Delaney: Section III girls basketball
It's time for the high schoolers to go dancing. Not a school dance with rap or whatever kind of music kids listen to these days. Whatever happened to Safety Dance? I'm referring to the Big Dance, Section III basketball style. The sectional tournaments begin next week and pairings will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on Time Warner Cable Sports (channel 26 in most Utica-area communities).
Forget March Madness. Before we get into February Frenzy, here a few facts you should know about the girls tournament:
Feb. 20-21 (Friday-Saturday): Opening round games. Section III girls chairman Larry Stockwell of Waterville told me the girls seeding meeting was originally scheduled for February 17, but the committee moved it up for Time Warner and more exposure for girls tournament. Good move. This tournament is going to be wide open in most classes.
Feb. 23-24 (Monday-Tuesday): Quarterfinal games.
Feb. 27-28 (Friday-Saturday): Semifinals.
March 7 (Saturday): Section III finals at the Utica Memorial Auditorium for the first time. The finals have been in Watertown, Syracuse and Liverpool since the last Utica-area stop. SUNYIT hosted split class finals in 2003. Onondaga Community College began hosting finals the same year and that continued until last March. In 1987, the girls finals made a one-time visit to Syracuse University's Manley Fieldhouse.
Stockwell said the people at OCC were "awesome" for he and his committee to work with, but the cramped quarters for fans, players, officials and coaches made it time for a media friendly change. The Utica Aud is walking distance from the newspaper offices where I'm typing this. Stockwell said it looks like the Aud. will be the site for girls finals for a the near future.
"It's got an arena feel to it," Stockwell said. "We can make it a championship atmosphere and that is something the kids have not experienced."
Being a No. 1 seed isn't a free pass to the finals, but Utica-area schools could have four or five teams playing in the Aud. on March 7 if things go well for No. 1s. Undefeated Canastota (Class B-2), Whitesboro (Class A), Little Falls (C-1), Mohawk (C-2) and undefeated Hamilton (Class D) are in line to get top seeds. Clinton (Class B-2) looks to be a 2.
Forget March Madness. Before we get into February Frenzy, here a few facts you should know about the girls tournament:
Feb. 20-21 (Friday-Saturday): Opening round games. Section III girls chairman Larry Stockwell of Waterville told me the girls seeding meeting was originally scheduled for February 17, but the committee moved it up for Time Warner and more exposure for girls tournament. Good move. This tournament is going to be wide open in most classes.
Feb. 23-24 (Monday-Tuesday): Quarterfinal games.
Feb. 27-28 (Friday-Saturday): Semifinals.
March 7 (Saturday): Section III finals at the Utica Memorial Auditorium for the first time. The finals have been in Watertown, Syracuse and Liverpool since the last Utica-area stop. SUNYIT hosted split class finals in 2003. Onondaga Community College began hosting finals the same year and that continued until last March. In 1987, the girls finals made a one-time visit to Syracuse University's Manley Fieldhouse.
Stockwell said the people at OCC were "awesome" for he and his committee to work with, but the cramped quarters for fans, players, officials and coaches made it time for a media friendly change. The Utica Aud is walking distance from the newspaper offices where I'm typing this. Stockwell said it looks like the Aud. will be the site for girls finals for a the near future.
"It's got an arena feel to it," Stockwell said. "We can make it a championship atmosphere and that is something the kids have not experienced."
Being a No. 1 seed isn't a free pass to the finals, but Utica-area schools could have four or five teams playing in the Aud. on March 7 if things go well for No. 1s. Undefeated Canastota (Class B-2), Whitesboro (Class A), Little Falls (C-1), Mohawk (C-2) and undefeated Hamilton (Class D) are in line to get top seeds. Clinton (Class B-2) looks to be a 2.
posted by Anne Delaney at
11:10 PM
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