It was a season to remember in the Mcelrath Gymasium! Playing before a standing-room-only crowd of over 2000 spectators for every home game, the Red Raiders didn't disappoint. With a stifling defense and enjoying the talents of one of the best players in Western New York history, Maceo Wofford, J.H.S. won it's first sectional title in 20 years and finished with a 21-4 record for first year coach Ben Drake.
The Red Raiders got off to a 3-0 start, but then dropped their first two league games to fall to 3-2, 0-2. J.H.S. then responded by rattling off 14 straight games, and won their first league title since the 1982-83 season.
J.H.S. then defeated Niagara Falls in the quarterfinals and Orchard Park in the semi's before facing Frontier in the championship. In a back and forth game, Jamestown was up 2 with less than 15 seconds left when Frontier's Josh Becker nailed a 3 pointer from 25 feet to take a 1 point lead. After a time-out, the Red Raiders got the ball to Wofford, who drew three defenders and dished the ball to Craig Swanson who laid the ball in for the game winner and the Section 6 Class A1 championship.
The next game was probably the best performance of the season as they knocked off Lasalle in the A1-A2 consolidation game, 67-59, as senior Henry Leeper had the game of his life, dropping in 22 points and snatching 17 rebounds. J.H.S. then advanced to the Far West Regionals, where it lost to Edison Tech, 65-52, in Rochester.
As a team, the Red Raiders tied the school record for wins in a season (21); won the Union City Christmas Tournament; won the Martin Luther King Classic game in Buffalo; was ECIC Division I Champion (10-2 record); was the Section 6 Class A Champion; and advanced to the N.Y.S. Class A "Elite Eight."
Individually, Coach Ben Drake was named the Post-Journal Coach of the Year; Sophomore R.J. James was named to the ECIC Division I Honorable Mention Team as well as the Union City All-Tournament Team; Billy Miley was named to the All-WNY Academic Basketball Team; Henry Leeper an ECIC Division I Honorable Mention All-Star, a Post-Journal All-Star, a Chautauqua County Exceptional Senior, and the MVP of the Class A Championship Game.
Senior Maceo Wofford, who accepted a full scholarship to Iona College, finished a brilliant career... he averaged 29.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 4.3 SPG and re-wrote the record books while finishing his career with 2,259 points (#1 all-time), 53 points in a game (most ever), 656 rebounds (#2 all-time), 406 assists (#1 all-time), 289 steals (#1 all-time), 145 three pointers for a career (#1 all-time) and 46 threes for a season (#1 all-time). In addition, he was named the ECIC Division I Player of the Year, Post-Journal Player of the Year, Buffalo News First Team All-WNY, and NYS Class A Second Team.
