The Lackawanna Steelers are champions of Section VI’s Class A2 after taking down the Buffalo Science Wolverines at Buffalo State University on Friday evening 49-45.
It was a championship that was well-earned – especially given that the Steelers began the 2024-25 campaign with a 2-11 record. Since that start Lackawanna has ripped through their opponents by winning eight in a row, and the team’s hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Every game you want to win by 30, 20 or 15 points, but sometimes you need that close win to propel yourself and become a better team,” Steelers coach Marcus Rivers said. “I'm proud of my boys and how they kept their composure and they continued playing our style of basketball.
“When we were 2-11, I had a little speech for them. I brought a garbage bag, and I basically told them, ‘Either you guys will continue playing, or you can just dump all your jerseys in the bag and the season is over. And for the seniors, you’ve got to win something.’ We hung our head after the football season ended and it took us about two and a half months to recover from it. I just kept telling them that you’ve got to move on. It's just a chapter in a novel, so don't be too hard on yourself.”
For Wolverines coach Conor Brown, the loss – while fresh in their minds – hasn’t deterred his vision for the program’s long-term future.
“I could not be prouder than this group and what they’ve done the whole year,” Brown said.
“This doesn't change anything on that. It's a tough game. Credit to Lackawanna, they’ve got some players who are really strong and big and physical. I thought we matched up well with them and we played our butts off the whole night. It's a learning experience for us. My mind's already on next year, and we'll be right back.”
After the Steelers took a 22-18 lead at halftime, the Wolverines came storming back to claim a 32-30 advantage by the end of the third quarter. Any team could have folded in such circumstances – but not Lackawanna.
“I told them that we’ve got to play our style of basketball,” River said. ‘We have an identity and we’ve got to establish that. You can't waver from it just because you're playing a certain team.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to be the best version of yourself. Our guys watch the NBA and everyone wants to be Steph Curry. But they make it look easy because they practice non-stop. You have to be the best version of yourself – if you're a defender, be the best defender you can be. If you're a ball handler, be the best ball handler. Just don't try to be something that you're not.”
Rivers’ players heeded his advice, but not without allowing the score to eventually become tied by Buffalo Science late in the fourth quarter. A layup by Leferald Hines with under a minute to go gave his team the lead for good, and a pair of free throws by Michael Moore sealed the win.
“We just had to keep our composure,” Hines said. “Last year when we played here we were winning the entire game, but in the fourth quarter Olean came back and beat us. But the reason why they beat us was because we got discombobulated and we were so overwhelmed by the moment. We kept throwing the game away.
“This year we just calmed down, collected ourselves and talked to each other, and we just kept fighting. This time, we came out with a victory.”
A victory, and the Steelers’ first sectional championship since 2011, that is.
“It's like the monkey is off our back,” Rivers said. “I'm so proud of my boys and happy that they were able to accomplish this.”
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