In the final season of longtime head coach Irv King, the Pirates have wanted to keep the year going as long as possible. If they wanted to play another week it meant getting through the No. 3 team in the state, Andover/Whitesville, and to do that the Pirates would need to play their game.

That’s exactly what Clymer did as it dictated the pace after winning a fast-paced first quarter, slowing the Section V champion for a 63-49 victory at Buffalo State Sports Arena.

“The very last couple of seconds was nothing but elated,” King said about his emotions as the final seconds ticked off the clock. “They made a little run at us there with about three or four minutes left. I was a little concerned with how tight it was going to get, but the guys made some big plays. Honestly, this is just something you always dream about getting a chance to do. So for the boys and me, we’re going to take that ride to states.”

Coming into the contest the key for Clymer was to control the pace of play, making sure the game did not turn into a race to the basket. Through the first couple of minutes it looked like the Panthers were gearing up for a game in their favor, but the Pirates brought some offense of their own and a five-point swing, courtesy of a Kameron Einink 3-pointer and a Carson White bucket, gave Clymer a 17-14 lead at the end of the period and it would never relinquish it.

Clymer’s Carson White drives to the basket while being tightly guarded by an Andover/Whtesville defender during Friday night’s Class D Far West Regional at Buffalo State Sports Arena OBSERVER photo by Cody Jacobson

“Seniors really stepped up,” King stated. “Kam Einink hit some big shots early there to get us going and Carson White played a tremendous game. That senior leadership kind of just sets the tone and the rest go along.”

After a high-scoring first quarter, Clymer stunted the Andover/Whitesville (21-3) offense that scored under 60 points just once prior to last night and limited the Panthers to single-digits in both the middle quarters.

“I thought the first minute to minute and a half we took a couple quick shots,” King said. “It’s not that they were bad shots, but we were fast and we let them run. From that point on, I thought we did a great job making them play our style and really having to work. It was a good shooting team, but really tonight they had one guy that shot it well and the rest kind of played into how we wanted to defend.”

Going against a team that boasts four guys averaging double-figures, Clymer stymied everyone except junior Vincent Joyce who constantly fought on the glass at both ends of the floor. Joyce scored a team-high 23 points and fellow junior Brody Vance scored 12 of his 20 in the fourth quarter when the game was all but decided.

“Joyce had a heck of a game rebounding with some putbacks,” King said. “I really felt had we been able to take care of that, we would have been able to walk away. Defensively, I thought we did a fantastic job taking away the shots they wanted and dictating how it went.”

Instead, it was Clymer with four of its players reaching double figures. White led the pack with a game-high 25 points, Eli Mitchell had 12, Einink provided 11 and Roman Wassink fought for 10.

“(White) sets that tempo for us and settles us down,” King said. “I can’t say enough about the game he played for us.”

Working most of the game with a 10-point lead, Clymer led 46-31 going into the final period and even a late push was not enough with the Pirates controlling the tempo. The Panthers had their best quarter of the evening with 18 points, but it was not enough as they could not simultaneously slow down Clymer which can look forward to it first trip to the Final Four.

“Since the state playoffs started, nobody has ever gotten past this Far West Regional,” King said about the program. “I’m thrilled for the guys and it’s a dream come true.”

Clymer (17-6) will play the winner of Edmeston Central-IV and Sackets Harbor-III in the Class D semifinals next Saturday at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.

ANDOVER/WHITESVILLE (49)

Miller-Young 3 0 6, Perkins 0 0 0, Kent 0 0 0, Mattison 0 0 0, Joyce 7 9 23, Vance 7 2 20, Frungillo 0 0 0, Calladine 0 0 0, Orpet 0 0 0. Totals 17 11 49.

CLYMER (63)

White 8 6 25, Gomez 0 0 0, Beckerink 2 1 5, KWassink 0 0 0, Einink 2 5 11, Johnson 0 0 0, Mitchell 5 2 12, RWassink 4 2 10, Redlecki 0 0 0, Lao 0 0 0. Totals 21 13 63.

3-point goals–Vance 3, White 3, Einink 2.

Andover/Whitesville 14 8 9 18 — 49

Clymer 17 10 19 17 — 63