Maybe the last thing the Hamilton boys basketball team reminded itself to do before taking the court for last Thursday night’s Section III Class D-1 quarterfinal was to make sure the defense was present and accounted for.
That defense would prove to be close to perfect, as the no. 2 seed Emerald Knights flattened no. 7 seed Madison 68-17. It was Hamilton’s most lopsided win of the season, and by far the fewest points allowed.
It took a while for Hamilton’s offense to find its groove, as it only led the Blue Devils 11-5 after one period. That all changed, though, when the Emerald Knights buried Madison with a 27-4 second-quarter outburst.
All the way through, Madison found itself shut down, while Hamilton made sure all 11 of its players got at least one point on the offensive side.
Derrick Cenicola had 18 points, half of it from three 3-pointers. Coley Graham and Nate Stewart each had nine points, while Matt Broedel, Mike Jones and John Schell earned seven points apiece.
Hamilton (14-6) now has to wait until this Friday to face LaFargeville in the Class D-1 semifinals at Rome Free Academy at 7 p.m. LeFargeville knocked out Oriskany 67-65 at the same time Hamilton was rolling through Madison. Whoever wins this game gets one more trip to Manley Field House for the March 7 title game.
