The only problem, the Golden Falcons had to go through the Section VI Class B2 top seed, the MST Wolves.

It was no secret that Falconer needed a strong game from sophomore Roger Markham to reach its goals and the Wolves knew that too.

MST’s John Curry was tasked with containing Markham’s offense, but one can only do that for so long. Markham scored 11 of his team-high 24 points in the third quarter to help the Golden Falcons build a 43-31 lead with a quarter between them and the finals. That lead provided largely by Markham was too much for MST to overcome as the fifth-seeded Golden Falcons won 53-44 at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.

“We are so excited, so pumped up,” Falconer head coach Jordan Goold said about getting back to the sectional final.

Falconer’s Roger Markham puts up a shot inside during Wednesday’s Section VI Class B2 semifinal boys basketball game against MST at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey

“We’ve put in all the work, all the time, all the dedication,” Goold added. “We knew that we earned the right to be here and we knew that we belonged here, and I think we really showed that on the stage tonight.”

Markham hustled for the Golden Falcons in every phase of the game scoring 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists.

“He had a very adverse first half,” Goold said about Markham. “The message was very clear and simple to just keep on going. I think he started with a 3-pointer and then a nice hard layup to the hoop, and then after that he knew he was right where he needed to be. From there on out Curry could play as hard as he wants, but Roger was back to being Roger.”

With Curry doing a great job limiting Markham in the first half, Falconer needed its depth to step up and the first person to do so was Mathis Baehr, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half. Baehr did a great job of playing physical as he attacked the basket, but his aggressive style led to three first-half fouls. Along with his 15 points he grabbed four rebounds and three steals.

Playing the foul game late in the first half and Markham’s slower start, MST managed a narrow 22-20 lead at the break. In the second half, Falconer was going to need more than just Markham and Baehr elevating their games.

“I told them what they were doing wrong,” Goold said about halftime. “They all knew what they were doing wrong, they held themselves accountable and they showed 110% in the second half. They passed the ball as a team, they played good team defense and they looked like a great team.”

Goold’s halftime talk got every one of his players going in the right direction again and that’s when they began to pull away from the Wolves. The 23-9 third-quarter scoreline proved the difference as the 12 point lead was too much to overcome.

The Wolves finished the game strong as the Golden Falcons offense stagnated late in the game, but Falconer made the baskets when they mattered most. MST was led by Shamere Davis with a game-high 26 points, scoring 15 in the second half including his 1,000th career point.

“We said if he’s got the ball that two guys have to be ready to guard him,” Goold said about covering Davis. “Everybody else come in to help and play the next pass. If he’s away from the ball they always know where he is and they did a fantastic job on defense the whole game.”

Falconer’s 53-44 result put them back in the sectional final for the first time since 2007 and gives the Golden Falcons the chance to win their second title, having only one from 1982.

“Back to work,” Goold said about the sectional final. “We’ve got two more days. We’re going to find out who our opponent is, we’re going to scout them and we’re just going to keep digging. We’ve been digging the last couple of weeks … we’re just going to dig a little bit deeper, find a little bit more and if it’s enough, it’s enough. Our eyes are on putting a 2024 sectional championship up in our gym and we’re really excited we have an opportunity to do it.”

Falconer will play the winner of today’s game between No. 2 Eden and No. 6 Allegany-Limestone on Saturday at noon back at Buffalo State University.

FALCONER (53)

Fuller 1 0 2, Baehr 5 4 15, Swanson 0 0 0, Bailey 1 0 3, RMarkham 7 8 24, ZMarkham 1 2 4, Binkley 0 0 0, Parmentier 2 1 5. Totals 17 15 53.

MST (44)

Lindsay 1 0 2, Curry 0 3 3, Davis 9 6 26, Watson-Cole 2 0 4, Bom 3 0 6, Staples 1 0 3. Totals 16 9 44.

3-point goals–Baehr, Bailey, RMarkham, Davis 2, Staples.

Falconer 8 12 23 10 — 53

MST 8 14 9 13 — 44