The last time North Tonawanda won a Section VI title:
- A gallon of gas costs .27 cents
- Russia's Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first human to be launched into space and orbit the Earth
- The St. Louis Hawks won the NBA Championship, defeating the Boston Celtics 4-1
- The Jacks won their last Section VI Championship
Trailing 54-47, NT ended the A1 title game on a 13-0 run, and snapped a 56-year championship drought, defeating Williamsville South 60-54.
That Championship feeling.
Hilites of @NTLumberyard win in the A1 title game at 11 on @WKBW @AaronCh7Weather pic.twitter.com/4WtFXmKGIV
— Nick Filipowski (@NICK_WKBW) March 5, 2017
"This is something that we had a vision for over the summer," Head Coach Ryan Mountain said. "We saw it, we believed it, we felt it, we just had to go out and earn it.
"We felt like we had the better team all year long but we know it was going to be a dog fight. We came together and we executed."
Tied at 47, the Billies' Greg Dolan hit a three to give his squad a 50-47 lead. South's Adam Braniecki answered with a bucket of his own and Dakota Wiley added a steal and layup to cap off the 7-0 run that saw South open a 54-47 lead.
But, after calling a timeout, the Lumberjacks found their groove and answered back.
Vincent Tripi tied the game up at 54, connecting on what would prove to be the final field goal of the game.
The Jacks followed that up with hitting their free throws down the stretch to knock off the top seed and secure their first title in nearly six decades.
"It's the best feeling in my life," Tripi said. "It's amazing being a section champion when we were the underdogs the whole time."
"It took the team that scored the most points in NT history, one of the best defensive teams in NT history," Mountain said.
"The best coach in NT history," his team chirped, in unison.
A moment 56 years in the making @NTLumberyard wins #SectionVI A1 title. Hilites & reax at 11 on @WKBW pic.twitter.com/MTbNA2pL8M
— Nick Filipowski (@NICK_WKBW) March 5, 2017
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