OFA and Madrid-Waddington both bowed out of the Section 10 Boys Basketball Tournament on Thursday while the Gouverneur Boys and Girls swept a doubleheader from Salmon River at home to advance to the Class B Championship games.
In the Class B Boys Semi-Finals second seeded Potsdam dropped third seeded OFA 68-36 to advance and face top seeded Gouverneur (15-4) which downed Salmon River 84-69. The top seeded Lady Wildcats (20-1) advanced past fourth seeded Salmon River 83-30 and will face second-seeded OFA in the championship game.
In Class C Boys action top seeded Canton (14-6) checked fourth seeded Madrid-Waddington (13-9) 67-34 and will play 16-4 and second seeded Tupper Lake which downed third seeded St. Lawrence Central 57-38
DEVIL CHECKED Host Potsdam jumped out to a 12-1 lead over OFA in the Class B semi-final game and never allowed OFA a serious run throughout the game. After the Devils cut the lead to six points twice, on 3-pointers by Shea Polniak and Blake Morrill in the second quarter, the Stoners scored the last five points of the first half and the first five of the second half to gain a 37-18 lead.
The Stoners’ standout eighth grader in guard Ian VanWagner tallied 20 points in the first half despite being constantly hounded by Polniak but was limited two points in the third quarter.
But Tanner Race and Dylan LaMora both buried timely three pointers as Coach Justin Todd’s team capitalized on offensive rebounds for extended possessions to gain a 15-6 advantage and widened the lead to 47-24.
VanWagner finished with 30 points with three 3s and 9-11 free throw shooting and consistently found teammates moving without the ball for inside conversions. Race followed with 12 points and LaMora netted 11 with a pair of 3s.
Brodie Delaney went 6-6 from the free throw line scoring six points and Theo Hughes , Kyle Murdock, Parker Blanchard and Ilahn Maroun all added two.
“We played very well tonight. Ian (VanWagner) had a great game but struggled in the third quarter. But the other guys came through,” said Potsdam Coach Justin Todd.
“When everyone scores for us we are very tough.”
The Devils, who played their third straight game without their scoring leader and a 2022 First Team All-NAC Central selection in Justice McIntyre because of a knee injury, found it extremely tough to score against the Stoner’ active defense, which prevented penetration in the lane, and consistent defensive rebouding.
Shea Polniak led the way with 14 points which incuded a nine-point second quarter in an effort to spark a comeback for the Coach Dakota Brady’s team. VanWagner answered with 11 points in the quarter where Potsdam finished with an 18-14 advantage.
Madden West netted four points for the Devils and Blake Morrill and Ian Rose, two call-ups from a JV team which went 10-2 in the NAC Central, each finished with three. Orther scoring came from Brady Bullock (1), Alex Mitchell (2), Will Graveline (3) and Connor Graveline (1).
Seniors in Justice McIntyre, Connor Graveline, Alex Worden and Ryan and Andy Mitchell all completed their OFA basketball careers in the contest.
The score and the scenario was very much the same at Canton’s Jerry Hourihan Gym where the host Golden Bears contained the Yellow Jackets offensive endeavors. The Bears opened a 33-21 halftime lead and locked down the decision with a 21-5 third quarter run where Eyiloyoni Odetoyinbo and Luke Wentworth each scored six points.
Center Eyiloyoni Odetoyinbo delivered a 12 point, 10-rebound double-double, Luke Wentworth dropped in 13 points and Tallon Green added nine points on three 3-pointers. Elias Snyder netted eight points, Ethan Francey and Zadock Roiger each tallied six points and Ryan Jones scored four points with five rebounds and three steals. Zakarina Moumen added two points.
Jack Bailey led M-W with 11 points and six rebounds and Troy Peck netted six. Aiden Putman and Dan Davis each scored three points and Kaden Kingston, Tristen Cuthbert, Trevor Saucier, Tanner Smith and Joe White all added two.
The Gouverneur Girls opened postseason play with a 56 point first half in the win over Salmon River where 12 players scored led by 15 points from Courtney Forsythe, 12 from Meredith Bush, 10 from Chloe Smith and seven from Elizabeth Riutta, Lia Canell and Reneisa Ricards.
Also scoring were: Addy Conklin (4), Rylyn Martin-McIntyre (4), Maddie Hoy-Spano (5), Reagan Devlin (5), Mae Cummings (2) and Caitlyn Storie (5).
Takqieun’t Talon scored eight points to lead Salmon River and Taya Ransom and Adrienne Brill each followed with six.
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