By SPENCER BATES
CHEEKTOWAGA — A year after falling just short of reaching the Section 6 Class B2 Final, the No. 2 seed Salamanca girls basketball team have seen that dream come true after pummeling Eden in the semifinal and punching its ticket to Buffalo State.
From the moment the postseason began, the goal of the Warriors was clear: make it to Buffalo State for a shot at the B2 title. A goal that has now been achieved with their 56-34 win over the Raiders.
“They’re starting to see the bigger picture,” Salamanca coach Joe Hinman said of his team’s confidence. “(Making the B2 final), that was our goal. That was our goal last year. We just want to get one step further each time. And I think we can take a few more steps this year, in the next few years. So, to get them to see the bigger picture and just realize that this is real, like, we have a chance to be sectional champions, it’s huge, and that’s what’s building our confidence the most and it’s evident on the floor, you can see it and it’s awesome.”
And from the jump, that confidence Hinman spoke of was clear. Salamanca was firing on all cylinders early on: getting baskets to fall, roping in offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities and putting a halt to just about all of Eden’s offense.
“Our energy level was just through the roof,” Hinman said. “We knew it was going to be energized when we came in. But yeah, we were clicking and firing on all cylinders today, I’m super proud of them. They’re excited, they’re ready to go and we know that the job’s not finished.”
Salamanca’s Kynleigh Wass (2) saves a ball from going out of bounds while under heavy pressure from an Eden defender. (Hunter O. Lyle)
The Warriors held a narrow 10-7 lead after the first quarter of play, but the mistake that the Raiders ended up making was that they allowed Leilene McComber and Makenzie Crouse to see shots fall early on. And as the night progressed, the duo took just about every opportunity that came their way, starting with a 22-2 second-quarter run powered by the former.
“She’s playing her best basketball right now, and I think our team is playing our best basketball,” Hinman said of McComber. “When she’s under control and she’s really in the zone, it’s hard to stop her. They didn’t have an answer for her today, and she just kept it going.”
McComber finished with a game-high 24 points, 11 of which helped Salamanca win the second frame 29-9. Behind her, Crouse netted eight points and freshmen Maliyah Foster and Kynleigh Wass recorded nine and eight respectively.
And while scoring was a full-team effort spearheaded by McComber, the same can be said for Salamanca’s dedication on the glass, which was led by Crouse.
“Defense and rebounding is huge for us and Kenzie is just so reliable on the glass,” Hinman said. “(Madisyn Lafferty) is too, even Myla Galante. These girls know their roles, they really do. And that’s what’s leading to our success. Everyone’s accepting their roles and everything’s just clicking for us right now, and it’s clicking at a good time.”
Salamanca’s Leilene McComber rises up for a mid-range jump shot while under pressure. McComber finished with a game-high 24 points for the Warriors. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
The Warriors’ offense continued to click in the second half, but what had, perhaps, the biggest effect on the contest was the defensive game plan Hinman saw his squad execute. From the word go until the final horn, Salamanca pressed, forced turnovers and refused to let Eden have a second to breathe while handling the ball.
A plan that Hinman noted he has no intention of switching up. Instead, opting to keep on the gas as the team heads deeper into the postseason.
“With the press, our plan was to speed them up, hurry them up, make them make mistakes on their own,” Hinman said. The fewer mistakes that we make, and the more mistakes they do, puts us in a good spot. We really wanted to control that lead, but we didn’t want to take the foot off the gas. We want to keep it going, especially when you’re in the playoffs, you got to keep it going.”
With the win, Salamanca is now set to face No. 4 seed Wilson in the B2 Final at the Buffalo State Sports Arena on March 9 with tip-off slated for 12:15 p.m.
AT CHEEKTOWAGA
Eden (34)
Shaffer 3 1-2 8, Gernatt 1 6-6 8, Donovan 2 4-5 8, Waring 3 0-0 6, Scott 2 0-2 4. Totals: 11 11-15 34
Salamanca (56)
McComber 9 5-6 24, Foster 3 1-2 9, Wass 3 1-2 8, Crouse 4 0-0 8, Dowdy 2 0-0 4, Lafferty 1 0-0 2, Galante 0 1-4 1. Totals: 22 8-14 56
Eden 7 16 24 34
Sala. 10 39 51 56Three-point goals: Eden 1 (Shaffer), Sala. 4 (Foster 2, MComber, Wass); Total fouls: Eden 10, Sala. 14; fouled out: None.
