Olean tops Canisius in ECIC-MMAA Challenge at St. Mary's High School

LANCASTER - It was the best of halves and then it was the worst of halves. That all added up to an amazing 76-73 victory for Olean over Canisius in the marquee matchup of the ECIC-Monsignor Martin Athletic Association Challenge on Tuesday night at St. Mary's High School in Lancaster.

The Huskies were absolutely unstoppable in the first half and built a 26-point halftime lead before hanging on for dear life against the Crusaders.

"The story of two halves, I guess," Olean coach Jeff Asastasia said. "We played a great first half, we did a lot of really good things. We knew they were going to make a run, they're too good not to make a run."

Down 47-21 at halftime, Canisius looked done for the day. The Crusaders thought otherwise and battled almost all the way back. Down 2, Canisius had a chance to tie when Adam Weir was fouled in the backcourt by Nick Schmidt with 2.1 seconds left, setting up a 1-and-1. Weir made the first but missed the second and Schmidt salted it away with a pair at the other end.

"I'm thinking he's probably going to make two," Asastasia said. "I was going to call time out and if we could get the ball to half court I had a play we could run. But I didn't have to worry about it, thank goodness."

Will Bathurst scored 25 points, Sam Eckstrom added 21 and Schmidt contributed 16 for Olean (3-0). The Huskies surged out to a 22-5 lead after a dominant first quarter and extended the lead with an also impressive second. But Canisius started the second half with a 13-2 run and the comeback attempt was on.

Weir led that charge with 34 points and Aaron White added 14 for the Crusaders, who dropped their season opener.

Jamestown 64, St. Joe’s 54

In a tournament that usually showcases the best players in Western New York, Tommy Campion sure looked elite in Jamestown’s win over St. Joe’s. The senior guard scored 31 points and led his team to victory in a back-and-forth battle.

“When all else fails, put it in Tommy’s hands,” Jamestown coach Ben Drake said.

Campion had two 3-pointers in a 12-2 run that sealed the deal for the Red Raiders, who came up with the biggest spurt in a game of runs.

Jamestown led 28-17 late in the second quarter, but St. Joe’s scored the final 10 points of the half and then took the lead on a jumper by Mark Cerza. A Campion 3-pointer started a 7-0 spurt for Jamestown, but St. Joe’s bounced back with a 9-0 rally and regained the lead on a Louis Oliveri jumper.

Again, the Red Raiders had a response with a 10-0 run, capped by Campion’s buzzer-beating 3 to end the third period. St. Joe’s scored six in a row to start the fourth but couldn’t get the tying bucket.

Zack Panebianco scored 13 for Jamestown (2-0). Oliveri scored 15 points to lead St. Joe’s (3-1).

St. Francis 47, Depew 45

Cory Cullen drove to the basket and scored the game-winner with five seconds left, giving the Red Raiders a win over Depew .

"It didn't work out exactly how we drew it up," St. Francis coach Brian Ferris said. "But that's what senior leaders do. He's a captain, he's one of our best players and he stepped up and got to the bucket."

The Wildcats evened things with back-to-back buckets by Mike Lamb, the game-tying score coming with 36 seconds left.

That set the stage for Cullen, who drove from the left side and laid it in for the winner.

"We were just trying to set up a quick double-screen to set up a pick-and-roll with the big man," Cullen said. "But he jumped it, so I just went backdoor. I got the ball and I had a good lane to drive and finish."

Cullen and Brennan Macey scored 12 points apiece to lead the Red Raiders, who also got 11 points from Treyvon Holness.

Depew was led by Lamb’s game-high 22 points, but no other Wildcat scored more than six.