By HUNTER O. LYLE
ALLEGANY, NY – Playing in their second game in as many days, the Salamanca boy’s basketball team faced another uphill battle in a matchup with undefeated Cuba-Rushford. Unable to contend with their unrelenting attack, the Warriors fell short of victory, losing 74-38.
Both teams competed in the opening day of the annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase on Saturday, but found varying outcomes. While the Rebels enjoyed a 75-34 rout of Portville, the Warriors wound up on the other end of the spectrum, losing 88-33 to Warren.
“We’re in a tough spot. The things that we wanted to improve upon, the things that we did yesterday that were quite frankly unacceptable in terms of our standards of how we operate,” said Salamanca head coach Adam Bennett. “It’s been a tough break. We’ve had sickness go through the team but that’s not an excuse. The guys are feeling better, we’ve just got to get back to work.”
In the early goings, Salamanca held strong, staying stride for stride amidst a clash of defense. Both running full-court-presses and zone defenses in the half-court, both teams traded stops while searching for a crack in the armor. While the Warriors collected their initial points in the paint, with Brendon Ghani and Payton Bradley maneuvering in the post, C-R began connecting on shots from long-range.
After quietly amassing a 6-2 advantage through the first three minutes, the Rebels then flipped a switch and began to pull away. Nine straight points from Carter Brown, including back-to-back triples, spaced their lead to nine, however, Salamanca stayed close with tough drives through the paint. Despite their effort, a 7-3 run late put C-R up by seven after the initial quarter.
Facing Salamanca’s newly-implemented 1-3-1 zone, the Rebels wasted no time showcasing their superior ball movement, which shredded through the opposing defense to find open looks in the corner. However, the siphon had been turned off and their jumpers refused to fall.
Having a brief window to close the gap, the Warriors continued to attack the paint. Sending multiple rebounders down low to crash the glass gave way to numerous second chances, but the lid on the rim just wouldn’t come off. Despite finding several point-blank opportunities, Salamanca failed to cash in. Closing the half on another short run, this time 6-1 in the final minute, C-R walked off the court with a 15-point lead.
“Coming into the tournament, we had out-rebounded every team that we’ve played. We played with that kind of intensity and we have not had that here. The last four minutes of the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second quarter, we had that again, but it comes down to consistency,” said Bennett. “You can’t turn it off and then just turn it back on. We got out-rebounded again today and we just weren’t putting bodies on guys.”
The third quarter proved to be the final nail for Salamanca, one that was driven in sooner rather than later.
Immediately out of the gates, the Rebels pushed the pace on both sides of the floor. Continuing to pester Warrior ballhandlers with a relentless full-court-press, as well as relying on long outlets to get quick trips to the rim, C-R poured on nine unanswered points. By the time Salamanca managed to break through, with Bradley driving through the paint for a layup at the six-minute mark, the Warriors looked up at a 20-point deficit.
As the quarter wore on, Salamanca began to struggle to maintain possession. Between miscommunications, half-hearted passes and a continued defensive presence, turnovers became an issue. Tallying three in the final three minutes, the Rebels’ advantage ballooned to 27 with just eight minutes remaining.
Looking up at an insurmountable hill to climb, the Warriors soon waved the white flag. Swapping in their reserves early into the final quarter, they accepted defeat, their second of the DeCerbo and fourth of the season.
Bradley ended the game with a team-high 13 points, followed by Dominick Hill with nine and Carlton Farmer and Brendon Ghani, who each scored six points.
“We have to get ready for league-play. This isn’t good enough,” said Bennett. “We need practice. We need to start getting back to competing and competing in practice.”
AT ALLEGANY
Salamanca (38)
Bradley 6 1-1 13, Hill 4 1-2 9, Farmer 2 0-0 6, Ghani 2 2-2 6, Taylor 2 0-0 4, Farnum 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16 4-7 38
Cuba-Rushford (74)
Brown 7 8-7 23, Roe 7 2-5 16, Joy 4 0-0 10, Searle 4 0-0 10, Deck 3 0-0 7, Getz 2 0-0 5, Kreamen 1 0-0 3. Totals: 28 7-12 74
Salamanca 15 22 30 38
Cuba-Rushford 22 37 57 74
Three-point goals: SA (2) Farmer 2, C-R (11) Brown 4, Joy 2, Searle 2, Getz, Kreamen, Deck; Total fouls: SA 13, C-R 10; Fouled out: None.
