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Host Bulldogs eliminate Bullets in regional final
By Byron Painter
Editor
Scoring 56 points has been more than enough for the Williamsville Bullets boys basketball team on
numerous occasions during its 24-win campaign.
But last Friday in the finals of the Class 2A St. Teresa Regional, it was not nearly enough to defeat the
host Bulldogs.
Bill Ipsen’s second-seeded Bulldogs scored at least 15 points in each stanza and claimed a 68-56 win
over the top-seeded Bullets.
“We did not do the little things,” said WHS coach Eric Buerkett. “We gave up the dribble drive and we did
not box out.
“When you do not do those things, you will lose, and when you score 56 points in a regional
championship, you should win the game.”
The high-scoring Bulldogs, who eclipsed 80 points on several occasions this season, never trailed;
they scored the first six points of the contest.
WHS got within 8-6 after consecutive buckets from Josh Gentile and Brandon Donnelly, but St. Teresa
responded with an 8-2 run, including three free throws from Preston Shelley with less than a second left, to
take a 16-8 lead.
The St. T lead stayed between six and 11 for most of the second period.
Williamsville scored five points in a row, on two Travis Combs freebies and a Gentile triple, to get within
29-24, then the Bullets had the ball with just under three seconds left after a Bulldog turnover.
WHS threw the ball long, but it went out of bounds without being touched, so the Bulldogs got the ball
back in the frontcourt.
Nick Sanford then scored just before the horn to change the momentum of the game and give the
Bulldogs a 31-24 halftime bulge.
Shelley’s trifecta upped the Bulldogs’ lead to 40-28, and the lead was at 12 on several occasions in the
quarter.
Gentile made a conventional 3-point play to make it 49-40.
The Bullets misfired on their next possession, then Drew Burrows banked a 3-pointer from the
volleyball line and once again stopped any WHS momentum and gave St. T a 52-40 lead after three
periods.
“We did not get a lot of breaks, but their athleticism and quickness had a lot to do with that,” said
Buerkett.
After the Bullets missed three shots on their first possession, Chris Harter scored on a conventional 3-
point play to up the Bulldog lead to 55-40.
A 7-0 WHS run, including a 3-pointer from Trevor Thompson and deuces from Combs and Donnelly,
pulled Williamsville within 57-49, and a short time later, Brad Wagner’s triple from the corner made it 60-
54 with 3:32 left.
But St. Teresa scored seven points in a row, and WHS scored only two points after that, a Combs
stickback with 17 ticks left.
Combs had 22 points for the Bullets, while Gentile added 13 and Donnelly 11.
Though it was a disappointing end to another stellar campaign, Buerkett credited his seniors (Donnelly,
Nick Horton and Thompson) for a great two-year run that included 47 wins.
“I could not be prouder of them and our whole team,” said Buerkett.
By Byron Painter
Editor
Scoring 56 points has been more than enough for the Williamsville Bullets boys basketball team on
numerous occasions during its 24-win campaign.
But last Friday in the finals of the Class 2A St. Teresa Regional, it was not nearly enough to defeat the
host Bulldogs.
Bill Ipsen’s second-seeded Bulldogs scored at least 15 points in each stanza and claimed a 68-56 win
over the top-seeded Bullets.
“We did not do the little things,” said WHS coach Eric Buerkett. “We gave up the dribble drive and we did
not box out.
“When you do not do those things, you will lose, and when you score 56 points in a regional
championship, you should win the game.”
The high-scoring Bulldogs, who eclipsed 80 points on several occasions this season, never trailed;
they scored the first six points of the contest.
WHS got within 8-6 after consecutive buckets from Josh Gentile and Brandon Donnelly, but St. Teresa
responded with an 8-2 run, including three free throws from Preston Shelley with less than a second left, to
take a 16-8 lead.
The St. T lead stayed between six and 11 for most of the second period.
Williamsville scored five points in a row, on two Travis Combs freebies and a Gentile triple, to get within
29-24, then the Bullets had the ball with just under three seconds left after a Bulldog turnover.
WHS threw the ball long, but it went out of bounds without being touched, so the Bulldogs got the ball
back in the frontcourt.
Nick Sanford then scored just before the horn to change the momentum of the game and give the
Bulldogs a 31-24 halftime bulge.
Shelley’s trifecta upped the Bulldogs’ lead to 40-28, and the lead was at 12 on several occasions in the
quarter.
Gentile made a conventional 3-point play to make it 49-40.
The Bullets misfired on their next possession, then Drew Burrows banked a 3-pointer from the
volleyball line and once again stopped any WHS momentum and gave St. T a 52-40 lead after three
periods.
“We did not get a lot of breaks, but their athleticism and quickness had a lot to do with that,” said
Buerkett.
After the Bullets missed three shots on their first possession, Chris Harter scored on a conventional 3-
point play to up the Bulldog lead to 55-40.
A 7-0 WHS run, including a 3-pointer from Trevor Thompson and deuces from Combs and Donnelly,
pulled Williamsville within 57-49, and a short time later, Brad Wagner’s triple from the corner made it 60-
54 with 3:32 left.
But St. Teresa scored seven points in a row, and WHS scored only two points after that, a Combs
stickback with 17 ticks left.
Combs had 22 points for the Bullets, while Gentile added 13 and Donnelly 11.
Though it was a disappointing end to another stellar campaign, Buerkett credited his seniors (Donnelly,
Nick Horton and Thompson) for a great two-year run that included 47 wins.
“I could not be prouder of them and our whole team,” said Buerkett.
Issue Date: March 5, 2009