Dramatic finishes, sterling performances highlight Day 2 of Palmer tourney

Day two of the Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic featured a buzzer-beating victory from Binghamton Seton Catholic Central in boys regional play, a double-overtime girls triumph for Corning and some late heroics to propel Jamestown to the Boys National Division semifinals.

Wednesday's dramatic finishes were in stark contrast to Tuesday's opening day in which all five games were decided by double digits.

Also of note and a reminder of the tournament's deep field, four defending sectional champions from New York, including three state semifinalists, were among Wednesday's winners.

More:Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic 2022 scores and schedule

The four-day tournament continues through Friday at Elmira High School, with Ernie Davis Academy in Elmira also being used for games Thursday and Friday.

Seton, Corning to meet for regional title

Andrew Erickson delivered the heroics in Boys Regional Division 1, nailing a jumper from near the top of the key as time expired Wednesday to give 2021-22 Class B state semifinalist Seton a 50-48 victory over Ithaca.

Erickson finished with 34 points, the highest scoring output of any player through the tournament's first two days.

His play helped set up a championship showdown Friday with defending Section 4 Class AA champion Corning, which rode Isaiah Henderson's 22-point effort to a 58-50 victory over Conrad Weiser (Pennsylvania) in the second Division 2 semifinal. They meet at 5 p.m. Friday.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, North Penn-Mansfield cruised to a 69-38 win over Elmira Notre Dame in the second Boys Regional Division 1 semifinal. NP-Mansfield earned a spot in the regional final against Vestal, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday. Vestal rolled past Thomas A. Edison, 55-18, on Tuesday.

Dobson lifts Corning girls in 2 OTs

Corning's girls got a layup and free throw from Alyssa Dobson in the final minute of the second overtime to prevail, 67-65, over North Rockland in a Girls Division meeting.

Dobson hit two of the Hawks' 14 3-pointers and finished with 18 points. Her foul shot with 17 seconds left made it a two-point game and Corning got the stop at the defensive end before dribbling out the clock.

Hannah Nichols nailed six of 10 3-point tries and scored 24 points for the Hawks, who advanced to the Class AA public schools state semifinals in March. Jenna DiNardo contributed three 3-pointers and 19 points to go with eight rebounds, and Jayda Felker made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points.

North Rockland had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a wide-open layup rolled off the rim.

Both teams still move on to the semifinals after Cardinal O'Hara (Tonawanda) and Lancaster St. Mary's withdrew earlier in the week because of the travel impact caused by the blizzard in the Buffalo region, reducing the Girls Division field to six teams. North Rockland was to have played Cardinal O'Hara and Corning was matched up with St. Mary's in the quarterfinal round.

Jamestown win highlights National Division

Boys National Division play got going Wednesday, minus one team and one game. Geneva advanced straight to the semifinals because its scheduled opponent, Lancaster St. Mary's, could not attend because of the blizzard. Attempts to find a replacement were unsuccessful, leaving the National Division with seven teams.

A recap of the Wednesday's boys games.

• Jamestown (4-0) led much of the way, then had to rally late for a 73-72 win over Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) in the first National Division semifinal. Jaydian Johnson's 3-pointer with eight seconds to go was the difference. Bishop McDevitt missed the front end of a one-and-one with three seconds remaining. Johnson finished with 17 points.

• Horseheads stayed close for three quarters against 2019 tournament champion McDonogh (Owings Mills, Maryland) before the Eagles (7-4) pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 60-44 victory. A late third-quarter surge moved Horseheads within 41-36. The Blue Raiders, ranked 16th in Class A by the New York State Sports Writers Association, fell to 5-1.

• Mount St. Michael Academy led Elmira 39-20 at halftime on the way to a 68-35 victory over the Express in the final National Division quarterfinal. Eleven players broke into the scoring column for The Mount (3-5).

Other standouts

• Trey Drake notched 32 points, six rebounds and four rebounds for Jamestown. He hit 10 of 18 shots from the field and went 6-for-8 from 3-point range. Drake is the son of former Elmira Southside star Karen Burge and Jamestown head coach Ben Drake. Sean Paige contributed 11 points for the Red Raiders.

• Jefferson Exinor Jr. connected on four 3-pointers and scored 23 points to go with nine rebounds, leading McDonogh's win against Horseheads. Robert Fields added 15 points and 14 rebounds for McDonogh, which as a team finished with a 43-21 rebounding advantage.

• Jeremy Truax scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and registered five steals to help Horseheads keep its game with McDonogh close. His brother, Amauri Truax, scored 11 points.

• Kelvin Collado paced Mount St. Michael with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

• James Harris had 10 points and two 3-pointers to top Elmira scorers.

• William Holmes scored 15 points for Ithaca in the loss to Seton. Luke Little added 13 points for the Little Red and Justin Yearwood scored 10.

• Karson Dominick led North Penn-Mansfield with 18 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Brody Burleigh contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds.

• Save Waters paced Notre Dame with 14 points. Jeremiah Parker scored 12 for the Crusaders.

• Logan Booker added 13 points for Corning and Jackson Casey scored 11.

• Brady McKee scored 16 points to pace Conrad Weiser, with Evan Miller contributing 14 points.

• North Rockland's Sarai Gurley had 24 points and eight rebounds in the loss to Corning. Sophia Corretjer contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for the Red Raiders.

What's Ahead

Semifinals in the Boys National Division and Girls Division highlight Thursday's nine-game slate.

Geneva starts tournament play against McDonogh at 5 p.m. in the first National Division semifinal. Jamestown meets Mount St. Michael Academy at 8:30 in the second.

Corning and Bishop Kearney square off at 3:15 p.m. in the first girls semifinal. Last season Bishop Kearney beat the Hawks, 94-42, in a state semifinal on the way to the Class AA public schools state championship. Thursday's second semifinal between North Rockland and St. Francis Prep (Queens) starts at 6:45 p.m.

The full schedule for the tournament's final two days can be found here.

BCANY honors Palmer, contributors

At halftime of the Elmira vs. Mount St. Michael boys game, North Rockland girls coach Kevin Metcalf surprised Palmer with presentation of a plaque recognizing the efforts of the tournament and Josh Palmer Fund in helping to raise funds to help cancer patients in the Elmira region. The recognition came from the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, of which Metcalf is president.

The plaque reads in part, "Through the partnership of basketball and the greater Elmira community, your organization has brought comfort to many impacted families and modeled leadership and empathy for the many high school basketball players fortunate enough to participate in the annual tournament."

The plaque recognized Palmer and the many others who contribute to the Josh Palmer Fund. Palmer said the honor was much appreciated.

"This year we had more people helping than we've ever had, which we really needed it this year unfortunately, but it's been great," Palmer said.

He also noted the significant crowds Wednesday. The gym ranged from nearly packed early in the day to jam-packed for the final two boys games that featured Horseheads and Elmira.

"I thought today was a fantastic day all-around," Palmer said. "The basketball was really good, we had some good games, so I hope the next two days they get the same from the teams as well."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Recapping Day 2 of Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic