BUFFALO — Tears hidden by jerseys pulled over faces signaled an unwanted ending.
Lockport finally burst through a barrier that stood for 26 years, appearing in its first Section VI final since 1998, but the Lions weren’t prepared for it to end there. There’s no preparation for a moment like that.
Tears are coming and there’s no stopping them. There was no stopping Jamestown in the second half either, as it turned an 11-point halftime lead into 24 by the end of the third quarter of a 69-44 win in the Class AA1 championship game Saturday
During its 12-1 stretch to reach the championship game, Lockport hadn’t been held under 50 points. The last team to do so was Jamestown on Dec. 29.
The Lions couldn’t find anything in transition, in the paint or on the perimeter, stifled by the Red Raiders all night.
“(Jamestown) took us out of every set we tried to run and played tremendous defense,” Lockport head coach Dave Gilson said. “They crashed the boards and shot the ball well. Today, they were the better team.”
After scoring 53 points and converting 20 field goals in the paint in its Class AA semifinal win against Niagara Wheatfield Tuesday, Lockport had a different tale offensively. The opportunities to score — specifically, inside the paint — disappeared against Jamestown for most of the game after cutting the one-point deficit.
On top of the limited opportunities, Lockport also caused its own errors. Passes either sailed out of bounds or were intercepted by Jamestown’s defense, resulting in transition points from Dominic Gonzalez and Jaydian Johnson, who combined for 48 points in the win.
“They played some great defense on us,” said Charlie Croff IV, who finished tied with a team-high 11 points. “They played some great defense. I think it kind of rattled us and which really led to their offensive explosion. … They were really aggressive. They had a lot of aggressive guys giving us a hard time getting to the rim and getting the ball to the guys at the right time.”
Jamestown, meanwhile, scored baskets with ease. The Red Raiders cashed in in a variety of ways, with Johnson taking control in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his game-high 27 points to take a 51-27 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“In the beginning, we definitely gave up too many points in transition,” Gilson said. “They were getting back. We didn’t slow it down. And, you know, we tried to try it a little bit, a little 131 just to feel something different. But you know, it didn’t work.”
In the loss, Lockport (16-7) also had contributions from Mike Griffin (11 points) while Ian Cooper had six points.
With the victory, Jamestown (19-4) will face the AA2 champion, Health Sciences, at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Buffalo State in the section’s Class AA crossover game. The Falcons defeated Williamsville East, 61-59, in overtime.