One squad is coming off its fourth sectional title in the past five seasons. Another is making its second regional appearance in program history. For the second time in three years, Avon and Salamanca clash in the New York State Far West Regional. Here’s the breakdown:
AVON BRAVES (23-1/Livingston County Division II)
vs.
SALAMANCA WARRIORS (19-5 / Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association)
Saturday, Buffalo State, 1 p.m.
How they arrived here: Top-seeded Avon opened the postseason with an 81-37 victory over No. 8 Addison before rallying past No. 5 Le Roy, 68-64 in overtime. The Braves defeated Marcus Whitman, 69-47 for their fourth sectional title in five years and then dropped Mynderse (70-48) to advance to the Far West Regional. Salamanca downed the defending Class B Section VI champion, Fredonia, 53-36 in the quarterfinals, before beating Akron (62-48) and Newfane (61-43) to capture the B1 title. The Warriors then beat Falconer (55-45) in the Far West Regional qualifier.
Scoring offense: Avon (64.3), Salamanca (60.0)
Scoring defense: Avon (48), Salamanca (46.8)
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JENNIFER LAEMLEIN.
Trends: Avon enters on an 11-game winning streak with the Braves’ lone loss this season coming to Class C1 champion, Lyons. Salamanca has won four straight and five of the last six.
Players to watch for Avon: Trevor Stroud Jr. G 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.7 APG; Michael Rowland Sr. G 16.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.5 APG; Josh Harter Jr. G 16.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.8 APG; Ryan Hillman Jr. F 4.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 APG; Kal Dolgos So. G 4.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG
Salamanca: Lucus Brown Sr. G 25.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 4.0 SPG; Avery Brown Jr. F 8.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.0 SPG; Jaxson Ross Sr. G 7.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.6 SPG; Maddox Isaac Jr. G 6.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.7 SPG; Jacob Herrick Jr. G 4.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.5 APG,
Coaches: Rob Fries (Avon), Adam Bennett (Salamanca)
History 101: In 2022, Salamanca defeated Avon (61-59) to advance to the NYS Class C semifinals. That Warriors team fell in the state semifinal to Stillwater (II). Avon, which won its fourth sectional title in five seasons, is looking to reach the state semifinals for the second time during that stretch. Avon won sectional titles in 2020 and 2021, but the state tournament was canceled both years due to precautions surrounding COVID-19. The Braves also reached the final eight in 2009 when they went on to win the NYS Class C title.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class B semifinal against either Marcellus (III) or Waverly (IV).
Leave a Reply