By Corey Desidero Special to the News
Fredonia was tired of hearing about how it was the underdog heading into the Section VI Class B2 boys basketball final.
Sure, the Hillbillies were seeded 10th. Sure, they lost to No. 1 Salamanca twice during the regular season by a combined 31 points.
But they put that to rest Saturday afternoon at Buffalo State Sports Arena.
Fredonia (18-7) played a dominant three quarters and withstood a late push by Salamanca (20-3) to come away with a 58-54 win and the program’s second Section VI title in three seasons.
Junior Davion White earned game MVP honors with 21 points, none bigger than an old-fashioned three-point play with 16.1 seconds to go after the Warriors pulled within to 54-52, 30 seconds earlier.
“We play in an extremely tough league, we fight every single day, we do such a great job of battling each other in practice, that we were prepared for this moment,” Fredonia coach Nick Bertrando said. “And at the moment of opportunity, we took full advantage and made just enough plays down the stretch, including Davi’s and-1, to scrape one out against a phenomenal program and really good team.”
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Up next for Fredonia is another top seed in Lew-Port (20-3), which knocked down 16 3-pointers to dominate No. 6 Cheektowaga (13-11) in the Class B1 final, 91-66.
Seniors Jalen Duff (36 points) and Bobby Beilein (29 points) combined for 11 of them as the Lancers quickly erased an early 7-2 deficit for its first sectional title since 2019.
The overall Class B final is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday back at Buff State.
“I can’t wait for that game,” said Duff, who was an eighth-grade point guard on Lew-Port’s last title team. “If we just rebound and do what we do – box out, play defense, contest the 3s … and force them to put it on the ground – we should be good.”
In the first of a five-game championship slate Saturday, Fredonia knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first half to take a 39-24 lead at the break.
The scoring slowed considerably to start the third quarter for everyone but White, who opened the frame with five consecutive free throws and a corner 3 to give the Hillbillies their largest lead, 47-26. The Warriors closed the third on an 8-0 run to make it 47-34.
Fredonia scored the first four points of the fourth, but Salamanca responded with an 18-3 run to bring it to 54-52 with 46.8 seconds left. That’s when White converted on a huge offensive rebound.
“We came in with utter domination and we refused to lose, not for the third time,” White said. “That’s all I got to say – I’m sick of losing.”
Salamanca’s Andy Herrick (23 points) scored 11 straight points for his team to get the game within two, but Fredonia’s defense did an excellent job limiting leading scorer Lucus Brown to 11. Jaxson Ross had 14 points for the Warriors, the defending Class C champs who came in on a 14-game win streak.
“We knew if the game was close, we had it,” said Fredonia senior Ethan Fry (15 points). “We’re battle-tested, we get down, we grit and grind every day in practice. Our coach puts us through hell every day for moments like this. That’s exactly why we’re holding up these blue patches.”
In the Class B1 final, Lew-Port went on a 19-3 run to make it 21-15 after the first quarter. Duff had 13 points, including two 3s, in that stretch.
It was Beilein’s turn in the second, as he knocked down four of his seven treys to extend the Lancers’ lead to 43-27 at the half. Lew-Port’s lead grew to as much as 32 late in the third quarter before it emptied the bench midway through the fourth.
“This was my first championship, and I had a little bit of nerves in the beginning,” said Beilein, who also had a handful of blocks defensively. “Once I got the jitters out of me, though, I started shooting and it just started going in.”
Lew-Port senior Vinny Carlo made four 3s, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the second half.
Cheektowaga had four players in double figures: Daryl Montgomery (15), Tyler Prescott (12), Ro’Mel Speaks (10) and Jason Moye (10).
But it was no match for Duff and Beilein, who combined to score one point less than the Warriors.
“They put a lot of time in in the offseason,” Lew-Port coach Patrick Krawczyk said. “They’ve basically spent their whole lives playing basketball, so it’s great to see them get these rewards and play the way they do on the big stage. … When those two guys are going, we’re tough to beat.”
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