(Tyler Howard and Medina are back-to-back champs of the N-O)

 

 After winning a league title in the N-O last season with a standout sophomore in Jalin Cooper, Medina entered this season with very high expectations.  But a combination of four key players missing from the Mustangs' rotation early in the season, along with a youthful lineup that includes a pair of sophomore starters led to a rocky start.  The team dropped three of their first four games, including a pair of home losses to nonleague small schools, and with other comparable teams piling up impressive wins in December, Medina became a bit of an afterthought. 

 

Well that was December.  Medina basketball is no longer an afterthought this season.  Instead, the Mustangs are one of the hottest teams in the Section as the postseason approaches.  They haven't lost a game in 2017 and are currently on an 11-game win streak with seven of those wins coming by double figures.  The most recent win came on Thursday night against Newfane, an 80-51 thumping against its closest league competitor, to earn a second straight Niagara-Orleans crown.

 

"This game has been brewing for about 11 months in the Medina camp and we were fired up for it," Medina coach Tom Forrestel said.

 

More impressive than the accomplishment of repeating as league champs this season is the significant growth of the team in such a short time.  While there were circumstances out of the team's control that contributed to the 1-3 start to the season, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work on fixing what was under their control.  The result has been smarter, more team-oriented basketball.  From the time I first watched them play on December 2nd, through the three Mustangs' games I've seen since, they don't even look like the same team.  Now I see a team that wants to defend and understands its strengths, while relying on each other, ball movement, and executing at the offensive end.  The result can be seen in the margins of victory in Medina's two most recent games.  From a four-point win to a 30-point margin in their rematch with Wilson, followed by last night's 29-point victory against Newfane, who they beat by 12 in the first go-round.

 

"I'm very proud of how hard they been working," Forrestel said.  "It doesn't just happen with athleticism – it's dedication, commitment, and work.  Everyday in practice, they are just locked in…it's a game mentality every single day and that's from all 12 of them."

 

It was senior night in Medina, and the team honored Tyler Howard, Michael Cardone, and Tyrellis Atkins prior to the game.  Right out of the opening tip, the Mustangs looked inside to team captain Howard, and he delivered by putting them up for good on the first shot of the game.  Howard took a pass on the right baseline, pump-faked, and drew contact on the finish. And 1. Medina took a 3-0 lead and never looked back.  Six different Mustangs scored in the opening quarter and 10 of 12 players got into the score book by the end.

 

After some hot shooting by Newfane's Max Weber at the end of the first frame, who scored a team-high 19 points in the game, Medina began to build its lead in the second quarter.  Jalin Cooper, who piled up a game-high 23 points through three quarters, scored 10 in the stanza including a powerful finish set up by sophomore Johnny Salone.  Traveling full speed on the break, Salone attacked his defender on his way to the rim and waited for the perfect moment to deliver pass to Cooper, who rewarded the dish with a drop-step dunk.  Salone (13 points) and Brendan Luthart each added a pair of buckets in the quarter, while Atkins knocked down a trey to give the Mustangs a 39-27 halftime advantage.

 

"I think the guys played great defense and that set the tempo for the game," Forrestel said.

 

Cooper added another nine points in the third quarter, including a baseline drive that ended with a nasty two-handed finish in traffic.  The Mustangs put together a 21-2 run heading into the fourth quarter to take a 62-33 lead on a combination of transition baskets and scores earned against the Panthers' 2-3 zone, including a trey from Luthart and a four-point play converted by Alex Allis.  In two games against Newfane this season, Medina has shown the necessary patience and understanding required to be productive against the zone.

 

"Teams are going to have a tendency to play us in zone because I think we're a very difficult matchup in man," explained Forrestel.  "So it's just preparation, a lot of practice time where these guys are locked in, a lot of reps with different looks, and they execute well."

 

Izaiah Rhim finished with 12 points for Medina.  He, along with Salone are the two sophomores that regularly start and both have made major strides already this season, a big part why the team is so much farther along now than two months ago.  Then there's the development of Cooper, who has transformed from a superior athlete to a legitimate basketball talent.

 

"He really understands the game and his basketball IQ continues to grow every week," remarked Forrestel.  "It takes a really athletic player from solid to great…he understands situations and shares the ball really well."

 

The Mustangs have just two regular season games left next week, at Barker and Akron.  A win in either gives them the N-O title outright and a win in both makes them undefeated league champs.  Then its off to sectionals, where they will battle in the ultra competitive Class B2, which contains the likes of Health Sciences, Middle College, MST Seneca, Olmsted, Lackawanna, Gowanda, & Wilson.  Medina might be peaking at just the right time and certainly seem to have everyone of the right mindset for playoff basketball.

 

"This is the deepest team I've ever had and every single player understands his role, relishes it, and executes it," forrestel said.  "There's no animosity at all and that's what leads to the unselfishness because everybody understands what they are doing. The product is good basketball."

 

 Newfane  14 – 13 –   8  - 16 = 51

Medina    16 – 23 – 23 – 18 = 80

 

Point Totals

Medina:  Jalin Cooper 23, Johnny Salone 13, Izaiah Rhim 12, Tyrellis Atkins 7, Brendan Luthart 7, Alex Allis 6, Vincent Montague 5, Tyler Howard 3, Jorge Phillips 2, Mason Lewis 2

Newfane:  Max Weber 19, Brandon Gross 10, Chad Dunbar 6, Albert Kramp 4, Kyle DeVoogel 3, Andrew Boudeman 3, Sam Auernhamer 2, Caleb Russell 2, Connor Hill 2

 

– centercourt