Leading off today: Six-foot-eight senior Jacob Houseknecht continued a strong postseason with 20 points and 19 rebounds yesterday as
Olean scored a 50-39 victory over Chenango Valley in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B basketball semifinals in Glens Falls.
Forward Sam Moore added 21 points as Olean earned its first berth in a state championship game after falling a game short twice in the previous four seasons.
Houseknecht produced three straight dunks to wipe out a five-point deficit late in the first half, and Olean opened the second half on a 13-4 run.
Olean (24-2) will take on defending champion Malverne (13-10) in the final. Malverne eliminated Ogdensburg Free Academy by overcoming a 15-point deficit in the second half. Dashiem Cherry put the Mules up for good at 73-71 with a 3-pointer and finished with 28 points.
Boys Class C: Mechanicville overcame foul trouble in the second half to beat Friends Academy, 52-51, as senior Jon Williams' 3-pointer at the buzzer went astray.
Mechanicville's only points over the final 3:25 came on two Pat Marra free throws with 10.9 seconds to play. The senior finished with eight points and seven assists for the Red Raiders (21-5), who will play Maple Grove in the final.
Maple Grove (23-2) eleiminated West Canada Valley, 64-59, as senior Cam O’Neill scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and shot 7-for-7 from the field. Sophomore Chris Secky led with 19 points and Tom Secky added 13.
Boys Class D: Northstar forward Jaanai Beckford put in a moster performance with 24 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocked shots as Northstar Christian breezed past Sackets Harbor, 45-29, with a big fourth quarter.
Though seven of the blocks came in the first 16 minutes, Beckford had only four points at the half. Beckford scored the final three baskets of the third quarter to give Northstar a 25-20 lead. A Dave Valle 3-pointer ignited an 8-0 run to build the lead to 41-27 with 1:16 to play.
Northstar will play in the final against Chateaugay, a 61-58 winner over Greenport in its bid to bring home Section 10's first championship. The Bulldogs enter with only a loss to Class A Massena on their 23-1 record.
"We think that we are able to play with anyone in our class,” Chateaugay senior Zach Peck told The Post Star. "We can keep up with them and show them that we can play good."
Girls Class AA: Shenise Johnson, newly anointed by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York as Miss New York Basketball, piled up 29 points and 16 rebounds in Troy as two-time defending champion Rush-Henrietta topped Kingston, 58-51.
R-H junior guard Angelica Simmons finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
