Now the Bishop Grimes boys basketball team can exhale – and more importantly, look forward to an appearance in the Carrier Dome with a Section III Class B title on the line.
The no. 3 seed Cobras withstood a fierce challenge from no. 15 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in Wednesday night’s Class B semifinal at Cicero-North Syracuse, needing some key baskets down the stretch from Gai Ater and Eisa Adam to get past the Red Devils 62-57.
VVS, who left the Tri-Valley League and played as an independent this season, started the sectional tournament as the lowest seed in the field, but promptly knocked off no. 2 seed South Jefferson and no. 7 seed General Brown on the road to earn its surprise date with Grimes.
At first, the Cobras appeared ready to dismiss the Red Devils, scoring the game’s first seven points, five of them from Casey Evans, who would finish with 17 points on the night.
But after VVS called a time-out, it roared back, taking a 12-10 lead late in the period before Adam converted a basket to pull the Cobras back even, 12-12, going into the second.
Here, the same thing happened, Grimes gaining a seven-point lead (29-22) at one point, VVS fighting back, this time to close within 30-26 at the half.
More danger awaited the Cobras in the third period, even when it stretched the margin back to nine. The Red Devils, getting 3-pointers from Joe Spinella and Josh Webb and four points from Brett Field, stormed to a 40-39 lead.
To this point, Ater had been rather quiet – but that would change. His back-to-back 3-poitners quickly helped the Cobras move back to the lead, which stood at 50-44 going to the fourth quarter.
Refusing to go away, VVS pulled back even, 52-52, helped by consecutive 3-pointers from Spinella and Alex Savile. With 4:27 left, Jesse Whitmeyer’s free throw had the Red Devils in front, but moments later Ater converted a three-point play.
After VVS pulled even at 55-55, Ater, who finished with 20 points, hit his biggest shot of the night, a 3-pointer that gave Grimes the lead for good. Then Adam, whose role in the paint had increased later in the season, got back-to-back baskets to make it 62-55, all but sealing it.
Adam finished with 11 points, while Tom Steinberg and Jon Carnegie managed six points apiece. For VVS, Field led with 20 points and Spinella added 17 points.
Now the Cobras (17-4), whose last sectional title came in 1998, head for the Dome, where Sunday at 2:45 it will face rival Bishop Ludden (18-2) for the Class B championship.
To erase its 14-year sectional title drought, the Cobras will need to avenge two regular-season losses to the Gaelic Knights, who rolled past Hannibal (81-40) and Marcellus (65-33) to get this far.
