All is right again in Jamestown.
The Frewsburg and Clymer girls, the Silver Creek Black Knights and the Brocton Bulldogs are feeling pretty good about themselves right now as well.
That's right, the playoff seedings were announced on Saturday - marking the start of yet another thrilling girls and boys basketball postseason - and each of the aforementioned squads earned top seeds, putting them in the driver's seat of their respective classes.
Article Photos
Above, Jamestown’s Quinn Lee Yaw, Silver Creek’s Billy Brooks and Brocton’s Dan Ferguson have helped their teams earn top seeds in their respective classes for the Section 6 boys basketball playoffs, which begin this week. Below, Jamestown’s Chrisanna Green, Frewsburg’s Shawn Raymond and Clymer’s Dani Reinwald lead their top-seeded girls squads into the postseason.
P-J?file photos
Others, however, lurk close behind.
Here's a look at what's in store - both in the girls and boys brackets - for the two-week whirlwind that is Section 6 playoff basketball:
CLASS AA
For the first time in two seasons, both the Jamestown boys and girls teams find themselves atop the Class AA bracket.
The last time that happened, the Red Raiders rolled to a Section 6 title, toppling longtime nemesis and rival Niagara Falls in the championship before eventually reaching the state title game at Glens Falls.
Led by high-powered scorer Tommy Campion, who over his last four games is averaging 30 points per contest, and a young, athletic core, a similarly strong showing is certainly in the cards this time around.
The Red Raiders, now 16-2 overall, rolled to an 11-1 record in Erie County Interscholastic Conference Division 1 action this season, along the way capturing a third straight league title.
First up is a battle with either eighth-seeded Frontier (9-9) or ninth-seeded West Seneca West on Feb. 22 at the McElrath Gymnasium. Against those two squads this season, Jamestown went a combined 4-0 and won by an average of 24.5 points.
A look at the other side of the bracket, however, shows that things will quickly get a little more dicey.
Niagara Falls (15-3), which has consistently ranked near the top of the New York State Sportswriters Association poll for the entire season, is the No. 2 seed while Williamsville North (15-3), which was the lone league opponent this season to beat the Red Raiders, is a three seed.
If history is any indication, Jamestown will likely meet Niagara Falls in the final. It would be their first matchup since last season's title game, when the Wolverines stormed back behind a 17-3 run to edge Jamestown in the game's waning moments, 48-45.
On the girls side, meanwhile, Coach Mark Nugent couldn't have asked for a better first season.
His Lady Red Raiders also cruised through league competition, losing just once - a surprising loss, at that, on Jan. 30 to Williamsville North - but since then has racked up four straight wins by an average of 25 points.
Nugent and his group's balanced scoring attack will first have to contend with either No. 8 Orchard Park (8-10) or No. 9 Kenmore West (6-12) on Feb. 26. Should the Lady Red Raiders take care of business then, they may get a shot at redemption on March 1 at Sweet Home High School if Williamsville North, a five seed, can get by No. 4 Niagara Falls in its quarterfinal contest.
Lockport, 15-1, and Lancaster, 11-5, are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, on the other side of the bracket.
While Jamestown could likely get by Lancaster with little trouble (in two games the Lady Red Raiders outscored Lancaster, 123-78), Lockport might be another story.
Over the past five years, in fact, Lockport has won three sectional titles - two of which were secured by defeating Jamestown in the finals.
CLASS C
T-Minus 12 days.
That's all that separates area fans and players from the boys' marquee matchup that's felt inevitable since day one - Silver Creek and Maple Grove.
Never far from one another's collective mind, the pair earned No. 1 (Silver Creek) and No. 2 (Maple Grove) seeds for their class, which means two of the best in not only Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, but also the state, could very well meet for the first time this season - and the second time in as many seasons - with a Class C-2 title on the line.
Silver Creek's road will be the easiest.
Receiving a first-round bye, the undefeated Black Knights will square off against either No. 8 Olmsted or No. 9 I-Prep on Feb. 22. Both Olmsted and I-Prep have sub-.500 records this season.
While Maple Grove will likely have little trouble with its quarterfinal opponent (Frewsburg or Chautauqua Lake), it could face a real test in the semifinals, assuming No. 3 Portville advances.
Portville, a CCAA Division 2 squad, has only lost two games this season - both to Silver Creek.
Should the Red Dragons advance to the finals, however, it would be a welcome repeat of last year's epic sectional battle. That one went into overtime before Silver Creek managed to clinch the slim, one-point victory, 58-57.
In the girls bracket, another pair of squads are on a seemingly similar collision course.
The rivalry has already given fans a pair of memorable games this season - Frewsburg defeated Randolph with a last-second layup in the first meeting and then Randolph beat Frewsburg in overtime in the second - and yet another could be in store in the Class C crossover.
Of course, each would have to take care of business in its respective bracket first.
Frewsburg earned a top seed in Class C-2 after putting together an impressive 16-2 record. The Bears, which tied Randolph for a league title, lost one game during Division 2 play, and drew a quarterfinal battle with No. 8 Portville on Feb. 23.
A real obstacle for the Bears, however, is Chautauqua Lake, a two seed. The two squads play a similar, high-pressure style, and the matchup would be an interesting one. Last year the Bears handled the then-youthful Chautauqua Lake squad in the C-2 semifinals, racking up 36 steals on the way to a 70-43 victory.
To this point unbeaten, Chautauqua Lake will not be so easy this time around.
CLASS D
Top-seed Clymer looks to be in control of the talent-laden Class D girls bracket.
Led by Dani Reinwald, who has averaged 22 points per game and, on more than one occasion, hauled in 30-plus rebounds in a single game, the Lady Pirates rolled to a 16-2 record this season.
Adding to Clymer's confidence is the fact that it has already taken care of its major playoff competition. In its four regular-season matchups with Sherman, a two seed, and Ellicottville, a three seed, the Lady Pirates went a solid 3-1. It's only loss came early on to Ellicottville.
And, given the fact that Sherman and Ellicottville will very likely meet in the bracket's semifinal, Clymer's odds of reaching the sectional final, and perhaps capturing a second straight sectional title, are high.
But with Elle Reed, who is averaging a Section 6-high 32.6 points per game this season, leading Sherman (16-2) and Janae Hamilton, who is third in Section 6 with a 25.8 points per game average, leading Ellicottville neither team should be counted out.
On the boys side, Brocton captured the top seed behind its near-perfect 15-1 mark. Sherman, a No. 2 seed that was ranked by the NYSSWA for much of the season, and Clymer, a No. 3 seed, are looking to play spoiler, however.
While either Sherman or Clymer should be eliminated in the semifinal round - that's when they should play one another - Brocton's road looks far less strenuous. After squaring off against Forestville or Pine Valley in the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs next battle will be with another sub-.500 team, this time either North Collins or Ellicottville.
Brocton went unbeaten against North Collins and Ellicottville in four meetings this season.