One program is back in the state quarterfinal for the first time in 46 years. The other squad is back in the Far West Regional since 2017. Penfield and North Tonawanda are set to battle in the Class AA Far West Regional on Friday, March 13. Here’s the breakdown:
PENFIELD PATRIOTS/ No. 1 NYSSWA Class AA
(22-1 / Monroe County Division I)
vs
NORTH TONAWANDA LUMBERJACKS / No. 30 NYSSWA Class AA
(17-7 / Niagara-Frontier III)
Friday March 13, Buffalo State University, 6:30 p.m.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM STEVEN TWARDZIK.
How they arrived here: After earning a first-round bye, Penfield defeated No. 8 Webster Schroeder in the quarterfinals 60-47 and grabbed a 66-55 victory over No. 4 Churchville-Chili before beating Victor, 70-50 in the Section V Class AA1 championship game. In the regional qualifier, the Patriots notched a 63-48 victory against the Section V AA2 champs Pittsford Mendon to earn a spot in the state quarterfinal. North Tonawanda tipped off its playoffs as the seven seed in the second round with a 67-48 victory against No. 10 Hamburg. In the quarterfinals, the Lumberjacks notched a 53-41 win against No. 2 Sweet Home and cruised to the sectional final with a 66-49 victory over No. 6 McKinley in the semifinals. In the sectional championship, North Tonawanda pulled off the upset over top-seeded Orchard Park with a 51-45 win to make the Far West Regional.
Scoring offense: Penfield (71.9), North Tonawanda (62.0)
Scoring defense: Penfield (50.7), North Tonawanda (49.9)
Trends: Penfield takes a 16-game win streak (with 15 of those victories coming by 10 or more points) into the Far West Regional. During that stretch, the Patriots have scored 70-plus points 10 times. The only loss Penfield took this season came on Jan. 9 against NYSSWA Class AAA No. 7 Fairport 79-62. North Tonawanda heads into the state quarterfinal on a four-game win streak while holding its opponents to under 50 points in all those victories. The Lumberjacks have came out victorious in seven of their last eight outings with six of those wins coming by double-digits. In that stretch, North Tonawanda has allowed more than 50 points twice and have scored at least 60 points four times.
Players to watch for Penfield: CJ Johnson Jr. (17.6 PPG); Jackson Green Jr. (17.0 PPG); Jake McCarthy Jr. (15.8 PPG); Aaron Hardaway Jr. (7.8 PPG); Ryan Savino Sr. (5.2 PPG); Ethan McEntire Jr. (2.7 PPG).
North Towanada: Jack Giancola Sr. F (15.5 PPG, 240 Rebs, 49 Asts, 26 Stls, 7 Blks); Ethan DeVantier Sr. G (12.7 PPG, 82 Rebs, 59 Asts, 50 Stls, 11 Blks); Brody Sparks Sr. F (9.2 PPG, 169 Rebs, 37 Stls, 24 Asts, 16 Blks); Blake Suitor Sr. G (8.5 PPG, 117 Asts, 71 Rebs, 66 Stls, 11 Blks); Spencer Juliano Fr. G (7.9 PPG, 41 Rebs, 32 Asts, 16 Stls); AJ Cinquino Jr. G/F (6.4 PPG, 97 Rebs, 31 Asts, 18 Stls, 4 Blks);
Coaches: Jason Ellis (Penfield), Chris Juergens (North Tonawanda)
History 101: Penfield is back in the Far West Regional for the first time since 1980. It’s also the Patriots first auto-bid to the tournament after earning an at-large bid the first time they reached the state quarters. In 1980, Penfield defeated Jamestown 73-68 to move on to the state semifinals. North Tonawanda is back in the state quarterfinals since 2017. The Lumberjacks are 0-1 in regional appearances as North Tonawanda fell to the eventual state champions Irondequoit in its only appearance.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS semifinals against either East Syracuse-Minoa (III) or Seton Catholic (IV).
Leave a Reply