Five girls basketball teams from the local ranks will be vying for three different sectional championships this weekend. All three games will mark the third meeting this season between the respective teams.
Here is a roundup of the facts and figures from each game.
Section IV Class C
Unatego (16-5) vs. Delhi (15-7)
At Tompkins Cortland Community College, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Saturday’s Class C final will be the first All-MAC matchup in a sectional final since Unatego fell to Harpursville in 2013.
It’s been a playoff full of surprises in Class C with Unatego coming in as the five seed and Delhi as the number 10. While the Spartans enter as the higher seed, it was the Bulldogs who won each of the first two meetings this season, winning 53-35 on Feb. 7 and 47-27 on Feb. 19.
Delhi is seeking its first sectional title since its State Championship-winning season of 2017-18. Eighth-grader Danielle Ennist has been the driving force with a team-high 15.7 points per game. She has been especially good against Unatego, scoring 29 points in the first meeting and posting 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the second.
Lexi Davis, Jaylyn Prisco and Tyler Abts have also contributed as underclassmen for a squad with a nice blend of upper- and underclassmen.
Delhi has taken down second-seeded Greene and sixth-seeded Union Springs on its path to the final.
Unatego will be looking to change its fortunes from the first two meetings against its MAC rival as well as capture its first sectional title in five years.
Lizzie Craft leads Unatego with 16.2 points per game and scored her 1,000th varsity point in the first game against Delhi. The senior is coming off a 22-point performance in the 47-30 semifinal win over top-seeded Newark Valley, 20 of which came in the second half.
Sophomore Harly Birdsall (11.6 points per game) is another strong scoring threat while senior sister Madisyn provides a steady hand running the point.
And on defense, Unatego will make its opponents earn every possession as one would expect from a Bob Zeh-coached team.
Section IV Class D
South Kortright (19-1) vs. Stamford/Jefferson (16-3)
At SUNY Delhi, Saturday, 4 p.m.
It will be an All-Delaware League final in Class D on Saturday as South Kortright and Stamford/Jefferson square off for the third time this season.
The Rams won both contests, a 54-37 decision on Jan. 10 and a 42-37 victory in the Delaware League final on Feb. 20 in which SK overcame an 11-point deficit.
It will be yet another matchup between the two highest-scoring girls players in the area: S/J junior McKenna Hoyt (22.1 points per game) and SK senior Addy Eckert (21.5).
Eckert, who netted her 1,000th point earlier this season, has scored 43 points combined in the two games against Stamford/Jefferson this year and had 22 in the 54-47 semifinal victory over Cherry Valley-Springfield.
Caitlyn Deysenroth has been an excellent secondary option with 14.1 points per game while Carlee Dropp contributed 16 points against CV-S.
The Rams enter Saturday’s title game on a 17-game winning streak. Their first and only defeat of the season came way back on Dec. 7 in the final of the Pat Grasso Tournament, a 51-46 loss to Bainbridge-Guilford. They will be hoping to win their first sectional title since 2020.
Stamford/Jefferson, meanwhile, has only lost one game to a team not named South Kortright. Even in the losses to SK, Hoyt has been the driving force, notching a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double in the first game and 17 points in the league final. In that second game, she became the program’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a record set by her sister Melanie.
S/J features a slew of complimentary scorers that includes Tierney Turner, Gabby Castilleja and Emily Eklund.
Stamford/Jefferson took down Schenevus 50-39 to advance to the title game. Stamford hasn’t won a sectional title since 2000 while Jefferson has never won a championship.
Section III Class C
Cooperstown (19-4) vs. Hamilton (20-3)
At Onondaga Community College, Sunday, 6:15 p.m.
While the Cooperstown boys have garnered plenty of attention for their undefeated campaign, the Hawkeye girls are having quite the season of their own.
Coach Mike Niles’ squad features an intriguing mix of youth and experience. Senior Brenna Seamon (9.3 points per game) was a part of the 2022-23 squad that won a sectional title and fellow seniors Mia Kaltenbach and Polly Kennedy have also been key contributors.
But the team’s leading scorer this year has been seventh-grader Emma Johnson at 13.8 points per game. Eighth-grader Lanie Nelen, meanwhile, hasn’t looked out of place either, averaging 8.4 points per game.
The Hawkeyes will enter Sunday having won 13 of their last 14 games. Unfortunately, that one loss came against their opposition in defending sectional champion Hamilton.
In fact, the Hawkeyes’ four losses have come against just two teams: Hamilton and Unatego. Cooperstown fell to Hamilton 42-34 on Dec. 17 and 55-47 on Feb. 1.
The Emerald Knights, who have won 14 games in a row, are led by Logan Langel (15.0 points per game) and feature a stout defense that has yielded just 33.0 points per game in its first three sectional games.