LOCKPORT —
They didn’t use the Imperius Curse on Kenmore East’s court wizard, but Lockport rebounded well, particularly on the offensive end, and coupled with great free-throw shooting, bounced back to Avada Kedavra the visiting Bulldogs, 67-57.
Friday’s Niagara Frontier League boys basketball contest in the Lions’ Den was an exciting one, thanks in great part to Bulldogs senior guard P.J. Blanch, who used every trick in the book to keep his team in the game.
Blanch poured in a game-high 28 points, including four 3-point baskets, adding five assists and four steals as the visitors led throughout most of the game.
“He’s a great player and gets away with a lot,” Lions senior center Nick DiMartile (team high 20 points, 13 rebounds, 10 offensive rebounds) said about the slippery Blanch. “But we rebounded well tonight and shut him down in the fourth quarter.”
Early on, it was Ken East’s Joe Cole (14 points total) who tamed the Lions with 10 inside points in the opening quarter as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-16 lead.
Head coach Jay Robbins Bulldogs (2-9 NFL, 4-11 overall) upped their lead to 33-28 at halftime, thanks to a brilliant Blanch second quarter (two 3-pointers, 12 points).
But head coach Dave Gilson’s Lions (6-5 NFL, 8-7) shot well as a team from the charity stripe throughout, going 7-for-10 in the first half and 18-for-26 in the second as the Bulldogs maintained a five-to-10-point lead, but could never quite put the host team away.
Lockport spread the wealth in the third as six different players scored in a 17-13 run that cut the Bulldogs lead to 46-45 heading to the decisive fourth quarter.
DiMartile’s quick inside bucket gave the Lions the lead for good at 47-46. Lions senior guard Shaun “Smiley” Allen followed with two free-throws in the 1-and-1, while junior guard James Chambers (11 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds) wreaked havoc on the Bulldogs passing game, causing numerous turnovers and unforced errors.
Lions senior guard DiAntre Cullens found his groove in the second half, finishing with 13 points and three assists as Lockport extended its lead to 59-51 with two-and-a-half minutes to go.
“It was tough getting anything to fall there at the end,” Blanch said. “We knew coming in here that it would be a tough game. We just need to do a better job of stepping up and finishing.”
Allen did an excellent job of milking the clock the rest of the way and was deadly from the free-throw line, shooting 5-for-6, while Cullens was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Lockport starters were 12-for-16 shooting free-throws in the fourth quarter.
“This was a great win for our confidence. We’ve been in this situation a few times this year — in a close game — so it was nice to come out and show some resiliency and pull this one out,” Gilson said.
Next up, Lockport plays at Lewiston-Porter at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
• NFL GIRLS BASKETBALL
Lockport 67, Ken East 31
TOWN OF TONAWANDA — Lockport got another strong game from its “Big Three” en route to Friday’s win over the Lady Bulldogs (4-7 NFL, 6-8 overall).
Lady Lions senior center Emma Sobieraski led the way with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds as head coach Bill Shaw’s team improved to 10-1 in the NFL and 11-2 overall.
Also for the blue and gold, senior forward Marisa Guyton had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“I thought we played pretty well. We limited turnovers, our big kids played well and so did our guards,” Shaw said.
• N-O GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wilson 39, Newfane 31
WILSON — On Senior Night, Courtney Murray had 12 points and 17 rebounds to spark the Lakewomen (10-4, 9-1 N-O).
Also for Wilson, Maegen Buckner nabbed 10 rebounds and Kailey Schultz led the defensive effort with six rebounds. Junior Jamie Curry added 12 points, six assists and five steals.
For the Lady Panthers (4-10, 3-7), Jordan Beutel had 13 points.
Sports
Related Photos
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Lockport sophomore forward Moziah Townsend (20) goes in for two points during Friday’s Niagara Frontier League boys basketball contest in Lockport. Defending on the play for the Bulldogs is Joe Cole (32). Lockport won, 67-57. Val Hamluk/Contributor
Lions bounce back to beat Bulldogs
Nick DiMartile cans 20 points in 67-57 NFL boys basketball win over visiting Ken East.
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