Sectional semis up next for Barker, Medina

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Mason Lewis and Molley Gross and their Mustang teammates will be competing in the semifinal ground of the Section VI Class B2 playoffs this coming week. The girls will face Olmsted on Wednesday at Sweet Home while the boys will take on Health Sciences on Thursday at Buffalo State College.

Looking to take that next big step in their quest for a post season title, the Barker boys team and both the Medina boys and girls squads will be competing in the semifinal round of the Section VI basketball tournaments this coming week.

Barker will tipoff the week’s action as the No. 6 seeded Raiders (9-12) take on No. 2 Buffalo East (14-7) in a Class C2 semi at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at Jamestown Community College. The victor will face the winner of the No. 1 Randolph (17-4) vs. No. 4 Frewsburg (17-3) semi in the title contest on Saturday.

The No. 5 Medina girls (16-5) will face top seeded Olmsted (16-3) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sweet Home High School. It will be a Niagara-Orleans League twin bill as No. 3 Wilson (18-3) will take on No. 2 Buffalo Arts (17-4)  in the first semi at 6 p.m.. The two winners will meet in the title contest on Sunday at Buffalo State College.

The top seeded N-O champion Medina boys team (17-4) will face No. 4 Health Sciences (17-4) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Buffalo State. The victor will then face the winner of the No. 2 Olmsted (4-3) vs. No. 3 Lackawanna (16-5) semi in the B2 title contest on Saturday at Buff State.

Jake Arnold and his Barker teammates will face Buffalo East in Tuesday’s Class C2 semifinal.

Barker is sparked by the senior duo of Nate Luckman, who has scored 461 points ( 21.9 average) and Eddie Wasnock who had tallied 225 points (10.7 ave.) Luckman also had 110 rebounds and 50 steals and Wasnock 190 rebounds.

The Raiders advanced to the semis by downing No. 3 Holland 58-51 while East downed No. 7 Global Concepts 81-57.

Sophomore Je’ne Brown has set the pace for the Medina girls with 405 points (2.2 ave.) and 234 rebounds.  Maddie Williams is also averaging in double figure with 242 pouts (12.1 ave.).

N-O champion Wilson is sparked by the duo of Rachel Senek, who has scored 344 points (20.2 ave.) and Kayla Neumann 233 (13.7 ave.).

In the quarterfinals, Medina romped past No. 5 MST Prep 61-19, Ollmsted downed No. 8 Akron 39-30, Wilson topped No. 6 Southwestern 49-39 and Arts trimmed No. 10 Eden 65-56.

A trio of underclassmen have led the way for the Medina boys squad as junior Jalin Cooper has scored 442 points (21.0 ave.) while sophomores Johnny Salone has tallied 278 (13.2) and Izaiah Rhim 192 (9.1).  Cooper has also grabbed off 196 rebounds, Salone 166 and Rhim 156 to go along with 102 assists.

The high scoring Heath Sciences Falcons, which have topped the 100 point mark three times, the 90 mark once and the 80 plateau six times this season, are led by the quartet of 6-6 junior Davonte Gaines who has scored 341 points (18.2 ave.), junior Tyrone Lott 328 (19.2), sophomore Kameron Briggs 220 (12.3) and senior Wize Threat 173 (10.1).

Medina defeated Gowanda 69-48 in the quarterfinals while Health Sciences downed rival Middle Early College 70-54. The other quarterfinals saw Olmsted oust No. 7 Lafayette 67-53 and Lackawanna down No. 6 Wilson 60-45.