Two defending section champions won titles Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Cooperstown’s Dick White Holiday Tournament at Red Bursey Gymnasium.
Host Cooperstown won the boys title with an 80-67 win over Cato-Meridian, while Delaware Academy won the girls title with a win over Unatego, 57-32.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cooperstown 80, Cato-Meridian 67
Tournament MVP Miles Nelen scored a game-high 35 points as Cooperstown topped the Blue Devils in the tournament final Tuesday.
“You might be looking at the section final today,” Cooperstown Coach John Lambert said.
C-M started the game on a 10-3 run, but the Hawkeyes scored the next 17 points and led after one quarter, 20-10.
Cooperstown, the defending Section III Class C boys basketball champions, also led at halftime, 34-27, but the Blue Devils made several second-half runs, cutting the lead to three points twice in the third quarter and to five points twice in the fourth quarter.
“This is what you like to see,” Lambert said. “I thought Delaware Academy gave us a good game and Cato-Meridian was challenging for us.”
Cooper Coleman hit a three-point basket late in the fourth to stop a C-M run, and the Hawkeyes made 5-of-7 free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
Nelen, who had 14 of his points in the third quarter, made seven three-point baskets and went 6-for-6 from the foul line, including four free throws in the final minute of the game.
Coleman scored 14 points, including three three-point baskets in the fourth quarter.
Jackson Crisman also scored 14 points for the Hawkeyes, and Christian Lawson scored eight points.
Perry Planck led C-M with 27 points and was given the Tournament Sportsmanship Award.
Crisman and Lawson made the All-Tournament Team for Cooperstown, as did Embry George and Dylan McGetrick for Cato-Meridian (4-1).
Cooperstown (8-0, 2-0) plays at Morrisville-Eaton in a Center State Conference Division III game Monday, Jan. 5.
Delaware Academy 57, Unatego 32
Tournament MVP Tyler Abts had a game-high 16 points and Delaware Academy won a Dick White title over Unatego on Tuesday at Red Bursey.
The teams were tied at 10 early, but the Bulldogs led after one quarter, 14-12. They then went on a second-quarter run, outscoring the Spartans over five minutes, 12-6. The Bulldogs led at halftime, 31-20, after Leah Young hit a three-point basket in the final minute of the half.
The Bulldogs had another big run to start the third quarter, outscoring the Spartans to start the second half, 14-2.
Abts also had four steals for the Bulldogs, which also got 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists from Danielle Ennist, 12 points from Rebecca Verspoor, seven points from Jaylyn Prisco and five points from Young.
The Bulldogs played most of the game without starting guard Lexi Davis, who twisted her right ankle early in the game, and did not return to the game Tuesday.
Raelynn Parks led Unatego with nine points. The Spartans also got eight points from Nica Hurlburt and eight points from Harly Birdsall.
Birdsall won the Sportsmanship Award. Ennist, Prisco and Young made the All-Tournament Team for Delaware Academy, as did Parks from Unatego.
Delaware Academy (4-1, 1-0), the defending Section IV Class C girls basketball champions, will play a non-league game Monday at Oneonta.
Unatego (3-3, 0-1) will host Harpursville in a Midstate Athletic Conference game Monday.
Unatego 50, Cooperstown 41
Raelynn Parks scored a team-high 17 points as Unatego topped host Cooperstown in the opening round of the Dick White Holiday Tournament on Monday, Dec. 29, at Red Bursey Gymnasium.
Eighth grader Emma Johnson scored 17 points to lead the Hawkeyes, which also got 16 points from Lanie Nelen.
Unatego led at halftime, 27-14, after holding Cooperstown to just three second-quarter points.
Harly Birdsall and Nica Hurlburt each scored nine points for Unatego.
The consolation game between the Hawkeyes and Hamilton was canceled because of the weather.
Cooperstown (1-6, 1-1) will host West Canada Valley for a Center State Conference non-division game Saturday, Jan. 3.