Swanson, Stockwell Lead Jamestown Past Niagara Wheatfield
Mackenzie Swanson scored 13 points and Allie Stockwell added 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Jamestown, the No. 4 seed, to a 43-26 victory over No. 5 Niagara Wheatfield in a Section VI Class AA quarterfinal basketball game at McElrath Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
“Kenzie started us off in the first half knocking down some shots and being aggressive and getting to the (foul) line, and Allie kind of found her place in the high post and was really aggressive going by some of those slower-footed girls in the middle,” Lady Red Raiders coach Tim Anderson said.
That combination — in addition to a defense that limited the Lady Falcons to 18 percent shooting from the field — was enough for the Lady Red Raiders to advance to Friday’s semifinal at 5:30 p.m. at Sweet Home High School. There, they’ll meet No. 1 Clarence (19-2), which knocked off No. 8 Orchard Park, 52-25, last night.
“It’s what we expected,” Anderson said. “(Clarence) is the No. 1 seed, they’ve been the best team in (Class) AA all year, they have three 6-footers and their guards are solid. They’re the best team in our class for a reason.”
Jamestown’s win over Niagara Wheatfield improved its record to 9-12.
“We played a really tough non-league schedule,” Anderson said. “We’ve played good competition all year and the girls have grown a little bit from it. It’s nice to take the next step and get to a semifinal game after losing in the quarterfinals last year. … It’s wide open. Anything can happen in the top four seeds.”
Although the Lady Red Raiders and Lady Falcons were fourth- and fifth-seeded respectively, the hosts were clearly in charge the entire game, opening up a 12-4 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 22-11 at the break. The reason the game was even that close was because Jamestown was turning the ball over too much. In fact, 15 of their 22 turnovers came in the first half.
“It’s something we’ll have to be better at against Clarence,” Anderson said. “Their size is always a worry, but they’ve gotten better at pressuring as well. They’re definitely going to be a tough test.
“But I’m proud of our girls for the growth they’ve shown and I think they’ll be prepared. They kind of already had it in (their mind) that (Clarence) was who we were going to play, so we’ll be ready to go.”
In addition to double-figure scoring from Swanson and Stockwell, Anderson was also pleased with the effort of Macey Lundmark who had seven points and was Jamestown’s “driving force.”
“She was pushing the ball up the floor and finding people,” Anderson added. “And, as a guard, she rebounds really well, so I was happy with her game, too.”
NIAGARA WHEATFIELD (26)
Lacheski 1 1 3, Klidoras 1 0 2, Hamby 0 0 0, Carrier 1 1 3, Zayatz 0 0 0, Kruening 0 1 1, Perrault 1 0 2, Ward 1 0 3, Jackson 3 0 6, Smith 3 0 6. Totals 11 3 26.
JAMESTOWN (43)
Swanson 3 6 13, Lundmark 1 5 7, Stockwell 5 1 12, Reinhardt 1 0 2, Indelicato 2 0 5, Gates 0 0 0, Bennett 1 0 3, Evan 0 0 0, Brightman 0 1 1. Totals 13 13 43.
3-point goals–Ward, Swanson, Stockwell, Indelicato, Bennett.
Niagara Wheatfield 4 7 6 9 — 26
Jamestown 12 10 9 12 — 43
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