A two-for-one! While the vast majority of New York (and the entire country) has moved onto AAU season, a couple pockets of the state are still getting some high school games in. That includes Herkimer County. The last ones to remain seated after "high-risk" indoor sports got the state go-ahead have now become the last ones standing with contests stretching into early April. Mix that with a friendly schedule change allowing me to catch two games Monday, and it was an easy destination choice to start the week. In the opener, West Canada Valley made plays in the final minutes to hold off host Little Falls, and in the nightcap, Herkimer used a big 3rd quarter run to separate themselves and earn a win over visiting Dolgeville. First, from Mountie country:
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Stifling Defensive Effort & Big Night From Beaver Push Southwestern to B2 Finals
March 25, 2021
Southwestern 50, Eden 31
Wednesday was dedicated to B1 semifinals... might as well make Thursday about the B2s. The Section 6 playoff sprint continued with another day in the Southtowns, this time Eden as they faced off with a familiar playoff opponent in Southwestern. A competitive grind of a start turned the visitors' way with a big run to start the 2nd half, and the Trojans took the momentum & ran with it to the finish line to pick up an impressive victory.
 |
| Reece Beaver turned it up in the 2nd half & led the way with 27 points in Southwestern's W. |
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Depew Rights The Ship & Runs To Section 6 Class B1 Final
March 24, 2021
Depew 61, Springville-Griffith 50
A Wednesday that started with a plan to attend the 'top half' Section 6 Class B1 semifinal turned into an eventful drive, a last-minute change of plans, and a stop in Depew for the bottom half of the B1 bracket. It proved to be a win-win situation in the 716; while East Aurora was overcoming a double digit deficit at City Honors to earn their berth in the sectional final, 2nd seeded Depew & #6 seed Springville-Griffith provided their own entertaining battle. After losing all of an early 15 point lead, Depew bounced back in the 4th quarter to put their pesky visitors away and lock in a third matchup with EA, this time for all the marbles.
 |
| Kaylee Krysztof dropped a game high 20 points, 18 of them coming from beyond the arc, in Depew's sectional semifinal W. |
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Chautauqua Lake Catches Fire, Wins Going Away At Southwestern
March 18, 2021
Chautauqua Lake 62, Southwestern 42
Another day, another section! Thursday took me to Chautauqua County, the far reaches of Section 6 & southwestern NY, for the longest drive I've had in the condensed season. Host Southwestern and visiting Chautauqua Lake have experienced success over the last month, with the teams combining for a 20-2 record in games that aren't against each other. Chautauqua Lake won a close one the first time around, and they were in the process of another tight battle most of the way Thursday, but the Thunderbirds put their stamp on the game's later stages to break it open and earn a quality road victory heading into sectional season.
 |
| Lily Woodis got it going in the 2nd half and led Chautauqua Lake with 15 points. |
Mount Markham Regroups Late, Escapes WCV With OT Win
March 17, 2021
Mount Markham 48, West Canada Valley 42 (OT)
Most NYSPHSAA sections have wrapped up their winter sports seasons, with many wrapping up over the weekend. Out of the four sections still participating in basketball, three of them (VI, VII, X) have all of their areas still competing. Section III is the outlier with a clear divide. While the entire Syracuse area & most CNY counties wrapped up on Saturday, Herkimer County just started at the beginning of March 1. With that, not only are they the only place in NY currently scheduled to play into April, games have just started for the county's schools. West Canada Valley & Mount Markham have experienced success in their opening games, so it only made sense to make the trip to Newport as they matched up against each other, and they made it worth the trip.
 |
| Hayleigh Gates had her hand in many big plays and led all scorers with 20 points in Mt. Markham's W. |
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Late Run, Big Night From McCulley Helps Batavia Notre Dame Earn D1 Title
March 13, 2021
Batavia Notre Dame 55, South Seneca 48
The Section V final tour concluded in the small town of Ovid for a clash between opponents from opposite ends of the section. The Class D1 championship was at stake when Batavia Notre Dame made the trip east to take on top-seeded South Seneca. In what quickly cemented itself as the most competitive game of the night, the last of 16 lead changes went Notre Dame's way and a last-minute spurt kept the hosts at bay & cemented a Section V Class D1 title for the Irish.
 |
| Amelia McCulley went off in the 2nd half, where she dropped 21 of her game high 30 points in the Notre Dame W. |
Waterloo Starts Fast & Runs to B2 Title Over Dansville
March 13, 2021
Waterloo 55, Dansville 31
75 miles and an area code. That's how long the drive was from Elba, the western end of the 585 where I started the day, to the western edge of the 315 in Waterloo for game two. This result was much more in question before tip, as Waterloo & visiting Dansville had spent the last month running through all challengers. However, top seeded Waterloo left no doubt as to who ruled the roost in Section V Class B2, as they jumped to a big lead early and never let Dansville make it close on the way to a sectional final victory.
 |
| Giavanna White-Principio made it happen from the jump & led Waterloo with 20 points in their W. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)