Boys' Basketball

Unadilla Valley 59, Unatego 48

ONEONTA – Unadilla Valley took the more difficult road to a championship, but the extra effort was well worth it.

The Storm won their first Midstate Athletic Conference title since going back-to-back in 2006-2007 beating Unatego for the second time in two weeks Saturday at Oneonta State’s Field House Gymnasium.

The Storm pulled away in the final minutes with solid free throw shooting, while the Spartans struggled from the charity stripe all night long.

"They just played mistake-free down the stretch," said Unatego coach Cal Locke, whose club was denied a third straight league championship. "We made a nice run in the fourth quarter, but didn't have the energy to sustain it."

Nate Shackleton pumped in a three with six seconds left in the third quarter giving UV a 40-36 lead entering the last stanza. To that point, neither club had led by more than six, though that would change in the first three minutes of the fourth. Nick White made four free throws and David Dufresne hit a pair of freebies raising UV’s lead to 46-36 with 5:13 left.

Over the next two minutes, the Spartans' desperation yielded quick results. Sparked by its full-court press, Unatego forced some turnovers, and back-to-back layups frm Kellen Komenda and Jared Jones sliced UV's lead to 46-45.

The Storm (14-4) settled down after a pair of Dufresne jumpers, buckets that led to a 14-3 closing spurt. "I think we just got a little too excited (when they made their run)," said UV coach Matt Osborne. "We handled their pressure a little better late in the game, and we took the ball to the basket."

Dufresne led UV with 22 points, Shackleton had 14, and White scored 11. After missing his first two free throws, White made the final nine. The Storm as a collective unit went 19-for-26 from the foul line, while Unatego was an abysmal 5-for-19.

"Our goal this year was to finish at the top of the league and we thought we had a good group," Osborne said. "We lost a couple of games early in the year and had to beat Greene on the road in the first round of the playoffs. It was the tougher road, but I think it made us a better team, and we'll be a better team heading into sectionals."

UV hosts Candor Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Section IV Class C playoffs.

Unatego: Kellen Komenda, 6 1-6-15; Joel Van Alstine, 0; Corbin Henry, 0; Tanner Winchester, 9 3-7-21; Jon Forte, 2 0-0-5; Eric Hartshorn, 1 1-2-3; Shane Bucci, 0 0-4-0; Jared Jones, 2 0-0-4. Totals: 20 5-19-48.

UV: Bryant Maynard, 0 3-6-3; David Schwab, 0; Nick White, 1 9-11-11; David Dufresne, 9 4-5-22; Brett Hanslmaier, 1 0-0-2; Nate Shackleton, 6 2-3-14; Mason Alford, 3 1-1-7; Hank deGlee, 0. Totals: 20 19-26-59.

Unat 9 16 11 12–48

UV 12 12 15 19–59

Fouled out: (U) Komenda. Three-point goals: (U) Komenda 2, Forte.

Sherburne-Earlville 78, Lowville 51

SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville cleared the first hurdle of sectional play for the first time in seven seasons in a rout of visiting Lowville Saturday night on the Marauders' home floor.

Lowville came out in a gimmick defense in which it defended senior Kevin Vibbard Jr. in a box-and-one. Vibbard had just six points, but the other four S-E starters all scored in double figures.

"We weren't overly surprised when they came out in that defense, and it left some other guys open," said S-E coach Kevin Vibbard Sr.

The primary beneficiaries of the box-and-one were Ben Khoury and Elijah Morris. Khoury knocked down four threes en route to a career-high 19 points, and Morris scored 15.

Morris had a big first quarter scoring three buckets, and Khoury had two threes in the second quarter to help open a 41-18 advantage.

Austin Jasper also had 15 points for S-E (16-3), and Cody Marango chimed in with 10 markers.

The Marauders' current mark is its second-best record in 25 years next to the 21-1 compilation of the 2006-2007 team that advanced to the sectional semifinals.

"It's been a nice season, and we don't want it to end," Vibbard Sr. said.

S-E hosts Bishop Grimes Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.

Lowville: Cameron Jackson, 3 1-2-8; Brian O'Connor, 6 6-7-22; Nate Mooney, 1 0-1-2; Kyle Malik, 4 4-6-12; Robert Campany, 0; Dalton Rombough, 1 2-4-5; Melvin Zehr, 0; Shawn Pridell, 0 2-2-2. Totals: 15 14-22-51.

S-E: Elijah Morris, 6 3-4-15; Cody Marango, 4 2-2-10; Nicklas Stefansen, 0; Julienne Alsheimer, 1 2-2-4; Ian Fleming, 0 1-2-1; Ben Khoury, 6 3-4-19; Austin Jasper, 6 3-4-15; Brady Elderkin, ;1 2-2-5 Keith Rose, 0 1-4-1; Kevin Vibbard Jr., 2 1-1-6; JP Osborne, 0 2-3-2. Totals: 26 20-28-78.

Lowville 6 12 16 17–51

S-E 18 23 25 12–78

Fouled out: (L) Zehr. Three-point goals: (L) Jackson, O'Connor 4, Rombough. (SE) Ben Khoury 4, Elderkin, Vibbard Jr.

Girls’ Basketball

Sherburne-Earlville 62, Vernon-Verona-Sherril 37

SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville's unbeaten season was extended to 19 victories after an impressive opening-round win in the Section III Class B playoffs Saturday night.

Four Marauders players scored in double figures led by Lilly Berg's 13 points. Berg added 10 rebounds, while Jordan van Althuis tossed in an even dozen points, Savannah Irwin netted 11, and Mattie Dowdall scored 10.

"It was good to get that first sectional win under our belt," said S-E coach Karen Mulligan. "I thought we were a little tight at the beginning, but we settled down and scored 20 points in the first quarter."

The Marauders helped their own cause allowing just 10 points in the first half to establish a 22-point lead. "We talked about the defense and rebounding, and how huge those things are this time of the year," Mulligan said. "We did a great job holding them to just 10 points in the first half."