By Joe Saeli
Riding an initial surge sparked by 7 three-pointers in the first quarter alone, the Kenmore West boy’s basketball team managed to score a 71-50 win against Grand Island.
The team’s earlier meeting in the season resulted in Grand Island pulling out an exciting win in overtime, 58-56. So what exactly was different this time around?
“Tal James,” said Kenmore West coach Mike Meetze. “He, Kyle [LaPlante] and Tyler [Aquilina] were all great tonight. When all three of them are going, we’re a heck of a team.”
James, who missed the last game against Grand Island with an injury, put up 22 points and led the scoring for the Blue Devils, a team that started strong by establishing a 23-7 lead in the first quarter. James and Tyler Aquilina, who scored 20 points, each managed to convert 3 three-pointers in the first quarter alone.
“My team was great at getting the ball and giving me time to hit shots,” said James. “We’re finally playing as a team now… it took us half of a season to get here, but we all love each other and I think it shows in how we play.”
Kevin Carpenter with 13 points and Kyle LaPlante with 6 points were the other big contributors for the Devils.
The Vikings, on the other hand, made several impressive pushes for the lead, capitalizing on turnovers committed by Ken West. Cam Sionko led the team with 9 points, while JB Wilkes and Garrett Robinson each added 7. The team clawed back from a 19 point deficit halfway through the 2nd quarter to bring the game to 35-24 entering halftime, and made it an 8 point game early in the 4th.
“I was impressed with how we battled, but ultimately we couldn’t come back from that lightning start,” said Grand Island coach Ron Krystof. “We missed a lot of layups, and ultimately missed too many shots as a team. We have some stuff we need to work on.”
The win brings Kenmore West to 9-3 in league play, while it drops Grand Island to 8-3. With just a few games left on the schedule for both teams, today’s game was especially pivotal. As of now, the two teams are near the very top of the NFL.
“We have a tough schedule going forward, but I think we’ll be able to recover from this and fight back,” said Coach Krystof.
Grand Island faces off with Niagara Falls at their home court on 2/7, while Kenmore West hosts Cheektowaga in a non-league game also on 2/7.
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