Two dominant forwards in Elijah Greene and Dallas Hernandez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Park School of Buffalo Pioneers will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Panthers at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: The Park School of Buffalo has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while East will arrive with four straight victories.
Last Thursday, The Park School of Buffalo was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 72-68 to St. Mary's.
| 01/16/25 @ St. Mary's | 28 |
| 01/14/25 vs St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute | 19 |
| 01/10/25 @ Canisius | 11 |
| 01/07/25 vs Bishop Timon-St. Jude | 13 |
| 12/28/24 vs Western New York Maritime Charter | 19 |
The Park School of Buffalo might have lost, but man, Greene was a machine: he went 12 of 17 on his way to 28 points along with six rebounds and five steals. With that strong performance, Greene is now averaging an impressive 15.8 points per game. Another player making a difference was Kamron Barge, who went 6 for 12 en route to 18 points and six assists.
Meanwhile, East was able to grind out a solid win over Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts last Friday, taking the game 53-46.
East's win came from a few key players The Park School of Buffalo will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hernandez, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 boards. Hernandez is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Antoine Williams was another key player, putting up 21 points in addition to six boards and four steals.
East smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 17 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
East's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.7 points per game. As for The Park School of Buffalo, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's contest: The Park School of Buffalo has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.8% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for East, though, as they've only made 19% of their three-pointers this season. Given The Park School of Buffalo's sizable advantage in that area, East will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for The Park School of Buffalo against East when the teams last played back in December of 2016, as the squad secured a 72-39 win. Will The Park School of Buffalo repeat their success, or does East have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
