BINGHAMTON – The Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) coordinators released the 2017-2018 Section IV boys and girls all-section basketball selections at the end of March. Top players and head coaches from Unadilla Valley and Bainbridge-Guilford were announced as selections.
Players throughout Section IV were nominated and later voted on by all coaches in each class. Four players from Chenango County were named to the boys and girls BCANY all-section team with three being awarded Player of the Year honors.
Unadilla Valley's Andrew Jackson was selected as the Class C Boys Player of the Year.
The junior had a year deserving of the honor. Posting a new career-high on three separate occasions this season, Jackson set the new mark in the opening round of the sectional tournament. In the Storm's win over No. Watkins Glen, Jackson dropped 40 points. His previous personal best was
Finishing the Section IV Class C tournament as a champion, Jackson averaged 25 points per game in the four game bracket.
The state regional final is where Unadilla Valley's Cinderella story ended with a 56-40 loss.
Thoughout the season, Jackson averaged a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds per game. His other stats consisted of six assists and five steals per contest as well. He also recorded his 1,000 career point on February 15 with a second quarter three-pointer.
At the conclusion of the reglular season, Jackson was named the Midstate Athletic Conference (MAC) Most Valuable Player. John Jackson, Andrew's father, was named the SUS League MVP in 1986 as a member of the Oxford Academy Blackhawks. The SUS League transformed into the MAC League in 2001.
The Storm's head coach, Matt Osborne was honored with the Section IV Class C Coach of the Year selection for the boys side. Osborne led Unadilla Valley to Section IV Championship as the No. 7 seed, the first in the program's history, and a final record of 17-8.
Osborne began coaching in the Storm program 1998 as a junior varsity coach and did so for eight year. He took the reigns of the varsity team in 2005 and one year later, Osborne has led his team to the sectional championship in 2006 but the team fell short to Elmira Notre Dame at the Broome County Arena.
Two members of the Bainbridge-Guilford Bobcats girls basketball team were named by BCANY committee. Junior Abigail Selfridge earned Player of the Year for Class C and senior Megan Palmatier was named to the all-section team.
Selfridge was a scoring threat for defenses throught the sectional tournament as she averaged 15.3 point per game through the three game tournament for the Bobcats. Where she was the biggest challenge for opponents, however, was on the glass. Selfridge pulled down 13 boards per game.
In the Bobcats' 62-57 late game loss to Syracuse Academy of Science, Selfridge tallied a double-double 23 points and 16 rebounds, her highest totals of the playoffs.
On December 27, Selfridge reached the 1,000 point career milestone against Deposit/Hancock on a layup and assist from her four-year teammate Palmatier.
Palmatier reached her 1,000 career point one night earlier with a free-throw against Tioga.
The Bobcat senior has been an important part of the team's success throughout her four year career, helping lead the program to four MAC Championships and three appearances in the Section IV Class C final.
In the 2017-2018 season, Palmatier's averages were 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She recorded 83 assists for the year, a stat that is uncommon for a player in the forward position.
Over her career, Palmatier has scored 1,198 points, pulled in 690 rebounds, recorded 140 steals and dished out 203 assists. She finishes her career as the fifth leading scorer in Bainbridge-Guilford Girls Basketball history.
Bobcats' head coach Bob Conway received Coach of the Year honors after leading the girls to the second Class C Section IV title in program history.
Conway first started coaching for Mount Upton as the girls basketball head coach when the program was poinerred in the early 80's. In 1999, Conway led Bainbridge-Guilford to their first sectional championship.
The entire BCANY all-Section IV team is as follows:
GIRLS
Coach of the Year:
Class AA — Jake Dailey, Elmira
