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Rivalry Week in Review

Looking back at an eventful rivalry week in high school boys basketball

OBSERVER File Photo Dunkirk’s Tywon Wright (10) has his shot blocked by Fredonia’s Nick Whitfield (22) during Friday’s boys basketball rivalry game at Dunkirk High School.

This week was the first edition of rivalry week in high school sports, as not only Dunkirk and Fredonia faced off for the first time this year, but Westfield faced Brocton and Silver Creek took on Forestville in high school boys basketball action. Here are a few takeaways from the first round of rivalry matchups this week in Chautauqua County.

Hauser’s impressive day leads Wolverines past much improved Bulldogs

On Tuesday night in Westfield, the old Westfield-Brocton rivalry was renewed in dramatic fashion. With many of the sports teams combined between the two schools, baseball and boys basketball were some of the only sports remaining where the rivalry still existed. After multiple losing seasons in Brocton, the Westfield Wolverines had a firm hold on the rivalry in recent years.

But this time around, things were different.

Brocton held a double-digit lead in the first half, announcing itself as a solid threat in the division and igniting the packed Brocton side of the Westfield gym. Brocton fans had a reason to show up on Tuesday night, and that’s a credit to how much the Bulldogs have grown over the course of just one year.

OBSERVER File Photo Brocton’s Bubba Brown attempts a shot over Westfield’s Colby Bills (23) as Westfield’s Ryan Jafarjian (24) looks on during Tuesday’s boys basketball rivalry game at Westfield Academy.

Westfield appeared to be headed into halftime with a double digit deficit at home on Tuesday, before Evan Hauser drilled a half-court shot at the buzzer to give Westfield all of the momentum at the break.

From that point on, Hauser couldn’t miss. The Westfield senior had a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers for the Westfield win at home.

Both teams can take a lot from Tuesday’s game. Westfield proved it can recover after a slow start to come from behind to win, while Brocton proved that it can play with the better teams in the division. What may have been the best thing to take of all from Tuesday, however, is that this rivalry is competitive again. The Westfield gym was packed for a regular season game on a Tuesday night — and that’s a positive for both sides.

Woleben’s hot start continues, as Black Knights down Hornets

On Tuesday night, Westfield-Brocton wasn’t the only rivalry featuring a pair of schools who commonly combine in other sports. Forestville made the short drive over to Silver Creek to take on the Black Knights at Silver Creek High School on Tuesday in a non-league boys basketball contest.

Silver Creek’s Brady Woleben has shown so far this season that he is a top-tier scorer in Chautauqua County. Tuesday night was another example of that. Woleben led Silver Creek with 32 points, while Forestville only managed 42 points as a team.

The Black Knights look poised to make some noise in Class C this year, and may have a shot at the division title in CCAA Division 1 East, as well. Woleben will certainly be the key to Silver Creek’s success this year. Forestville will hope for a better result against their rival this coming week, as Silver Creek heads to Forestville on Thursday in a rematch.

Experienced Fredonia beats youthful Dunkirk at Dunkirk High School

Friday night was the main event of rivalry week, as Nick Bertrando got his first chance to lead the Fredonia Hillbillies as head coach into Dunkirk for a varsity showdown with Luke Gullo’s Marauders.

The young Marauders had a strong start to the game. Dunkirk led 11-4 in the first quarter before Fredonia tied it in the final 90 seconds of the frame. Dunkirk also withstood five straight from Fredonia to start the second — which combined with the seven straight at the end of the first quarter equaled a 12-0 Fredonia run. Still, Dunkirk answered and tied the game at 16 early in the second quarter.

Then it all fell apart.

Fredonia scored 13 straight to end the first half with a double-digit lead, as Dunkirk went more than five minutes without a point. The Hillbillies led the rest of the way en route to a 59-30 win.

While Fredonia proved to be the more experienced team, which showed in the Hillbillies’ ability to stifle Dunkirk once things were rolling in Fredonia’s favor. None of the current Fredonia players had ever beaten Dunkirk on the varsity stage, but that changed emphatically on Friday night. It will be more than a month until these teams meet again, but from the looks of it, Fredonia is far and away ahead of Dunkirk at the moment.

Also of note: Fredonia cross country star Emily Brown and Silver Creek standout Ellie Decker each earned All-State honors. Brown made the All-State Girls Cross Country Class C Third Team, while Decker was Honorable Mention. Also, Chautauqua Lake volleyball star Olivia Anderson made the All-State Girls Volleyball Third Team for Class D.

This was an eventful week in the high school sports scene that featured the re-ignition of an old rivalry, the arrival of a dominant scorer in the county, and a statement win on the biggest of all stages in the regular season. That’s quite a week on the hardwood in mid-December.

Twitter: @bradencarmen

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