South picks up crucial road league wins
Boys basketball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The Williamsville South boys basketball team needed a win badly, and the team responded with two victories last week on the road.

The Billies won last Tuesday at Iroquois, 64-57, and at West Seneca East last Friday, 68-43. The wins improved South's ECIC Division II league record to 2-2, 3-3 overall.

"It was very important to win these games," said South coach Al Monaco. "I was proud of the way they played on the road. They should enjoy the wins but not be satisfied."

South came out strong against Iroquois. Senior Brian Webb hit three-pointers on South's first two possessions, and freshman Joe Licata hit two more threes to build the Billies' lead at the end of the first quarter to 17-9.

South proceeded to shoot ice-cold from three-point range and by early in the second quarter, Iroquois was ahead, 18-17. The score bounced back and forth for the rest of the quarter with South gaining a 32-28 halftime advantage.

South's three-point shooting came alive again in the second half, beginning with a three by freshman Phil Stasiak on the Billies' first possession of the third quarter that extended the lead to 35-28. Stasiak and Licata each hit two threes in the third that helped South take a 51-41 advantage after three quarters. All eight of Stasiak's points came in the third quarter.

Iroquois kept trying to press but could only close its deficit to four because speedy sophomore point guard Mark Coppola kept outrunning the Chiefs with the ball. Coppola hit four of four free throws down the stretch and finished with 15 points and a season-high nine assists.

Licata hit five threes and led with 20 points. Junior Zach Murray added 11 points and six rebounds. Webb tossed in seven points and five rebounds.

Junior guard Tom LiSacchi, who had been out all season with a strained left rotator cuff injury, held Iroquois' best player, Calvin Sluberski, to two points in the fourth quarter. Sluberski finished the game with 17 points.

"That was huge," said Monaco. "To be able to trust him to play defense allowed us to get Coppola on somebody else because he was working so hard to break their press."

South shot well, making 50 percent (12 of 26) of its two-point baskets and a third of its threes (11 of 30).

The West Seneca East game started almost identical to Iroquois.

South led, 17-9, after the first quarter but trailed 18-17 with three minutes to play in the first half. Licata hit back-to-back threes to give the Billies back the advantage. South added four points in the last 10 seconds of the first half, a Stasiak basket followed by a Coppola steal and basket, to head into halftime ahead, 28-18.

South used the momentum from late in the first half to outscore the Trojans, 26-12, in the third quarter to take a 54-30 lead into the fourth quarter.

Stasiak and Coppola each scored 17, but Coppola also had seven steals, seven assists and six rebounds. Licata hit four threes for 12 points.

South shot 28 for 76, including 22 of 45 two-pointers. Monaco said his team was able to score so many points because they picked up the tempo, pressured and caused a lot of turnovers. He also had more depth on his roster than he ever had all season with the return of LiSacchi and guard Armaan Wood, which made the roster 10 players deep. Wood has been out with a knee injury he suffered in the fall while playing football for the school. e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com