Niagara Falls knew what it signed up for when it went independent.
Since a season-opening overtime win over last year’s Class AA state champion Victor, the Wolverines have played in a gauntlet of games, all designed by head coach Carlos Bradberry. In order to be prepared for its postseason expectations starting next month, each contest requires Niagara Falls to play at its highest standard.
As of Wednesday, Niagara Falls has a 9-5 record, with three of its last four losses by a combined total of eight points to Edmondson-Westside (Maryland), Cicero-North Syracuse and Amherst. The defeat against the Tigers was a 57-55 overtime loss Saturday at the ECIC-NFL Challenge in Depew, ending in the final possession of the game.
With six games remaining, the stakes are rising for the blue-and-gold. They’re hungry for a lengthy postseason run in the state tournament, this time in Class AAA, starting with the Section VI championship against Lancaster at 6:30 p.m. March 1 at Buffalo State. But finishing the regular season strong is the first priority, including three remaining home games.
“I hope every game is like Amherst (in) that it comes down to a couple of possessions, and, I think, with that schedule, that’s what it’s going to be,” Bradberry said. “We’re not blowing teams out the rest of the way, so, I think that’s huge to prepare us for Lancaster. This whole season is preparing ourselves for two huge games — first the Lancaster game, then the Section V (regional) games.”
After hosting Section V and fellow Class AAA school Franklin (Rochester) Wednesday, Niagara Falls faces Canisius High School at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Joe’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo. The teams square off again after the Crusaders’ 86-82 overtime win last year.
Plus, Niagara Falls has games scheduled with Williamsville South, St. Joe’s and Section V’s University Prep and Rochester Academy. The Billies had a nearly 30-point victory against Niagara Wheatfield Saturday and the Marauders handed formerly unbeaten Bishop Timon its second straight loss Monday.
But after years of primarily facing Section VI and the Niagara Frontier League, Niagara Falls has experienced facing different styles of teams. The Wolverines picked up two wins in the BAM Winter Classic Dec. 22-23 in North Carolina and later a 64-57 win against Class AAA’s McQuaid, of Section V, Jan. 3 in Rochester.
The extra exposure and competing in different environments, from arena sizes to an increased travel in games, are part of what the Wolverines have had to adjust to. Against Franklin, Niagara Falls will face 6-foot-7 senior forward Terence Thompson, who recorded a quadruple-double of 22 points, 12 rebounds, 12 blocks and 10 assists against Wilson Magnet on Jan. 12. U-Prep, meanwhile, has won five of its last nine contests and is averaging 69.1 points per game this season.
“I feel like every day is a battle,” said junior guard Nick Estell, who averages a team-best 12.6 points per game. “It’s not like one game where it’s like we can play lazy. Every game, we can lose if we don’t come and play, so, I think that’s good for us to build as players and as a team.”
Defense has once again been the team’s calling card after entering Wednesday averaging 9.7 steals per game and holding opponents to under 50 points seven times, including limiting Niagara Wheatfield to 35 points in a 31-point win on Jan. 22. But the Wolverines are using its final six games as a litmus test to where they will go offensively.
Entering Wednesday, the Wolverines are scoring 51 points per game, converting 45.1% from the field and averaging 10.7 assists per game. This is a slight decrease from one season ago, when the blue-and-gold averaged 65.5 points per game — trailing only McKinley’s 66 points per game in the section — and shot 56.5% collectively.
Niagara Falls also went 15-1 in games where it scored over 60 points and crossed the 80-point plateau six times. But with stronger opponents on the schedule, the Wolverines have only scored over 60 points five times, including a 75-72 win against Nichols on Dec. 15 and a season-high 76 points against Cathedral Prep in the Burger King Classic on Jan. 6 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Along with Estell, the Wolverines have aimed for a balanced attack offensively but are still looking for consistency. Senior Omarion Ralands (11.2) and the Strong brothers, Ephraim (9.7) and John (8.2), have had spurts of offensive success, too, but the Wolverines haven’t had a consistent main scoring option like James Robinson, who averaged 16.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game last year.
To Bradberry, the Wolverines found its confidence offensively in the Burger King Classic and hopes it turns up a notch in the last six games.
“I think we have five or six guys we can get it from every night, so, it’s a good problem to have,” Bradberry said. “… Sometimes, just doing it by committee is a little bit easier because it’s harder for teams to scout our team if they’re just focusing on just one guy or two guys.”