A special group of seniors at Solvay High School reversed nearly two decades of decline to bring the football program back to the top of the Section III ranks.
And they nearly did the same thing with a basketball program absent a sectional championship for 25 years.
Ultimately, it took Lowville, the defending champions and no. 1-ranked team in the state, to thwart the basketball version of the Bearcats in Saturday’s sectional Class B final at SRC Arena.
Competitive for a long while in this game, Solvay could not overcome its own foul trouble and the relentless attack of the Red Raiders, who pulled away late to prevail 71-50.
The Bearcats were not the only team on the court that had enjoyed gridiron glory in the fall as the core of Lowville’s lineup featured stars of its sectional class C football championship side.
Yet the Red Raiders enjoyed a greater reputation on the hardwood, nearly winning the state championship in 2019 before an epic defeat to Joe Girard III and Glens Falls in the title game in Binghamton.
To have any chance, state no. 12-ranked Solvay needed a roster at full strength, which it finally got when Justin Scott, out for nearly two months, returned from a foot injury to net 19 points in the Feb. 29 sectional semifinal win over General Brown.
With Scott on his way to a big first half that included 18 points, the Bearcats played on even terms the first six minutes, but like Marcellus the week before in the sectional semifinals, it fell victim to a trademark Lowville spurt.
To close the first quarter, the Red Raiders took off on an 11-0 run, opened and closed by 3-pointers from Aidan Macaulay, the junior guard on his way to a team-high total of 24 points.
Though the rest of the half was played on even terms, Solvay still trailed 43-31 at halftime and would need a burst of its own to make things interesting.
For a moment in the third quarter, that sure seemed possible as the Bearcats put together an 11-4 burst to whittle Lowville’s margin to 47-42.
Solvay’s aggression was checked, though, by having Elijah Wright and Brock Bagozzi each pick up their fourth fouls and Jaimen Bliss fouled out.
Steadily, Lowville got away, with Aidan Zehr (14 points), Chad Bach (13 points) and Gavin Macaulay (10 points) also reaching double figures as Scott was contained late and finished with 20 points, Wright adding 13 points.
