After being off for an extended period of time Lancaster entered the St. Francis Holiday Tournament not having played in over two weeks, and it showed in the first game. Game 1 saw the Legends facing one of the top teams in WNY in Health Sciences. The first half Lancaster could not muster any kind of offense. A combination of not being able to play or practice and great defense by Health Sciences led to Lancaster only scoring 3 baskets in the first half. Despite only scoring 6 points, Lancaster was still in the game and only trailed by 10, 16-6. Lancaster's scrappy defense kept them in the game by forcing tough shots and getting a number of turnovers. While the scoring picked up a little in the second half the game overall was very slow paced and remained a defensive battle. Guards Noah Kimble, Channing Francis and Ryan Corcoran were able to get 3 steals each while Joe Harrington protected the rim with 5 blocks. The Legends were able to pull within 2 points in the 4th quarter, but after a timeout Health Sciences went on a run to go back up 9. Lancaster was unable to close the gap and ultimately lost 35-28. Kimble led the scoring with 9 points and added 7 rebounds. Jack Harrington added 7 points and 4 rebounds. Corcoran had 6 points and 8 rebounds. Francis 4 points and Joe Harrington with 2 points rounded out the scoring for the Legends.
Game 2 saw Lancaster face off against Williamsville East for 3rd place. This game was a complete opposite from the game against Health Sciences. It was fast paced, back and forth scoring and very fun to watch. Lancaster held the lead for most of the first half until a late basket as the buzzer sounded gave Williamsville East a one point lead going into halftime, 46-45. Noah Kimble led the scoring in the first half for the Legends with 14 points. The second half was more of the same. Both teams were running and gunning, turning turnovers into points and trading 3 pointers. Another basket by Williamsville East as the buzzer sounded for the 3rd quarter gave them their largest lead of the night at 8 points. The 4th quarter saw East guard Max Schneider prove why he is one of the top guards in WNY. His calm presence and ability to handle the ball with ease, even in the face of double teams, proved to be the deciding factor. Schneider finished the game with 44 points and led Williamsville East to an 87-77 victory. Lancaster had its' best offensive performance and had 4 players score in double digits. Kimble (named to All Tournament Team) led Lancaster with 20 points while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Joe Harrington added 17 points as well as 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Junior Eric Frys had his best game of the year with 14 points and collected 17 rebounds. Jack Harrington scored 13 points while dishing out 7 assists. Ryan Corcoran scored 6 points and added 7 rebounds. Adam Gabryszak had 3 points, Ryan Andolina 2 points and Mark Sirianni rounded out the scoring with 2 points.
While it is hard to take any moral victories after these losses, Lancaster should walk away from this tournament feeling confident. They proved that even after not being able to compete for over 2 weeks and having very little practice time they were able to hang with two of the top teams in the area. The Legends start league play next week as they travel to Williamsville North for a battle with the Spartans on January 4th.
Photos courtesy of Casey Harrington
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