Jacks Do It Old Fashioned Way

They won the title as a team, might as well do post game as a team. Vincent Tripi had 12 points-including the last two free throws-as No.2 North Tonawanda handed top-seeded Williamsville South a 60-54 loss in the Section VI Class A-1 championship that was played at Buffalo State College Saturday night.

“We proved that we could do it the old fashioned way,” said NT coach Ryan Mountain, as his team gathered around as a group for a post game scrum with the media.

“A group of guys growing up in the same neighborhood, balling out together. We don’t need any transfers. It’s our family. The old fashioned way.”

The win vaulted the Lumberjacks into Tuesday’s Class A championship where they will face Amherst which defeated South Park for the A-2 championship.

It also marks the first time the Lumberjacks won sectionals since claiming the Class AAA title in 1961.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Tripi said, after kissing the championship plaque. “It amazing to be sectional champions when we were the underdogs the whole time.” The Jacks showed strength of character to hang on as early on their chances of kissing the A-1 championship were not looking promising.

Sparked by junior point guard Greg Dolan, who had 19 points, the two-time defending Class A-1 champion Billies looked as if they would add a third title to their trophy case as they held a 12-7 lead after the first quarter.

The Jacks fell behind when Tripi, their best ball handler, was in foul trouble and had to sit for a while. All though the Billies held the lead throughout the second quarter, the Jacks managed to stay within two to four points. But Devin Degree gave his team a huge emotional lift when he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Will-South the 32-27 lead.

Though NT had the size advantage across the board they had trouble getting their inside game in gear.

A tightly contested game throughout the second half Will-South seemed to be in charge and ready to move on as they held a 54-47 lead. But the Jacks weren’t ready to let this slip away. NT, which suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Billies in the 2015 Class A-1 title game, finished the game with an 11-0 run that was triggered by Zack Woodard’s 3-point shot.

As key as Woodard’s shots were perhaps his true game changing moment was when the Jacks came back to the bench during a time out while trailing and Woodard (11 points) said the same word over and over again: poise.

“We had four players on our team that were here two years ago when we lost to Will-South and coach has been here,” said Woodard. “We knew to win this game it was going to have to be with poise.”

Tripi tied the game at 54-54 off a pass from Trevor Book (14 points) and Woodard put his team up to stay after going 2 of 2 from the line with 1:34 to play.

“It’s amazing,” Tripi said. “We do everything together. We’re all best friends. Our coach does everything for us. It was a great team win.”