PLATTSBURGH — The Northern Adirondack boys’ basketball team presented a challenge to defending sectional champion Moriah on Saturday.
The top-seeded Vikings, however, got a big second-half performance from Cooper Allen to erase a three-point halftime deficit and go on to record a 70-62 victory over the second-seeded Bobcats in the Section VII Class C championship game at Clinton Community College.
“It was a battle,” Moriah coach Brian Cross said. “NAC played well for three-quarters of the game. Coach (Nate) Bilow always has his team ready to play — and they sure came out ready to play today.”
The win sends Moriah into Saturday’s NYSPHSAA C regional final against the winner of tonight’s first-round contest between Section II’s Maple Hill and Section X’s Tupper Lake. Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. at Clinton C.C.
The Vikings (20-2) outscored the Bobcats (13-9), 39-28, in the second half.
Allen was limited to six points in the first half, but began to dominate in the third stanza, doing his damage inside and from the foul line.
“Allen took over in the second half, scoring 21 points,” Cross said.
“The third quarter was huge — we outscored them by 14 points in just that quarter.”
Allen finished with a game-high 27 points while adding 12 rebounds and six assists.
Chase McGinness scored 13 points and Evan Fleury 10 for the Vikings. Wyatt Whitman and Logan Gilbo chipped in with eight points apiece, with all eight of Gilbo’s points coming from the foul line. Joe Pelkey added seven rebounds in the victory.
Moriah hit 20-of-30 shots from the foul line.
“Fleury and Whitman came off the bench and played great minutes for us,” Cross said. “McGinness and Gilbo playing solid minutes as well was huge.”
Bilow’s Bobcats came out a determined bunch in the opening half matching the Vikings’ inetnsity and grabbing a 34-31 halftime lead with Kingston Tucker hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first half to pace NAC.
But the third quarter was all Moriah as the Vikings made a point of getting Allen the ball and letting him go to work.
The Bobcats, who did make a little push in the fourth quarter, also ran into foul trouble in the second half.
Calvin Magoon finished with 13 points to lead NAC’s offense, while Tucker contributed 11, Austin Lambert 10 and Patrick Benware nine. The Bobcats hit eight three-pointers in the contest.
—
Moriah 70, NAC 62
NAC (62)
Tucker 4-0-11, Lagree 1-0-2, Taylor 1-0-3, Lambert 3-4-10, Craig 2-0-6, Damour 1-0-2, Pecor 1-0-2, Magoon 4-3-13, Benware 4-1-9, LaClair 0-0-0, Gilmore 2-0-4. Totals- 23-8-62.
Moriah (70)
Fleury 4-2-10, Allen 10-7-27, Whitman 4-0-8, Pelkey 1-0-2, Gilbo 0-8-8, McGinness 4-3-13, Olcott 1-0-2, Scoresome 0-0-0, Valentine 0-0-0, Sherman 0-0-0, Mascarenas 0-0-0. Totals- 24-20-70.
Halftime- NAC, 34-31.
3 point goals- NAC (8) Tucker 3, Magoon 2, Craig 2, Taylor. MCS (2) McGinness 2.