The Lackawanna Boys Varsity Basketball team excelled this year, making it all the way to the Section VI Class B-1 finals.
The semifinal games versus Riverside showed off the team’s up-tempo gameplay and a solid 19-0 fourth quarter propelled them into the finals against Olean.
During that game Juilenn Clements led the Steelers with 22 points. Jordon Rivers had 17 and Archie Saeed wound up with 16 for a total score of 88-67 over the Frontiersmen.
Heading into the finals, Olean proved to be a tough opponent for the Steelers. The Huskies held the Steelers at bay for the beginning of the game until Jesus Alvarez led Lackawanna on a 6-0 run coming out of halftime. Alvarez had a total of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
With the encouragement of Coach Marcus D. Rivers, the team narrowed the score gap to one point with the score 46-45 in the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Olean team outplayed the Steelers and finished the game with a score of 60-55.
The Boys Varsity Basketball team finished the season with an 18-5 record and with no lack of heart.
“The team worked hard, and we had the capability of going far. We lost to a good, well-coached team. We have a lot of talent coming back next year and our goal is always to make it to the final four in Class-B,” Coach Rivers said.