For the second time in three years after previously not having done so ever before in program history, the Warriors reached the New York Public High School Athletic Association semifinals.

Unfortunately, for the Far West Regional champions, this year’s trip to Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls ended with another defeat. This time, they fell to Section III champion Marcellus 70-48 on Thursday night.

The Mustangs came out swinging, halting a Warrior offense that has been productive all season long. But what didn’t help the struggling offense was Marcellus’ ability to slice through the Salamanca defense and win the battle on the boards.

The Warriors did show flashes of life every once in a while, but momentum was truly in the hands of the Mustangs. Salamanca did get the offense going late in the game, but the result was far out reach.

Salamanca’s Jacob Herrick drives the basket surrounded by a trio of Marcellus defenders in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B semifinal at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on Thursday. The Mustangs from Section III stormed past the Warriors for a 70-48 victory and will play in today’s final against Section II’s Stillwater. Photo courtesy of Salamanca Athletics

While Marcellus did dominate the game, for Salamanca coach Adam Bennett, in the moments after the game, it was less about what his squad was not able to do on the court and more about the true impact that they have had on each other and the Salamanca community as a whole.

“With our group, I couldn’t be more proud,” Bennett said. “They never stopped fighting … these are the toughest kids in the world, man. And their dream was stopped short tonight and that’s really tough, because I feel like they deserve it. But they’re getting so much more out of this. They’ve galvanized the community, there are little kids all over the community that look up to them. And they should, because they’re great human beings, first and foremost. I’m just exceptionally proud.”

For Bennett, this era of Warriors hoops that we are living in has stretched for far longer than just the most recent few years. Since their youth, the players on this team have lived on the court with one another, the coaching staff has garnered the experience and trust of the players along the way and in the best way possible, Bennett knows that this Salamanca program will not just be a team, but a family.

“That’s the reason why it’s the most successful era, it’s because the results came out of the hard work and the passion that they have for one another,” Bennett said. “Now, other people get to see how great of human beings that our seniors are and our juniors get to work to try to come right back here. That’s the legacy that (the seniors) leave. They set the bar incredibly high for the next group of Salamanca athletes.”

It’s a group of athletes that Lucus Brown has gladly shared the spotlight with. As Salamanca basketball’s all-time leading scorer, he has no doubt left his mark on the program, but it means just as much to him to have been able to establish the culture and legacy that he will now leave behind.

“It’s been amazing just making this culture really great and having a legacy to leave for the little kids that look up to us,” he said. “I’m gonna miss my guys, but I’m glad we ended it this way, in a good way. I feel like we had to do it in a good way.”

Salamanca’s No. 23 did in fact say goodbye to the high school stage of his career in a good way as he finished as the game’s leading scorer with as many points as the number on his back. His brother, Avery Brown, finished with 8 points while Jaxson Ross and Maddox Isaac put 6 points in the scoring column apiece.

However, it was the Mustangs’ trio of Will Kershaw (16 points), Will Burnett (15 points) and Dom Gosh-Sandy (10 points) that sank the Warriors for the final time this season.

Ultimately for Bennett, when it is all put into perspective, what his players have gone through in their lifetimes makes seeing them grow into the stand-up individuals that they are is part of why he got into coaching in the first place. The growth of his players, not just on the court, but off as well, has truly set the example of what it means to be a Warrior.

“I was lucky growing up I didn’t have one coach that cared just about winning games, they all cared about us as people and that’s why I wanted to coach,” Bennett said. “What Lucus has been through, what a lot of our kids (have gone through), Cory Holleran and Jaxson Ross lost parents this year. We’ve got other kids that have lost parents in the past, growing up in tough environments, and to be a part of watching them grow into the human beings that they are as well people were meaningful and impactful … They have set the example for every kid to follow of what you could do if you ignore the noise and don’t worry about where you came from. You chase your dream.”

Salamanca (48)

Herrick 2 0-0 4, Isaac 2 2-4 6, A. Brown 4 0-1 8, Ross 2 0-0 6, L. Brown 10 0-0 23, Trietley 0 1-2 1. Totals: 20 3-7 48.

Marcellus (70)

Donegan 3 0-0 8, Kociela 2 0-0 4, LeClair 2 0-0 4, Kershaw 7 1-3 16, W. Burnett 6 3-3 15, Meyer 3 0-0 6, T. Burnett 2 3-4 7, Gosh-Sandy 5 0-0 10. Totals: 30 7-10 70.

3-point goals–LBrown 3, Ross 2, Donegan 2, Kershaw.

Salamanca 7 9 12 20 — 48

Marcellus 13 20 22 15 — 70