Section III Class D basketball semifinal roundup: Hamilton wins, West Canada Valley loses

SYRACUSE – Fans of Hamilton and West Canada Valley made the long trek to SRC Arena Saturday morning for the Section III Class D Semifinals.

One group returned home delighted, the other distraught.

Second-seeded Hamilton defeated third-seeded Madison 52-42 Saturday morning, while fifth-seeded West Canada Valley lost to top-seeded Sackets Harbor 68-63.

The Emerald Knights advanced to the Class D Final for the second year in a row. The Indians season ends at 16-7 after a Class C section title last season.

Here is a look at each game:

No. 2 Hamilton 52, No. 3 Madison 42

The sweet feeling of success still hasn’t left Tom Blackford.

“I still love coaching, and when I lose that feeling is the time for me to get out,” he said.

The legendary Hamilton coach has been to more Section III title games than he can count, and he added another tally to his list Saturday with a 52-42 win over Madison.

Hamilton’s rebounding and run outs turns game in the third

The early 11 a.m. start time appeared to reflect the team’s energy in the first half:

Drowsy.

Both teams failed to get much going offensively. Hamilton leading scorer Hudson Idzi scored just two, and Madison’s Ethan Rivers tallied just five.

The Emerald Knights led 22-19, but the game changed on a dime in the third as Hamilton doubled its point total and led 44-27.

A 12-0 run to start the third helped put the game out of reach. Blackford attributed the turnaround to improved rebounding and run outs.

On the other end, the Knights took advantage of Madison’s three-point heavy offense and forced numerous turnovers.

“Two guys below the frontline of our 1-3-1 can go for steals and anticipate those passes,” Blackford said. “Our sophomore in the back of our defense Bryce Wright played phenomenal.”

Idzi scored 10 of Hamilton’s 22 third quarter points.

“They started coming at us higher, and that worked out for us because we were able to sneak behind them,” Idzi said.

Madison makes slight run in the fourth

The Blue Devils, fresh off one of their best seasons, weren’t going to go quietly into the night. They cut it to 10 with 3:30 left thanks primarily to Rivers and Anthony Dodge, who led the squad with 14 points.

However, Madison couldn’t get it any closer than 10. Blackford praised Idzi’s leadership in settling the team.

“I’ve grown to have so much respect for him, and I leave him alone in big games because I trust him,” Blackford said.

What’s Next?

The Emerald Knights will face Sackets Harbor next Sunday at 11 a.m. for the Class D title. Idzi and Blackford both admitted the team is hungry for a title after losing by two to Cincinnatus in last season’s Class D title game.

No. 1 Sackets Harbor 68, No. 5 West Canada Valley 63

Sometimes teams can’t dump bad habits.

This season, third quarter play has been poor habit of West Canada Valley.

Coach David Smith said it’s been the squad’s kryptonite.

“Every year, for whatever reason, anytime we’ve lost a big sectional game has been because of big third quarters by the other team,” Smith said.

It reared its ugly head one last time for the Indians as they were outscored 32-22 to Sackets Harbor and ultimately fell 68-63 to the top-seeded Patriots, ending their season at 16-7.

Griner and Smith shine for both teams

Austin Griner carried the Patriots to a 21-1 record, one of their best.

When the team struggled around him Saturday, the junior once again put the squad on his back. He scored 15 of SH’s 26 points and forced a tie game.

“We were trying to go a diamond and one on him, and he’s just as tough as nails,” Smith said. “He is as good as advertised.”

West Canada’s scoring breakdown was more balanced as Jayden Smith topped with nine points.

The big story of the half was Brayden Shepardson’s struggle. Sackets Harbor entered with a clear gameplan to detain the WCV all-time leading scorer. It worked as Shepardson was held scoreless.

Explosion of threes in the third

It is unclear what occurred during halftime, but when the third began, both teams suddenly became human torches and couldn’t miss from three.

A combined 12 three pointers, six each, were hit. At one point, SH and WCV inflicted pain on the net and knocked down four straight threes.

Sackets Harbor’s Ethan Shi and WCV’s Cam Ludwig were the hottest. Shi finished 13 on the day. Smith said the team knew of Shi’s ability, but Sackets’ ability to catch and shoot caught the Indians off guard.

Ludwig, for what it’s worth, scored 25 after Sackets Harbor played off him. Smith also noted Ludwig’s play allowed Shepardson to not force up bad shots.

Ultimately, the Patriots flame shined brighter, and they led by 10 heading into the fourth.

Shepardson anchors fourth quarter comeback

Once the fourth quarter began, Sackets Harbor currently couldn’t knock down a shot. The Pats failed to drain one field goal in the fourth but nailed a perfect 10 free throws.

SH’s toils allowed West Canada to reenter the battle. Shepardson finally awoke in the fourth, and after a three from the logo, pushed the margin to six with 3:30 left.

However, despite another two deep threes from the senior, WCV never retook the lead.

End of an era for West Canada

Saturday’s defeat signaled the end of the career for six seniors, including Shepardson. The dual sport athlete departs Newport as the program’s all-time leading scorer and with a Class C section title from last season.

“It’s tough to swallow right now,” Smith said. “I have had Brayden since eighth grade. My goal is to send him and the seniors out as sectional title winners. I could care less about league titles.”

The sophomore Smith and the junior Ludwig will return next season.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Section 3 boys basketball: Recap of Class D semifinals