It was a busy Saturday at the Utica Memorial Auditorium as from 11am through the night, it was boys basketball Section III Championship time.
We'll start in Class AA, where Henninger battled its rival with the home crowd from Utica-Proctor on hand, and took down the Raiders in overtime. The Knights made clutch free throws at the end of regulation and in overtime to hold off Proctor 73-69. It's Henninger's first Section III crown since 2008.
In Class A, it was a rematch between Jamesville-Dewitt and Cortland. The Purple Tigers won the regular season matchup in January, but J-D responded in a big way in the title game, winning 75-55. The #1 college recruit for the Class of 2012, DaJuan Coleman scored 26 points as the Red Rams won their 4th straight Section III title, and each year they've done that, they've gone on to win the New York State Title.
Class B, Mr. Clutch Kevin McAvoy scored 34 points for Westhill, as the Warriors took down the top-seed from Skaneateles. It's the 3rd Section III title in a row for the Warriors, who are also the defending Class "B" State Champs.
In Class C, it's a pair of newcomers to Section III title glory. In Class C-1 Syracuse ITC ran away from Cooperstown for the crown, it's ITC's 2nd year of varsity play, and they're already Section III Champs. In Class C-2, Syracuse Academy of Science joined the ranks by edging Onondaga by three for the Class C-2 crown. Now ITC meets SAS Tuesday Night at C-NS for the overall Class C crown.
In Class D, New York Mills remained the only undefeated team in Section III with a title game victory over Lyme.
