By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — The Salamanca and Allegany-Limestone boys basketball teams entered their Jan. 9 CCAA Div. I meeting with blemish-free records in-league, but thanks to an oppressive defensive effort, it was the former that found itself on top of the table come night’s end.
After suffering its first loss of the season, the Warriors had before them four games that would test their mettle. Two games on back-to-back days, a non-league affair against a team two full classes above them and, most recently, its fixture against the Gators, who brought with them an eight-game win streak as they were not just yet to lose within the league, but overall as well.
Salamanca, thanks to their trademark defensive acumen, passed each test with flying colors, capping the four-game stretch with a 57-38 win over Allegany-Limestone.
“(Allegany-Limestone is) an outstanding team,” Salamanca coach Adam Bennett said. “They come into the game undefeated, Glenn (Anderson) does a great job, they play really hard and I thought this was our biggest test. The important thing is we got better today, and we got the result that we wanted because of that. Now we’ll have to continue to work. We’ve got really good teams on our schedule. … We want to play great opponents, we want to play teams that test us and that certainly was a test tonight.”
It was all Warriors, all night with the Gators not holding a lead for a single second of the affair.
Salamanca caught wind in its sails early, jumping out to a 7-3 lead before embarking on what ended up as an 11-0 run. Altogether, the hosts closed out the opening frame with a 13-3 run with Maddox Isaac scoring 11 of those 13.
“It’s tough to simulate that type of ball pressure,” A-L coach Glenn Anderson said. “Obviously, we know it’s coming, we’re running seven, eight guys against five in practice to try to simulate that ball pressure. But they’re so quick and so aggressive and so athletic, it’s tough to simulate that.”
Salamanca’s defense conceded just two field goals throughout the entirety of the first quarter and just five through the first half.
“The defensive intensity was amazing,” Bennett said. “We had talked all week about ball pressure, that no matter what happened tonight, that whatever the result was, we’re going to play to our identity. I thought we got out and pressured the ball. I thought we did a great job, one through five, at doing that.”
Salamanca’s Maddox Isaac (10) pulls up for a mid-range jumper. Isaac scored a game-high 22 points for the Warriors. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
The Warriors’ ball pressure not only forced the Gators into difficult shots, but for the most part made getting a shot off impossible. Within their early 11-0 scoring run, Isaac found himself with three consecutive baskets off steals. It was those points off turnovers that played a massive role in the construction of their large lead.
“We’re not tall, but we have length and we have athleticism,” Bennett said. “We play defense with our feet and we get our hands in passing lanes. I can’t wait to see how many deflections we had tonight, which allowed us to get run-outs and steals. Maddox led the charge with that. … I just thought the ball pressure and the active hands were outstanding.”
Isaac finished with a game-high 22 points. Avery Brown was the only other Warrior that finished in double figures, scoring 11 on the night
Eventually, Salamanca’s defense did start to slow down from its breakneck speed and efficiency and lost the second quarter by a 13-9 margin. But while the offense may have slowed down, its tenacity on the defensive end allowed for the distance to be maintained and gradually expanded.
“We are trying to place the premium on defending and rebounding, and that’s what allowed us to play at a double digit lead for the majority of the game,” Bennett said. “I thought we were taking good shots. We didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter, we missed some runners, we missed some shots inside. But, as long as we’re taking good shots, I’m good and I trust these guys. When we take good shots, we’ll make them and thankfully, towards the end of the game, we did.”
What did not help the Gators was the fact that they were left without their leading scorer on the season in Carson Kwiatkowski as he picked up an injury in the first half and did not return to the game. This made offense that much harder to come by as the next highest scorer for the visitors, Gavin Straub, has over 90 less points on the season.
Anderson admitted that without “CK” on the floor, the entire look of the team changes and frankly, it has not been something he has had to think about for the previous two seasons. So, when he did go out against the Warriors, there was a level of confusion that Salamanca took advantage of.
“We got pieces, but something we haven’t done here for the past two seasons before this one, is play without him,” Anderson said of Kwiatkowski. “That’s a big deal. Most of our stuff’s running through him. Even looking at my call sheet, I got guys in different positions and with the lack of practice time that we had … we were behind the 8-ball a little bit there, in terms of getting everyone to know the X’s and O’s all the way through, regardless of position.”
Salamanca put the final nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter with its second 11-0 run of the game. From there, it was able to cruise across the finish line and take its spot atop the CCAA Div. I table.
Salamanca’s Avery Brown (20) picks up Allegany-Limestone’s Cooper Wilczewski (2) at halfcourt. Brown finished with 11 points for the Warriors. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
Salamanca’s next test will be in the form of a Jan. 13 away fixture against Falconer. Tip-off for that game is set for 7:30 p.m.
As for Allegany-Limestone, it will have the chance to bounce-back from defeat for the first time this season when they make the short trek to face Olean on Jan. 13. That game will also tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
AT SALAMANCA
Allegany-Limestone (38)
Callen 3 3-3 12, Forrest 4 0-1 8, B. Straub 2 0-0 6, G. Straub 3 0-1 6, Misener 1 0-0 3, Strade 0 2-4 2, Milliner 0 1-2 1, Amore 0 0-2 0. Totals: 13 6-13 38
Salamanca (57)
Isaac 9 2-3 22, Brown 5 1-5 11, Herrick 3 0-0 8, Holleran 3 0-0 7, Crouse 2 0-1 4, Taylor 1 1-3 3, Bradley 0 2-4 2. Totals: 23 6-16 57
A-L 6 19 29 38
Sala. 22 31 42 57Three-point goals: A-L 6 (Callen 3, B. Straub 2, Misener), Sala. 5 (Herrick 2, Isaac 2, Holleran); Total fouls: A-L 15, Sala. 18; fouled out: None.
