Section III seeds boys Thursday, basketball playoffs start Friday

Posted by author February 21, 2025 Basketball

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Defending champions took four of the six No. 1 seeds Thursday for Section III’s 2025 boys basketball playoffs.

Class AA West Genesee, Class A Westhill, Class B Marcllus and Class D Sackets Harbor will start this season’s postseason where they finished the last. Unbeaten Rome Free Academy and Cooperstown are the other No. 1s in classes AAA and C, respectively.

Seeding Thursday morning instead of Wednesday as had originally been the plan, backed up the start of the playoffs by a single day with minimal adjustments. Play-in games beyond the top 16 spots in the brackets had been planned for Thursday and will instead be played Friday in classes B and C, and 14 games from the first full round of play also remain on the Friday schedule.

The master schedule had planned for the round-of 16 to be played Friday and Saturday. That entire round for Class C has been moved to Monday with seven play-ins Friday. Class B has a single Friday game with the winner between Canastota and Sherburne-Earlville advancing to play Monday at No. 1 Marcellus.

Quarterfinal games will be hosted by higher seeds with semis at neutral sites March 3 and 4, and the finals to follow at SRC Arena in Syracuse March 7 and 8.

Class AAA

Rome Free Academy enters the playoffs with a 16-0 record, the No. 1 seed and three 1,000-point scorers – seniors Uzziah Grimes and Deandre Neal, and junior Surafia Norries. The Black Knights won 17 games last year, and they have won 20 of their last 21 games dating back to last February, losing only to Cicero-North Syracuse in last year’s sectional semifinals.

The Black Knights, winners of all six games they have played against class AAA teams, play the latter half of a boys-and-girls quarterfinal doubleheader in Rome Feb. 27. Their opponents will be the winner of Friday’s lone AAA game between No. 9 Proctor (7-10) and the Syracuse Academy of Science (3-13).

Utica’s Proctor Raider won their final two games of the regular season against one A team and one B after losing their previous seven in a row.

Defending champion Liverpool (14-6) is seeded fourth among the nine teams in the bracket and hosts Syracuse’s Christian Brothers Academy (9-10) for its quarterfinal. The Warriors won Section III’s first AAA championship last year and had won back-to-back in AA the two previous years.

Class AA

West Genesee (15-5) won a AA sectional title after back-to-back runner-up finishes to Liverpool which departed for Class AAA with the addition on a sixth classification. The Wildcats are seeded first in a 12-team field this year, and await the winner of Friday’s game between No. 8 Watertown (12-8) and No. 9 Fowler (6-14).

Syracuse Academy of Science, a finalist last season, moved up to join Liverpool in AAA this time around. Syacuse’s Nottingham Bulldogs (15-5) and Fulton (12-6), semifinalists last year, are seeded second and fourth this year, before and after No. 3 East Syracuse-Minoa (12-7).

Whitesboro enters the playoffs seeded 11th with an 8-10 record after losing four of its last five games of the regular season, and plays at No. 6 Oswego (11-9) Friday with the winner advancing to meet East Syracuse-Minoa.

Class A

A full 16-team bracket gets started with four games Friday and four Saturday feeding into the quarterfinals.

New Hartford and Central Valley Academy, seeded seventh and eighth from the Tri-Valley League, open up at home Saturday. New Hartford (9-8) won three of five games after the return of top scorer Jameson Stockwell at the end of January; the Spartans had lost three of four before Stockwell’s return, and their two losses with him were against Rome Free Academy and Proctor, a pair of AAA schools.

The Spartans host No. 10 Chittenango (8-10), three years removed from winning a Class B sectional title the same season New Hartford won the first of back-to-back A titles.

Central Valley Academy (12-7) plays the back half of doubleheader for its boys and girls teams against Mexico Academy (12-6), with the winner advancing to meet Westhill (18-2) or No. 16 Oneida (3-16).

Central Valley Academy lost its last two home games after a 7-0 start in Ilion, and the Thunder lost three of four overall to finish the regular season. Mexico enters the playoffs with five consecutive wins.

Camden (10-10), seeded 12th, joins Oneida on the road in Round 1, along with the Utica Academy of Science from the Center State Conference. Camden’s Blue Devils, who play at South Jefferson (16-4) Friday, rode a late-season seven-game win streak to a .500 finish after starting the season 3-9.

Class B

Holland Patent from the Tri-Valley League is seeded fifth while the Center State Conference’s Mt. Markham and Little Falls also play at home Saturday, seeded seventh and eighth.

Holland Patent (13-7) enters Friday’s game against No. 12 Solvay (5-15) with wins in eight of its last 10 games and 11 of 14. Andrew Jones leads four double figure scorers at 19.5 points per game.

Little Falls (16-4) finished atop a top-heavy Division I of the Center State Conference but was beaten head-to-head by Mt. Markham (15-5) during the final week of the regular season. With the higher seed, Mt. Markham’s Mustangs get General Brown (9-11) for their playoff opener while Little Falls hosts the 8-9 game against Herkimer (12-7), a team the Mounties defeated twice i league play.

Clinton (4-16) is seeded 15th and gives Division III of the Center State Conference the bottom three seeds with Sherburne-Earlville (6-14) and Canastota (3-17) 16th and 17th.

Class C

The Center State Conference is well represented in Class C with five of the top six seeds in the largest field, a bracket with 23 teams.

Cooperstown drew a forfeit to complete a 20-0 regular season that included pairs of wins over No. 3 Waterville (16-4), the defending champion, and No. 5 Hamilton (14-6), runner-up to Waterville in 2024.

Waterville has won seven of its last eight games – with the lone loss to Cooperstown – and 13 of 15. Hamilton, a sectional champion in Class D in 2023 and a finalist each of the last three seasons, won four of its final five games – with the loss against Cooperstown – after the return of senior Bryce Wright from an injury.

Frankfort-Schuyler (15-3) and Oriskany (16-4) shared the Division II title in the Center State Conference and earned the fourth and sixth seeds.

Each of the top seven seeds – Tully (17-2) is No. 2, Cato-Meridian (14-6) No. 7 – will learn its Monday opponent from Friday’s results.

West Canada Valley (8-11) and Poland (9-9), seeded 11th and 12, are among the teams playing at home Friday while No. 17 Morrisville-Eaton (10-9) plays at Cincinnatus (12-8) for the spot opposite Cooperstown, and No. 19 Dolgeville (7-12) heads to Onondaga (12-8) with the winner advancing to play Waterville.

West Canada hosts LaFargville (10-10) with the winner playing at Oriskany Monday, and Poland’s game against Port Byron (3-14) determines who will play at Hamilton.

Class D

Madison (19-1) won eight games in a row after its lone loss and earned the No. 2 seed behind defending champion Sackets Harbor (16-4).

Stockbridge Valley (14-5), Town of Webb (7-12), Remsen (5-13) and New York Mills (6-14), seeded fourth through seventh, also play home games to start the tournament.

Section IV seeds announced

Section IV also announced its seeds Thursday with top billing given to Painted Post of Corning in Class AAA, Binghamton in Class AA, Seton Catholic of Binghamton in Class A, Dryden in Class B, Moravia in Class C, and Edmeston in Class D.

Moravia is a defending state champion.

Classes AA, A and B will play their championship games March 9 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, the facility to which the boys state semifinals and finals are returning this year. Painted Post gets a home game against Elmira, the section’s only other AAA team, while classes C and D play March 8 at Tompkins Cortland Community College and SUNY-Delhi, respectively.

Richfield Springs/Owen D. Young (8-11) earned the final spot in a 14-team Class C bracket and plays at No. 3 Trumansburg (13-6) Tuesday with the winner advancing to the Feb. 28 quarterfinals.

Class AAA

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: Liverpool 55, Cicero-North Syracuse 52

FEBRUARY 21 OPENING ROUND

No. 9 Utica-Poctor (7-10) at No. 8 Syracuse Academy of Science (3-13), 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY 26 QUARTERFINALS

No. 5 Syracuse-Christian Brothers Academy (9-10) at No. 4 Liverpool (14-6), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 27 QUARTERFINALS

No. 7 Baldwinsville (8-12) at No. 2 Cicero-North Syracuse (19-1), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Fayetteville-Manlius (11-9) at No. 3 Syracuse-Bishop Ludden (17-2), 7 p.m.
Proctor/Syracuse Academy winner at No. 1 Rome Free Academy (16-0), 7:30 p.m.

MARCH 4 SEMIFINALS

CBA/Liverpool winner vs. Proctor/Syracuse Academy/RFA winner at Mohawk Valley Community College, 5 p.m.
Fayetteville-Manlius/Bishop Ludden winner vs. Baldwinsville/Cicero-North Syracuse winner at Mohawk Valley Community College, 7 p.m.

MARCH 8 FINAL

Semifinal winners at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 4:30 p.m

MARCH 15 REGIONAL

Section III vs. Section II at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 11 a.m.

Class AA

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: West Genesee 68, Syracuse Academy of Science 58

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP: Liverpool 66, West Genesee 53

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP: Liverpool 53, West Genesee 50

FEBRUARY 21 OPENING ROUND

No. 9 Fowler (6-14) at No. 8 Watertown (12-8), 5 p.m.
No. 11 Whitesboro (8-10) at No. 6 Oswego (11-9), 6 p.m.
No. 10 Auburn (4-16) at No. 7 Syracuse-Corcoran (5-15), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 22 OPENING ROUND

No. 12 Central Square (5-15) at No. 5 Syracuse-Henninger (8-12), 3 p.m.

FEBRUARY 25 QUARTERFINALS

Whitesboro/Oswego winner at No. 3 East Syracuse-Minoa (12-7), 6 p.m.
Central Square/Henninger winner at No. 4 Fulton (12-6), 6:30 p.m.
Auburn/Corcoran winner at No. 2 Syracuse-Nottingham (15-5), 6:45 p.m.

FEBRUARY 26 QUARTERFINAL

Fowler/Watertown winner at No. 1 West Genesee (15-5), 7 p.m.

MARCH 3 SEMIFINALS

Central Square/Henninger/Fulton winner vs. Fowler/Watertown/West Genesee winner at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, 5 p.m.
Whitesboro/Oswego/East Syracuse-Minoa winner vs. Auburn/Corcoran/Nottingham winner at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, 7 p.m.

MARCH 8 FINAL

Semifinal winners at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 12:45 p.m.

MARCH 15 REGIONAL

Section III vs. Section II at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 3 p.m.

Class A

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: Westhill 59, Central Valley Academy 52

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP: New Hartford 65, Central Square 60

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP: New Hartford 65, Syracuse Academy of Science 61, overtime

FEBRUARY 21 OPENING ROUND

No. 12 Camden (10-10) at No. 5 South Jefferson (16-4), 6 p.m.
No. 15 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (4-15) at No. 2 Jamesville-DeWitt (14-6), 6:30 p.m.
No. 11 Utica Academy of Science (12-7) at No. 6 Cortland (15-5), 6:30 p.m.
No. 14 Homer (4-14) at No. 3 Syracuse-Bishop Grimes (11-9), 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY 22 OPENING ROUND

No. 16 Oneida (3-16) at No. 1 Westhill (18-2), 3 p.m.
No. 13 Indian River (11-9) at No. 4 Syracuse Institute of Technology (11-9), 6 p.m.
No. 10 Chittenango (8-10) at No. 7 New Hartford (9-8), 7 p.m.
No. 9 Mexico Academy (12-6) at No. 8 Central Valley Academy (12-7), 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY 25-27 QUARTERFINALS

Mexico/CVA winner vs. Oneida/Westhill winner at higher seed
Chittenango/New Hartford winner vs. VVS/J-D winner at higher seed
Utica Academy/Cortland winner vs. Homer/Bishop Grimes winner at higher seed
Camden/South Jefferson winner vs. Indian River/Syracuse Tech winner at higher seed

MARCH 3 SEMIFINALS

Chittenango/New Hartford/VVS/J-D winner vs. Mexico/CVA/Oneida/Westhill winner at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, 5 p.m.
Utica Academy/Cortland/Homer/Bishop Grimes winner vs. Chittenango/New Hartford/VVS/J-D winner at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, 7 p.m.

MARCH 7 FINAL

Semifinal winners at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 7 p.m.

MARCH 12 SUB-REGIONAL

Section III v. Section X at Liverpool High School, 7:30 p.m.

MARCH 15-16 REGIONAL

Section III/X winner vs. Section II/VII winner at Hudson Valley CC or Clinton CC

Class B

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: Marcellus 66, Clinton 41

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP: Westhill 62, Marcellus 54

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP: Chittenango 56, Utica Academy of Science 48

FEBRUARY 21 PLAY-IN ROUND

No. 17 Canastota (3-17) at No. 16 Sherburne-Earlville (6-14), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 21 OPENING ROUND

No. 14 Altmar-Parish-Williamstown (9-9) at No. 3 Skaneateles (11-9), 6 p.m.
No. 13 Pulaski (10-8) at No. 4 Lowville Academy (11-8), 6 p.m.
No. 12 Solvay (5-15) at No. 5 Holland Patent (13-7), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 22 OPENING ROUND

No. 15 Clinton (4-16) at No. 2 Phoenix (15-4), 2 p.m.
No. 11 Jordan-Elbridge (9-11) at No. 6 Cazenovia (10-9), 2 p.m.
No. 9 Herkimer (12-7) at No. 8 Little Falls (16-4), 3 p.m.
No. 10 General Brown (9-11) at No. 7 Mt. Markham (15-5), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 24 OPENING ROUND

Canastota/Sherburne-Earlville winner at No. 1 Marcellus (15-4), 7 p.m.

FEBRUARY 25-27 QUARTERFINALS

Herkimer/Little Falls winner vs. Canastota/Sherburne-Earlville/Marcellus winner at higher seed
General Brown/Mt. Markham winner vs. Clinton/Phoenix winner at higher seed
Jordan-Elbridge/Cazenovia winner vs. APW/Skaneateles winner at higher seed
Solvay/Holland Patent winner vs. Pulaski/Lowville winner at higher seed

MARCH 4 SEMIFINALS

Solvay/Holland Patent/Pulaski/Lowville winner vs. Herkimer/Little Falls/Canastota/Sherburne-Earlville/Marcellus winner at East Syracuse-Minoa High School, 5:30 p.m.
Jordan-Elbridge/Cazenovia/APW/Skaneateles winner vs. General Brown/Mt. Markham/Clinton/Phoenix winner at East Syracuse-Minoa High School, 7:45 p.m.

MARCH 8 FINAL

Semifinal winners at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 11 a.m.

MARCH 12 SUB-REGIONAL

Section III v. Section X at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, 7:30 p.m.

MARCH 15-16 REGIONAL

Section III/X winner vs. Section II/VII winner at Hudson Valley CC or Clinton CC

Class C

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: Waterville 69, Hamilton 59

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP: Dolgeville 86, Mt. Markham 67

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP: West Canada Valley 73, Dolgeville 64

FEBRUARY 21 PLAY-IN ROUND

No. 20 Thousand Islands (13-7) at No. 13 Syracuse-OnTech Charter (8-12), 3:30 p.m.
No. 19 Dolgeville (7-12) at No. 14 Onondaga (12-8), 5:30 p.m.
No. 23 Alexandria (5-14) at No. 10 Weedsport (13-7), 6 p.m.
No. 22 LaFargeville (10-10) at No. 11 West Canada Valley (8-11), 6 p.m.
No. 21 Port Byron (3-14) at No. 12 Poland (9-9), 6 p.m.
No. 18 South Lewis (7-10) at No. 15 Sandy Creek (11-9), 6 p.m.
No. 17 Morrisville-Eaton (10-9) at No. 16 Cincinnatus (12-8), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 24 OPENING ROUND

South Lewis/Sandy Creek winner at No. 2 Tully (17-2), 6 p.m.
Thousand Islands/OnTech winner at No. 4 Frankfort-Schuyler (15-3), 6 p.m.
Alexandria/Weedsport winner at No. 7 Cato-Meridian (14-6), 6 p.m.
No. 9 Beaver River (15-4) at No. 8 Syracuse-Faith Heritage (13-6), 6 p.m.
Dolgeville/Onondaga winner at No. 3 Waterville (16-4), 6:30 p.m.
Port Byron/Poland winner at No. 5 Hamilton (14-6), 7 p.m.
LaFargeville/West Canada Valley winner at No. 6 Oriskany (16-4), 7 p.m.
Morrisville-Eaton/Cincinatus winner at No. 1 Cooperstown (20-0), 7:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY 25-27 QUARTERFINALS

Beaver River/Faith Heritage winner vs. Morrisville-Eaton/Cincinatus/Cooperstown winner at higher seed
Alexandria/Weedsport/Cato-Meridian winner vs. South Lewis/Sandy Creek/Tully winner at higher seed
LaFargeville/West Canada Valley/Oriskany winner vs. Dolgeville/Onondaga/Waterville winner at higher seed
Port Byron/Poland/Hamilton winner vs. Thousand Islands/OnTech/Frankfort-Schuyler winner at higher seed

MARCH 3 SEMIFINALS

Port Byron/Poland/Hamilton/Thousand Islands/OnTech/Frankfort-Schuyler winner vs. Beaver River/Faith Heritage/M-E/Cincinatus/Cooperstown winner at Sherburne-Earlville High School, 5:30 p.m.
LaFargeville/West Canada Valley/Oriskany/Dolgeville/Onondaga/Waterville winner vs. Alexandria/Weedsport/C-M/South Lewis/Sandy Creek/Tully winner at Sherburne-Earlville High School, 7:15 p.m.

MARCH 8 FINAL

Semifinal winners at SRC Arena, Syracuse, 6:15 p.m.

MARCH 16 REGIONAL

Section III vs. Section IV at Visions FCU Arena, Binghamton

Class D

2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: Sackets Harbor 64, Syracuse-Faith Heritage 49

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP: Hamilton 58, Sackets Harbor 34

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP: Cincinnatus 64, Hamilton 62, overtime

FEBRUARY 21 OPENING ROUND

No. 12 Otselic Valley (8-12) at No. 5 Town of Webb (7-12), 6 p.m.
No. 11 Lyme (5-14) at No. 6 Remsen (5-13), 6 p.m.
No. 9 Mater Dei Academy (6-10) at No. 8 Copenhagen (9-11), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 22 OPENING ROUND

No. 10 Belleville-Henderson (6-14) at No. 7 New York Mills (6-14), 6 p.m.

FEBRUARY 26 QUARTERFINALS

Belleville-Henderson/New York Mills winner at No. 2 Madison (19-1), 6 p.m.
Lyme/Remsen winner at No. 3 DeRuyter (11-6), 6 p.m.
Otselic Valley/Webb winner at No. 4 Stockbridge Valley (14-5), 6 p.m.
Mater Dei/Copenhagen winner at No. 1 Sackets Harbor (16-4), 7:30 p.m.

MARCH 4 SEMIFINALS

Otselic Valley/Webb/Stockbridge winner vs. Mater Dei/Copenhagen/Sackets Harbor winner at South Lewis High School, 5 p.m.
Lyme/Remsen/DeRuyter winner vs. Belleville-Henderson/New York Mills/Madison winner at South Lewis High School, 7 p.m.

MARCH 8 FINAL