The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Three net nail-biting wins to extend seasons
Junior scored 21 points, secures 20 rebounds in win over Oneida
Chittenango and VVS each netted boys basketball playoff wins, as did the Stockbridge Valley girls.
CHITTENANGO, N.Y. >> Chittenango coach John Clancy told his team prior to Tuesday’s Section III Class B boys basketball quarterfinal game against Oneida that at this point in the season, no team can be taken lightly.
Coach Jeff Didio’s squad proved him right, but the Bears were up to the challenge.
Sam Hill scored 21 points to lead three players in double figures in a 53-47 victory, advancing Chittenango to the semifinals where it will face Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.
“When the seedings came out, (Oneida was) no 10 seed. I would probably view themas a 4 or a 5,” said Clancy. “They are very, very good and I knew this game was going to be hard. We missed a ton of free throws, we turned it over a ton – which is uncharacteristic for us – but I said to the kids earlier, one of the things I always say to them is good teams find a way. This is all about finding a way tonight.”
Hill was dominant not only scoring the ball, but also on the glass. The senior added 20 rebounds in the victory for the Bears.
“Sam Hill, that kid works his butt off defensively,” said Clancy. “Sometimes he doesn’t get a ton of shots during the game but it’s nice when that’s your guy, you can count on him in big situations. He’s gotten where he’s gotten just because he works at it every single day. Even last year, there’s no way he would have been capable of what he did tonight.”
Zach Falkenburg added 14 points in the winning ef--
fort and Hunter Hendrix chipped in with 10 and nine rebounds.
Jeffrey Coulter scored 23 points for Oneida to lead all scorers and Alex Vaccaro netted 15 in defeat.
Hill came out strong under the basket for Chittenango, the No. 2 seed. He scored seven points in the first quarter, including two baskets off of offensive rebounds. Oneida, however, netted the last five points of the quarter on a Coulter 3-pointer and a Vaccaro basket to take a 12-9 lead into the second.
The Bears regained the lead with five straight points to start the next period but Vaccaro scored three different baskets that each tied the score before a Coulter 3-pointer put the visitors ahead 2120 with 2:20 to play in the quarter. Hendrix scored on the other end to put Chittenango ahead again and added two more points before halftime. Falkenburg tried to drive the lane in the closing seconds but bounced the ball off of Hendrix’s back. The senior forward alertly scooped up the ball and scored, giving the hosts a 24-21 edge at the break.
The No. 10 seed opened the second half with a 7-3 run to briefly retake the lead by a point at 28-27. Hill answered with two free throws to give Chittenango the lead and Oneida never caught back up. The junior forward capped the scoring for the quarter when he took a no-look pass from Dylan Voutsinas in transition and scored while drawing a foul, pushing the advantage to 38-24.
Falkenburg scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to nine. Oneida began to make a comeback, led by Coulter. The senior knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which closed the gap to three with 2:02 to play. The visitors got the ball back but Coulter missed a pair of free throws and Hendrix scored the next four points to help the Bears pull away and secure the victory.
“It’s exhilarating to be honest with you,” said Hill. “You can neve really expect to have a big game. You just go out and do what you can and sometimes you can help your team more than other nights.
“My teammates kept giving me good looks and I went to the rim pretty hard.”
Chittenango and VVS will play for a spot in the Section III Class B final at LeMoyne College on Saturday at 7 p.m.