Albion rallies to edge Tonawanda in opener

Rallying from an 11 point half-time deficit, Albion came battling back to outscore host Tonawanda 39-25 in the second half to claim a narrow 64-61 victory this evening in the Purple Eagles non league boys basketball season opener.

Trailing 36-25 at the half, Albion got back into the game by outscoring Tonawanda 19-11 in the third period.  Deyonci Farley scored 7, Bryce Pritchard 6 and Xavier Cornick 4 to lead that surge which rallied the Purple Eagles to within three, 47-44, at the three-quarter mark.

Keeping the momentum, the Purple Eagles then outpointed the Warriors 20-14 in the decisive final period to claim the three point win.

Farley, who scored 8 in the stanza, tallied on a layup off a pass  from Xavier Cornick to put Albion on top to stay at 62-61. Free throws by Cornick and Kevin Hillman then capped off the Purple Eagles big comeback.

“It was a nice comeback win. They really showed a lot of composure down the stretch,” said Albion Coach Dave Kozar. “I’m really proud of them. They showed the kind of passion it takes to win in a game like that. Last year we had trouble finishing in some close games like that so they’ve grown a bit since last year.”

Farley finished with a game high 30 points as Pritchard added 11, Michael DiCureia 8, Cornick 7, Vincent Zona 5 and Hillman 3.

Trevin Boling led the Warriors with 23.

Albion next hosts Lyndonville in another non league game at 7 p.m. on December 5.