8 teams vie for spots in Section III boys basketball finals. What to know
The Section III basketball world will turn its eyes to SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse for the boys and girls final four this weekend.
We already covered the girls.
More:Section 3 girls take basketball playoffs to Onondaga Community College
Here's a look at the local boys teams that will play this weekend.
New Hartford, Class A
The nearly 60-mile trip down the thruway has become common place for the Spartans. NH played twice at SRC last season on its way to a state final appearance.
This season has been less kind to the red and blue.
The loss of three seniors, (Andrew Durr, Connor Karwowski and Will Trela) and a tough schedule gave the Spartans a 10-10 regular season record.
However, after wins over No. 12 seed Oswego and No. 4 seed ESM, New Hartford has landed back in the semifinals.
Waiting for them is the same team NH played in the 2022 semis – Bishop Grimes – Friday at 7:15 p.m.
Behind Deng Garang’s 22 PPG, the Cobras improved from 11 to 15 regular season wins and easily gained the top seed in the Class A playoffs.
Garang’s 27 points Tuesday lifted BG to an eight-point win over eighth-seeded UAS.
NH and BG have yet to play against each other this year, but the Cobras displaced nearly all Class A opponents on their schedule, save for a one-point loss to state-ranked Amsterdam.
The pressure will be on defending All-Mohawk Valley Player of the Year Zach Philipkoski. Like last season, Philipkoski appears to be turning it on at the right time. The senior put up a 29 and 11 in the seven-point win over ESM. He scored 30 to beat BG in last year’s playoffs.
The winner will face either second-seeded Central Square or third-seeded Fulton. Those two meet Friday at 5 p.m. at SRC.
Central Valley Academy, Class B
Last season, the young Thunder squad appeared overmatched in a 76-69 semifinal loss to Chittenango. This season, CVA returns to the scene of the crime but as a different team.
This team isn’t a group of pesky underdogs, but a confident bunch who put together the best in program history.
The 22-0 Thunder played like a car driving with no traffic, speeding through opponents with ease as all but two games were decided by double digits.
That continued in the first two rounds with wins over Cortland and Clinton.
A new test waits for CVA in Syracuse – the three-headed OHSL monster that is Chittenango, Westhill and Marcellus. A potential rematch with the second-seeded Bears would come in next weekend’s final, but first is a bout with Marcellus Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
While the Mustangs 18-4 record pails in comparison to the Thunder’s perfect mark, only two of those defeats came to Class B schools, and Marcellus already beat Westhill and Chitt this season.
Juniors Will Burnett, Will Kershaw and Pat Louer each average about 12 PPG. Louer’s 16 points led the ‘Stangs over General Brown 69-51 in the quarterfinals.
What Marcellus lacks is Jaylon O’Neal and Deacon Judd. The two seniors each average over 20 PPG. O’Neal scored 19, dished out 10 assists and picked up five steals in the win over Cortland.
The winner will battle either Westhill or Chittenango in the Class B final next Sunday. The Warriors and Bears tussle Sunday at 1:45 p.m.
Dolgeville, Waterville and Mt. Markham – Class C
Three CSC teams trek to Syracuse in Class C this weekend, and each took different paths there.
Led by Michael Blaskey and Kam Comstock, the top-seeded Blue Devils improved upon their section final trip last season to a 21-1 season up to this point. The only slip-up came against Little Falls in early January. Dolgeville later got revenge on the Mounties in an 18-point win on Feb. 10.
The Blue Devils easily knocked off Pulaski and Jordan-Elbridge to reach the semis. The 30-point win over the Eagles saw 26 from Comstock and 22 from Blaskey.
Dolgeville will take on fourth-seeded Weedsport Sunday at 11:45 a.m. The Warriors are no mere cannon fodder. They lost just twice this season, both to teams outside S3. Weedsport isn’t much of a deep team, with nearly all scoring coming from Lucio Cole, Ryan Adams and Troy Brown.
The Blue Devils two signature wins this campaign came over Waterville. The two slip-ups gave the Indians a two-seed, but that shouldn’t undermine their chances of success the next two weekends.
Led by Tyson Maxam’s 28 PPG, W’Ville didn’t lose any other battles besides the two to Dolgeville. This includes impressive wins over Cato-Meridian and Herkimer in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Maxam tallied 26 in the victory over C-M.
Waterville’s foe this weekend is a familiar one – Mt. Markham. The Mustangs scored the upset of the week Wednesday with an 88-71 dub over Little Falls. Will Lunny led the way with an impressive 33 points.
The win confirmed the sixth-seeded Mustangs can hang with the class’s elite. MM lost both games to their CSC-III rival by a combined 11 points. However, if Lunny can hang or outduel Maxam, all bets are off the table.
Tip is set for Sunday at 10 a.m.
Hamilton, Madison and West Canada Valley – Class D
Class D ranks as the class of the unknown in Section III. Let’s start with second-seeded Hamilton. The Emerald Knights, guided by the legendary Tom Blackford, are no strangers to success with five state final four appearances.
This season, Hamilton sits at 19-3 and a perfect 16-0 against Class D opponents. Hudson Idzi’s 19 PPG tops the show, and his magnificent 25-12-8 gave him over 1,000 points and the Emerald Knights a 71-37 win over Stockbridge Valley Wednesday.
Third seeded Madison will be standing by Saturday at 11 a.m. Only six miles separate the two schools, but the Blue Devils remain a mystery to most.
They earned the same 19-3 record. However, their CCL schedule ranks easier than Hamilton’s. Only two other CCL teams – McGraw and Stockbridge – gained top nine seeds in Class D, and while Madison beat them both, the Devils still have much to demonstrate this weekend.
Ethan Rivers’ 27 PPG ranks third in Class D.
Fifth-seeded and defending Class C section champion West Canada began the season as the clear favorite in Class D. However, a 5-5 start raised some eyebrows.
But once the Indians entered league play, they flexed their muscles with an undefeated record in Class D and just one loss overall – to Dolgeville.
With Brayden Shepardson’s 28 PPG, WCV appears to maintain as good of a shot as anyone. It easily toppled Fabius-Pompey 85-61 Wednesday. It did lose to Hamilton this season, but that loss in early January came by just one, 56-55.
The Indians opponent Saturday at 12:45 p.m. suddenly appears very beatable – top seeded Sackets Harbor. The Patriots lost just once this season, but it barely snuck by New York Mills (70-68) and Oriskany (53-50) on their way to the semis.
Austin Griner leads SH with 22 PPG.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Section III boys basketball semifinals: What to know
