Holidays...I'm Off! But The Games Go On.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to all. So what have we learned this last week? Well, for one, West Canada Valley is the real deal. Just ask RCH and Oriskany. Both teams are good and were dominated by the Indians. The are beating teams by an average of OVER 30 points per game.
What else have we learned? How about that Proctor hasn't missed a beat so far. Lead by Deandre Preaster, the Raiders smacked F-M last week. They will host their own tournament later this week. VVS remained unbeaten but the story in the Trivalley was rival Oneida who beat New Hartford in double overtime. Spartan fans had to shake that off quickly. Good thing to as they went into Whitesboro the next night and beat the Warriors on their home court. Two nights later they beat Notre Dame. I think coach Randall will take that anytime.
Another team without a loss in area play is Cooperstown. Dave Bertram has his team playing well despite a scare by Sauquoit this past week. Who do you think is the team to watch the next couple of weeks?

How about the ladies? In the Trivalley, New Hartford is not playing their best basketball but it IS playing winning basketball. Ask anyone, if they put together four strong quarters consistantly they will crush teams. Will anyone beat Little Falls this season. They handled a solid West Canada last week. The Lady Mounties are on a mission. Cooperstown town has yet to lose as well. To see those two teams clash would be a blast! A few other teams to watch for are RCH led by Madison Slagle and NY Mills with all world player Sam Szkotak.

Better Late Than Never

So sorry I haven't posted. 'Tis the season to be busy. I'm back and ready to babble. First off, how about West Canada Valley. This team appears to be better that last years squad that didn't lose until the playoffs. They are averaging 20 plus point wins this season. No joke! Steve Porter has this team in unbelievable shape and clicking.
Congrats go out to Proctor's Deandre Preaster. He scored his 1000th career point the other night. They'll have a ceremony on Friday at their home game against F-M. Former Hamilton head coach Tom Blackford brings his team to town. Should be a good game, you should check it out.
Another big game this week, New Hartford and Whitesboro. It was rescheduled for this Wednesday night at Whitesboro. Warriors as of Monday are unbeaten in the Trivalley.
Another team unbeaten is VVS. This could be Al Knapp's best team in years. They have nice inside outside balance along with strong defense. There's a reason he's a Hall of Fame coach.
One team thats unbeaten and has quietly gone unbeaten is Oriskany. Guess who they host on Tuesday? Unbeaten West Canada. Should be a dandy. I'll be there for sure. What do you all think about that one? Who will win? Post your thoughts.
Did anyone catch NY Mills losing their first league game in 38 tries? Can they bounce back?
One the ladies side, New Hartford overcame a nine point deficit last Friday night to beat Whitesboro. The Lady Spartans are unbeaten in the Trivalley.
Little Falls is picking up where they left off last regular season rolling along to a perfect record thus far as is Cooperstown. West Canada, RCH and NY Mills all looking strong again this year.
I want to see your thoughts. See you at the games!

Hoops Get Underway Big Time This Week

While the weather outside is frightful, the basketball looks to be delightful this season. CSC got underway last week while the Tri Valley tips off this week. Plenty of good action lies ahead. We've seen so far that Cooperstown's boys and girls will be a force. West Canada is looking to continue from last season success, but then again, aren't both their teams always good? Mt. Markham is unbeaten early this season as is Proctor. However the Raiders lost a ton to graduation. The young kids will have to step up and support Deandre Preaster this season. In the Trivalley, New Hartford and Notre Dame lost key players to graduation. However both programs know how to win so expect them to be back. Watch out for VVS. Hall of fame coach Al Knapp is excited about this bunch. On the ladies side of things, New Hartford and Whitesboro will come to play no question.
What do you think? Just because I didn't mention your team doesn't mean they aren't on radar. Give us your thoughts. We'll blog once a week but I'll answer posts every day.
See you on the court!

Welcome to the 2007 Season!

Hello everyone and welcome back to the High School Basketball Blog on WKTV.com. Once again, throughout the 2007 season, NEWSChannel 2's Sports Director, Jason Powles, will blog the latest news and events taking place at area basketball courts.

We invite you to always post your predictions and comments on local area teams.

Up on the docket tonight are many girls basketball games including:
> New York Mills at Rome Catholic
> Adirondack at Mohawk
> Holland Patent at Ilion
> Corcoran at RFA

FINAL New Hartford 69 Massena 44

Fast-breaking New Hartford is continuing their excellent play with layups by Ronnie Evans and Mike Kelly.

Massena can't seem to find the hoop, missing short jumpers and open layups.

With 4:40 remaining in the quarter, Ronnie Evans hit a jumper from the elbow to push the Spartans to a 62-38 lead.

New Hartford's face painted student section is passing their time during a time-out cheering along with the Spartan Cheerleaders.

With 3:15 left, New Hartford spreads the court and starts running down the shot-clock, sitting on their comfortable 62-40 lead.

Nothing seems to be going right for Massena when they throw the ball out-of-bounds during a three-on-one fast break opportunity.

Under 2 minutes now and New Hartford Coach John Randall begins to clear his bench, resting his starters for their game in less than 24 hours.

A Ronnie Evans fast-break layup with 1:38 remaining in the game all but seals the deal for the Spartans who coast to a huge Sectional victory. Final score 69-44.

New Hartford will play Glens Falls High Saturday March 10, 2007 (TOMORROW) at Manley Field House in Syracuse at 7:30 PM. The winner of this game will advance to the State Championship in Glens Falls next weekend.


High Scorers:
New Hartford - Alex Prue 16
Massena - Tyler Condlin 16

High Rebounders:
New Hartford - Mike Kelly 11
Massena - Garrett Sharlow 8

Assists:
New Hartford - Alex Prue 6
Massena - Patrick Moncibaiz 1 Shawn Hatch 1

End of 3rd Quarter New Hartford 54 Massena 31

2nd half action began similar to the 1st half ended. New Hartford jumped on Massena with back-to-back hoops by Andy Roemer and Alex Prue. Tough defense by New Hartford is causing a number of turnovers by Massena and New Hartford is taking advantage of them.

Some great passing by New Hartford got open layups for Alex Prue and Mike Clifford pushing New Hartford's lead to 50-24 with 4:02 remaining in the quarter.

After that hoop, New Hartford is on a 35-12 run.

Sloppy play from both teams slowed down the scoring to end the quarter with New Hartford in the lead 54-31.

End of 2nd Quarter New Hartford 40 Massena 22

New Hartford came out firing on all cylinders in the 2nd quarter continuing their run. Layups by Mike Kelly and Ronnie Evans were followed by a three-pointer by Andrew Steates.

Steates then went coast-to-coast with a steal and a layup to push New Hartford to a 19-0 run continuing from the 1st quarter.

Massena got their first points of the quarter on two free throws with 5:07 left in the quarter.

Jeff Dunn of New Hartford then banked in a long two-pointer to push New Hartford's lead to 38-18.

New Hartford's Mike Clifford made two free-throws and Massena made two layups to end the action putting New Hartford in the lead with a score of 40-22.


High Scorers:
New Hartford - Andy Roemer 10
Massena - Tyler Condlin 8

High Rebounders:
New Hartford - Mike Kelly 5
Massena - Garrett Sharlow 4

Assists:
New Hartford - Alex Prue 4 Mike Kelly 4
Massena - Patrick Moncibaiz 1 Shawn Hatch 1

End of 1st Quarter New Hartford 23 Massena 10

New Hartford and Massena traded three-pointers to start the game. Fast-paced action up and down the court with New Hartford getting the early advantage with a fast-break layup from Mike Kelly and a three-pointer by Ronnie Evans.

New Hartford ended the quarter with a 8-0 run and hold a 23-10 lead.

Next update coming at the half.

Live from SUNY Potsdam's Jerry Walsh Gymnasium.

The game has begun. Stay tuned for the update at the end of the 1st quarter of action.

New Hartford Boys Face Massena Tonight

Sports Director Jason Powles will be in Potsdam for the game. He'll send back highlights for the 10pm news on the CW as well as highlights and post game interviews for Sports Express on NEWSChannel 2 at 11. Please check back here on-line after 8pm for quarter by quarter updates.

Congrats To All Champs!

Wow, there were some really great section finals this season on both the boys and girls side. The east side of CNY really came to represent this year.
Starting with the boys:
Class AA
Proctor showed they were for real in a big way, surviving two scoring droughts with tough defense to beat Henninger. I was there for this one and you always had the feeling they were going to pull it out. They have a small swagger and a ton of confidence in their leader Deandre Preaster. However, on this day, it was the supporting cast who also rallied, doing the little things like cutting off passes, rebounding and hitting some key shots. Can they continue on? Well, they face the winner of Section II's championship next weekend, don't bet against them.
Class A
At the beginning of the season, we all knew New Hartford would be good. I think only New Hartford though knew they could be this good. After two regular season losses to Notre Dame, albeit close losses, I don't think the odds were in their favor. All I can say is....FORGET THE ODDS! They didn't just win on Saturday, they dominated! This team is playing like a well oiled machine. I pitty Massena if the Spartans are clicking like this on Friday, congrats guys!
Class B
If you don't feel good for Jon Snyder and his Holland Patent Golden Knights, you either played against them in the playoffs, or you don't have a heart. No one expected them to take home a title. But lets look at this fact: they have played all season long in the Tri-Valley, a league full of Class A teams. If that doesn't prepare you for Sectionals, nothing will. Gumby showed a mental toughness most kids wish they had...Snyder could be coach of the year. They still have Hannibal in the cross-over, but no matter what happens...they are still champs!
Class C
All I can say is WOW! West Canada, odds on favorite to win the title, perhaps go deep in states ran into Frankfort and two overtimes later the Maroon Knights, with a first year head coach mind you, did the unthinkable. Now while many were shocked, don't be totally shocked. Frankfort came in on a tremendous roll of their own, winning 10 of their last 11. Both coaches feared a close game, I think 2 OT's is close enough...Congrats Frankfort!
Class D
Another classic battle between to anual rivals in NY Mills and Hamilton. With all the Marauders had to deal with in the last week and a half, they came out focused and tenacious. Dave Wadas showed why he is one of the premiere point guards in the area. All he did was do what he does game in and game out, just add a few more points in the box score. Hamilton gave them a battle, but you knew that Mike Adey and company weren't going to let the off court incident slow them down. Next up Otselic Valley in the crossover. Back to back titles for the Marauders and perhaps this one is a little bit sweeter.
GIRLS
Class B
The Clinton Lady Warriors played some pheonominal defense against top ranked South Jeff. They just ran into a team that played even tougher defense. Congrats though to Tom Trevisani and his ladies, they win their first B-2 title and that's a huge accomplishment.
Class C
Well, the Lady Mounties circled this date a year ago, hoping to get the chance for revenge. In a back and forth game, they got their revenge and improved to 24-0. This is a dream season for Pam Munger and company, and they are not done yet, they face Elmira Notre Dame from Section IV at Cortland next weekend. This team has a special chemistry that could take them to the state final four...we'll be watching!
Class D
How about those Lady Redwings! Forget the monkey, how about the gorilla off coach D'Argenio's back! Great to see him smile after years of not winning the title. Better yet you have to feel great for those girls. Madison Slagle has showed all season she has the potential to take over a game. She's quite a player. They will face Odessa Montour from Section IV next weekend.

SPECIAL NOTE:
After recent off court and off ice incidents, all of which have been well documented and don't need to be brought up again, let me offer this: Attention all students and student athletes, stay out of situations that can put you in a bad position. Coaches and teachers have told me over the years that they tell kids this almost on a daily basis, yet we see young athletes make these mistakes over and over. Almost always the kids will likely say "can't happen to me." Yet after we see teams and players suffer for a bad decision made by a teammate, other still go out and make dumb mistakes.
As a sportscaster and a father, it makes me sick to see young people flush opportunties down the drain because they didn't take stock in the advise a coach, teacher or parent gives them. So, I'll say it one more time: If you are an athlete on one of the remaining teams, stay away from parties, booze, drugs and comprimising positions. Stop and think...is what I'm doing a good thing? If it's not, stop and run away. Don't just take this to heart for the remainder of the season....take it to heart FOR LIFE! Please leave your comments, I'd love to hear from you all!

Jugglers Stunned?

We've seen it before and I don't know what it is. Is it karma, biorhythm, kismet, voodoo? What ever it is it bit the Notre Dame Jugglers last night in the Section III, Class A quarterfinals. The Cortland Purple Tigers looked like another comfortable target on "paper". They had six loses on the season, including two L's against East Syracuse-Minoa, a four point win over Phoenix and an overtime win against Oneida. So, the Juggler faithful had no reason to expect what happened to their team.

What the Juggler faithful may have overlooked on that same sheet of "paper" was the fact that the Purple Tigers also had several players who could hurt any team in Class A in a big way. Joel White and big man Tom Wilk presented one of the best one-two combinations they had seen this season. ND fans would need to look further on that "paper" to find the name of Levi Walrath and he was a major thorn in the side of ND.

What happened? Were they over confident? Cocky? Flat? All of the above?

What they were was down 16-0 before they got their first points on the scoreboard, almost five minutes into the game. Notre Dame came down and fired several three the first several times they came down the court. Nothing happened. Not only that, they only got the one shot off on those trips to the north end of Michael Walsh Gym. At the south end, Cortland was scoring at will and before Notre Dame knew it the scoreboard read 9-0, 11-0…16-0.

OK, ND still had that great press and could climb back, even if it looked like the climb was up Mt. Hood. But, the Purple Tigers handled that press with great ease. The same press that gave New Hartford and VVS and Fayetteville-Manlius fits was regularly broken for easy lay ups by Cortland. If, in boxing, styles make fights…in this case, the Cortland in court composition made this tactic ineffective.

Wilk was good, active presence on the court. But, he didn’t score at his average level…that’s because Walrath was above his average performance – stinging ND for 24. Joel White, as good a player as the locals have seen this season, killed the Jugglers offensively and defensively. He led the Purple Tigers with 30 points.

The Jugglers were not without heroes of their own. Kendrick Pollard scratched and fought and led ND almost all the way back. But, having to erase a 19 point lead over three periods makes that climb more like Mt. Everest. Still, they almost got there. Notre Dame cut all but four points off the Cortland lead with a little more than a minute and a half left in the game…but couldn’t close the deal. Missed free throws, a few travels and the inability to shut down Cortland with the press did in ND down the stretch and the Tigers hit their free throws as the Jugglers sent them to the line.

One thing that stood out to me in this one…Notre Dame had only two team fouls in the first half. You might think…well, that’s good. What it told me is that ND was not their normal, aggressive selves. There was not that level of intensity that was the trademark of ND basketball through the Juggler Classic, but for some reason things deteriorated after that. They got two overtime wins and were blown out at VVS. They didn’t look that sharp in their win over Homer. While this starting five may ranked among the best ND has had in several years, this time was not as deep as past editions of Notre Dame basketball. Did that wear these guys out?
You tell me.

Two Mills Players Among Trio Arrested For Robbery

Steve Murray, the big center and a big part of the state ranked NYM boys basketball team, and Chris Lansdall were arrested for felony Robbery early Wednesday morning.

Murray had played hours earlier in the Marauders Section III Class D-1 quarterfinal win over Remsen. Murray scored four points in the Mills 59-26 win over Remsen. Lansdall was not listed among the scorers in the game against Remsen.

Murray and Lansdall, both 18, along with a third teen, Michael Teti Jr., 19, were arrested after an incident on New Hartford St., near the Ramada Inn. It is alleged that the teens approached two men on the street and demanded money. When the men refused one of the victims was struck in the head. The teens took that man’s hat and reportedly fled in a car. They were located at a house on New Hartford St. in New York Mills and taken into custody.

All three were arraigned in New Hartford Town Court, charged with second degree Robbery, a class C Felony. They were sent to the Oneida County Jail in lieu of bail.

Murray is a 6’6” center and Lansdall is a 6’3” forward. Both are seniors. New York Mills is ranked 6th in the state in Class D and will next play Poland in the Section III Class D-1 semifinals.

Section III Meeting This Morning to Pick Sites for Semifinal Games

Section III officials are meeting again this morning in Syracuse to select locations, dates and times for the semifinal basketball games. Check back for complete coverage throughout the day.

Boys Hoop Playoff Match Ups

Here are first and some second round match up for local schools in the Section III boys basketball playoffs:

CLASS AA:
Liverpool or Nottingham at Proctor, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM

CLASS A:
Whitesboro at Fulton, Friday, 2/16 @ 6:00PM
Carthage at VVS, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Mexico at New Hartford, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:45PM
Homer at Notre Dame, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Oneida at Cortland, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:45PM
Chittenango at E.S.M., Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM

CLASS B-1:
Holland Patent at South Jefferson, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Bishop Grimes or Faith Heritage at Cazenovia, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM

CLASS B-2:
Adirondack at Skaneateles, Tuesday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Adirondack or Skaneateles at Canastota, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Sauquoit at Lowville, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Ilion at Herkimer, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Clinton at Mt. Markham, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Clinton or Mt. Markham at Hannibal, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM

CLASS C-1:
Westmoreland at Thousand Islands, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Weedsport at Cooperstown, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM

CLASS C-2:
Manlius-Pebble Hill at Waterville, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Manlius-Pebble Hill or Waterville at West Canada, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Dolgeville at Watertown IHC, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Mohawk at Onondaga, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM
Fabius-Pompey at Frankfort, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM

CLASS D-1:
Belleville at Richfield Springs, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Belleville or Richfield Springs at Copenhagen, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
McGraw at Hamilton, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Oriskany at Poland, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Cincinnatus at Remsen, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Cincinnatus or Remsen at New York Mills, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:45PM

CLASS D-2:
Sackets Harbor or Deruyter at Brookfield, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Stockbridge at Lyme, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Rome Catholic at Otselic Valley, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM
Old Forge at Oppenheim-Ephrata, Friday, 2/16 @ 7:00PM
Old Forge or Oppenheim-Ephrata at LaFargeville, Tuesday, 2/20 @ 7:00PM

Look for the brackets under the Boys Basketball section of wktv.com

Boys Class D2: Brookfield Is Tops

CLASS D-2:
1 Brookville 17-3
2 LaFargeville 16-3
3 Otselic Valley 13-7
4 Lyme 11-9
5 Stockbridge 10-9
6 Rome Catholic 9-11
7 Oppenheim-Ephrata 9-11
8 Sackets Harbor 5-14
9 Deruyter 3-17
10 Old Forge 3-17

Boys Class D1: The Mills Gets Second Seed

CLASS D-1:
1 Copenhagen 19-1
2 New York Mills 19-1
3 Poland 13-6
4 Hamilton 10-10
5 McGraw 9-9
6 Oriskany 9-11
7 Remsen 9-11
8 Richfield Springs 8-11
9 Belleville 6-1310 Cincinnatus 6-14

Boys Class C2: Unbeaten WCV #1

CLASS C-2:
1 West Canada 20-0
2 Onondaga 17-3
3 Frankfort Schuyler 15-5
4 Watertown IHC 11-8
5 Dolgeville 11-9
6 Fabius-Pompey 8-11
7 Mohawk 8-12
8 Waterville 8-11
9 Manlius-Pebble Hill 6-13

Boys Class C1: Westmoreland Placed In The Middle

CLASS C-1:
1 Lafayette 18-2
2 Cato-Meridian 12-6
3 Sandy Creek 13-7
4 Thousand Islands 12-8
5 Westmoreland 12-8
6 Tully 11-9
7 Cooperstown 11-9
8 Pulaski 9-10
9 Port Byron 8-12
10 Weedsport 8-12

Boys Class B2: Herkimer Gets #3 Position

CLASS B-2:
1 Canastota 15-5
2 Hannibal 12-8
3 Herkimer 10-10
4 Lowville 9-11
5 Sauquoit 8-12
6 Ilion 8-12
7 Mt. Markham 8-12
8 Skaneateles 8-12
9 adirondack 8-12
10 Clinton 6-14

Boys Class B1: Sherburne-Earlville #1, H.P. seeded 6th

CLASS B-1:
1 Sherburne-Earlville 20-0
2 Cazenovia 18-2
3 South Jefferson 18-2
4 Marcellus 15-5
5 Westhill 13-7
6 Holland Patent 11-8
7 Bishop Grimes 11-9
8 Solvay 10-10
9 Jordan-Elbridge 4-16
10 Faith Heritage 2-18

Boys Class A: Jugglers #3, NH #4

CLASS A-

1 Jamesville-DeWitt 19-1
2 Indian River 17-3
3 Notre Dame 17-3
4 New Hartford 16-4
5 VVS 16-4
6 Cortland 13-6
7 East Syracuse-Minoa 13-7
8 Fulton 11-8
9 Whitesboro 10-10
10 Chittenango 10-10
11 Oneida 8-12
12 Carthage 7-11
13 Mexico 6-10
14 Homer 7-12
15 Phoenix 3-17

Boys Class AA: Proctor Is #1

CLASS AA-

1 Proctor 13-1
2 Henniger 12-2
3 Fayetteville-Manlius 11-3
4 Corcoran 10-4
5 CBA 9-5
6 C.N.S. 8-6
7 West Genesee 8-6
8 Liverpool 6-8
9 Nottingham 6-8
10 Auburn 6-8
11 Baldwinsville 6-8
12 Watertown 6-8
13 Bishop Ludden 5-9
14 Central Square 2-12

Girls Class AA: RFA and Central Square Swap Seeds

Further review of the tie breaker system has resulted in the swapping of RFA and Central Square in the Section III Class AA girls basketball rankings. Here are the revised girls Class AA seeding:

CLASS AA –
1 Oswego (19-1)
2 Liverpool (18-2)
3 F-M (15-5)
4 C.N.S. (14-5)
5 Proctor (12-7)
6 Watertown (11-8)
7 West Genesee (11-9)
8 Corcoran (9-10)
9 Nottingham (9-11)
10 Auburn (8-11)
11 Central Square (6-13)
12 RFA (6-13)
13 Baldwinsville (6-14)

Known Match Ups For The Ladies

Dates and Times are not yet fully marked in stone.

Class AA -
RFA at Proctor
Central Square at Waterville
Nottingham at Corcoran
Baldwinsville at C.N.S.
Auburn at West Genesee

Byes - Oswego, Liverpool & Fayetteville-Manlius

Class A -
VVS at Camden
E.S.M. at New Hartford
Oneiad at Cortland
Carthage at Indian River
Homer at Whitesboro
Phoenix at Mexico

Byes - CBA & Jamesville-DeWitt


Class B1-
A.P.W. at Marcellus
Holland Patent at Solvay

Byes - South Jefferson, Westhill, Watertown IHC, Shurburne-Earlville, Cazenovia & Notre Dame


Class B2-
Herkimer at Lowville
Sauquoit at Adirondack

Byes - Clinton, Skaneateles, Canastota, Bishop Ludden, Mt. Markham & Ilion


Class C1-
Cato-Meridian at South Lewis

Class C2-
Mohawk at Weedsport

Class D-
Lyme at Poland
Hamilton at Madison
Richfield Springs at Copenhagen
Otselic Valley at Oriskany

Byes - Sackets Harbor, New York Mills & Rome Catholic

Girls Class D: Mills Girls #2

CLASS D-
1 Sackets Harbor (17-3)
2 New York Mills (17-3)
3 Rome Catholic (16-4)
4 Madison (16-4)
5 Hamilton (14-5)
6 Copenhagen (12-7)
7 Oriskany (11-9)
8 Poland (10-8)
9 Lyme (8-10)
10 Otselic Valley (8-11)
11 Richfield Springs (7-12)

Girls Class C2: West Canada Seeded #1

CLASS C2-
1 West Canada (18-2)
2 Weedsport (13-6)
3 Onondaga (11-8)
4 Waterville (9-10)
5 Fabius-Pompey (9-11)
6 Beaver River (8-11)
7 Mohawk (7-13)
8 Lafayette (3-15)

Girls Class C1: Little Falls Get Top Spot

CLASS C1-
1 Little Falls (20-0)
2 Pulaski (18-2)
3 Bishop Grimes (13-7)
4 Thousand Islands (12-7)
5 Cooperstown (12-8)
6 Sandy Creek (10-8)
7 Tully (10-10)
8 South Lewis (8-12)
9 Cato-Meridian (5-15)

Girls Class B2: Clinton Is #1

CLASS B2-
1 Clinton (16-4)
2 Skaneateles (13-7)
3 Canastota (12-7)
4 Bishop Ludden (12-8)
5 Mt. Markham (12-8)
6 Ilion (11-9)
7 Adirondack (9-11)
8 Lowville (7-13)
9 Herkimer (7-13)
10 Sauquoit (6-13)

Girls Class B-1: Notre Dame Seeded Sixth

CLASS B1-
1 South Jefferson (19-0)
2 Westhill (17-3)
3 Watertown IHC (15-3)
4 Shurburne Earlville (14-5)
5 Cazenovia (13-7)
6 Notre Dame (13-7)
7 Solvay (11-9)
8 Marcellus (10-10)
9 A.P.W. (8-12)
10 Holland Patent (3-17)

Girls Class A - Lady Spartans Get #5

CLASS A –
1 CBA (18-1)
2 J.D. (17-3)
3 Indian River (16-3)
4 Cortland (14-6)
5 New Hartford (14-6)
6 Whitesboro (14-6)
7 Mexico (11-5)
8 Camden (9-9)
9 VVS (8-11)
10 Phoenix (8-11)
11 Homer (8-11)
12 E.S.M. (7-12)
13 Oneida (7-12)
14 Carthage (6-13)

Girls Class AA - Proctor Seeded 5th

Section III Girls Basketball Seeding:

CLASS AA –
1 Oswego (19-1)
2 Liverpool (18-2)
3 F-M (15-5)
4 C.N.S. (14-5)
5 Proctor (12-7)
6 Watertown (11-8)
7 West Genesee (11-9)
8 Corcoran (9-10)
9 Nottingham (9-11)
10 Auburn (8-11)
11 RFA (6-13)
12 Central Square (6-13)
13 Baldwinsville (6-14)

Girls Playoff Selection Meeting Today

The playoff selection meeting is taking place this morning in Syracuse for girls basketball. It begins at 9:00 am and is expected to take a few hours. NEWSChannel 2's Tom Coyne will be in the meeting and will be blogging as the teams are selected.

***CHECK BACK for developments throughout the day including the brackets. Updates will begin after 9:00am.

Snow Changes Everything

Thanks to an unhealthy does of lake effect snow, Section III has moved its seeding meetings for boys basketball.
Instead of finding out who will play whom on Sunday, basketball fans will have to wait until Wednesday.
The good news is you won't have to wait until the 6pm news or read it in some publication the next day.
Starting Monday night with the hockey seeding meeting and continuing with the Girls meetting on Tuesday as well as the Boys on Wednesday, we are planning to Blog at each meeting. What does that mean? Well, that means you can watch live on the internet as the brackets are decided. We are just a couple steps from making it happen. The test will be Monday at the hockey meeting. Tom Coyne will do that on the hockey blog. If that goes well, look for us to do it on Tuesday.
Meantime, there are still a few games to be played. VVS beat Whitesboro on Saturday, so now the showdown remains between New Hartford and VVS on Monday night.
Let us know what you think, post your comments or questions.
Thanks!

New Hartford vs. VVS Boys to Determine Sectional Seedings

With the playoff seeding meeting coming up on Sunday, last minute jockeying for playoff positions take place this week. Thursday night's game between New Hartford and VVS has been moved to Friday night and it's the determining factor for both squads in the Class A playoff lineup.
If VVS wins and then can beat Whitesboro, they will like get the two seed over Indian River with the one seed going to Jamesville-DeWitt. If the lose they could drop as low as the five seed. A New Hartford win will get them the four seed and two home games. The "A"'s will not split this season into A-1 and A-2. If the Spartans lose, they could drop to the five seed and receive just one home game.
As for the game itself tonight, I spoke with both John Randal and Al Knapp. Coincidentally, they both told me their top two keys are tempo and rebounding. Spartans love to run, Red Devils will try to slow it down to a half court game. But the coaches differ on their third key. Randal feels his Spartans have to focus on the mental part of the game while coach Knapp feels his boys need to hit some outside shots.
I think this game should be a great one. What do you think? Post your comments and watch for highlights tonight on WKTV at 11 and check back on the web for extended highlights!

Girls Basketball Thoughts

So what about the ladies you say? There's plenty to say about our local girls teams.
In Class AA, Proctor and RFA are the only teams locally that will head to the playoffs.
The Lady Raiders are likely the team to make some noise, but they must play better team basketball to go deep.
In Class A, Whitesboro will be the team to watch with Notre Dame and New Hartford also looking to make some noise. However both teams will need more consistency to go deep as well.
In Class B, Clinton has been the team to beat locally. We'll see how they stack up against the rest of the pack including Sherburne.
Class C boasts Little Falls, who has yet to lose this season. They are loaded and the team to beat. I'm sure West Canada may have something to say. Cooperstown has a nice lineup as well.
In Class D, it will likely come down to RCH and NY Mills, who play this week.
I could be wrong, believe me, this is not a science. I'd love to hear from all of you. Again I would appreciate polite comments and any foul language and you are gone.
Hard to believe playoffs are next week. I'll post more later this week.
Jason

Welcome to High School Basketball

Hello everyone! High school hoops are strong in this area. With the playoffs looming, there are many teams to keep an eye on.
Locally in Class AA, there's no question that Proctor is the cream of the crop. They have a ton of talent led by Deandre Preaster. They could go the distance this season no question.
In Class A, the two local teams on top of the heap are definately Notre Dame and New Hartford. Wouldn't that be a great playoff matchup.
Oh and lets not forget about VVS. Al Knapp has size on that team. Plus...he's Al Knapp, enough said. ...let me know what you think?
In Class B, Sherburne is unbeaten on the season but can they run with the Syracuse teams...we will find out soon.
In Class C, West Canada has destroyed the competition in the regular season. Brent Fulmer is lights out from down town and Steve Porter has his kids playing great basketball. They will be the number one seed.
In Class D, forget about the loss to Cooperstown, unless you are a Redskins fan. NY Mills is a solid Class D team. They still have to face RCH who is much improved, but they can go deep into sectionals provided they play as a team.
Love to get some responses, I do have tough skin so don't hold back.
However, be respectful, this is not romper room.
Happy Hoops!
Jason