“We’re excited and humbled to be representing the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association, the Fredonia school and Fredonia community — and hopefully bringing back a B2 championship on Saturday,” Fredonia head coach Nick Bertrando said.

The 10th-seeded Hillbillies defeated the third-seeded Newfane Panthers 53-49 on Thursday night in a Section VI Class B2 semifinal at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.

When asked if the feeling ever gets old, Fredonia’s free-spoken leader Ethan Fry gave the easiest answer he has ever given, “Nah, definitely not.”

Fry continued, “It’s a winning culture at Fredonia, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”

Fredonia’s Davion White takes the ball to the basket during Thursday’s Section VI Class B2 semifinal against Newfane at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. P-J photo by Ashleigh Brown

Fredonia (17-7) is used to being under-seeded, but the battle-tested Hillbillies showed on Thursday night that the challenging schedule that led to such an understated record paid dividends in big moments.

“The deeper you advance in the playoffs, you’ve got to trust your training. You’ve got to trust your experiences,” Bertrando said. “In the heat of the moment … you revert back to your tendencies that you’ve established. That was another testament to tonight.”

The Hillbillies were down a pair, 49-47, after Newfane (17-5) responded to a six-point deficit in the final period with an 8-0 run. But after the score evened at 49-49 with 2:30 left, the Hillbillies had the opportunity to claim a spot in the title game well within their reach.

The Hillbillies prepared all season for the moment they found themselves in at the end of Thursday’s game. From beginning the season at Fredonia State University against East Aurora, to games at Penn State Behrend and Jamestown Community College, Fredonia was ready for the big stage.

“It 100% helps us. We played on college courts all year,” said Fry. “We prepared with the end in mind. This is exactly where we wanted to be. … People were doubting us, but we knew.”

Each team had five players score in the contest. Evan Myers of Newfane led all scorers by a large margin, with 27 points. Ben Dickinson added 11 points for the Panthers, but the rest of the team only accounted for 11 total points.

Fredonia’s five scorers featured junior sharpshooter Mike Hahn atop the list with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Half of his 16 points came in the third quarter.

The other two scorers in double figures for Fredonia were both seniors. Fry had 13 points, including a personal 9-0 run to give Fredonia the advantage heading into halftime. Keegan Whitfield had 10 points, including two 3-pointers — his first two shots from behind the arc for the entire season.

But the players who lit up the stat sheet the least of the five who scored on Thursday were the two that made the biggest plays of the game in the final moments.

With just over two minutes remaining, Davi White stuck with a loose ball and gathered an offensive rebound in traffic. He then rose over a Newfane defender and converted the second-chance layup for a 51-49 lead.

But once Fredonia took the lead, it had to hang on to it. For a coach who stressed defense in at least 10 of his postgame interviews this season, Bertrando’s team was right where he wanted them to be.

“(Bertrando) puts us through hell every day in practice,” Fry said. “He prepared us for moments like this.”

On the ensuing possession after Fredonia claimed the lead, Jay Hawk — the senior known for “doing the dirty work” throughout his early career before stepping into a bigger offensive role this season — took a hit in the lane harder than most hits he took on the football field this past fall. He popped up to a roar from his bench as the charge was called.

“It was huge,” Bertrando said. “We talked about in a game like this, on the defensive end, it can come down to one or two plays.

“Jay has been just a phenomenal individual all year,” Bertrando continued. “He told me at the beginning of the year, ‘Coach, this is my last year. I’m just going to empty the tank.’ … He has been our rock, our leader in that position all year.”

But then, after a Fredonia turnover, Newfane had an opportunity for a 3-pointer to take the lead in the final 10 seconds of the game. But just like the previous matchup a week ago where the Section VI bracket lined Fredonia up as an underdog against Cleveland Hill, the shot from beyond the arc was no good.

“Defense wins championships. Going deeper in the playoffs, you’ve got to get stops,” Bertrando said. “We’ve always talked about starting on the defensive end. To hold a really good team like that to 49 points is a testament to these guys and what they bring to the table — what they strive to achieve every day.”

Fry later tossed the ball down the court to a streaking White, who got behind the Newfane defense and sent the Fredonia crowd into a frenzy as he converted the layup just seconds before the final buzzer sounded.

“I really didn’t even know how much time was left … The layup went up and it went in, and I just knew we were going to the blue patch game,” Fry said. “It was a great feeling. All the hard work we’ve put in … we deserve this. I’m so glad that we did it with this group of guys. It’s family over here.”

Fredonia now has the tall task of facing Salamanca again for the third time this season. The top-seeded Warriors (20-2) defeated Lewis J. Bennett 74-55 in Thursday’s first semifinal. Salamanca beat Fredonia 68-46 on Jan. 10 in Salamanca, then again 70-61 on Jan. 30 in Fredonia, in a game that featured 36 points from Warriors junior Lucus Brown.

“It’s time to redeem myself. I got a red patch in football, and that just wasn’t good enough for me,” Fry said. “I want a blue patch and I’ve got the opportunity now with a great group of guys.”

FREDONIA (53)

Hahn 5 2 16, Whitfield 4 0 10, Fry 6 0 13, Putney 0 0 0, White 3 0 6, Hawk 4 0 8. Totals 22 2 53.

NEWFANE (49)

Snow 2 0 5, Courtemanche 0 0 0, Braman 2 0 4, Gibson 1 0 2, Myers 10 4 27, Dickinson 5 1 11, Boyer 0 0 0. Totals 20 5 49.

3-point goals–Hahn 4, Whitfield 2, Fry, Snow, Myers 3.

Fredonia 12 16 15 10 — 53

Newfane 13 8 20 8 — 49