Led by their core of senior leaders, the Presidents held off a hot-shooting Hamburg team to secure a semi-final trip to Buffalo State this coming Monday, in the Class A-1 Sectionals. Iprep outscored Hamburg in the final two periods to post a 48-46 win and to advance to Buffalo State for the first time in 7 years. The Presidents were led by junior Emir Lindsay with 12 points and 4 rebounds, and senior point guard Dante Gibson with 11 points 6 assists. Senior center Biel Douth recorded 10 blocks, 8 rebounds, 4 points, and an assist. Douth now has 125 blocks on the season, a leader among Section VI bigs. Gibson hit a key triple in the fourth quarter that gave Iprep a 3 point lead with only two minutes remaining, and he followed this up with two free throws on a one and one opportunity. Gibson's free throws proved to be decisive as the Bulldogs connected on a three-pointer with just 1.2 seconds remaining. Iprep then entered the ball successfully on the ensuing pressbreaker to run out the clock and close-out the game. Senior guard Angel Serrano had 4 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals, while senior Omarion Arroyo had 6 points and 4 rebounds. Senior guard Versi Hawkins provided an offensive spark in the third quarter, scoring 9 points, blocking a shot, and making a steal. Junior Jaydan Daniels added 2 points to round out the President scoring. Iprep (15-6 overall) will face the Falcons of Niagara Wheatfield in this Monday night's semi-finals. The winner will face either McKinley or Williamsville East in the title game on March 4th.
