Fredonia’s opponent, Buffalo Arts, did not show much interest in spoiling the party.

On a night when the greatest team in Fredonia history was honored with a pregame ceremony, the latest edition of the Fredonia Hillbillies took care of business after the opening tip with a 71-28 victory over the Buffalo Arts Cavaliers in a Section VI non-league boys basketball game at Fredonia High School.

Fredonia honored the 1993-94 Hillbillies team on Friday, the first Chautauqua County boys team to ever advance to the State Final Four.

“We look at the banner every day we come into the gym,” Fredonia head coach Nick Bertrando said of the 1993-94 team’s success. “I recognized it’s been 30 years and I thought it was more than appropriate to really honor the past and pay tribute to the Fredonia basketball program in general. We talk about it all the time, tradition does not graduate.”

Former Fredonia basketball player Mike Spacc, a junior on the 1993-94 State Final Four team, spoke during a pregame ceremony to honor the team 30 years after the deepest playoff run in school history. P-J photo by Braden Carmen

Led by head coach Dave Polechetti, the 1993-94 team featured junior point guard Mike Spacc and four senior starters, including Mike Heary, a First Team All-State selection who is still the Chautauqua County record holder for the most points scored in a single game, 62 points.

“Coach Polechetti reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in doing it, and of course, we were all honored,” Spacc said of Friday’s ceremony. He then noted that it was Bertrando who proposed the idea to honor the team.

“He’s doing a great job with the program, trying to bring what really is a family of Fredonia basketball back together to show what we had years ago can continue in the future,” Spacc said of Bertrando.

Spacc spoke to the crowd in attendance during a pregame ceremony, but he also spoke to the players in the locker room before tip-off to inspire them to put on a show.

“Like I told the team in the locker room, you get one chance to do this. You get once chance to play high school basketball, and what you make of it can create memories for the rest of your life,” Spacc said.

Fredonia senior Davion White throws a pass over a Buffalo Arts Cavaliers defender during Friday’s non-league game at Fredonia High School. P-J photo by Braden Carmen

Spacc echoed that sentiment when reflecting on his own accomplishments shortly before Friday’s game began.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my life, but I always have times when I think back to how special it was what we accomplished,” Spacc said. “No matter what is going on in my life, it’s been one of the highlights.”

Fredonia’s team a year ago nearly reached the same stage as the 1993-94 team. Bertrando’s team was one inadvertent whistle by a referee away from following in their footsteps with a trip to State. Some of the key players this year were on last season’s team, including seniors Davion White and Mike Hahn, who hit what would have been the shot to send the Hillbillies to State.

It was only fitting that those seniors led the way in Friday’s win.

White led Fredonia with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory on Friday. His stats could have been even more impressive if Bertrando let him play the entire game, but in a blowout, White left the floor for good early in the fourth quarter.

The 1993-94 Fredonia team is pictured with the current squad. The 30th anniversary of Fredonia's trip to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys basketball Final Four was celebrated ahead of Friday's game. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

“If you watch him play, he’s all over the floor — literally — whether he’s getting knocked down or he’s diving purposely on the floor. The nice thing is, when you have somebody with that capability, you can really move him around on the court,” Bertrando said. “He’s a very passionate vocal leader. He not only leads by example, but also with a leadership voice. These guys look up to him and we’re pretty fortunate to have him.”

White said that by pushing his teammates, it pushes him to also be at his best. “Listening to what my coach says every day, working hard in practice, it really pays off. I work my tail off every day in practice, I help all these other kids, and it pushes me to go to my furthest limit,” White said.

White noted that he felt a bit of added pressure to show off for the Fredonia greats in attendance, but he knows that every game, he needs to be at his best.

“It’s pressure every game for me. I’ve got to lift up this team, I’ve got to bring up the energy, I’ve got to lead this team so we can be the best we can,” White said. “My team, we’ve all got pressure on us, no matter what, even in practice.”

On Friday, Fredonia (4-2) scored 10 of the game’s first 12 points and never looked back. The Hillbillies led 18-6 after the first quarter, then added to the lead with a 19-13 advantage in the second quarter for a 37-19 halftime lead. Fredonia led by double digits the entire second half.

“I thought we shared the ball extremely well. Early on, we were attacking the basket, which led to some opportunities from the outside. Getting out in transition definitely helped, as well, early to jump start everything,” Bertrando said.

Buffalo Arts (1-4) scored just 9 points the entire second half, with 5 points in the third quarter and 4 points in the final frame.

Hahn was the game’s second-leading scorer with 16 points, despite also leaving early in the fourth quarter. He hit four 3-pointers in the contest.

Another piece to last season’s team, Ashton Putney, contributed 9 points and 9 rebounds. Six of his 9 points came in the third quarter from driving into the paint, rather than from beyond the arc, as he preferred throughout most of his varsity career.

The Hillbillies now look ahead to the Clarence Holiday Tournament, beginning Thursday with a matchup against the Western New York Maritime Falcons.

“We really try to play a tough non-league schedule with a variety of teams. There’s just certain teams that you cannot simulate in your practice, that we’re not going to see similarly in our league, but we could potentially see down the road in the playoffs,” Bertrando said. “That’s what we really try to do with our non-league schedule.”

But looking back to last season, Bertrando recalled how many of the former Fredonia players that were honored on Friday reached out to offer their support during his team’s run through the playoffs.

“That’s what’s special about the program. We talk about how the orange and black runs deep. The impact that the program has had on their lives — to where they are now as men, as leaders, as fathers, as community members — is special. That’s something that we really strive for and talk about with our guys every single day. This is bigger than basketball,” Bertrando said.

That point is not lost on White, Fredonia’s senior leader this season.

“We have people that support us that have been gone for 30 years that come back. This tradition that we have is amazing, and I love being a part of it,” White said. “Every single day I represent orange and black, and I do it with pride.”

BUFFALO ARTS (28)

Wilson 1 0 2, Johnson 0 0 0, Daniels 2 6 10, Thomas 1 1 3, Hall 4 1 10, Robinson 1 0 2, Gordon 0 1 1. Totals 9 9 28.

FREDONIA (71)

Putney 4 0 9, Field 0 0 0, Quinn 0 0 0, Koopman 2 0 5, Luce 2 0 4, White 10 4 26, Hahn 6 0 16, Lincoln 2 0 4, Gullo 1 1 3, Hall 0 0 0, Ferguson 1 0 2, Dowdy 1 0 2. Totals 29 5 71.

3-point goals–Hall, Putney, Koopman, White 2, Hahn 4.

Buffalo Arts 6 13 5 4 — 28

Fredonia 18 19 18 16 — 71