The fall sports seasons are over and that can only mean one thing. It is time to lace up the sneakers, step onto the hardwood and play basketball.
After a very competitive 2024-25 season, the area teams are back and ready to compete again with some of the best players and teams in the region. Here are the Niagara Gazette’s players and teams to watch out for this campaign.
Five girls basketball players to watch:
Emma Buzak, Lockport, Sr.
Emma Buzak opened her senior campaign with a bang scoring 27 points while grabbing eight rebounds and adding two assists, two blocks and two steals in her team’s 45-41 win over Kenmore West on Dec. 2. The guard played in 20 games during her junior year averaging 11.9 points per game. She was able to score double digits in 11 of her team’s 22 games as her team went 11-11.
Anabelle Day, North Tonawanda, Sr.
The University of Buffalo signee is one of 11 returners from last year’s roster that went 20-3 and made it to the Section VI title game. Last season, Day played in 22 games averaging 23.2 points, 6.3 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Lilly Day, North Tonawanda, So.
The youngest of the Day sisters, Lilly was not very far behind her sister’s scoring pace last year scoring 19.7 points while adding 4.9 assists and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game. Day heads into her fourth season with 1,046 career points. During her freshman season, Day scored 20 points or more in 13 of her 23 games.
Natalie Prezioso, Starpoint, Sr.
After last season, Starpoint had to replace five of their top six leading scorers and seven total players from a team that went 18-7 overall and made it to the Far West Regional. In replacing all of that production, it helps when you have senior guard Natalie Prezioso returning who Lockport head coach Joe Catalano called one of if not the best defensive players in the area thanks to her effort and hustle. Prezioso put that on display last year with 7.7 points, one assist, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
Bella Thrush, Wilson, Sr.
During her junior season, the All-Niagara-Orleans League first-team selection was a pickpocket on the floor, collecting 144 steals in 23 games for an average of 6.2 per game. Thrush scored 158 points and grabbed 139 rebounds as she helped the Lakewomen make it all the way to the Section VI Class B2 title game and finish with a 15-8 record.
Five boys basketball players to watch:
Greydan Barnwell, Lewiston-Porter, Sr.
The senior sharpshooter is back for a team that went 13-9 last year making it to the second round of the Section VI tournament. During his junior campaign, Barnwell averaged 18 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. In total he had 89 assists last year, putting him in a tie for third most in the Niagara Frontier League. His efforts were rewarded with a spot on the GNN Sports All-Area team and the NFL’s first team.
Dane Brown, Grand Island, Sr.
The Grand Island junior has big shoes to fill with the graduation Niagara Frontier League Player of the Year Jayce Wylke but he appeared to be up to the task in the Vikings’ season opener scoring 35 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 75-point win over Buffalo Arts-Da Vinci on Dec. 3. Last year, the forward exploded onto the scene averaging 16 points and seven rebounds per game as the Vikings went 21-2 overall and made it all the way to the Section VI championship game.
Charlie Croff, Lockport, Sr.
Last year’s All-NFL first-team selection averaged 21 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3 steals per game, good for top-five in all three categories in the NFL. Croff scored just short of 500 points, to head into his final season with 1,087 career points. He helped his squad go 17-7 overall and win the Section VI AA title.
Tre Gayle, Niagara Falls, Sr.
The Niagara Falls senior guard will be expected to help lead his team this year after he averaged 14 points last season on a team that went to the Section VI Class AAA title game. During his breakout campaign he had five 20-point games and had two games where he was able to reach the 27-point plateau.
Aidan Neumann, Wilson, Sr.
Section VI’s highest-scoring soccer player is heading inside and trying to replicate that success on the hardwood. Last year, Neumann was named the Niagara-Orleans Player of the Year after averaging 21.8 points per game while scoring double figures in 22 games. He helped the Lakemen make program history winning the Section VI title and finishing with a 17-6 overall record.
Three girls teams to pay attention to:
North Tonawanda
Last year, the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks had their best season in program history going 20-3 while making it all the way to the Section VI Class AA title game. Heading into this season, the Lumberjacks have a new head coach at the helm as Ryan Bradt has taken over after Michael Mills left the program after three seasons. Bradt and his team will be facing an independent schedule this year after previously being a part of the Niagara Frontier League. The Lumberjacks have gotten off to another fast start this year with a 27-point win over Amherst in their season opener.
Lewiston-Porter
The Lewiston-Porter Lancers head into this season with two new faces leading the charge after Amya Jacobs and her younger sister Jianna transferred from Niagara Falls after averaging 8.8 points per game and 4.4 points per game respectively. In the Lancers season opener, they beat Starpoint 61-50 behind 21 points from Amya and 19 from Jianna. They come to a squad that went 15-8 last year overall, falling just short in the Section VI Class A2 title game, 54-52 to Depew.
Wilson
The powerhouse in the Niagara-Orleans League is back this year after going 15-8 overall and 10-2 last year in N-O play. This year is head coach Brian Baker’s 18th as the girls’ basketball coach, during which time he has compiled a 297-72 overall record and a 208-11 record in N-O play. During his tenure, the Lakewomen have won seven N-O titles in a row and 15 titles in the last 16 years. This year’s squad will be another force to be reckoned with, thanks to returning 11 players from last year’s roster including four of their top five leading scorers. This year the Lakewomen will be relying heavily on Rowan Simpson and Thrush, who posted 6.9 points per game apiece. Senior forward Abbie Faery averaged 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals.
Three boys’ teams to watch out for:
Niagara Falls
The Wolverines continue to play an independent schedule this season as they look to build on last year’s 10-8 record. This year the Wolverines return seven players from last year’s squad, including Tre Gayle who averaged 14 points and 6.2 rebounds per game during his junior campaign. The Falls also return Dequarius Seaberry, who averaged 7.4 points per game as a sophomore. The Wolverines seven returners scored 565 of the team’s 1,067 points last year.
Grand Island
The Grand Island Vikings went 21-1 overall last year and made it all the way to the Section VI Class A1 title game. This year’s squad returns seven players including junior forward Dane Brown who averaged 16 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. This year’s team will be relying on a mix of Brown and KJ Wilkes, who averaged 5.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a freshman. Another key contributor for the Vikings will undoubtedly be Jon Neville, who makes his name in his ability to pass the rock where he averaged 5.2 assists per game.
Wilson
Wilson went 17-7 overall, winning the Section VI B2 title after heading into the tournament as the No. 4 seed last year. They were led by Neumann’s 21.8 points per game and Ryan Hough, who averaged 12.8 points, nine rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. One of the team’s other big contributors last season was senior Shamus George, who averaged just short of a double-double with 8.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. That trio should help the Lakemen contend for the N-O League championship after finishing third last season.