Salamanca runs away with Class B2 championship, Newfane takes B1 crown

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Salamanca used strong performances from a pair of players in the Class B2 final to run away from Wilson, while Newfane used hot shooting to take down Health Science in the Class B1 title game on Sunday afternoon at Buffalo State.

The Salamanca Warriors used the lifts from two players -- Leilene McComber and Skyla Dowdy, who combined for 32 of the Warriors' 51 points in a 51-32 win.

McComber jumped on Wilson first, scoring nine points in the first quarter and 11 in the first half to jump out to a double-digit lead. Dowdy took over in the second quarter, scoring nine points in the second stanza as she finished with 16 points, despite some foul trouble late in the game that limited her availability in the waning minutes. McComber also had 16, matching Dowdy's total.

"We're cousins, so the chemistry we share, it's just really great," Dowdy said. "We always dominate together and it's really fun being on the court with her. I'm so sad that I'll be leaving her next year."

Makenzie Crouse chipped in seven points, mostly late in the game.

On the other side of the floor the Warriors clamped down on defense, especially in the paint. The Lakewomen only scored 14 points in the first half and didn't fare much better in the second half, with 18 in the second half.

"It's a game of runs so we had to be prepared for Wilson to kind of hit us back with a run so we had to really clamp down and don't stay super relaxed because we got to finish the game," Salamanca coach Joe Hinman said.

The win earns Salamanca its first sectional title since 2012 as a member of Class C.

"It's hard to explain," Hinman said. "It's because of these girls. The time that they've put in, we've been playing a great brand of basketball coming into this game, we had a lot of momentum coming in."

Newfane's shooting lifts Panthers to B1 crown

It was something of a similar story in the B1 title game, with two of Newfane's stars -- Anna Chunco and Kameryn Boyer -- scoring the majority of their team's points in a 59-38 rout of Health Science in the B1 title game, ending a 29-year sectional title drought.

Both Chunco and Boyer came out of the gates firing. The pair combined for 17 of Newfane's 19 first-quarter points with Chunco scoring nine and Boyer scoring eight, and then later combined to score 31 of the Panthers' 33 first-half points as Newfane jumped out to a 15-point lead by the break.

"We all play really good together and I'm glad we were able to execute," Chunco said. "We help each other stay calm and relaxed, we don't let each other get in anyone's head ... we just work really well together."

In the end, Chunco scored a game-high 26 points, while Boyer scored 17. Chunco hit a quartet of three-pointers along the way.

"I like to be able to shoot threes," Chunco said. "It just helps me be an overall well-rounded player. If they come out at me I can pass it to the inside girls."

Sienna Bowers and Ah-Leena Golden each chipped in eight points. Tahjanique Brooks and Noora Alkaldi had 13 each to pace Health Science.

The Panthers got the win to end a nearly three-decade title drought dating back to 1996. The program has been historically successful, winning five sectional titles in seven years between 1984 and 1990 and earning another title in 1996, but it had not won one since.

"We put a lot of work in. We haven't had a lot of success in terms of getting to the semis," Newfane coach Kevin Klumpp said. "Whatever happened on Wednesday where we took down Southwestern, which is a powerhouse, that was awesome. We all came together, and then to come here and finish the deal, it means a lot."

Now, Newfane and Salamanca will face off on Wednesday night in the Class B crossover game with a bid to the state tournament on the line.