ECIC claims supremacy at Silver Hoops Classic
Sweet Home's Earl Jackson wins MVP honors
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East's Andy Heim keeps the ball away from Sweet Home's Earl Jackson during the Alumni Memorial all-star boys basketball game at the tenth annual Paul R. Missana Memorial Silver Hoops Classic held on Saturday at the William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence. Jackson was ECIC I-IV's MVP with 15 points. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Which high school boys basketball league is the best in Western New York? Depew coach Larry Jones made his case why it should be the Erie County Interscholastic Conference after his ECIC team easily beat the Niagara Frontier League, 101-73, in the John Bellanti Memorial.

The game was part of a tripleheader of all-star basketball games at the tenth annual Paul R. Missana Memorial Silver Hoops Classic on Saturday afternoon at the William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence. In other games, ECIC Division II and III defeated ECIC I and IV, 98-94, in the Alumni Memorial and the Buffalo Public Schools edged the Monsignor Martin Association, 89-87, in the Paul R. Missana Memorial. The final scores of the John Bellanti Memorial and Paul R. Missana Memorial differed from what The Bee tallied.

Williamsville North's Ryan Young lays in two of his eight points for ECIC I-IV. Also pictured is Pioneer's Matt Schwab. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

"(Maryvale) coach (Mark) Kensy and I think our division is one of the best in Western New York and we don't know if the league gets as much recognition as it should," said Jones. "I hope this win validates things a little bit but next year's a new year and you don't know what's going to happen."

ECIC was all over the NFLright from the opening tip, jumping out to a 25-14 first quarter lead and maintaining a steady double-digit advantage to halftime. Ahead 71-56 after the third quarter, ECIC outscored the NFL, 30-17, in the fourth quarter, 13 points coming from ECIC MVP Marcus Rivers of Lackawanna and nine from Amherst's Cordell Freeman, to seal the win. Rivers led all scorers with 24 points. Freeman was second on the team with 21 points.

"I haven't played since our last playoff game so it was a nice win," said Freeman.

Because of conflicting schedules, Jones' ECIC team, nor any other team at the event except the Buffalo Public Schools, could practice together so Jones tried to mesh players who were familiar with each other, putting Depew's Brad Kujawa (10 points) with Maryvale's Matt Mohr (10 points) and Matt Brennan (four points) and Orchard Park's Andy Buyea (nine points, won sportsmanship award) and Tom Schiffler (five points).

"It took them a little while to get comfortable but by the middle of the third quarter, they were playing really well defensively and were getting things done offensively," said Jones.

Others players on ECIC were Pioneer's Ron Malicki (10 points) and Sweet Home's Steven Roberts (six points) and Eric Schnirel (two points).

Kenmore East's Darryl King scored 20 points to earn NFLMVP. Niagara Falls' Brandon Paterson, who won the sportsmanship award and Kenmore West's Matt Nagorski combined for 11 points. Lockport's Derrick Herring (11 points), Niagara Falls' Ricardo Rose (10 points) and E.J. Fuller (five points), Kenmore West's Joe Mogavero (four points), and Kenmore West's Mike Maritato, Lew-Port's Dave LaChance, Grand Island's Chris Rajczak and Kenmore East's Sam Bono (three points each) also contributed. Niagara-Wheatfield's Tom Sheehan and Lockport's Dominic Fottia played but did not score.

The two other all-star games started as blowouts but ended with exciting finishes.

ECIC II-III built a 30-12 first quarter lead and was up by as many as 21 in the first half before ECIC I-IV eventually tied it at 83-83 after a finger roll layup from Sweet Home's Earl Jackson with 3:46 left in the fourth. Depew's Scott Jachimiak answered for ECIC II-III with a three-pointer that gave his team the lead for good.

ECIC II-III hit 6 of 10 free throws, four from Starpoint's Shane Canahai and two from Williamsville South's Frank Pieri in the last 1:30 to hold on for the five-point win.

Canahai (20 points) was named ECIC II-III MVP. Jachimiak, winner of the team's sportsmanship award, was second on the team with 16 points. Jachimiak was one of three Depew players on ECIC II-III which he said helped with team chemistry. Depew's Eric Wild (11 points) and Chris Jones (eight points) also contributed.

Others who scored for ECIC II-III were Amherst Central's Chris France (10 points), Pieri and West Seneca East's Jeff Howard (eight points each), Pioneer's Matt Schwab and Williamsville East's Andy Heim (six points each), and Cheektowaga's Chris Huggins-Weaver (five points).

Jackson, who was a late addition to the roster, scored 15 points and was named MVP for ECIC I-IV despite not leading the team in points. That distinction went to Orchard Park's Greg Michael, who finished with 18 points, including ten straight in the third quarter either on inside drives or offensive putbacks.

"A lot of my teammates looked for me and I got open and made some nice easy shots," said Michael.

East Aurora's Dave Barnett (12 points), who dunked at the buzzer to make it only a five-point loss, won the ECIC I-IV sportsmanship award. Lackawanna's Leshawn Blackburn (14 points), East Aurora's Ryan Higgins and Sweet Home's Joshua Parker (nine points each), Williamsville North's Ryan Young (eight points), Lackawanna's Russell Holt (four points), Clarence's Drew Bielawski (three points), and West Seneca West's Gavin Gaiser (two points) also contributed.

The Monsignor Martin Association all-stars had an early 11-4 first quarter advantage but poor shooting in the rest of the first half put them behind, 19-16, after the first quarter and 47-33 at halftime.

Buffalo Public's lead increased to 21, 54-33, early in the second half, but the MMA chipped away to cut it to 67-58 at the end of the third. In the fourth, a three from St. Joe's Domonic Cook tied the game at 85-85 although the scoreboard read 86-84. Hutch-Tech's Julius Bryant and St. Francis' Kevin Roth had back to back dunks to make the actual score 87-87 (scoreboard read 88-86 Buffalo Public). Bryant added a layup at the buzzer.

MMA coach Mark Simon of St. Joe's, who felt the up tempo game suited Buffalo Public more than the MMA, credits his team's comeback in the second half to its shooting and playing with more confidence.

Bryant finished with 17 points for Buffalo Public School MVP. East's Antonio Speed scored 11 points for the sportsmanship award. Grover Cleveland's Chris Hillman (12 points), Lafayette's Jamal Garner (11 points), Hutch-Tech's Lou Megna (seven points), Lafayette's Eric McMillian (five points), Burgard's Marquis East, Hutch-Tech's Ahmed Brown, Lafayette's John Whitlock, McKinley's Mark Overall, East's Justin Boykin (four points each), Lafayette's Victor Arroyo and Seneca's Mark Vanoy and Marquel Alexander (two points each). Burgard's Terrell Henry did not score.

St. Joe's John Greer led all MMA scorers with 16 points to earn MVP honors. Roth (11 points) won the sportsmanship award. St. Mary's of Lancaster Ryan Kufel (12 points), Cook (10 points), St. Francis' Chris Hoak (nine points), Nichols' Tom Ruffino (seven points), Nichols' Malik Glenn Black (six points), St. Joe's Mike Battle and Andrew Passage and Timon-St. Jude's Matt Dunford (four points each), Timon's Andy Dlugosz (three points), and O'Hara's Garrison Gross (one point) also scored.

Some of the proceeds from the event went to the Grabiarz School with the remaining proceeds going to the Butler Mitchell Alumni Foundation to sponsor youth sports throughout the area.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com