The matchup of ranked teams lived up to the billing, as it was a back-and-forth game with both sides relying on guard play, the press and timely shots. Ultimately, it was the Falcons (16-1) using the fourth quarter to create separation from the Marauders (12-8) and earn a 66-50 victory.

It was the Falcons’ 16th straight win, their longest streak in at least 10 seasons. 

“We’ve been playing basketball the right way,” Health Sciences coach Ty Parker said. “We’ve been making all of the right plays, and we take pride in playing defense. Our defense has been our key and helps us get going. On the offensive side, they make the right play. Sometimes they get beside themselves, and that happens because they’re kids, but our strength is our defense and them playing the right way and good basketball.”

The strength of Health Sciences’ offense is in its guard play.

Against St. Joe’s, senior Xavier Benton scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting – 3-of-7 from beyond the arc – and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Freshman Amir Moye finished with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the stripe.

“Amir and Xavier, in my opinion, if they’re not the best backcourt, they’re one of the best in Western New York,” Parker said. “They do everything I ask and are a dynamic duo. They make plays when we need them, and I give them leeway because of how good they are, but at the end of the day, everything runs through those two.”

The players knew beating St. Joe’s would be a marquee win for them. Health Sciences joins co-No. 3 Niagara Falls as the only local teams to beat the Marauders by double digits this season.

“It was a big game for us to win,” Benton said. “After losing our first game against Canisius, we’ve decided to show no mercy after that.”

The Falcons have won 14 of their 16 games by double figures behind the second-highest scoring offense in the area with an average of 72.9 points per game. No. 1 is Amherst, ranked first in the large schools poll, making them the only two teams averaging at least 70 points per game.

Wheatfield keeps streaking

In a rematch of last year’s Class A1 final, Niagara Wheatfield beat Williamsville East 76-54. Falcons senior guard Xander Fletcher had a game-high 28 points to extend Niagara Wheatfield’s winning streak to a season-high eight. It was Fletcher’s ninth game of the season with at least 25 points.

“We came out blazing and moved the ball very well,” Niagara Wheatfield coach Erik O’Bryan said. “They (Williamsville East) tried their best to take Xander away. He’s used to it now. Two years ago he would’ve been, ‘What are they doing to me?’ and ‘What do I do?’ That’s not him now. He’s one of the top guards in Western New York and lets the game come to him. He’s an assassin when the hole to the basket opens. He’s having a hell of a senior year and is leading the troops.”

During the win streak, Niagara Wheatfield has had only two games decided by single digits.

Unranked Randolph upsets Nichols

Overtime was needed in the matchup between Randolph and Nichols, and it was the unranked Cardinals (14-3) prevailing, as they beat the Vikings (10-8), ranked No. 2 in the small schools, 82-78.

“With them (Nichols) being ranked in Western New York, this is just a great win for the program,” Randolph coach Kevin Hind said. “We’re just looking for great games and looking to do some damage down the line. That was an awesome game, and I’m glad these guys were able to experience that. These guys work really hard everyday. It’s nice to play a game we’re not supposed to win, per se, based on rankings, and just work really hard and the emotion tells you how much they wanted this.”

Randolph senior Carson Conley scored a game-high 33 points and had four three-pointers. Second in scoring for the Cardinals was sophomore Drew Hind, who finished with 21 points and hit six threes. Randolph hit a total of 14 threes. They were hot the whole game and cooled off in the locker room as they threw water on each other in celebration.

“I’m overwhelmed with excitement right now,” Conley said. “I wish we could stay in this moment for forever. It’s good to be in that situation, and those are the games we want to play every game. It’s all happiness right now, and it feels good to be the underdogs and shock the place.”

For Nichols, they were without Kevin Bradshaw for most of the game due to him being ejected in the second quarter for two technical fouls. He would watch the remainder of the game from the hallway, clapping and squeezing in when he could to check the score.

The Vikings put up a valiant effort, which included junior Jakye Raniey leaving the game late in the fourth quarter due to a left knee injury, but he did return. He finished with a team-high 26 points, with eight coming in overtime.

“We knew he was good” Drew Hind said. “We tried to shut him down as much as we could … we played really good defense on him.”

Timon matches physical Jamestown

In a matchup between No. 1 small school Bishop Timon (16-2) and No. 5 large school Jamestown (12-3), the Tigers held on for a narrow 85-75 win. With the victory, Timon’s win streak extends to a season-high 10 games, its longest in more than 10 years.

“It was a little up and down but when we were up we were really good,” Timon coach Jason Rowe said. “Those guys came together at the end and made some plays, knocked down free-throws, and its a very good victory for us against a very good Jamestown team. They’re a physical team and we wanted to speed up the game. Our team is gelling and everyone is trusting each other.”

Timon had four players in double-figures – Jaiden Harrison (32 points), Malachi Parker (21 points), Nakyhi Harris (18 points), and Jacob Humprey (12 points). The quartet scored 83 of the Tigers’ 85 points. The Tigers, as a team, have scored at least 80 points 13 times this season.

During the game, Jamestown senior Trey Drake, a North Dakota State football signee, scored his 1,000th point during the third quarter on an up-and-under layup.

Canisius takes down No. 1

The main event of the day featured the top two large schools in the area – No. 1 Amherst and No. 2 Canisius.

When the ball tipped, the atmosphere was electric as it felt like a precursor to postseason play. The teams traded scoring runs, but it was Canisius that used a huge third quarter to seal a 67-58 victory, snapping a 10-game winning streak for Amherst (15-3).

Seniors Shane Cercone and Luke Granto scored 23 points each for the Crusaders (13-5).

‘We’re starting to come together as a team and it’s a ton of fun to be out there,” Cercone said.

For Amherst, junior Jordan Alexander scored 23 points, while senior Nick Moore added 17. The teams exchanged competitive banter, which included Granto telling Alexander “this ain’t Maryvale,” while he was at the free-throw line.

“Basketball is a competitive sport with mind games,” Granto said. “If I see tempers are flaring a little bit I’m going to try and use that to my advantage. All love and respect, we keep it on the court. I got nothing but love for him.”