By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BUFFALO, NY — Recording their third consecutive blowout win of the postseason, the Salamanca girls’ basketball team earned their fifth-ever Section VI championship, beating Wilson 51-32.
After finishing the regular season at 14-6, the Lady Warriors entered the Class B2 postseason with the second seed. Eager to improve upon their semifinal exit from a year prior, Salamanca cruised past No.7 Roy-Hart in the quarterfinals, 68-40, before earning a spot in the championship with a route over Eden in the semis, 56-34.
“It was a season of ups and downs. We had our wins, we had our losses but the main thing was that we stuck together through it all,” said Salamanca head coach Joe Hinman. “We got better as the season went on, especially late in the playoffs. Whoever came at us, we took them.”
Their finals opponent is no stranger to the big stage and bright lights. Looking to return to the finals for the second year in a row, No. 4 Wilson (15-7) had to fight through the opening two rounds, beating No. 5 Allegany-Limestone and No. 8 Portville by a combined three points.
Wilson’s tough full-court-pressure, which helped force 40 turnovers against Portville in the semifinals, appeared early against the Lady Warriors with a staggering effect. Although Salamanca would score on their first possession, from there their offense tripped and stumbled with constant giveaways, many of which were consecutive. Giving up five turnovers in the first three minutes, that number would snowball to 10 by the end of the first quarter.
“We knew Wilson was scrappy. They don’t have the size so they have to make up for that,” said Hinman. “They’re a well coached team. (Frank) Williams gets the most out of his girls so we knew we had to pass fake more, do the fundamentals a little more. We knew we had to play for all 32 minutes.”
However, Salamanca was able to hold a narrow lead with their own stifling defense, producing eight Lakewomen turnovers themselves. Wilson would still find scattered scores but looked up at a 11-6 deficit after the first eight minutes of play.
The Lakewomen would abandon the full-court-press early in the second, but would continue to hound Leilene McComber for the full length of the court. In the half court, Wilson implemented a 2-3 zone that slowed the Lady Warriors’ attack.
With McComber held at bay, the offense fell on Skyla Dowdy’s shoulders.
After McComber battled to the rim for a trip to the line, splitting the pair, Dowdy would take the reins with defense. Coming away with a steal and score, she would then feed Madisyn Lafferty as the Lady Warriors sparked a 6-0 run. Wilson would counter with five unanswered points, however, Dowdy would have an answer immediately. Forcing more turnovers and scoring both in transition and with quick-release floaters, the senior guard finished the quarter by scoring all of Salamanca’s final seven points, leading her team to a 24-14 lead going into the break.
“She’s high energy. It’s just non-stop with her. It’s hard to take her out of the game,” said Hinman. “She just brings so much to us, whether it’s offense or defense. She’s one of the top two-way players around.”
Skyla Dowdy fights through numerous defenders on the way to the basket during the Lady Warriors’ 51-32 win over Wilson in the Section VI Class B2 finals. Dowdy would end with 17 points in the win. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
To kick off the second half, Salamanca doubled-down on their defense, with Makenzie Crouse and Lafferty sending shots back earlier in the third. While their offense struggled to find their footing, their oppressive defense would hold the Lakewomen scoreless for over three minutes.
“(Defense) has been our identity, especially in the playoffs this year. We’ve been sticking with man defense and taking away gaps, making sure we’re rebounding too,” said Hinman. “We were making sure we were disciplined enough and not falling for fakes and stuff.”
Their effort would eventually lead to points as multiple steals would lead the Lady Warriors to a 9-1 run to pull away by 18 heading into the fourth quarter.
With just eight minutes separating Salamanca from their first Sectional title in 13 years, all the Lady Warriors had to do was finish.
“I told them to not take our foot off the gas and finish it out,” said Hinman. “It’s a game of runs so we had to be ready for Wilson to hit us back with a run. We had to really clamp down and couldn’t relax.”
After allowing a Wilson layup on the initial drive of the fourth, Salamanca then would take over for good. With Crouse pulling down offensive rebounds for second chance points, Lafferty knocking down a shot from beyond the arc and handfuls of defensive stops along the way, the Lady Warriors tacked on nine unanswered points.
Wilson, on the other hand, would grow desperate as the clock drained, forcing up quick shots or rushing into the paint only to miss contested looks at the rim. Their aggression would lead to multiple shots at the charity strip, but inconsistent shooting would crush any leftover hope — the Lakewomen shot 2-for-8 at the line in the final period.
In the final minute, Salamanca would begin to celebrate. Subbing in their reserves, the Lady Warriors awaited the final buzzer, a moment that would lead to the coveted blue patch. Maintaining a 20-point advantage, that moment would come sooner rather than later. After over a decade of anticipation, the Lady Warriors were champions at long last.
The Lady Warriors rush the court moments after the final buzzer, celebrating their first Section VI championship in over a decade. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“It’s hard to explain (what we’re feeling.) It’s because of these girls and the time they put in. We’ve been playing a great brand of basketball coming into this game. We had a lot of momentum coming in with some big wins,” said Hinman. “We knew it would be a battle so we came out with some grit. It’s hard to explain.”
Dowdy and McComber led the charge in Salamanca’s championship victory, both finishing with 17 points. Crouse ended with six while Laffery and Maliyah Foster both scored five points.
Going forward, the Lady Warriors will take on the Class B1 champions, either Newfane or Health Science. That crossover championship will take place on Wednesday at Buffalo State University at a time to be announced.
AT BUFFALO
Wilson (32)
A. Elia 2 4-7 8, Phillips 3 0-0 7, Faery 1 5-10 7, Fournier 3 0-0 7, Smith 1 1-2 3, Beck 1 1-2 3, K. Elia 1 0-0 2, Thrush 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 11-21 32
Salamanca (51)
Dowdy 7 1-1 16, McComber 6 4-6 16, Crouse 2 2-3 6, Lafferty 2 0-0 5, Foster 2 1-4 5, Jimerson 1 0-0 3. Totals: 20 8-14 51
Wilson 6 14 21 32
Salamanca 11 24 35 51
Three-point goals: WL (1) Phillips, SA (3) Dowdy, Lafferty, Crouse; Total fouls: WL 15, SA 20; fouled out: Crouse (SA)..
