They share the same blood and the same last name, but Ephraim and John Strong have very different games.
Defensively, Ephraim isn’t afraid to bounce between stopping a guard or using his 6-foot-1 frame inside the paint. He’s willing to take on the opposing team’s No. 1 or No. 2 scoring option when called upon, ranging from Lancaster’s Jordan Alexander to Nichols’ Jakye Rainey.
Younger brother John likes to drive to the basket or find teammates inside or on the wing. Over a calendar year, John has emerged as a facilitator for Niagara Falls, helping to find his brother or teammates like Omarion Ralands, who are ready to score.
Together, the Strongs have helped keep the Wolverines’ season-long goal of a state championship alive.
The next challenge for the yellow-and-blue is facing Section XI’s 24-0 Bay Shore at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls in the Class AAA state semifinal. It’s the Wolverines’ first appearance since 2019, when Ephraim was in seventh-grade and John was in fifth-grade.
“They’ve just continued to get better and better and they both put the time in,” said Niagara Falls head coach Carlos Bradberry, who has coached them the last two seasons. “John’s gotten better offensively over the year. Ephraim’s just become a better overall player over the last two years. And, without those two guys, there’s no way we’re here.”
After getting a few minutes as an eighth-grader, John began his freshman year as a starter, but on a team with experience, he still had some learning to do. This season, he has improved vastly in all areas, taking control of the point guard spot and leading the team with 60 assists.
But John has also improved, as Bradberry said, as a scorer, jumping from four points per game to 9.8, while shooting 57.1% from the field. He’s also been more willing to draw contact and score from the foul line, taking 30 more free throws than he did a year ago.
“Just trying to attack the rim, draw fouls, get to the free-throw line,” John said. “Because, our coach, (Mike Esposito) always tells us, the team that takes the easier shots is probably going to win the game. So, we’re trying to get lay-ups and get to the free-throw line and just get easy points on the board.”
While Ephraim was primarily a standout defender last season — and has gotten better, jumping from 1.5 steals to 2.5 per game — he has also shown he can score and rebound this year. His rebounds have gone from 2.5 to 4.5 per game, but his biggest increase has come as a scorer.
Ephraim averaged 5.8 points per game last season and scored in double figures just six times. This season, he’s averaging 10.9 points per game, with 14 double-digit outings, including 11 of the last 13 games and he’s also made 20 more 3-pointers than a year ago.
“I got either first or second best on a team,” Ephraim said. “And whenever (John) drives (and) kicks, I’m there, on the (3-point line), ready to shoot. Most of the time, we’re ready to penetrate and kick to another guy. That’s really what I contributed.”