Salamanca's Maddox Isaac gets up a shot in front of Falconer defender Max Parmentier in the Section VI Class B crossover at Buffalo State Sports Arena on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey

BUFFALO — Lucus Brown wasn’t as assertive as he could’ve been throughout the second half of Tuesday’s Section VI Class B crossover game.

The Salamanca senior made a difference at the end.

Brown gave the Class B1 champion Warriors a three-point lead with a bucket in the lane, then converted a three-point play with 1:25 remaining to put the game away as Salamanca beat Class B2 champion Falconer 55-45 at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.

“It comes from confidence; putting the trust into my coach and teammates to do that,” Brown said postgame. “Big-time players made big plays so I did that for our team.”

Next up for the Warriors is a date at 1 p.m. Saturday date Section V champion Avon in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regionals back at Buff State. The Braves beat Mynderse in the Rochester area’s Class B crossover game Tuesday evening.

“These guys have always been at their best when they face adversity. We hadn’t faced any yet in the playoffs,” Salamanca head coach Adam Bennett said. “To have a 10-point lead, get cut to one and then really buckle down defensively … then have timely buckets offensively … that’s what good teams do. I’m proud of these guys for the way they finished.”

Most expected Salamanca to be Section VI’s representative Saturday, but Falconer certainly put up a fight Tuesday.

The Warriors led by 10 entering the fourth quarter, but the Golden Falcons’ Mathis Baehr scored on the first possession of the period and Nate Bailey followed with a layup to make it a seven-point game. Falconer’s Zach Markham then converted a three-point play to make it 44-40 with 5:40 remaining.

“In that huddle, we said we had them reeling,” said Falconer head coach Jordan Goold, who called a timeout before Markham’s free throw. “They felt all the pressure. We needed to keep applying it and keep pushing. I could tell in that moment they truly believed they could win that game.”

After a pair of Salamanca turnovers, Bailey knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game.

“He was awesome. That was the moment where everybody sat there and said ‘OK, we really have a chance here to win it,'” Goold said. “Nate gave us that opportunity.”

Falconer had three chances to take the lead, but a missed layup and two free throws to go along with a turnover that kept the Warriors in the lead.

Lucus Brown then ended a drought that included six turnovers and three missed shots for Salamanca when he scored in the lane to make it 46-43. Avery Brown added a bucket before Lucus Brown scored through contact and added the free throw for an eight-point lead with just over a minute remaining.

“I thought we did a really good job on him and then he really showed how great he is. The way he scored was tough. He scored great-player types of shots,” Goold said of Lucus Brown. “He’s a great player … he came through when they needed him.”

After getting within a point, the Golden Falcons went 0 for 7 from the field, including six missed 3-point attempts, while the Warriors’ Maddox Issac, Jaxson Ross and Avery Brown put the game away at the foul line.

“Give a ton of credit to Falconer. That’s a really good team. Coach Goold has done an amazing job,” Bennett said. “They were not intimidated, being their first time here. … It reminds me a lot of our team two years ago.”

While Falconer’s season came to an end, it still included a sectional crown just three years after going winless as a program. And the Golden Falcons will return a large part of their core next season.

“We were just a couple of games away from the big one. The way they were in that locker room; they were upset,” Goold said. “They really wanted that state championship and they are hurt because they didn’t get it.”

Salamanca’s season, on the other hand, continues with hopes of reaching a second state final four in the past three years.

“As the playoffs go along, the competition gets harder and harder. We know that,” Lucus Brown said. “We overcame some adversity and we fought back to win the game.”

NOTES: Lucus Brown finished with 20 points, Jacob Herrick had 11 and Avery Brown had 10 for Salamanca, which shot 19 of 36 from the field, including 7 of 16 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times. … Roger Markham and Baehr scored 11 points apiece for Falconer, which shot 16 of 43 from the field, including 5 of 20 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times.

FALCONER (45)

Fuller 2 0 6, Baehr 5 0 11, Bailey 3 1 8, RMarkham 2 6 11, ZMarkham 3 1 7, Parmentier 1 0 2. Totals 16 8 44.

SALAMANCA (55)

Herrick 4 2 11, Bradley 0 0 0, Isaac 2 2 7, ABrown 4 2 10, Ross 2 1 7, LBrown 7 3 20, Holleran 0 0 0, Trietley 0 0 0. Totals 19 10 55.

3-point goals-Fuller 2, Baehr, Bailey, RMarkham, Herrick, Isaac, Ross 2, LBrown 3.

Falconer 12 9 13 11 – 45

Salamanca 13 17 14 11 – 55