Madison falls shy of title repeat

SYRACUSE, N.Y. » For the past two seasons, the Madison Blue Devils have haunted Central Counties League foe McGraw, winning six straight games against the Eagles, including a 2017 Section III Class D title win.

When the two sides met for a remtach of last season’s championship bout at the Carrier Dome on Sunday, No. 4McGraw, despite carrying a 12-point lead into the halftime break, appeared to be in danger of dropping a seventh straight. Two late buckets from Chase Curtis and Tyler Pickert made sure Matt Martins’ Eagles did not make it seven in a row, and McGraw held on for a 55-54 win and section championship.

“[This is] the reason we get into coaching and sports, the highs and lows of the game,” Martins said. “To finish this game here - which really started here last year when we played them - the unfinished business, it really feels great and the kids are pumped.”

Maurice Peterson netted a team-high 15 points, burying a trio of 3-pointers to pace the McGraw attack and claim all-star honors. Dakota Stauber added 13 points to with nine rebounds to earn most valuable player recognition.

No. 3 Madison was paced by a game-high 17 points from Spencer Haviland and double-double efforts from Sam Matteson and Alex Cotter. Matteson posted 14 points to go with 15 rebounds; Cotter contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Haviland and Matteson were named to the tournament all-star team.