By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
PORTVILLE, NY – Winning by 40 points, the Portville boys’ basketball team took down Cassadaga Valley for the second time this season, earning a season sweep with a 64-24 victory.
The matchup on Friday would be the second meeting between the Panthers and Cougars. Earlier this month, on Thursday, Jan. 9, Portville stormed onto CV’s homecourt and came away with their first win of the season. With the memory of that 81-28 win still circulating throughout the locker room, Portville wanted to get to work early.
“I told the guys in the locker room beforehand that our goal today was to get off to a good start so I could get the other guys in who practice hard with us all week but don’t get a lot of playing time,” said Portville head coach Tom Yanetsko. “That was my goal and the other kids were ready for it.”
Hustle and energy stoked the Panthers’ fire through the opening minutes. Between crashing the glass for offensive rebounds, stripping ball handlers and passing lanes and tossing long outlets for easy looks on the other end, Portville’s strategy seemed to be to simply outwork the Cougars.
After going down 3-1 in the first few minutes, the Panthers scored by committee to tack on 10 unanswered points. On defense, they were just as dominant, with Braeden Carter recording four steals and Chase Armstrong sending back numerous shots. After a strong first quarter, Portville led 13-6.
Entering the second quarter, Portville looked to activate their star player: Aidan DeFazio. After having him run the point for the first eight minutes, the Panthers chose to play him off the ball for the start of the second, a move that opened up scoring opportunities for the junior. Keeping his foot on the gas, DeFazio would drive to the rim before hitting a deep 3-pointer and step-back jumper for seven unanswered points, giving Portville a 27-10 advantage on the scoreboard.
Having a comfortable margin on the scoreboard, the Panthers began rotating in their reserves. However, that group would start to skid as they gave up four consecutive turnovers and went without a basket for the final three minutes of play. Going into the break, Portville led 27-12.
Braeden Carter converts a layup in transition during Portville’s 40-point win over the Cougars on Friday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Although they held a significant lead on the scoreboard, the Panthers went in for the kill in the third quarter. To open the period, Carter, Armstrong and DeFazio combined for an 11-2 run in the first three and a half minutes, with Carter knocking down a pair of triples along the way. The Panthers would continue the barrage of shots as they began to bury their opponents. In all, Portville would cash in on five triples as they built a 26-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Their lead would grow to 30 on their first possession of the final period. Reese Benson would successfully convert an and-one opportunity, prompting Yanetsko to begin filtering in the reserves once again. Keeping a starter or two to shepherd the younger flock, Portville sparked another run, this time to the tune of 12-0. As had been all night, Portville scored by committee, with several younger players making their way into the scorebooks.
“I was very satisfied with our reserves. They work hard at practice with the starting five or six we have,” said Yanetsko. “They’re a good group of kids, they’re just inexperienced.”
By the end of Portville’s third win of the season, every Panther ended in the scoring column. Per usual, DeFazio led in that category with 22 points while Carter finished with 11. Edwards ended with six, both Armstrong and Green finished with five and Dan VanBuskirk recorded his first points of the season with two.
With just five games left in the season, Portville is confident they can keep the momentum rolling as they eye the postseason.
“We have an opportunity to win all five if we play well. Two of them are non-league games against Ellicottville (Feb. 8 and Feb. 13) and then we have the opportunity to beat Gowanda at Gowanda (Feb. 4), Silver Creek here (Feb. 11) and Frewsburg at Frewsburg (Feb. 7),” said Yanetsko. “We can play with them, we just have to play a good game. Our goal is to win all of those games and get some momentum going into the playoffs.”
AT PORTVILLE
Cassadaga Valley (24)
Katilus 2 1-4 6, Hawkins 2 0-0 5, Mais 2 0-0 4, Debo 2 0-0 4, Hattaway 1 0-0 3, Zahm 1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 1-4 24
Portville (64)
DeFazio 8 1-2 22, Carter 3 2-3 11, Edwards 3 0-0 6, Armstrong 2 0-0 5, Green 1 3-5 5, Fowler 2 0-0 4, Foster 1 0-0 3, Benson 1 1-1 3, Loncher 1 1-4 3, VanBuskirk 0 2-3 2. Totals: 23 10-18 64
Cassadaga Valley 6 12 24 24
Portville 13 27 49 64
Three-point goals: CV (3) Katilus, Hawkins, Shabazz, PT (8) DeFazio 5, Foster, Carter, Armstrong; Total fouls: CV 13, PV 9; fouled out: None.
JV: Portville 49, Cassadaga Valley 25
