by TYLER HATHAWAY
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y– You couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter if you were Waterloo head coach Michael Bree.
The shots were falling. The ball movement was crisp and efficient. The press and double teams from the defense was working, constantly generating turnovers. But the best part of all?
They kept their opponent off of the scoreboard completely.
No. 2 Waterloo (No. 8 NYSSWA Class B) jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first eight minutes and dominated from start to finish as the Tigers defeated top-seeded Dansville (No. 16 NYSSWA Class B) 58-24 in the Section V Class B1 title game at Finger Lakes Community College on Wednesday night.
“It wasn’t always easy this year,” said Bree. “We’ve had a lot of adversity. But I think right now, we’re playing as well as any group as we’ve had come through Waterloo, which is saying a lot.”
“We just wanted to go in and just play basketball, not worrying about our outside environment,” said Waterloo guard Gwyn Panek. “Just focus on our game, stop them from scoring, and making some shots.”
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM STEVEN TWARDZIK.
It’s the fourth sectional championship for Waterloo since 2021, and the first since a 2023 campaign that ended in a Class B NYS and Federation title.
“I think it’s really special for this group,” Bree explained. “They had a really tough act to follow with a couple teams that came before them. I give them a lot of credit in terms of fighting through the pressure of trying to come after a state championship team.”
“I feel so happy about it,” said Panek. “I’m also just excited to see us continue on.”
Panek, who was named the tournament MVP, helped kickstart the Tigers with seven points in the first three minutes. All told, she led all scorers with 20 points.
“Winning the award means a lot,” said the junior of getting the MVP honors. “I’ve put in a lot of work in basketball, so I’m happy to see a result of my hard work.”
“We usually try and get her attacking downhill early, to open things up for the others,” said Bree of Panek. “She’s been great for us all year. First team All-League, she does a fantastic job.”
“I was a little nervous at first,” said Panek. “But I hit a reverse layup at the start and I kind of settled in. Then everybody started making shots, and we all got settled in. Then I got excited, because I knew good things were gonna happen.”
The defense forced 12 turnovers in the first quarter alone and 29 total on the night, thanks to a full-court press defense and trapping and double-teaming the opposing ball-handler.
“We don’t want teams to ever feel comfortable against us on offense,” Bree explained. “Dansville runs a lot of good stuff, so we didn’t want them to run any of it today. We wanted them to shoot in a rush. I think we executed really well tonight. They (Dansville) never really got comfortable in the first half, and I think paired with a first quarter where we had an avalanche of points, it really affects a team.”
Their performance on offense was arguably more impressive. Prior to Wednesday, the Dansville defense had not given up more than 45 points in a game this season, with opponents scoring an average of 27.8 points per game. The Tigers were past that mark two minutes into the second quarter.
“Offensively we really focused on attacking seams,” said Bree. “Dansville is such a defensive team that I thought our quickness could bother them. We got a couple of back doors early, got some post touches. Then we started hitting some three-pointers late in the first, and if we’re hitting shots from the perimeter we’re really tough.
The Tigers took a 37-6 lead into the locker room and led by as much as 40 in the fourth quarter. Nine Tigers ended the night in the scoring column.
“They compliment each other so well,” Bree said of his team. “This whole group is a great compliment of each other, and I think that’s why we’re so successful.”
For Bree, he feels like this win is vidicating after an early exit in the quarterfinals in 2025.
“There was always a lot of pressure on this group to be successful,” said the coach. “We’ve had a lot of wins, but we were upset last year in sectionals. I think they’ve matured to the point where they finally got theirs and it was well-deserved.”
“I’m so happy with this season we’ve had,” said Panek. “But hopefully it’s not over yet, and we can keep going.”
Addison Bree had 13 points, and Jonay Hawkins scored eight points. The two joined Panek on the All-Tournament team. Delainey Battin finished with six points. Kinsley Bree totaled five points. Khia Moody (2), Lanaiah Allen (2), Tangel Williams (1) and Ava Panek (1) also scored for the Tigers.
Taylor Hamsher led Dansville with 11 points. Colleen Metcalf tallied seven points. The pair were selected to the All-Tournament team. Allison O’Connor (2), Kassidy Cole (2), and Morgan Ball (2) rounded out the scoring for the Mustangs.
Waterloo will face Le Roy, the Class B2 champion, Saturday at FLCC in the NYS Class B Far West Regional Qualifier.
“We’ll put the work in tomorrow to get ready for Le Roy and we’ll come back here on Saturday and see what happens,” said Bree.
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