Leading off today: The Catholic High School Athletic Association postponed its Boys Class AA basketball quarterfinals quadrupleheader because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
The games were scheduled for Sunday at Fordham University, but the college canceled most on-campus events for Sunday following Gov. Andrew Cuomo's declaration of a state of emergency in New York on Saturday.
CHSAA President Ray Nash notified league members schools Saturday night to inform them of the decision. It was not immediately determined when the games would be rescheduled.
The semifinals are slated for Wednesday and the title contest for March 15 at Fordham.
• Four Ramapo athletes who qualified for the state indoor track championships on Staten Island were ordered to stay home because five district students have possibly been exposed to the coronavirus.
The district notified coach Jason Zweig on Saturday morning that there was a possibility the athletes might have been exposed to coronavirus and could transmit it to other competitors at the meet.
• Scarsdale school district officials have canceled classes through March 18 after a middle school faculty member tested positive for coronavirus.
The private Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck will be closed until March 17 after a student tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the private Keio Academy in Purchase is closing for the remainder of the school year over coronavirus concerns.
Where are we headed? Just as I was about to send this column to the server in the wee hours of Monday morning, I saw a column from Greg Brownell of The Post-Star laying out a vision of where the coronavirus may be taking the high school sports world this week.
We're already seeing college events being changed and pro leagues developing contingency plans. Prudence demands that high school sports officials start walking through the potential scenarios, and they have begun that process with NYSPHSAA hockey, bowling, and basketball still ahead of us this week.
As Brownell notes, we could be looking at games played in empty buildings. He writes: "If playing in empty arenas is the only way to let kids chase a state title, then I'm for it."
Some quick hoops notes: I don't have as much time these days to pick through championship weekend results as I used to, but a few developments from Saturday did catch my attention:
• Lancaster is a Section 6 boys champion for the first time since 1959 following a 49-40 victory over Orchard Park in Class AA. Gianluca Fulciniti led the way with 18 points.
• Eastridge earned its first Section 5 boys championship since 1964 with a 52-43 win over crosstown rival Irondequoit in the Class A-1 final. Irondequoit had won their regular-season matchup 75-59.
The Lancers advance to a state tournament qualifier against Class A-2 champ Rochester East, which downed
Rochester Northeast Douglass 69-60 for the 25th basketball championship in school history.
• New Paltz went to overtime for the Section 9 Class A boys crown, edging Monticello 69-67 for its third straight championship. Jackson Soper had 21 points, including the game-winning basket with :29 left.
• The Averill Park girls, who limped to the regular-season finish line with four losses in five games, won their seventh straight Section 2 Class A title with a 52-39 victory over top-seeded Queensbury. The Warriors have won 12 championships since 2006.
• The Canisius boys advanced to the CHSAA state Class A championship game with a 55-40 victory over St. Anthony's at Hofstra University. The Crusaders will face Fordham Prep next weekend at a Buffalo-area site for a berth in the Federation tournament.
