BUFFALO —- Party like it’s 1996.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Newfane owns a Section VI championship trophy.
It was a full circle moment for head coach Kevin Klumpp, who was a junior at Newfane the last time the school won a championship.
While it was a team win, no one shined more than senior Anna Chunco, who finished with 26 points. Chunco sparked the fourth-seeded Panthers to a 59-38 win over No. 2 Health Science in the Class B1 final Sunday at Buffalo State.
“It’s everything,” Chunco said about winning a championship. “We worked so hard to get here. I’m just so glad we took the opportunities that we had and we executed, like no one expected us to be here. But we did it, and we accomplished everything that we wanted.”
She went into the day viewing the match as just another game, knowing she needed to play calm and not let the pressure get to her if she wanted to perform her best.
Chunco also mentioned how her offensive success can be credited to her teammates, who were playing well together and creating open shots so there was no need to force anything.
Besides the four 3-pointers she nailed, she had timely buckets and never seemed to let up.
“She’s been our everything, really,” head coach Kevin Klumpp said. “Her, Boyer, Sienna, they’re interchangeable, and they really work off each other really, really well.”
Kameryn Boyer, who finished with 17 points, and Chunco were responsible for 31 of the teams’ 33 points at halftime. As a result, Newfane led 33-18 at the break.
“We helped each other stay calm and relaxed,” Chunco said. “We don’t let each other get into anyone’s heads, like if something’s going wrong. We keep each other relaxed. And we just work really well together.”
The Panthers led by 13 after the first quarter. It was briefly tied at 4-apiece before a pair of free throws from Boyer and a bucket from Chunco sparked a 13-2 run.
Other than trailing 2-0 when the game first began, Newfane was never at a deficit, and the game was never really within reach for the Falcons.
Newfane was quicker and more mobile than Health Science (15-5) in the first half, and the Falcons struggled to find the hoop. The Falcons wanted to use their press to create points off turnovers, but the Panthers were prepared.
“We kind of game planned for their press,” Klumpp said. “They want to throw that 3-1-1 press at us and we were gonna break it. And we definitely did.”
Newfane (17-5) were aggressive under the rim and stuck with their sequences to find the basket. Newfane boasted a hefty 45-25 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Panthers outscored the Falcons 12-7 in the third, and multiple players recorded buckets. Chunco maintained her status as a threat from deep.
Chunco started the fourth with a three and then Bowers netted four quick points. Newfane led 59-35 with around three minutes left, and the starters exited the game at around the two minute mark.
Newfane will face Class B2 champion Salamanca in the overall Class B sectional championship at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Buffalo State. The Warriors beat Wilson 51-32 in the B2 final
“I know they’re long, lanky, and they also lost to Southwestern,” Klumpp said. “We’ll get to the film and see what we can do.”