(Sean Taggart uses his left in the paint for St. Francis/Photo: Harry Scull, Buff News)

 

The first win for St. Francis against Park this season sent shock waves across WNY.  Last night's rematch with the Pioneers sent a message:  The Red Raiders are no fluke, they're for real!

 

St. Francis took highly touted Park to overtime again, and beat them, again, but this time didn't need a second extra session in earning a 54-53 win.  The Red Raiders take a two-game lead in the regular season league race against the team that was ranked #1 in NYS Class A prior to round one.

 

"They came out really, really, really hard and took a lead on us,"  St. Francis coach Brian Ferris said.  "We stuck with it like we did last time and played them strong…I'm proud of our guys."

 

Park came out firing and connecting, knocking down three 3-pointers before the midway point of the opening frame.  Dan Scott opened the game's scoring on the Pioneer's first possession with a triple and Brandon Smith added a pair from beyond the arc.  Marques Lowe got the start for Park and connected from the field on three occasions in the first five minutes as St. Francis quickly fell behind 17-7.

 

"I told my guys we need to challenge a little bit better and close out better, but everything's going to even itself out so just stick with the plan," said Ferris.

 

True to his word, Ferris' squad evened things out over the next three minutes with an 11-0 burst to close the frame.  Bo Sireika hit two bombs from downtown just 36 seconds apart and Sean Taggart came soaring into the paint for a high-rising put back finish, as the Red Raiders claimed an 18-17 lead after one quarter.

 

"Taggart is a player,"  Park coach Michael Battaglia said.  "He sets screens, hits the boards, and dives for every loose ball."

 

After claiming the advantage on the scoreboard, St. Francis held onto it one the next two quarters.  The scoring from both sides slowed significantly over the 16 minutes that followed the first stanza, as each team scored a combined 15 points between the second & third quarters.  Park never trailed by more than five points during that stretch and the game was right back to a one-point margin heading to the fourth, 33-32.

 

As crunch time got underway, Roburt Welch was the first to strike.  The senior sank a trey with the shot clock buzzer ringing to start the fourth frame and set the tone for what would ultimately be another crazy finish in the Monsignor Martin Association.

 

"We needed it at that time," Ferris said.  "Roburt is a streaky player – he needs one and he gets going."

 

The game's next six point went to Park, who took its first lead 22 minutes of game time at the 5:15 mark, 38-36.  Following a free throw by Julian Cunningham, a second big 3-pointer went in for Welch.  After a stop, Welch came flying back in transition and got a hanging up-and-under shot in the lane to go.  Another stop led to Cunningham driving the left side for Frannies and extending the lead to 44-38 with 2:13 left to play.

 

A '3' by Scott with under two minutes to play, followed by a free throw from Hutchins, set Joe Jones up to tie the game at 44-44 with 44 seconds left.  Sireika came right back to break the tie for the Red Raiders, before Julian Eziukwu scored the final bucket in regulation to get Park to an extra session with the top ranked Red Raiders.

 

"That's what our league is like," Ferris said.  "Every night you have to challenge them."

 

If the first 32 minutes weren't incredible enough for a Friday night thriller on the hardwood, the extra session definitely secured the contest as another instant classic.  After a free throw from Hutchins, he got the ball inside to Jones on the next trip down the floor.  The big man rewarded the pass with a slam to give Park a 49-46 lead.  Before I could even drop a hashtag in a tweet, Sireika had the game tied 49-49 with a corner trey just seven seconds later.

 

"It's something we talk about," Ferris said.  "If you get dunked on, it's two points…let's beat them back down the floor while they celebrate and hit a 3."

 

Not to be deterred, Park went right back to Jones inside, this time off a feed from Smith.  Once again, Jones finished with a #BOOM to put his team back up, 51-49.  After Devon Darrell evened the game from the stripe, 51-51, with 2:14 left in overtime, it was once again Jones coming through for Park.  This time a baseline drive got him to the rim, where he gave Park a 53-51 lead.

 

When a future Division I big man starts taking over in the post and bending the iron on every possession, most teams fold under those circumstances.  St. Francis couldn't get the ball back up the court and into the hands of Sireika fast enough.  For the game-winner with 1:44 left on the clock, he erased the Park lead just seconds after they gained it with another trey – his fifth of the evening.

 

"Our guys are going to shoot open shots when they get them," Ferris said.  "And I encourage it, these guys are confident."

 

Sireika led all scorers in the game with 20 points and added three boards & three dimes.  Cunningham finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists.  Welch had 10 points and seven rebounds and Taggart chipped in six points to go with his 10 rebounds.

 

Jones led the way for Park with a team-high 16 points.

 

"We talked about toughness in the locker room,"  Battaglia said.  "We want to win just as bad as anyone else, but have to be willing to do what it takes."

 

The Pioneers will host St. Joe's on Monday, while St. Francis has a date with its sweetheart Timon on Valentine's Day.

 

Park             17 –  6 – 9 – 14 – 7 = 53

St. Francis  18 – 8 – 7 – 13 – 8 = 54

 

Point Totals

St. Francis:  Bo Sireika 20, Julian Cunningham 12, Roburt Welch 10, Sean Taggart 6, Devon Darrell 4, Dorian Ivey 2

Park:  Joe Jones 16, Noah Hutchins 8, Dan Scott 8, Marques Lowe 6, Julian Eziukwu 6, Brandon Smith 6, Jaylen Stewart 3

 

– centercourt