Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016: J-D boys edge Grimes, former coach in OT

   Leading off today: Takuya LaClair's 3-point basket with 8.9 seconds left in OT put Jamesville-DeWitt ahead for good and Barbaro Noda made three of four foul shots in overtime as the Red Rams defeated Bishop Grimes 71-67 in boys basketball Friday.

   Bishop Grimes is ranked 10th and J-D 14th this week in Class A by the New York State Sportswriters Association. The game was the first matchup vs. J-D for Bob McKenney, who was forced out as the Red Rams coach after the 2014-15 season in a highly controversial decision by school administrators.

   LaClair finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Buddy Boeheim paced J-D with 30 points and 15 rebounds to go with seven assists. Bishop Grimes put four players in double figures, led by Shawn Gashi's 25 points.

   More basketball: Oriskany has slid straight from a 30-game winning streak to a two-game losing streak. After falling to West Canada Valley 70-57 on Wednesday, the Redskins dropped a 73-60 verdict to Madison.

   Spencer Haviland's 19 points led Madison against the defending NYSPHSAA Class D champs. Sam Matteson added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Tyler Hummer piled up 15 points and 10 assists.

   Oriskany is ranked first and Madison 16th in Class D this week by the NYSSWA.

   Milestone: Ron Naclerio picked up his 755th career victory Thursday when his Cardozo boys edged Springfield Gardens 74-71. Naclerio now has more career wins than

any other public school coach in state history. He passed East Hampton's Ed Petrie atop the list.

   Naclerio, 59, became the winningest coach in PSAL history last December, when he won his 723rd game to pass longtime Campus Magnet coach Chuck Granby.

   "As each minute passes, it truly is hitting me what with the help of my players and assistant coaches what I have accomplished," Naclerio told the New York Daily News. "The calls, texts and emails from people in the NBA, college and even the mayor's office is overwhelming. It is great to have done something for 36 years and be placed on top of Mount Rushmore all by yourself. I never could've done this without the help of so many."

   Leagues join forces: The Genesee Region and Living County Athletic Association will merge into a single football league next fall

following a study that suggested an opportunity to help in scheduling.

   "It allows the two leagues to work within a localized region to schedule contests and helps neighboring schools within the greater Genesee Valley and Southern Tier region," Warsaw Superintendent Joseph Englebert, who chaired the committee that studied the proposal, told the Wellsville Reporter. "As football programs change due to numbers, mergers, and other factors, this new arrangement will provide our region with increased flexibility in scheduling and divisional arrangements."

   The two leagues had a combined 21 football-playing schools last year. If they operate in a three-division format next season, all teams could be guaranteed six league contests and easy access to options for a non-league opponent to fill out regular-season schedules.

   New NYSPHSAA partner: The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced last week it will partner with the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association through the Fall 2018 championships.

   The NYSCOPBA, which represents over 30,000 New York State employees and retirees from the Security Services Unit, committed to support championship events and become the presenting sponsor of Captains Club, a student-athlete leadership development program..

   "NYSCOPBA is pleased to sponsor the New York State Public High School Athletic Association," NYSCOPBA President Mike Powers said in a statement announcing the collaboration. "Beyond the spirited competition of playing high school sports it's important to understand the values NYSPHSAA instills in its student athletes and NYSCOPBA is committed to supporting organizations that put our youth on the right path to success."