Monday, April 24, 2017: Michigan power snaps Victor's lacrosse streak

   Editor's note (April 27, 1:15 p.m.): I've updated the item about the financial results from NYSPHSAA state competitions to adjust some of the profits downward. My original reporting shoud have indicated that the data compiled by the NYSPHSAA for its upcoming Executive Committee meeting was a snapshot of what the P&L looked like through mid-April and did not yet include some revenue and expense items.

   Leading off today: Victor's 50-game winning streak in boys lacrosse ended Sunday with a 10-9 loss to Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice.

   Brother Rice, which lost a one-goal game to Canandaigua a day earlier, overcame a 7-3 deficit at the half to end the nation's longest active winning streak. The score was 8-8 entering the fourth quarter.

   Victor, top-ranked in the state in Class B, is a two-time defending NYSPHSAA champion. Brother Rice is a 14-time defending champion in Michigan.

   "We knew it was going to be a 48-minute game and we played about 36 minutes," Victor coach Jim Andre told the Democrat and Chronicle.

   Andrew Russell scored four goals and Zach Estabrooks added three scores for Victor. Goalie Chayse Ierlan made 17 saves.

   "Everyone knows Victor nationally and knows the streak," Warriors coach Ajay Chawla said. "They're a well-coached program. ... We wanted to be the ones to break the streak. We had the date circled on the calendar since last year."

   The bottom line: It's hard to look at the financials from last month's New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament and not come to the conclusion that Binghamton's first effort at hosting paid the bills -- and then some.

   The NYSPHSAA reports the three-day event booked a profit comparable to the top recent seasons at the Glens Falls Civic Center despite a substantial drop in attendance. With the help of an aggressive bid that earned the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena a three-year contract, the state's largest governing body for scholastic sports reported an estimated profit in excess of $145,000 for last month's semifinals and finals, though some revenue and expense items may still be outstanding.

   The final year in Glens Falls resulted in a profit of $103,208. From 2012-15, the net at the Section 2 venue ranged from $122,521 to $153,018.

   (About $7,800 of the improved bottom line came from the elimination of athletes gifts, which would have also happened in Glens Falls had it held on to the final four weekend.)

   "It's encouraging," NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas said Sunday. "Any time we're down almost 5,000 in attendance it's concerning. But when we're able to attract bids like this it's encouraging."

   A year-over-year comparison highlights just how attractive Binghamton's bid was and what the overall effect was on the P&L.:

    • Rent for the arena dropped from $42,119 to nothing.

    • The cost for security and athletic trainers dropped from $4,540 to nothing.

    • Hotel costs fell from $2,392 to $420.

   In addition, sponsorship money soared from $18,400 to $32,000 -- on top of an unprecedented $30,000 guarantee specified in the bid. That new income stream allowed the NYSPHSAA to budget more than $8,000 for an advertising campaign and signage, the first outlay along those lines in recent memory.

   Not having to pay rent and starting the weekend with the $30,000 guarantee allowed the basketball committee to breathe easier over the fact that Friday was conducted as a single session rather than the traditional two sessions with separate admissions, which Zayas expects to be restored in 2018.

   That accounted for probably almost half of the attendance drop from 15,488 to 10,644. Weather (especially for the winter and fall seasons) and how well supporters of the participating schools travel are variables outside of anyone's control, which is why the bid process changes instituted under Zayas have contributed to overall financial stability for the NYSPHSAA.

   Year 2 of hockey at HarborCenter in Buffalo saw net revenue grow from $17,314 to $25,349. The first year of indoor track at Staten Island's spectacular Ocean Breeze Complex after many years at Cornell University saw a swing from a loss of $1,247 to a profit of $10,240.

   "Look at the difference in Binghamton, HarborCenter, St. John Fisher College for lacrosse (beginning this spring) and indoor track," Zayas said. "We used to spend $21,000 for the building plus $6,000 for timing in indoor track. In Staten Island, it was around $10,000 and that included the timing."

   At the end of the day, it allows the NYSPHSAA to continue running money-losing championship events such

as skiing, rifle and boys volleyball without pinching pennies.

    • By the way, girls basketball at Hudson Valley Community College finished in the black by about $50,000, approximately matching last year's performance at the event's long-time home.

   Saturday softball: Ally Muller struck out 18 and walked two in an 11-0 win over Roy C. Ketcham for her second no-hitter of the season and the fourth of her career.

   "It's exciting to have a no-hitter, but it's my job as a pitcher to limit the number of hits," Muller said. "So to get a no-hitter just means I did my job."

   She also did her job at the plate for the defending Section 1 Class AA champions. Muller went 2-for-5 with a home run and four runs batted in. Britney Guzman was 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and two RBIs.

   Alumni news: Former McQuaid star Dominic Bozzelli, a two-time NYSPHSAA champion, came within an inch of pulling off the shot of the decade on the PGA Tour on Saturday.

   The rookie, who began his round from the 10th tee, nearly holed his tee shot on TPC San Antonio's 318-yard 17th hole during the final round of the Valero Texas Open.

   He ended up tapping in for eagle on the par-4 hole to get to 3-under for the round, but a 43 on his closing nine ruined the day.

   Andrew Magee remains the only player in PGA Tour history to ace a par-4 hole. Magee's shot came at the 2001 FBR Open on the 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale, banking in his tee shot off the putter of Steve Pate, who was on the green in the group ahead.

   Bozzelli has made more than $640,000 in 13 official Tour events since October.

   Moonlighting: Ron Naclerio is adding to a resume that already includes being the winningest basketball coach in PSAL history. The long-time Cardozo coach made his television acting debut this month, appearing in a New York Lottery commercial and an appearance on the CBS drama "Bull."

   Naclerio's opportunities came about with an assist from former Cardozo player Ryan Williams, who's built a bit of a career as a body double called upon for TV and movie scenes requiring some athletic prowess. Williams suggested Naclerio to his boss, Susan Torres, as a candidate to play coaching roles.

   "(Ryan) said, 'I think you should maybe check out my coach from high school,'" Torres, who owns Slam Dunk Bookings, told The Times Ledger. "I called him, we talked a little bit, and I said 'OK, you do have a personality and maybe I could start using you for print work, commercials, TV and film.'"

   The "Bull" bit involved 12 hours of taping at Barclays Center, playing a basketball coach.

   "What I enjoyed was spending some hours on the court," Naclerio said. "I went in the back of Barclays Center and they have pictures from every major event and of course I went and I took a picture of the Cardozo game."