By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Right from the jump, the Salamanca boys basketball team showed that it had not lost a step after playing a game on the eve of its matchup with East Aurora.
On Jan. 30, the Warriors took to the road to defeat Fredonia and claimed its share of the CCAA Div. I crown for the third straight year. And on Jan. 31, it got right back to business, entering St. Bonaventure’s historic Reilly Center and defeating East Aurora 68-43.
And on the special occasion, the Warriors seemingly flipped the script they have been following for a good portion of the season.
Recently they have come out slower, truly imposing their full will in the second half of games.
Against the Blue Devils, the Warriors wasted no such time, winning the opening quarter by a staggering 25-4 margin and claiming the first half 36-12 before slowing down a bit after halftime.
Salamanca’s Cory Holleran (24) rises up for a layup in transition. (Spencer Bates)
But, according to coach Adam Bennett, there is no script. It was no magical moment that helped his team get out to a fast start. They are who they are and it was simply a chance to improve.
“I just want to play 32 minutes that we can feel really good about,” Bennett said. “We’re trying to be at our best at the end of the regular season, and there’s a lot of things that we’ve improved on. We played everybody today, which was good. They got an opportunity to play on this floor. … We have to continue, no matter who the opponent is, to play up to our standard.”
But what that fast start did prove about this year’s team, Bennett noted, is that it has the capability to be one of the strongest defensive units in recent Salamanca history.
“I think this is our strongest defensive team,” Bennett said. “Teams that defend and rebound are the teams that have a chance to do some good things. So, we have to continue to work on that. We’re just looking for that 32 minutes of defensive energy and intensity.”
But where that energy and intensity was ever-present in the opening half from the Warriors, it wavered in the second half for a prolonged stretch of minutes. They were fouling more — East Aurora shot 25 free throws as a team compared to Salamanca’s nine — they turned the ball over more and conceded easy buckets on defense.
“It was a lack of communication,” Bennett said. “I thought we were giving effort, but we were tired. And that’s not an excuse. But when you’re tired, that’s when you really have to talk. … Your head stops thinking and starts thinking more about the job that we have to do. Credit East Aurora, their coach Koselny has been doing this a long time, he’s a really good coach. They got a lot of pride and they came out and played very, very hard in that last 16 minutes. And you know, that was good for us, we needed that.”
Salamanca’s Payton Bradley (3) looks to put up a hook shot. (Spencer Bates)
Maddox Isaac led Salamanca in scoring with a team-high 13 points after setting a new career high of 26 points the night before. Jake Herrick and Avery Brown provided 11 and 10 points apiece in assistance. But plenty of scoring came from outside those three as 11 different players recorded at least two points against East Aurora.
“The best thing about this team, and I think it’s our greatest asset, is the fact that we have six guys that can score,” Bennett said. “On any given night, none of us really know who’s leading us in scoring, because we’re not built like that. What I love about Maddox is, after a night where he played tremendous at Fredonia, he came back, he defended, he rebounded, he was getting other guys involved, and that’s what we all do. We can’t be the team that we want to be unless we play together. If we’re one or two guys, it’s just not going to work. These guys take pride in that, and he leads the charge.”
Ultimately, the Warriors cruised over the finish line with its 10th win in tow, showing no signs of faltering on the big stage.
Salamanca’s Maddox Isaac flies past his East Aurora defender as he attacks the basket. (Spencer Bates)
“To play on a D1 court, especially on a game day, I think it’s a really cool thing that Bonaventure allowed us to do, and we’re thankful for it,” Bennett said.
Salamanca will suit up next on Feb. 3 when it will travel to face Depew in another non-league affair. That game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
AT ST. BONAVENTURE
East Aurora (43)
Ziegler 3 8-10 14, Beiter 4 2-3 10, Offhaus 1 3-4 5, Chudy 1 0-0 3, Bell 0 3-4 3, Barcenas 1 1-2 3, Kenny 1 1-2 3, Greco 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 18-25 43
Salamanca (68)
Isaac 5 1-1 13, Herrick 4 1-2 11, Bradley 5 0-0 10, Crouse 3 1-2 7, Brown 2 3-4 7, Drugg 3 0-0 6, Holleran 3 0-0 6, Elliott 1 0-0 3, Farmer 1 0-0 3, Hill 1 0-0 2. Totals: 28 6-9 68
EA 4 12 25 43
Sala. 25 36 46 68Three-point goals: EA 1 (Chudy), Sala. 6 (Herrick 2, Isaac 2, Elliott, Farmer); Total fouls: EA 10, Sala, 17; fouled out: None.
