BILLS MAFIA RAISES OVER $40,000 TO SUPPORT MARK ANDREWS
After Bills Mafia enjoyed a thrilling Buffalo victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, the Bills’ fan base has once again opened their hearts, and pocketbooks, to show support for an opponent. Since Sunday, over forty thousand dollars has been raised in support of Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrews’ charity for juveniles with diabetes.
The seven year professional Andrews dropped what would have been the game’s tying catch on a two-point conversion attempt with less than two minutes left in the game. Earlier in the game, Andrews suffered the first fumble of his NFL career since 2019, leading to a Bills score, and what would prove to be the game-winning field goal. Andrews was unavailable to the media following the Ravens’ loss, but around the same time, a post on social media from a Bills fan account began spreading across Buffalo fans’ timelines, prompting the Mafia to show support for Andrews, who has received hundreds of hateful comments online. On Sunday night, the goal for the “GoFundMe” was set at $10,000. In natural Bills Mafia fashion, that number has already been quadrupled in the span of two full days.
This is not the first time that Bills fans have raised money to show support for a Baltimore player. After the Bills beat the Ravens in the 2021 divisional round, Buffalo fans donated nearly half a million dollars to Lamar Jackson’s charity of choice, after Jackson suffered a concussion during the game.
The Bills may be one of four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs, but this is just another example of why Bills Mafia is known across the league as one of one.
LOCAL TALENT AT DAEMEN DOMINATING THE MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON
Because we’re lucky to be surrounded by four universities that compete at the DI mid-major level, oftentimes, the smaller schools in the area get lost in the shuffle. Not today. Rather than having a Wednesday Whiparound this week, we’re highlighting the Daemen Wildcats men’s basketball team, which is one of the nation’s best at the DII level.
The Wildcats are currently 16-0, with a 7-0 record in the East Coast Conference. Thanks in part to a resounding 82-70 win at home over #21 ranked Gannon University this past weekend, Daemen has been ranked the #2 Division II team in the country by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and #3 by the Division II College Sports Communicators National Poll.
While a majority of the Division I talent playing for one of the Big Four schools comes from all over the nation, and even around the globe, Daemen’s eleven-year Head Coach Mike MacDonald has built his roster with local talent at the core. Eight players on the Wildcats roster are from either the Buffalo or Rochester area, with four WNY products in the top six of Daemen’s most relied upon.
Benjamin Bill, a Hamburg High School graduate, missed all of his sophomore year with an injury. As a redshirt sophomore this campaign, the 6'10 center ranks third in the country in field goal percentage with a 71% rating, while ranking in the top 40 at the DII level with just a hair under 2 blocks per game. His seven rebounds per game have lifted Daemen’s rebounding margin so high that they rank second as a team in the nation. Safe to say, Bill has been a beast for the Wildcats in the paint.
A hallmark of the Daemen offense under Coach MacDonald has always been elite ball movement, with every player on the floor looking to make the extra pass to set up their teammate. This year, Buffalo native, and formal state champion with Cardinal O’Hara, Justin Hemphill leads the Wildcats in assists per game. Former St. Joe’s standout Justin Glover is also an everyday starter for Daemen, as one of seven Wildcats shooting above 50% from the field.
Daemen continues their quest to remain undefeated on the season with a trip down the I-90 to Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday at 4PM. The #2 ranked Wildcats will be back at home on Friday January 31st for a league matchup with Staten Island.
WNY HS BASKETBALL UPDATE
The midway point of the high school basketball season has hit. Here are some of the top teams to check out before this season comes to an end:
The Canisius Crusaders defeated their rivals, St. Joe’s, this past weekend, with a buzzer beating three pointer from Nick Purdie, giving the Crusaders the 51-49 win. The two seniors, Purdie, and Patrick Cullinan lead the way, combining for 33 points per contest. The Crusaders (13-2) look to add to their current six-game winning streak when they host the #4 ranked Bishop Timon Tigers on Saturday at 3PM.
St. Joe’s was ranked the top Large School team in WNY before falling to then-#2 ranked Canisius over the weekend. The Marauders bounced back by beating Health Sciences 71-51 on Tuesday. St. Joe’s (10-3) will be at St. Mary’s of Lancaster on Friday night at 7, before hosting those same Lancers on Saturday afternoon at 1PM.
Niagara Falls continues through its independent schedule, on a three game winning streak, with victories over Health Sciences, Aquinas, and Williamsville South consecutively. The Wolverines (7-5) don’t have a single “cupcake” on their schedule, as they head to Pennsylvania for a two-game weekend showcase against Chester and Lower Merion, two of the best in the Philadelphia area. NFHS will be back in WNY next Monday night for a game at Amherst at 7PM.
The Jamestown Red and Green are 9-1, with their lone loss on the year coming back on December 13th at Canisius to the top-ranked Crusaders. Jamestown won four straight divisional games before taking care of business against St. Mary’s of Lancaster with a 90-73 win last week. The Red and Green host Clarence tonight at 7:30, before hosting Orchard Park on Saturday at 2PM.
The Grand Island Vikings are the lone remaining undefeated team in Section VI, with a 10-0 record halfway through the season. The Vikings have been blowing out their divisional competition, most recently an 81-34 win over Niagara-Wheatfield. GI hosts North Tonawanda tomorrow night at 6:30.
Randolph lost their first game of the season a month ago, to Pennsylvania's Otto-Eldred, a team currently 14-0 down in PA. Since then, though, the Cardinals haven’t lost again, sitting at 10-1 overall with a perfect 4-0 record in their division. Randolph, led by senior guard Drew Hind, hosts Gowanda on Friday night.
In the Southern Tier, the Westfield Wolverines are 13-1, similar to Randolph, have not lost since their season opener, against an out-of-state opponent. Westfield, led by Carson Swanson’s Section-best 32 Points Per Game, has just five games left in the regular season, with a divisional battle at Sherman coming up on Friday night at 7:30.
SABRES BEAT CANUCKS, CONTINUE WESTERN ROAD TRIP THURSDAY WITH SOME GOOD NEWS
The Buffalo Sabres overcame a 2-1 deficit last night to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.
Tage Thompson put Buffalo on the board first in the opening frame with his 21st goal of the season, but, as has become the norm, the solid start was spoiled after the first intermission. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the Sabres surrendered two Canucks goals in the second period, putting Buffalo in a 2-1 hole before the final frame. When it comes to the Sabres’ goal differential, they rank 2nd in the league in the first period. In both the second and third periods, Buffalo ranked 31st in the NHL in each, respectively. Safe to say, it felt like the trend would continue into the final frame last night.
However, the kids shut that narrative down, as Jiri Kulich was on fire, scoring the game’s tying goal, before winning an offensive zone faceoff and screening the Vancouver goalie on JJ Peterka’s eventual game winner. Luukkonen made 32 saves in the win.
Buffalo continues their road trip by heading to Alberta for a game against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, before taking on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. A positive for the Sabres is that they won’t have to worry about shutting down Connor McDavid when they face the Oilers, as he’ll be serving the third of his three-game suspension after dealing out a cross-check to a Canucks’ face in Vancouver last weekend.
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