As they traveled last weekend to Troy’s Hudson Valley Community College for regional championship games, the Marcellus and Westhill boys basketball teams both wanted to end up in the same place again a weekend later.
That place was Binghamton’s Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, back hosting the state final four after it did so in the late 2010s, and where the winners of these two games would go.
It began with the Mustangs facing Section II champion Mechanicville, and once again the regional title went to Marcellus who got on an early hot streak and didn’t let up until it had recorded a 79-55 victory over the Red Raiders
A great tone was set by Connor Ciota, who hit on four 3-pointers in the first quarter. All told, the five 3s Marcellus converted matched Mechanicviille’s total of field goals as the Mustangs established a 26-14 advantage.
And the lead kept growing, to 41-25 by halftime as the outside shooting was complemented by 11 points in the paint from Dom Gosh-Sandy. Then an 18-2 run to open the third quarter removed any doubt about the outcome.
Gosh-Sandy’s 19 points led yet another balanced offensive effort. Mitch Donegan got most of his 18 points from four 3-pointers as Tucker Burnett finished with 16 points and Ciota 14 points.
Westhill would follow in what, for itself, was a rematch it had waited 12 months for. A year ago it was Section II’s Glens Falls who held off the Warriors in this exact same round on the way to capturing the state championship.
Now the undefeated Black Bears, riding a 51-game win streak, were in Westhill’s way again and, once more, proved too much, the Warriors unable to overcome a torrid Glens Falls start in a 66-49 defeat.
Many opponents this season rarely got to 25 points in a half against the Westhill defense. Glens Falls got that total in the first quarter alone to establish a 25-6 advantage.
Now in catch-up mode, Westhill chipped away throughout the rest of the half. Trailing 34-23 at the break, it got within single digits in the third quarter, only to have the Black Bears get a basket just before the period ended to make it 45-35 and then go on a 10-1 run early in the final period to settle it.
Eli Prince got off to a slow start but still finished with 19 points to pace the Warriors. Jackson Goodness added 13 points.
Both Marcellus and Westhill first had to make it through regional games last Wednesday night against Section X opposition, with the Mustangs fending off a challenge from Potsdam 61-49 and the Warriors rolling past Franklin Academy 74-40.
At Fayetteville-Manlius it was Marcellus finding itself in a bit of a precarious position after seeing an early double-digit lead vanish in a rough second quarter, Potsdam outscoring them 19-6 in that frame.
Trailing 25-24 at the break, the Mustangs regrouped on defense, limiting the Sandstoners to eight points in the third quarter while depending on a three-pronged attack to go back in front for good.
Donegan, Burnett and Gosh-Sandy each finished with 19 points, Donegan connecting on four 3-pointers as Burnett drove and converted and Gosh-Sandy continued to display a strong inside game.
Westhill played Franklin at Liverpool High School, and it was tight for a while with the Warriors leaning heavily on its defense to overcome a slow shooting start.
Limiting Franklin to seven points in the second quarter, Westhill took a 28-19 lead to halftime and then dominated the second half as Eli Prince had yet another double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Even more important was Eli Welch emerging again as a threat on offense with his 16 points and nine rebounds. Jack Hayes earned nine points, Kamari Lewis got eight points off the bench and Jackson Goodness contributed seven points.
Glens Falls was next – and Westhill couldn’t get past them, leaving Marcellus alone to after a state title in Binghamton as this Saturday at 11:45 a.m. it meets World of Inquiry (Section V) in the state semifinals, with the final Sunday at 10 a.m. against Woodlands or Carle Place.
