By SPENCER BATES
The Section 6 high school boys basketball regular season is over. This means it is win or go home, survive and advance, all or nothing from here on out.
Luckily, for Salamanca, it knows a thing or two about what it takes to fight through the postseason. Making its second New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Final Four appearance in the past three years last season, the Warriors have recent knowledge and experience on their side and are taking that into the postseason.
Now, Salamanca is entering the Section 6 Class B2 playoffs with a 2-2 record in its last four games. This comes after a 17-3 overall season in which they, at one point, held a 12-game win streak. But, according to coach Adam Bennett, there’s nothing that “creates more of a sense of urgency than a loss.”
“We’re never going into a game thinking a loss could be a good thing,” Bennett said. “Here, we compete to win every game that we play. But, what happens when you go through the course of a 20-game season against a really good league (is that), first of all, as we are getting better, so are these teams that we’re playing. We’re getting everybody’s best shot, which I feel like we certainly have down the stretch. … So, I’m seeing us develop that sense of urgency out of the two losses. Falconer beat us here and now we (possibly) have them in the quarterfinals, which is exactly the same scenario that we had last year when Fredonia beat us at their place, and two weeks later, we had to play them down here. So, our guys are certainly looking forward to the opportunity.”
But it will take more than one or two players to see the team past each hurdle that it is presented with. Bennett knows this, but as for his level of concern as to whether or not those on his roster have the stomach to step up when they are needed most, it is basically nonexistent. Considering the fact that a good number of his players, for the past two seasons, have entered the basketball season immediately after making a run to the NYSPHSAA Final Four in football, he knows they have what it takes. It is just a matter of the entire unit moving forward together.
“My main concern is that we’re playing the best that we can play as a team,” Bennett said. “It’s been a long … seven months for some of our guys here. Our concern is that we’ve got one run left within us and that our guys are playing to the best of their ability. We don’t ever go into a game hoping that a certain player has a certain amount of points. … We just want to make sure that, as it relates to our identity, we’re doing the things that we’ve been doing all year. We’re defending, we’re rebounding, we’re running the floor, we’re doing that to the best of our ability.”
Sticking to its own identity and sharpening the iron that got them to where they are now, the No. 1 seed in the B2 bracket, will be key, especially early this week as Salamanca does not yet know the opponent it will face in the quarterfinals. It will face the winner of No. 8 seed JFK and No. 9 seed Falconer at home on March 1. But the Warriors will not know which to directly prepare for until the night of Feb. 27.
“Early in the week, our focus is on us,” Bennett said. “It’s kind of a mini bye week, a self scout. We can take a look at the things that we felt that we did well throughout the entire season, continue to build on those and try to fix some of the things that we’ve had issues with, specifically late in the year. … It’s not our job to anticipate who we’re going to play. We’ve got to prepare for both. Starting Wednesday, we’ll start making preparations for both, and then we’ll figure out who we play and go from there.”
Ultimately, the message Bennett has for his team ahead of the playoffs is one of confidence. Playing to their identity has been a major key for the Warriors all season long, and the postseason, just because the stakes are now higher, is no time to change things up.
“We can’t play to the result, we just have to play with confidence,” Bennett said. “It’s not about beating whatever team that we’re playing or the pressure of losing and going home. It’s about doing everything that we can to extend our season so that (the players) can continue playing the sport with their teammates for as long as possible. … These guys want every opportunity to continue to compete with one another and that’s what we’re fighting for in the playoffs.”
Olean’s Dominic Giovine (22) and Allegany-Limestone’s Collin Forrest (5) get up for the jump ball in their game on Feb. 11. (Olean Huskies Athletics)
— The Olean boys basketball team shares in that sentiment as it too eyes postseason success for a second straight year.
Coach Tim Kolasinski described the way his team has gone about the latter part of the regular season as “boring,” but in the most positive way. And the intention is to stick with that boring mindset going into the playoffs.
The Huskies stumbled in the early portion of the season, losing six of their first seven games. However, the way in which they finished the regular season, winners of 11 in their last 13 games, only dropping a game apiece to CCAA Div. I league champions Salamanca and Williamsville East, led Kolasinski to the question: Why change now?
“Whether you have guys back or you don’t have guys back, every season is unique, because not only do you have some changes somewhere on your roster, but you’re playing completely different people,” Kolasinski said. “It’s an entirely different thing. I think what helped us was the veterans, guys that had been here last year and saw similar results. They believed that it could happen still, which was important. And once we did flip that switch and started winning some games, that was important as well, because, at some point, you got to have some results, otherwise (your message) just seems like empty words that you’re talking about every day. We’re a very boring team, we talk about a lot of the same things every single day. But that’s because those are things that we believe in and we just really think that if we stick to those values, that they’re going to come to fruition.”
But it has not just been the coaching staff droning on about the same topics each and every day according to Kolasinski. Trusting in the mundanity of the process has been a tandem effort with veteran players like Mykel Rivera, Caedyn Tingley and Luca Quinn, all of whom were on last year’s Section 6 Class A title winning team.
“There’s only so much that either myself or my assistant can do in practice and in games,” Kolasinski said. “When you’re talking about things as far as the culture, that’s got to stem from the players. You try to set them up, but they have to have that buy-in and then demonstrate it. That’s exactly what I think we’re getting from those veteran players. They’re living to those standards and they’re reminding the younger guys or the newer guys that this is how we do things.”
Olean earned the No. 3 seed in the Section 6 Class A2 bracket and will play either Lewiston-Porter or Dunkirk in the quarterfinals at home on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.
— Allegany-Limestone is another team that will be looking to ride some momentum into the postseason after collecting a big win over Randolph in its regular season finale.
In that game, coach Glenn Anderson acknowledged a return to identity by his team. One in which saw them dominate on the boards and hand out knockout blows with its 3-point proficiency. A positive end to the regular season after having dropped four straight contests between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14.
A-L will go as its star player, Carson Kwiatkowski, goes. The program’s record holder for 3-pointers made in a career is pivotal to its offense, but so to its defense as he oftentimes finds himself matched up with the best attacker the opposition has.
But he won’t be alone. Alongside him are the more-than-capable scoring threats of Collin Forrest and Ryan Callen, the latter a freshman that took massive strides this season in the aftermath of Kwiatkowski’s elbow injury. On the interior, the Gators will look towards Gavin Straub and, the general of the entire operation, Caleb Strade.
A-L earned the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Silver Creek at home on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. with a date in the quarterfinal with No. 2 seed MST going to the winner.
Portville’s Aidan DeFazio shoots over two defenders during the Panthers’ win over Cassadaga Valley on Friday, Jan. 31. (Hunter O. Lyle)
— The No. 11 seed Portville boys basketball team hits the road for its first game of the postseason, a matchup against No. 6 seed Tapestry.
The Panthers, after losing their final two games of the regular season, will be looking for a change in fortune in the playoffs. And much like Allegany-Limestone, Portville will go forth so long as Aidan DeFazio finds a rhythm. Despite missing a good portion of the season with a back injury, DeFazio made a triumphant return to the court and currently leads the team in points with 257 on the season. However, he will still need help from the likes of Chase Armstrong and Braedon Carter if Portville is to advance through the bracket.
The Panthers will tip-off against the Thunderhawks on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m., the winner then facing No. 3 seed Eden in the quarterfinals.
