The 1974-75 Boys Basketball team at PCS went higher than any team in Panther history.
Led by senior guards Russ Pancio and Al Barber, the group reached the
pinnacle of Sectional hoops.
After finishing a respectable 13-5 in the regular season, the squad peaked in the playoffs.
They defeated Silver Creek in Falconer, Maple Grove in Salamanca, and Allegany to capture the CC crown at St. Bonaventure.
Pancio, Barber, Jeff Nix, Rick Hunt, and
Tom Yanetsko usually started the games, but several others contributed significantly
to Ray DeLand's balanced, patient attack.
In those days, all of the class winners played each other for the big sectional championship.
Portville was the second smallest school in the tournament.
Incredibly, the Panthers knocked off JFK (Class BB) 56-46 at Pioneer in the next round.
Excitement in the town ran high.
In the semi-finals, it was a classic David vs. Goliath story, as PCS went up against
the biggest school of all - AA Lockport...stunning them 68-64 in Forestville.
By this time, the Panthers became the Cinderella story of the season, and loads of
fans headed off to Silver Creek for the championship with the monster A team from Lackawanna.
Portville staged a valiant battle, and the defensive struggle ended the Panther dream,
as Lackawanna won 48-42.
18 - 6
71 Ellicottville 48
65 Cattaraugus 54
77 Coudersport 56
52 Ellicottville 51
77 Coudersport 42
52 Bolivar 57
62 Otto-Eldred 47
35 Olean 48
74 Limestone 49
68 Cattaraugus 34
66 Holland 57
86 Franklinville 74
79 Allegany 77
71 Holland 59
94 Franklinville 60
58 Salamanca 80
65 Allegany 69
65 Salamanca 74
50 Silver Creek 38
63 Maple Grove 47
50 Allegany 38 CC
56 JFK 46 BB
68 Lockport 64 AA
42 Lackawanna 48 A
________________
Portville Offense 1546
64.4
Portville Defense 1317 54.8
Differential 9.6
