HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: OWEGO’S BANGEL TWINS COMPETE IN BATTLE OF UPSTATE NEW YORK TOURNEY (2022-08-09)

Tioga County Sports Report
ROCHESTER — Owego’s Joe and John Bangel competed alongside several Section V players in the first-ever Battle of Upstate New York tournament on July 30 at Eastridge High School here.

The 6-foot-6 twins represented Section IV and played for the Finger Lakes team, whose other eight roster players came from the Rochester area.

The tournament consisted of four teams: Buffalo, Finger Lakes, Rochester and Syracuse. Participating players have received a combined 31 Division I offers from schools to include Arizona State, Marquette, Ohio State, St. John’s, Syracuse and Xavier.

Finger Lakes players included Gaige Armbrewster, Jaylen Battle, Mason Blakenberg, Luke Ciprich, Alec Gilbert, Kyle Porter, Jacob Sides and JC Walker. Armbrewster and Porter contributed to the Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Class C2 sectional championship run. Battle, Sides and Walker led Lyons to 21 wins and the top seed in Class C2, and finished as the sectional runner-ups. Blakenberg was an all-state selection and Gilbert led Wayne to the sectional semifinals as the No. 3 seed in Class A2. Ciprich paced Gananda, which won 13 games and finished in the top four in Class C2. Walker was named an all-state pick, as was John Bangel.

The Bangels recently competed for the Southern Tier (Section IV) in the BCANY Summer Hoops Festival.

Rochester is led by Damani Barley of East High, Mason Blackwood and Myles Blackwood from Section V champ Aquinas, and Philip Nwugwo and Caquan Wester of Victor and Eastridge, respectively. Both teams won 19 games and Section V No. 1 seeds. Damarius Owens of Western Reserve Academy has received several scholarship offers, including one from the Orange.

The Buffalo squad boats first-team All-Centercourt picks Shane Cercone from Canisius, Seth Joba of Orchard Park/Bridgton Academy, Max Schneider of Williamsville East and Kevin Thompson from Bishop Timon. Also on the squad were second-team All-Centercourt members Jalen Duff of Nichols Academy and Trey Kleitz from Iroquois, third-team selections Jaiden Harrison of Bishop Timon and LaMar Matthews from Tapestry Charter School, and fifth-team pick Dominic McKenzie of Niagara Falls. Centercourt honors the top players in western New York.

The Syracuse lineup included Trey Autry, first-team Class A all-state selection Zach Philipkoski of New Hartford and Class AA all-state pick Trevor Roe from Fayetteville-Manlius.

——————

IN PHOTO: Joe (L) and John Bangel. ... COURTESY PHOTO.