Jarod Burmaster 17, Eric Swoyer 3, Lucas Voss 3, Michael Pucci 1

 

-centercourt