Almost a year ago, when Health Sciences played Amherst for the Section VI Class A2 championship in boys basketball, the Falcons thought it was their fate to become champions, at least until the Tigers’ zone proved too much.
Amherst won 50-45 on its way to an appearance in the state final four. Health Sciences left disappointed, feeling as if it didn’t meet its destiny.
It also provided fuel for the Falcons’ pursuit of a sectional title this season.
“When we played Amherst, we thought we was going to come out easy, but it was a dogfight,” senior guard Xavier Benton said.
“This year our focus is playing defense and offense with patience, taking it one play at a time. That loss motivated us. In my head, I said, ‘I can’t lose again.’”
Benton’s message to himself has been incredibly accurate. After a 53-50 loss to Canisius in the season opener, the Falcons have won 18 consecutive games and enter the Class AA playoffs as one of the hottest teams in Western New York.
People are also reading…
The only team in the section without more than one loss, Health Sciences is the No. 2 seed in the Class AA bracket revealed Saturday. Jamestown (17-3) is the top seed. Health Sciences opens postseason play against Orchard Park in a quarterfinal Feb. 25 at Villa Maria College.
“After we lost that Canisius game, we were motivated to win every game after,” Benton said. “We focused on paying great offense and defense to get to where we are now.”
As the team’s point guard, Benton is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game and has helped orchestrate an offense that leads the section in scoring at 70.8 points per game. The Falcons are the only team in the section averaging at least 70 points.
“I feel good about my team, they’re playing the right way,” coach Ty Parker said. “It’s tough to win 18 straight games in any sport, so I tip my hat to my guys because that’s an incredible accomplishment. We’re hoping to go on a championship run.”
Xavier Benton, left, watches as coach Ty Parker calls out a drill during practice.
As great as the team has been, Health Sciences has found a reliable scorer in freshman Amir Moye. He leads the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game, which is second among freshmen in the section.
“We’ve been hustling and playing together as a team and playing as one unit in sync,” Moye said. “When we’re hitting shots, playing defense, being scrappy and outhustling teams, that’s been our keys to the team.”
The two have been able to bounce off each other as the team’s primary ball handlers, with Benton calling them “the top dynamic duo in the state.” For the last couple of months, Parker has seen his guards’ confidence improve and seen them rely on each other for information on how to better each other and the team.
“X is the leader of the team,” Parker said. “Amir came in as a freshman and took a leadership role. X came in as a sophomore playing varsity and by now he knows my system and knows how I am. I think it made it an easier system for Amir because X was able to show him the ropes. Amir plays the game the right way and had to adjust to the high school game. He puts in work off the court that makes him stand out as a freshman.”
Xavier Benton works on a ball-handling drill during practice.
The two will have a lot of responsibility to carry if Health Sciences, ranked No. 3 in The News’ large school pool, is to make a playoff run, which could mean victories against third-seeded Niagara Falls (17-2), ranked No. 2; and defending champion Jamestown (17-3), ranked No. 6.
Health Sciences found itself in different classes in different years and play in Class AA this year. The program won the Class B2 and overall B titles in 2017 and ’18, and the Class A2 title in 2020. The Falcons played in Class AA in 2021, losing to top-seeded Jamestown in the quarterfinals.
Health Sciences has BEDS numbers for the 2022-23 academic year of 306, which should make them a Class B school. BEDS figures are drawn from a census regarding enrollment across schools and school districts throughout the state.
“I want to play the best basketball teams in Western New York,” Parker said. “I don’t have a problem playing the best teams in the area because I’m a competitor. I didn’t really have a problem with them moving us up. My issue was that ain’t the policy for everybody, it’s just for charter schools. I have a big problem with that because our kids are no different than any other kids in another high school. They make stipulations that because we are a charter school, they can do whatever they see fit and I think that’s totally unfair to our kids, school, and any other charter school.
“I do like playing high-level competition but at the end of the day, we are a B school. … Health Sciences is no different from any other public school in the City of Buffalo. Just because the charter is in our name doesn’t mean our kids should be treated differently. The rules regarding BEDS numbers should apply to all schools, not just public schools.”
In a statement obtained by The News, the Sectional Boys Basketball Committee unanimously approved reclassifying Health Sciences to Class AA and explained its reasoning.
“One of the issues brought to our committee every year from coaches in the section is the complaint that Health Sciences is recruiting the players on their roster,” the statement said. “Last season, Health Sciences had three players transfer to their school that were starters for three different schools within the section (Cheektowaga, CSAT, & Cardinal O’Hara) the previous year.
“I know Health Sciences uses a ‘lottery system’ to allow students in when they have more applicants than they have room for, but coaches are incredibly frustrated to be losing players that have been in their respective programs in previous seasons. I do not know the specifics of each of these transfers, and I am not questioning their legitimacy, but expressing the frustrations of the coaches who are often losing kids to another public school. We understand that kids might be recruited by Monsignor Martin schools, but losing students to other public schools is a difficult pill to swallow.”
Parker reiterated he doesn’t mind playing tough competition but objects to the “label” that his program is recruiting players.
“They’re coming up with this narrative that we recruit,” Parker said. “Those kids did three years at their respective high schools. If I was trying to recruit them, I would’ve tried to recruit them out of eighth grade. They were in systems that weren’t working for them and our system has been working for the last six, seven years that I’ve been here. We run a good program and try to push our kids to play college athletics.
“They have to look at where are the kids coming from and what type of situation they were in at that school. I don’t think they’re looking at that and that’s an overall problem. They paint this picture about Health Sciences recruiting, but we run a good program and have kids playing college athletics, which leads to other kids wanting to come here.”
Along with Jamestown in Class AA, McKinley (16-4) is the top seed in A1 and Amherst (17-3) is No. 1 in A2.
Lew-Port (17-3) is the top seed in Class B1, with Salamanca (18-2) at No. 1 in Class B2. Salamanca won the Class C championship last season and reached the state final four. Randolph (16-4) has the top spot in Class C and Ellicottville (13-7) in Class D.
Play begins with first-round games Monday.
