The first half of the 'Game of the Week' between Lockport and Niagara Falls was close and competitive, but seemed to favor the Lions. The Wolverines were right there in the game, but mostly chasing the lead and reacting more than dictating.  The team needed a spark, and it was their junior point guard, who had been held without a field goal in the first half, who would provide it.

 

Qeyion Williams scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, to spearhead a Niagara Falls comeback victory over visiting Lockport, 63-45.  With the victory, the Wolverines sit alone atop the NFL standings with a perfect 5-0 league record, while the Lions slip to 4-1 in NFL play.

 

With the game tied at 40 apiece entering the final minute of the third quarter, Niagara Falls had the type of possession that coaches spend countless practice hours trying to perfect.  All five players on the court for Falls touched the ball, culminating with an open Williams in the corner, who received a pass in perfect time and swished a beauty from downtown to put his team up three.  It was part of a 10-point quarter for Williams, and triggered a dominating finish for the Wolverines.

 

Niagara Falls outscored Lockport, 23-5, over the game's final nine minutes, allowing just a single field goal during that stretch.  Williams and Breon Harris each splashed from beyond the arc in the final stanza, as all five starters for Falls scored in the final frame, with Williams setting his teammates up in excellent scoring position repeatedly. The leadership shown by Williams in the second half, along with the offensive spark he provided the team both as a scorer and as a facilitator, really turned the game around for Niagara Falls.

 

"You saw in the second half what he is capable of and when he plays like that, he makes us a better team," Niagara Falls coach Sal Constantino said.

 

Williams, along with his team, looked a step behind Lockport in the first half.  The Lions scored seven straight points early on and were able to maintain the lead throughout the opening quarter.  Lavette Warren, Andrew Austin, Tavon Chambers, & Kyle Brown took turns providing offense for Lockport in the first half, pushing the ball in transition and staying active on the offensive glass to give possessions a second life.  A 9-2 finish to the half had Lockport in front at the break, 29-21, after not allowing a Wolverines bucket over the final five minutes of the half.

Luckily for Falls, Williams came out of the locker room a completely different player in the second half and was noticeably more assertive with the ball.  Amidst the frenetic pace played by the Wolverines, Williams displays a calmness and ability to process things quickly, but stays within the intensity level of his teammates. 

 

 "The whole first half, we just kept pounding him – Qeyion, make a play," Constantino said.  "I want to see him make that next step where he doesn't need us telling him."

 

The style played by Niagara Falls was also a big part of its dominating finish.  While Lockport seemed to go cold from outside in the second half, the Wolverines' constant defensive pressure started to force some shots from the outside and alter looks from the interior.  Eventually the momentum began to shift, and the combination of players making plays, along with consistent defending, erupted into the strong finish for Falls.

 

"The one thing that will always keep us in games – we'll guard," said Constantino.  "Were going to defend."

 

For Lockport, its season reaches a critical crossroads this week.  While a 7-3 record and one game out of first place in the league look good on the surface, the reality is the team began 7-0 and has since lost three straight games.  All of this as they head into a big home game on Friday night against Kenmore West hoping to avoid a four-game skid. Both teams will be stinging from losses in the previous game, as the Blue Devils were chewed up by North Tonawanda in the fourth quarter on Tuesday and fell, 55-43.  The Lions will be eager to get back on track and regain some of their swagger that peaked in a rout of Starpoint just prior to the holiday break.  

 

Point Totals

Niagara Falls:  Qeyion Williams 17, Breon Harris 16, Daquan Hubbard 9, Syquan Ralands 8, Charles Lamar 8, Marquise Miller 3, Tyler Sanders 2

Lockport:  Andrew Austin 13, Tavon chambers 12, Lavette Warren 10, Kyle Brown 6, Cordel McDowell 2, Javon Ford 2

 

-centercourt