When Lewiston-Porter head coach Patrick Krawczyk watches the film of his game against Bishop Timon-St. Jude, he will certainly be utilizing the fast-forward button at points in the second half.
But the parts that he doesn’t fast forward through looked pretty good for his team as they were able to hang on and get a 67-60 win in the first game of the Cataract Classic, Friday, at the Niagara Falls High School.
The game was the Lancers’ first of the season, allowing Krawczyk to see how his team would react to getting metaphorically punched in the face.
“We have a little more heart, I think, than last year. We’re a little deeper than last year,” Krawcyzk said. “A lot of guys are back and I think we can go deeper into my bench and still have a high quality of play.”
The Lancers got off to a fast start in this game, taking a 9-3 lead before the Tigers were able to slowly chip away and head into the second quarter down 16-11.
One of the biggest changes between the Lancers’ early start and the Tigers’ comeback attempt was Timon’s defensive pressure and how Lewiston-Porter reacted to it. It also did not help the Lancers that their starting center, Lucas Roemer, picked up two quick fouls and sat for the remainder of the quarter and he did not come back in until there was 2:07 to go in the second quarter with his team up 30-17.
The Tigers started the second quarter much like they ended the first quarter, bringing the deficit to 16-15. But the Lancers were able to respond with a convincing 11-0 run to take a 27-15 lead and then head into the half up 35-19. In the opening two quarters, the Lancers’ Devan and Graydan Barnwell combined for 24 of the team’s 35 points while making five 3-pointers. The Tigers were led by Jeson Huff’s nine points.
The Tigers barely spent any time in the locker room and they didn’t need to. They came out a completely different squad after the break and went on a run to bring their deficit to within single digits first at 43-36 when they forced the Lancers into a timeout before heading into the fourth quarter trailing 46-42.
“(Jeson Huff) took over, we couldn’t stop him,” Krawczyk said. “He’s a tough player and he took over and he made some tough shots. We just couldn’t stop him and … we’re a jump shooting team, we’re little, so you’re gonna live and die, hot and cold with the jump shot. We weren’t making them and they got their confidence, they got their little mojo going and it’s tough to stop at times. It’s good for us to see that adversity and fight back and not give up and keep fighting.”
The fourth quarter was all about trading baskets as the Tigers brought it to within one at 48-47 but the Lancers responded with a run to take a 56-52 lead. However, the game was far from over and the Tigers still had some fight left in them, bringing it to within two on two separate occasions. But that is when the Lancers’ Michael Wylke went into takeover mode, scoring five quick points to turn what was a 58-56 lead into a 63-56 lead.
The game could have fallen completely off the rails for the Tigers’ Marquis Harris drew a foul on a 3 to give Roemer his fifth foul and give the Tigers a way back into the contest. At the stripe, he hit all three to cut his team’s deficit to 63-59. But from there, the Lancers were able to salt the game away at the line to get the seven-point win.
Wylke finished the first game of his sophomore year with 19 points. After the game, Wylke made a bold proclamation for his team’s success this season.
“I know that we could beat anyone,” Wylke said. “We could go undefeated this year because we play as a team, we play well together and we’re a good team. We’re ready.”