Worth the trip

It was worth the trip, and then it was worth the wait.

I headed up to Newfane to see the Panthers' 80-65 victory over Wilson Tuesday night. It was my first trip to the "Panther's Den," where the tipoff had been moved back from 7 p.m. to 8 -- unbeknownst to me until they stamped my hand (with a blue Panther paw). However, the prime-time start was appropriate since it was such a big game: the signs on the door said there were no more tickets left for the matchup between the rivals for first place in the Niagara-Orleans League.

The atmosphere for the game was outstanding. "Where would you rather be than right here, right now, for a matchup for first place?" asked the public address announcer as Newfane's "Blue Zone" student section roared.

The bleacher full of students wore blue t-shirts with "Blue Zone" on the front and "6th man" on the back. There were guys with their chests painted. There was a blow-up likeness of NBA star Ben Wallace next to the bleacher -- and he too was wearing a "Blue Zone" t-shirt.  They bleacher-bounced like Duke's Cameron Crazies, exchanged fun taunts with the Wilson fans in the opposite corner and wow, were they loud. (The Newfane administrators also did a good job policing them, at one point removing some hand-made signs in the name of sportsmanship).

The Panthers gave their fans plenty to roar about. With 6-foot-6 senior forward Dave Shuey spending much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, senior guard Trey Sherrie led the team with 21 of his 30 points in the first half. Sherrie hit two three-pointers during a 16-point second quarter, while senior guard Ryan Linhart knocked down two open threes as Newfane took a 38-28 lead at the half. In the third quarter, it was senior Nick Vona's turn. He hit two threes as he scored 13 of his 19 points in the period, which ended with Newfane up, 55-47.

Ethan Baker (20 points, 10 rebounds) hit a three-pointer to help Wilson come within six points early in the fourth, but the Newfane guards stretched the lead again: Vona hit a jumper, Sherrie converted a sneaky baseline drive before what could have been the highlight of the game. A steal by reserve Adam Bailey on the defensive end turned into a three-pointer by Sherrie that made it 70-59. The "Blue Zone" section -- standing the entire game -- reacted to the shot by collectively all falling back to their seats, as if Sherrie's three-point bomb actually exploded. Great stuff.

When Shuey's traditional three-point play made the score 73-60 with a little over two minutes left, it was a reminder that the Panthers' performance was all the more impressive with their big man in foul trouble for much of the game. Sherrie had a great scoring touch on drives to the basket, while he, Vona and Linhart all showed that they can't be left alone on the perimeter

The Panthers are definitely a team to watch in the playoffs; they are most deserving of their current No. 2 seeding position in Class B-1 behind Olean.

Wilson's Baker was impressive as well as the 6-2 sophomore scored inside and out, while Brennan Moxham did a good job at the point -- particularly for a freshman. Senior Doug Edwards' passion can provide great things for the Lakemen, but Tuesday night he fouled out late in the third quarter and he was rightly hit with a technical foul for yelling at a referee as he left the court.

All in all, a great high school game: two well-coached, hard-working teams, a packed, loud gym and one of the best student sections in Western New York.

---Keith McShea

Comments

[centercourt]

Now that the Newfane Panthers have been seen in the flesh and are considered a team to watch in the playoffs and most deserving if their current two slot in the B-1's, maybe they'll get a higher poll vote this week from the News.
Someone has to lose the C-2 showdown Friday, and I hope the "How The News Voted" blog on Tuesday shows Newfane overtaking one, if not both of the obscure C-2's currently ahead of them.

If Maple Grove or Randolph played at Newfane, I'm guessing the Blue Zone would send them home with a chant to the effect of...Start your 4-wheelers.(The Lakemen left to the tune of...Start your sailboats).

[TML1000]

Well...since B-1 and B-2 have only 9 teams each, they'll host a quarter final. It will be nice to see more than one NOL team at Buff St. An Olean/Newfane B-1 final would be great. Although Wilson will have a tough time in B-2 if they have to face Seneca or City Honors before the finals. As it stands now in B-1 Newfane would play Akron in the semis...that would be a fun way to open the sectional week at State.

[centercourt]

After all my efforts to pump up this rivalry game, I was so pleased to see the Buffalo News be represented and then be able to lend its perspective (so you all didn't think I was over-hyping things).
First off, a great summary of the atomosphere and game above. After experiencing it first hand, I can say it gave me chills all over again just reading that. Truly the type of atmosphere that any hoops purest would be grateful to be at. Hopefully someone else who was there can also lend their vantage point as to where this rivalry stacks up against others in the section.
Newfane was finally able to get the monkey off its back after dropping the previous three to the Lakemen. Although Wilson closed the lead to six midway through the 4th, Newfane was not to be denied, took Wilson's best shot, and came back with the knock out blow. The Panthers have now almost guarenteed a 3rd straight N-O title and could match-up well with the state ranked Huskies from Olean at sectionals. While Shuey missed a significant portion of time, he still posted a quiet double-double (12 pts/10 reb). 80 points scored and a 15 point rivalry win to avenge an earlier loss, while the big man sits a significant portion makes a strong case for just how dangerous this group can be. If you're so intrigued by what the atmosphere is like for a game in Newfane, they'll host a pre-quarter game and it'll get loud.
Wilson has a bright future ahead as two of its top starters, Baker & Moxham are Soph&Fresh.