Dryden boys basketball concludes historic season

Entering this season, Dryden was the only boys basketball team to not make a Section IV final, let alone win a championship. That all changed when March rolled around, and it’s been a truly unforgettable month for the Lions.

Dryden captured the Section IV Class B title on March 9 in Binghamton at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, taking down the defending champions Waverly 51-48. It was a full-circle moment for head coach Zack LeViere, who had played on the Lions and graduated in 2010. But he gives all the credit to his players.

“I’m so happy for this group of guys,” LeViere said. “One of the great things about this group is that they’re so deserving in terms of the amount of effort they’ve put in in the offseason being in the gym, playing AAU, playing summer league, individual workouts, and then also their awesome character off the court… I still look forward to coming into practice every day and playing with them, coaching them, seeing them get a little bit better. There’s years where you get late into the season and it can be a bit of a slog. Basketball is a long season that goes over multiple breaks. I still enjoy every minute with this group.”

One of those key players is Danny Murphy, who hit the biggest shot in the sectional. With the game tied up at 48-48, Murphy had the ball and waited for his time to pounce and attack the basket. Once he got a high screen from Xander Scott, Murphy took it to the rack and put his shot in off the glass to give the Lions the lead for good with 10.5 seconds remaining. His chemistry with Scott and the rest of his teammates is something that’s been developing for a long time and has really come in handy against larger schools.

“This core group of guys on our team right now, we’ve been playing up since we’ve started playing basketball, and that builds a lot,” Murphy said. “We’ve had a lot of tough games, especially when we were younger. Playing up two, three years builds a lot of confidence. The teams around here, whoever has the best connection wins basketball games. That’s how small schools win. And we’ve been playing together for a long time and built that chemistry. That’s how we get it done.”

Another key to this memorable season for the Lions has been their defense. They enter every game with a set goal in mind of holding their opponents to under 50 points, and it’s clearly worked: Dryden is a perfect 10-0 when they reach that target.

“We put a big emphasis on defense,” Murphy said. “You can always control defense. You can’t sometimes control where the ball rolls, are you shooting the ball, what the refs call. Defense is 80% effort. You come out and you play great defense. We got a super athletic team. We use that to our advantage. We got great scorers on our team, we can make it happen on offense, whether it’s a great shooting night or not, we’ll find enough points to win.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a six-foot, six-inch behemoth who has excelled on both ends of the floor. Xander Scott led the Lions in almost every statistical category and has evolved into a well-rounded player. Just look at his statline against Waverly as evidence: 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, six steals and eight blocks. He put up some more impressive numbers in their regional game against Woodlands with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

“He’s developing the full package as a basketball player,” LeViere said. “He has the size, the length and the athleticism to do everything on the floor. He’s developed a great sense with the basketball. He’s got the poise, and he works throughout the whole game… He’s getting down. He’s defending on the perimeter. He’s switching out onto guards. He switches out onto their best shooter, and he’s just willing to take on every role, whether it’s being a good defender on the perimeter and then also being that help-side shot blocker, rebounder, and rim protector.”

Dryden’s matchup versus Woodlands marked their first-ever trip to the New York State Tournament, taking place once again in Binghamton. While the Lions hung around with the Section I champions for one quarter trailing 12-11, the Falcons ultimately pulled away with a commanding 77-38 victory to make back-to-back state semifinal appearances.

The Lions’ historic campaign comes to an end at 19-4. Not only has this year’s team created a lasting legacy, they’ve also helped strengthen the IAC’s grasp on local hoops, becoming the first boys basketball team from their conference to win a Class B title since Lansing in 1977.

“I think the IAC is slept on big time,” Murphy said. “I know that Section IV is Binghamton, Binghamton, Binghamton, but we got some basketball players up here. We got a great culture, and everything’s competitive. Our division is always super competitive. Moravia, Newfield, those are great programs in the small schools. It shows you that Section IV is not just Binghamton.”