After finishing the regular season 18-2, the South Seneca boys’ varsity basketball team is hoping to make a deep playoff run.
Following a season last year in which they went 7-14, and lost a close sectional game to Cuba Rushford, Head Coach Ryan Clemenson thinks his squad is better equipped for playoff basketball this time around.
“This postseason looks to be a gauntlet, but we are built for it,” he said. “I continue to ask for more from these guys. I don’t really think we have sat down to enjoy the success we have already had. These boys are hungry and we feel there is more in store for us. My message to my players this postseason is to enjoy the moment, have fun, and play for one another.”
This year’s regular season success earned South Seneca the title of Co-Finger Lakes West League Champions, which was shared with Honeoye. It is their second league championship in the last three years – the only three years Clemenson has been head coach. With only seven varsity players, and five of them being seniors, it is safe to say this is the closest bunch he’s coached yet.
“This group of seniors have played together since the start of third grade,” Clemenson said. “It would be the closest group of players I have had. Areas where we lack in size or speed has been replaced with court time throughout the years. This team has put a big emphasis on off-season workouts, and that has shown.”
A few of the seniors on the team echoed their head coach’s sentiments. Senior Logan Laverack said his expectations for this team were high coming into the season.
“My expectations were high because I knew our true potential,” he said. “We have a solid group of guys and everyone has found their role and we have figured out how to work with each other. We knew we didn’t do as well as we wanted to last year and we knew we should’ve done better, we lost some games for little mistakes that we have corrected this season. My goal for the team was to beat my brother’s 17-3 regular season record from two years ago.”
With that mission already accomplished, fellow seniors Kenny Halsey and Sam Dufour would like to see the team do some damage in the playoffs.
“Going into the playoffs,” Dufour said, “we’re focusing on staying calm and sticking to what’s worked for us all season. We know it’s going to be tough, but we’ve been through a lot together, and we trust each other to get the job done. Our mentality is to take it one game at a time, stay focused, and leave it all on the court. We’re ready to make our final season count."
Halsey agreed, adding: “My mentality coming into playoffs is to do what we need to do, I feel that we are one of the top dogs in our bracket and we just need to take care of business.”
If the Falcons do take care of business in the postseason, bet on it being their defense that gets them there. South Seneca has held 17 of their 20 opponents this year under 50 points. You can thank the fact that they’ve played together for so many years on being so connected on the defensive side of the ball — and turning their defense into offense.
“Something that has made this team special so far,” Halsey said, “that even though there is only seven of us, we still can run out on teams and get points in the fast break. We’re very well conditioned and it helps a lot.”
Clemenson said he’s never put any expectations on any of his varsity teams. He said he has an unspoken goal of meeting the expectations they put on themselves, and that is simply to hold each other accountable in every aspect of the game, and control what they can control.
His players have taken that message to heart.
“My mentality is just taking every game one at a time,” Laverack said, “and making every game count because it could be our last. One of the biggest things we must do is play four good, full quarters of basketball and not get a slow start.”
The Falcons will begin their postseason on Friday, February 28, when they play the winner of Northstar Christian and Naples.