Canton State Title Dreams End in Overtime Loss to Haldane 63-54

POTSDAM UPSETS WILDCATS FOR FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

Potsdam's Tanner Race (15) slips inside a Beekmantown defender for two of his eight-point offering.  The Sandstoners caught up from an early 12-5 hole to pull ahead 24-20 at the half.  The lead expanded to 16 points by the fourth quarter, before Potsdam cruised to a 55-44 final over the Eagles in the New York State Region II Class B semifinal at SUNY Potsdam.   (Bob LaRue photo)

Potsdam's Ian VanWagner (white) skies above the Eagles' defense for two of his 15 points.  Dylan LaMora netted a team-best 17 points, including key three 3-pointers, while Theo Hughes dropped in 10 points.  Potsdam trailed 12-7 at the quarter, but outscored the Eagles 17-8 and 17-12 over the next two quarters.  Potsdam's balanced attack offset 22 points from Josh Burgin and Nate Parliment's 14 points.

CANTON WINS 2ND STRAIGHT OVERALL TITLE VS. HEUVELTON

Canton's Ryan Jones (3) goes to the hole and banks two of his 11 points. Canton pulled away from a  47-41 lead in the final 1:53 of the game and went on to beat Heuvelton 59-42 in a repeat matchup for the Section X Boys Overall Championship.  (Kyton Deon photo)
 

With 3:47 left in the third quarter, Canton broke away from a 26-26 deadlock with a 9-0 run over the next three-plus minutes, producing a separation against Heuvelton that the Golden Bears would not relinquish. The Bulldogs’ answered with spurts that cut the Canton lead to 37-32 with 6:10 left in the contest, and threatened at 47-41 with 1:53 remaining, but the Bears raced to the finish line, closing out with a 12-1 nearly two-minute drill. While four Canton players scored in double figures, Ayomi Odetoyinbo’s sizable 6'7" presence inside was a constant issue for Heuvelton on the boards and then a fourth-quarter difference maker, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the final period. Not to be overlooked were the double-digit contributions Vincent Nelson-Fuse who quietly contributed 14 points, Ryan Jones whose flashy inside slashing generated 11 points in the early going, and Luke Wentworth’s steady 10-point performance. At the final horn, Canton had beaten Heuvelton 59-42 to win its second straight Section X overall title and fourth in the last six finals. The Bulldogs (21-4) were led by Chris Ashlaw’s 13 points, and Nate Mashaw’s 10 points.

HEUVELTON DENIES POTSDAM IN OVERALL SEMIFINAL 55-45

Heuvelton's Chris Ashlaw (3) opened with a three-pointer against Potsdam in the Section X Overall Semifinals.  Ashlaw scored 15 points in tandem with Nate Mashaw who fired up 28 points in guiding the Bulldogs to a 55-45 win over Potsdam.  The Bulldogs led 25-16 at the half.  For the Sandstoners, eighth grader Ian VanWagner (below) netted 16 points, allowing him to surpass the 1,000-point mark at the varsity level.  Teddy Hughes chipped in 12 points.

Potsdam's Ian VanWagner (blue) flanked by mom Alicia, dad Chris and Potsdam Coach Justin Todd.  (Bob LaRue photos)

MASSENA WINS CLASS A TITLE IN 44-41 THRILLER VS. MALONE

Massena's DeShawn Walton (5) springs up for the short baseline jumper against a pair of Malone defenders.  Malone slowly chipped away at Massena's 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter, closing to within three points with 12 seconds left.  The Huskies had last possession and had two looks at three-pointers, both that came up short at the final buzzer. Walton and Colin Patterson netted 12 points, behind guard Taylor Mitchell's 13-point performance for the Raiders who survived a gritty seesaw battle for a 44-41 win to claim the 2022-23 Section X Class A Championship.  The win ended Malone's four straight titles.  Jace Hammond led Malone with a game-high 20 points.  (Cody Jenne photo)

HEUVELTON RUN COMES TO END VS. HAMILTON 53-34

On a steal and breakaway, Heuvelton's Jake Venette (5) finishes off a 2-on-1 with Chris Ashlaw (5) to tie the game 12-12 in the first quarter.  Hamilton (III) launched the second quarter with a 9-0 run, built a double-digit lead that the Bulldogs could not crack the rest of the way.  Hamilton won the New York State Region II Class D championship 53-34 over the Bulldogs.  (Kyton Deon photo)

HEUVELTON DOMINATES THE PIRATES FOR CLASS REPEAT

Section X Class D Champion Heuvelton Bulldogs.

Heuvelton's Nate Mashaw (11) strikes for seven points early, quick-starting the Bulldog offense.  Heuvelton opened hot on both ends of the floor, catapulting off a 12-0 start and denying the Pirates any chance to right the ship. The Bulldogs ran out to a 29-16 halftime lead and closed the deal on a second straight Section X Class D championship with a solid 51-28 win over Harrisville. As the Pirates tried to claw back, shot selection and rebounds were troublesome, while the Dogs kept opening a bigger advantage. Harrisville scored just five points in the second quarter and three points in the third frame. For the Bulldogs, Nate Mashaw scored 18 points, Chris Ashlaw posted 14 and Lucas Thornhill downed 12. For Harrisville, Tanner Sullivan logged 11 points and Liam Winters added six.

#3 PIRATES OUTDUEL #2 CHATEAUGAY IN SEMIFINAL

Harrisville's Brennan Loos (24) sails above the Chateaugay defense to net two of his eight points.  Harrisville pulled out to a nine-point lead, only to see it disappear in a hot two-minute run by the Bulldogs to grab a 24-23 lead.  After three lead changes, the #3 Pirates stayed ahead the rest of the way to edge the #2 Bulldogs 35-30 in the Section X Class D semifinals at SUNY Potsdam Maxcy Hall.  Tanner Sullivan led the Pirates with 11 points, while Loos Aiden Chartrand dropped in eight each.  For Chateaugay, Ethan Cook scored 10 and Walker Martin netted nine points,  (Bob LaRue photo)

LISBON PULLS from 12-PT. hole TO BEAT C-p COLTS 63-49

Lisbon's Connor Flack (0) is on target with a three-ball.  After Colton-Pierrepont imposed its will for most of the first half, leading 31-19 at the half, Lisbon sharply swung the momentum in the first three minutes of the second half with a 13-1 run, then dominated the second half. Cooper Rutherford put the Golden Knights on his back, pouring in 33 points – from fast breaks to three pointers to off-balanced shots. As a team, Lisbon persisted on attack, while a scrappy persistent press limited the Colts’ offense. The Knights’ Connor Flack chipped in 21 points, as #4-seeded Lisbon outscored the upset-minded, #5-seeded Colts 54-18 after halftime, and went on to win 73-49 in the Class D quarterfinals. Harlee Besio had the hot hand for the Colts with 25 points.  (Kyton Deon photo)

TOP-SEED HEUVELTON GETS QUICK START VS. H-D 72-27

Heuvelton senior Chris Ashlaw (3) finds the mark on his shot over Hermon-DeKalb's Noah Locy (30).  Heuvelton’s suffocating defense left the Green Demons in a 23-6 hole in the first quarter, then pitched a shutout in the second period, leading the Bulldogs to a 72-27 win in the Class D quarterfinal round at Potsdam Central. The triumvirate of Camden Johnson (14 points), Jack Venette (12) and Rhys Brossoit (11) led the scoring, while the starters were used sparingly after the first quarter. Ten of 11 Bulldogs put points on the scoresheet.  Locy led the Demons with 20 points. (Kyton Deon photo)

CANTON CLAIMS CLASS C TITLE IN CRUISING PAST TUPPER

Section X Class C Champion Canton Golden Bears.

Canton combined a fast-break offense with a scrappy defense, showcased by the shot blocking and inside rebounding prowess of 6'7" junior Elyilayomi Odetoyinbo (10), to generate a 14-4 opening quarter advantage, then a 26-10 halftime lead, en route to a 56-33 victory in the Section X Class C Boys Championship at SUNY Potsdam. Canton led the entire way. In a balanced offense, nine Golden Bears put points in the scorebook, led by Ryan Jones and Luke Wentworth who scored 10 points each. Tupper Lake's Tom Peterson led all scorers with 17, while Tyler LaPlante added seven points. The title was Canton's second in a row, last year as a Class B champion.  (Bob LaRue photo)