Leading off today: As was the case last weekend, I'm not going to try to be all-inclusive in today's recap. There was a ton of significant hoops and hockey action taking place — not to mention a pair of national track meets — on one of the best days of the year for high school sports fanatics.
I spent the day at SUNY Brockport watching four boys basketball quarterfinals (couldn't make it out there in time for the terrific Finney-Maple Grove game) that were marked by exceptional quality. Good performances on the court and intelligent coaching on the sidelines were the rule of the day.
So, away we go . . .
The boys' big picture: Eight of the 20 teams that made it to the Glens Falls Civic Center a year ago will be returning next weekend, with defending champions Jamesville-DeWitt, Maple Grove and Chateaugay among the repeat visitors.
The attention grabbers are Class D (Chateaugay won last year, Maple Grove drops down a class after winning in "C" and Greenport makes the return trip) and Class A (Jamesville-DeWitt, Peekskill and East Hampton all return).
Chateaugay's return to Glens Falls is nothing short of amazing considering the Bulldogs were 12 points down to start the fourth quarter and still trailed Westport by nine with 55 seconds to go yesterday. Eli Franze's late three-pointer forced overtime, and defense and clutch shooting carried Chateaugay the rest of the way for a 75-71 win. Brad Spiner scored 20 points to lead the way.
Also in Class D, Maple Grove swatted down C.G. Finney, 79-73, on the strength of four double-figure scorers. Maple Grove built a 20-point lead in the third quarter, gave it all back and fell behind by 59-58. Dav Rivas (18 points) scored five key points to break open a 71-68 game down the stretch.
Boys Class AA: Senior Stefan Thompson nailed a long jumper with :14.5 seconds to go to break a tie and spark Syracuse CBA to a 50-45 victory against Albany CBA. Senior center Michael Goodman finished with a team-high 12 points plus 17 rebounds.
Niagara Falls used a 15-5 third quarter and got 27 points and 11 steals from senior Kelvin Agee to break down a feisty Greece Athena, 66-56, and make its seventh trip to the final four in nine years. Agee finished one rebound short of a triple-double and broke the 1,000 career points barrier. Senior Michael Crumpton had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Boys Class A: Senior guard Alshwan Hymes scored a season-high 32 points, including a career-high eight three-pointers to power Jamesville-DeWitt to a 90-61 victory over Scotia-Glenville. Combined with 28 points from all-state guard Brandon Triche, it was more than enough to set up a state semifinal against Batavia.
Boys Class B: Olean rallied late but couldn't put enough pieces together at the end to keep Bishop Kearney from a 47-45 victory. Roderick Gray (21 points) scored five straight points to build a 47-41 lead.
Broadlbin-Perth edged Ogdensburg in overtime, 46-44, after Justin Boyles (18 points) and Rob Norgard (12) led a 14-0 run that erased a 35-25 deficit early in the fourth quarter.
Boys Class C: Trent Tibbits scored a team-high 21 points and Jaime Schultz and Christopher Despart combined for 26 as Maple Hill topped Norwood-Norfolk, 82-57. Tibbits made five three-pointers in the second half.
Boys CHSAA: Iona Prep put up 29 points in the third quarter and defeated St. John the Baptist, 82-57, for its first Catholic Class A state basketball championship. Iona Prep is off until March 27, when it faces the NYSPHSAA champion in the Federation semifinals at Glens Falls.
Junior Brian Voelkel led the Gaels with 23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Junior Sandro Carissimo added 21 points and five steals, and senior Andre Pope scored 18 points.
