By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BUFFALO, NY – In a game that was decided by unmatched athleticism and streaky shooting, the Portville boys’ basketball team’s season came to an end as they were eliminated from the Section VI Class B playoffs with a 63-59 loss to Tapestry.
Ending their season at 4-14 overall, the Panthers came into the B bracket with the eleventh seed, drawing a matchup with the sixth seeded Jaguars. Although their paths had not crossed through the regular season, Portville’s head coach Tom Yanetsko knew the game wouldn’t come down to the X’s and O’s.
“I saw them a couple times on tape against JFK. I knew they were quick, I knew they were long, I knew they were athletic,” said Yanetsko. “It’s hard for me in practice to emulate what they do so we worked on man defense a lot, we worked on zone defense. We knew what we were up against.”
Early on, his prediction rang true. The Jaguars looked to impose their physicality and speed off the jump, outpacing the Panthers’ 2-3 zone for a pair of triples early while implementing a full-court-press that stalled their offense. Although Portville was able to find gaps in the pressure with long outlets, they struggled to contain their opponents. A 6-0 Tapestry run mid-way through the quarter would put them in front and, with Portville’s long shots refusing to draw iron, the Jaguars held a 15-8 lead after the initial eight minutes of play.
Able to catch their breath and strategize during the break, the Panthers came into the second quarter with a renewed strategy: give the ball to Aidan DeFazio. As the team’s star and leading scorer with 21.4 points a night, his shoulders are used to the weight of the team, and it showed in the following eight minutes.
Switching to an isolation-heavy half court offense, DeFazio was able to create shots for himself with his crisp ball handling that lost defenders and his quick first step that gave him an edge when cutting to the basket. On the first two Panthers’ possessions, he would tack on five points.
The Jaguars would counter, however, once again relying on their physicality inside as they cracked open a 6-0 lead to put them up by double digits. That’s when DeFazio kicked it up a notch.
After Zach Green ended Portville’s two-minute dry streak, DeFazio would carry the momentum to spark a run of their own. Knocking down a pair of step-back triples as well as a flurry of made shots within the arc, he would lead the Panthers on a 14-5 scoring stretch that would bring them to within one point.
“We were running a lot of ISO because we didn’t think they could stay with (DeFazio) at all,” said Yanketsko of DeFazio, who scored 15 points in the second quarter alone. “He went off.”
A 3-pointer from Peyton Carter would knot the game at 30 with just seconds remaining, however a missed assignment would allow Tapestry to connect on a full-court pass, putting the Jaguars up by two heading into the break.
“I told the guys at halftime, ‘it’s do or die time. Here we go,’” said Yanetsko. “We’d given them the tools, but it came down to how much heart they had.”
Peyton Carter takes a deep 3-pointer during the Panthers’ eliminating loss to Tapestry. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Although the Panthers would tie the game with a Reese Benson layup in the first minute of the third quarter, they wouldn’t find the same breakout success. Tapestry would focus their efforts on the offensive glass, where they would retake the lead and pull ahead with back-to-back second chance scores. From there, they would score nine points to the Panthers’ two, widening the gap on the scoreboard to eight with just over five minutes left.
But Portville refused to quit. Although it wasn’t smooth or pretty, the Panthers scraped together scores from hard drives to the rim, hurried transition opportunities and efficient shooting at the charity stripe. By the end of the third, they had once again chipped away at the deficit, bringing it back to within three with one period to go.
As had been the trend in the first three quarters, Tapestry opened the last eight minutes on top. Forcing turnovers and converting with a flurry of jumpers, the Jaguars scored nine unanswered points. The pendulum would swing back in the last four minutes, however.
Starting with a Braeden Carter post maneuver and score, Portville would retaliate with seven unanswered points of their own, bringing the game back to five points with just under two minutes to go.
“I think (we were able to stay in the game) because of the heart my guys had. They could have given up at any point,” said Yanetsko. “It came down to heart, especially with a young group like us.”
Tapestry would score, putting the pressure back on Portville and while they had the momentum, a miscommunication would leave two Panthers fighting for the same rebound, ultimately resulting in a turnover. Having just 37 seconds left on the clock and looking up at a seven point hole, the only thing Portville could do was intentionally foul. Despite poor free throw shooting from the Jaguars, it was enough to seal the win. After a valiant effort as the underdogs, Portville had come up short, ending their season.
Despite the loss, Portville was able to find some silver lining in DeFazio’s newest accolade. Ending with 26 points, he took over as the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,244 career points. Behind DeFazio was Chase Armstrong with 13 points, Braeden Carter with nine and Peyton Carter with five.
“Overall as a whole, our record really didn’t dictate what type of team I have. We lost a lot of close games, two overtime games, three or four close games in our league,” said Yanetsko. “So, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, my kids came a long, long way. I’m proud of the way they battled. I love them like my own kids, I do with all my teams.”
AT BUFFALO
Portville (59)
DeFazio 9 3-4 26, Armstrong 6 0-0 13, B. Carter 4 1-3 9, P. Carter 2 0-0 5, Benson 1 2-4 4, Green 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 6-11 59
Tapestry (63)
Smith 7 2-4 19, Bell 6 0-1 12, Rodgers 4 2-3 10, Coleman 3 0-0 6, Dean 3 0-2 6, Thunderburk 1 2-4 4, Sadler 2 0-0 4, Blackwell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 27 6-14 63
Portville 8 30 45 59
Tapestry 15 32 48 63
Three-point goals: PV (7) DeFazio 5, Armstrong, P. Carter, TP (3) Smith 3; Total fouls: PV 16, TP 15; fouled out: B. Carter, Green (PV)
