Three area high school boys basketball teams, already heralded as Section III champions, now sought regional titles that would give them a chance to go to Glens Falls this weekend to play for state titles as well.
Trying to match the state title it won back in 2019, West Genesee would first have to battle past Niskayuna in Saturday’s regional final at Troy’s Hudson Valley Community College.
And battle the Wildcats did, trailing for most of the game until, in the closing stretch, it took charge on both ends and, led by Sincere Smith and Jordan Cain, defeated the Silver Warriors 61-55.
All through the first half, WG found itself chasing Niskayuna, trailing 16-14 after one period and seeing the Silver Warriors double that margin to 28-24 by the time they reached the break.
They played on even terms in the third period, which meant the Wildcats trailed 43-39 heading to the final period but finally able to catch up at 47-47 heading into the game’s homestretch.
Then it went back and forth until, with under a minute to play, WG, again behind 51-50, inched in front, converting on back-to-back possessions to grab a 54-51 advantage it would never relinquish.
All told, the Wildcats outscored Niskayuna 11-4 in that final minute, and Smith set a new career mark, finishing with 29 points as Cain added 24 points, the pair combining to hit 19 free throws.
Combined, the rest of WG’s roster had just three field goals, but it still earned a spot in Friday’s state semifinal against Poughkeepsie’s Our Lady of Lourdes at 12:30. The winner plays Elmont or Jamestown in the state final a night later.
Marcellus was new to all this, but the first-time sectional Class B champions also had the confidence of a 23-1 record and no. 1 state ranking when it went to Binghamton and, in Sunday’s regional final, routed Section IV’s Waverly 75-43.
Will Kershaw proved ready from the outset, carrying the attack with 11 first-quarter points as Marcellus jumped in front 18-10. Then the defense took over in the second, holding Waverly to just five points in that period as, helped by Mitch Donegan’s pair of 3-pointers, the margin grew to 34-15.
Any doubts went away in the third period with another Mustangs scoring surge – 30 total points, leading to a 64-35 margin and a chance to relax in the final minutes.
Donegan, mostly based on his six 3-pointers, finished with 26 points as he and Kershaw, who had 24 points, combined to outscore the entire Waverly roster. Tucker Burnett had eight points and Dom Gosh-Sandy added six points.
On Thursday night at 7:45 at Glens Falls’ Cool Insuring Arena, Marcellus meets Section VI’s Salamanca in the state semifinal, the winner facing Woodlands or Stillwater in Friday’s title game at 5:15.
Of these three teams, only Westhill, in Class A, had players who knew what it felt to win the ultimate prize, having done so in Class B in 2023.
Getting back would require going to HVCC and, in Saturday’s regional final, knock off Glens Falls, the Section II champions who were quite eager to return home – and would do so, the Black Bears withstanding a furious Warriors comeback to prevail 78-70.
All game long, Westhill found itself in catch-up mode, and even when it did pull even at 26-26 in the second quarter, Glens Falls went on an 11-4 run and, at the half, was in front 37-30.
It mostly stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when the Black Bears appeared to have it in hand, building a 66-51 advantage, yet the Warriors almost made it up.
Picking up its tempo and shredding Glens Falls’ defenses, Westhill surged with a 14-3 run and only trailed by a single possession, 68-65, with more than a minute play.
But Black Bears standout Kellen Driscoll, who would finish with 38 points, hit on a basket and then made a key steal before sinking free throws that made it 72-65. The Warriors never got closer than four points again.
Kam Langdon was held to eight points, but his teammates nearly made up for it. Jack Hayes had a career-best 19 points as Eli Prince led with 21 points and Eli Welch got 18 points.
Westhill was the only side that had to play an extra regional game, where it pulled away to beat Section X’s Massena 81-47 last Wednesday at Liverpool High School.
The Warriors didn’t fly out of the gate, trailing 8-4, but the rest of the half was all Westhill as it zoomed ahead 19-12 by the end of the first quarter and then buried Massena with a 21-5 domination of the second period.
Keying the 36-9 spurt was Langdon, who hit five 3-pointers and set a new season mark with 30 points. Prince did plenty, too, getting 18 points as Charlie DeMore finished with 12 points. But it would prove to be Westhill’s last win of the season.
