Jackson Ross Hits a 3-pointer, but Salamanca Falls to Cheektowaga in ECIC-CCAA Challenge

Salamanca’s Zach Trietley (33) is fouled by Cheektowaga’s Elliot Makelke during the ECIC-CCAA Challenge on
Saturday at Daemen University’s Lumsden Gymnasium.
P-J photo by Matt Spielman

AMHERST — A long third-quarter drought spelled defeat for Salamanca on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Adam Bennett’s team went nine straight possessions without scoring after halftime, which turned a four-point lead into
a seven-point deficit, and Cheektowaga went on to beat Salamanca 56-50 in the third game of the ECIC-CCAA Challenge inside
Daemen University’s Lumsden Gymnasium.

“The test is going to be how hard we work out of it,” Bennett said of the loss. “Monday is the most important day of the year.
We have a lot of work and now we can identify what we need to do. … There are no excuses.”

Salamanca led 29-25 at halftime before Cheektowaga scored the first four points of the third quarter to tie the game.
Salamanca’s Jaxson Ross then hit a 3-pointer, but Cheektowaga scored the next 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, taking advantage
of six Salamanca turnovers during the spurt.

Salamanca’s Struggle

Zach Trietely hit a free throw to end Cheektowaga’s run and Jacob Herrick followed with a 3-pointer to cut Salamanca’s deficit
back down to three, but Cheektowaga’s Daryl Montgomery and Ro’Mel Speaks connected on back-to-back 3-pointers around a Lucus
Brown bucket to push Cheektowaga’s lead back up to seven.

Salamanca’s Avery Brown drives to the basket in front of Cheektowaga’s Devin Baity during the ECIC-CCAA Challenge on
Saturday at Daemen University’s Lumsden Gymnasium.
P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Brown led Salamanca with 15 points and Ross added 13.

“We didn’t hit shots. I talked to Lucus because I didn’t think he was really set into a lot of his shots,” Bennett said. ” …
Nobody works harder than him at getting his hips and shoulders square, and freezing his follow-through. For whatever reason,
that didn’t translate.”

Salamanca finished 4 of 27 (14.8%) from 3-point range and turned the ball over 23 times, which led to 19 Cheektowaga points.

“I thought we took way too many 3s. There will never be a game where we take that many 3s when we’re shooting like that again,”
Bennett said, adding of the turnovers: “Honestly, it felt like more. It’s just frustrating because we have some experience out
there and I didn’t really feel like we played with a lot of discipline. That starts with me, quite honestly. … We just didn’t
play well.”

Game Summary

Salamanca (50) – Herrick 3, Bradley 2, Gillman 0, Crouse 0, ABrown 5, Ross 13, LBrown 15, Holleran 2, Trietley 6.

Cheektowaga (56) – Rainey 0, Speaks 12, Montgomery 27, Rodriguez Rivera 5, Shanklin 3, Dennis 0, Gigi 0, Makelke 9, Baity 0,
Salambi 0, Coleman 0.

Salamanca 19 10 13 8 — 50

Cheektowaga 17 8 20 11 — 56