Madison Francis leads Lancaster to AAA title in girls basketball

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — After winning consecutive Section VI championships in Class AA, the Lancaster Legends elevated to the AAA throne.

Blue-chip prospect Madison Francis had 37 points, 11 rebounds, 12 steals, 4 assists and 4 steals in leading Lancaster to a 72-43 win against Niagara Falls on Friday night at Buffalo State Sports Arena.

"It feels great, and I feel like we worked really hard to get here," said Francis, the 14th-ranked junior in the country by HoopGurlz Recruiting. "This was a good win to get. But it doesn't stop here. We have a bigger picture to look forward to."

Lancaster (18-4) and ranked No. 11 in the state, moves on to the Far West Regional playoff round next Friday night at Finger Lakers Community College, in the first year of Class AAA competition in New York State.

With only two Section VI teams in AAA, Lancaster and Niagara Falls were off since Feb. 14 before the title game.

"It was a tough adjustment but we didn’t let our practices dial down and we still worked hard in practice," Francis said.

The Legends proved to be a class above their opponent early on, as Francis scored 14 in the first quarter, including a fast-break layup that the lithe 6-foot-1 forward nearly dunked. She had 28 points at halftime, and her defensive presence, which including blocking shots several rows into the stands, made it difficult for the Wolverines to generate anything on offense.

"She’s an incredible talent, an incredible athlete, and an even better person," Lancaster coach Jayson Jaskier said. "You can see when she checks out, she’s not sitting on the bench checked out, she’s on the bench rooting for here team. As amazing as she is on the court she’s, she still dos all the right things off of it."