Come Friday night, it will be 361 days since Jamestown’s last Section VI loss. They’ll have won 22 of their last 24 games, including some rather memorable victories over Niagara Falls, Irondequoit and Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse) en route to the state final. Sprinkled in between were a pair of losses to traditional mega-powers Mt. Vernon and Kingston.

But again, come Friday night, the Red Raiders will make the trip up to Williamsville North High School, the site of their last league — and sectional — loss to face sophomore standout Sterling Taplin and the Spartans.

Ben Drake instructs Tommy Campion during the third quarter of Jamestown's win over Clarence. (Photo by Chris Winkler

“It will be a great test for us,” Jamestown head coach Ben Drake said. “We know we’ll get their best effort and know it’s a game they’re looking forward to.”

It’s been sort of an up-and-down year for Williamsville North, who figured to be in the mix with Jamestown for the league crown. They’ve lost to Frontier twice by a combined five points and had the Red Raiders locked in a tight battle a month ago before Jamestown finally pulled away in the second half.

Taplin, a point guard has been under the watchful eye of University at Buffalo basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon, dumped 25 despite the loss. In last year’s overtime win for North, Taplin scored a game-high 35 as a freshman.

“We did an excellent job on him for three quarters back in Jamestown,” Drake said. “But he got it going in the fourth.

“With a player like him, it takes team defense to stop him. Everyone has to be aware of where he is on the floor at all times.”

The game within the game will certainly be Taplin against Tommy Campion, the point guard and undisputed leader of the Red Raiders. Campion, a junior, has been electric this season, spurting Jamestown on both sides of the floor with his quick hands lightning-fast speed. He’s the backbone to the Jamestown vaunted transition offense.

“It’s a matchup of the two best players in the league,” Drake said. “Before the season, everyone was saying how Taplin can carry them to a league title. But, Tommy’s really been great all season long. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.

“And since they’re both point guards, it certainly makes it more interesting. It’s a game I know Tommy is looking forward to and it’s a game that motivates a player to get better in the offseason.”

Of course, Jamestown will certainly look to get on the run against North. The Red Raiders treat missed shots like turnovers and once the outlet pass is in the hands of Campion, there’s been no stopping Jamestown on the run.

“It’s always a key for us to get out in transition,” Drake said. “It’s a way for us to score points in bunches.”

Meanwhile, for Williamsville North, with just two weeks left in the season, any hopes of a division title are long gone for the Spartans (9-5, 7-3). They currently sit as the No. 6 seed in AA Tournament, are in search of a hot streak. The No. 6 seed — as of right now — would mean a first round date with Niagara Falls. You can be sure the Spartans would like to get out of that position as quickly as possible.

Jamestown (13-1, 10-0), on the other hand, has continued to roll their way through the ECIC schedule and only has Frontier left in their way to grab a third straight title. They breezed by Orchard Park on Monday night 86-50 and had 11 Red Raiders get on the score sheet.

“I liked the way we played,” Drake said. “It was close at halftime but it was more of a case of shots not falling. Once the shots went down, we pulled away.”

Through 10 league games, not one ECIC team has been able to finish with eight or less points. Clarence, who trailed by as many as 27 in the second half last Friday, was able to close the gap to as few as five, but still fell short thanks to free throws from Campion and Kareem Walker.

The only other team to keep it at single-digits (also a nine-point difference), was this Williamsville North squad.
Campion and Taplin will make for a tremendous battle, but don’t be surprised if this game is determined by the role players. The two went toe-to-toe a month ago, but Campion was able to rely on a surrounding cast led by sophomore forward Quin Lee Yaw, who had a team-high 18 points.

“We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing because it’s worked,” Drake said. “Our strength is shooting and it forces other things to open up. Really, we’ll take what the defense gives us.”