When the Section III Class A playoff bracket was released, the area’s four boys basketball teams were in a position where, if they all won their respective early-round games, they would get each other in the semifinal round.
Thanks to four superb efforts in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, that’s exactly what will happen on Friday night at SRC Arena.
No win was bigger than what Bishop Grimes did, the no. 8 seed Cobras going on the road and shocking undefeated, top-seeded Whitesboro 49-48.
Somehow, the Warriors had made it through the entire regular season without a blemish, going 20-0 amid the tough Tri-Valley League, though six of those wins were by five points or less.
The Cobras saw all this and, after topping Syracuse Academy of Science 63-53 in the opening round of the sectional tournament, demonstrated patience and toughness to knock Whitesboro out.
Though it trailed most of the game, Grimes never let the Warriors get away, and once it got to the fourth quarter, the Cobras turned a 38-34 deficit around, leaning on its defense to make several big stops down the stretch.
Clutch shots came from Ian Denton and Joe Wike, who each hit on three 3-pointers as Denton got 14 points and Wike 13 points, with Jack Gutchess adding eight points and Deng Mawien adding six points.
Now Grimes could look ahead to a semifinal against no. 4 seed Christian Brothers Academy, who kept its season alive with its own late rally to eliminate no. 5 seed Central Square 70-66.
Having won 12 of 14 going into the sectional tournament, the Brothers would go back and forth with the Redhawks, overcoming an early deficit with a big second quarter to lead 37-32 at the break.
Led by Tim Giblin, who had 28 points (including five 3-pointers), Central Square answered, and with less than seven minutes left CBA trailed 56-50, but it would not end here.
Closing on a 20-10 run, the Brothers were led again by sophomore Dan Anderson, who earned 23 points, while Sam Haas got four 3-pointers for most of his 14 points.
Colin Kelly also had 14 points, with Jason Boule earning seven of his nine points at the free-throw line as Anderson also converted seven foul shots.
By comparison, the other sectional Class A quarterfinals were more routine, but it sets up a rubber match between Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa, who like Grimes and CBA split their two regular-season encounters.
The no. 2 seed and defending sectional champion Red Rams did not have an easy time of it with no. 7 seed Fulton, but got away late to beat the Red Raiders 62-51.
When it raced out to an early 17-7 lead, J-D appeared headed for the same comfortable wins it had enjoyed over Fulton two other times this winter, but in the game’s middle stages the Rams stagnated.
It was only a 43-35 margin going to the final period, but J-D would stay in front thanks to Payton Shumpert, who poured in 29 points, and Trey Autry, who stepped up for 18 points as Matt Cieplicki added seven points.
ESM, as the no. 3 seed, hosted no. 6 seed New Hartford that same night, and in this Spartans clash it was the hosts in control all the way through as it won by a score of 70-50.
All season long, ESM had made its name through defense, and this game was no different as it held New Hartford to just nine points in the first quarter and moved out in front.
Then the offense found its rhythm in the second half, outscoring the visiting Spartans 43-29 as Jimmy Ferns and Naiche Cook led the charge, Ferns earning 21 points and Cook getting 20 points.
Not to get left out, Devin Mascato-Buffaloe finished with 13 points and Matt Burchill-Wright earned 12 points, while Colin Oczkowski paced New Hartford with 17 points.
