Section 4 boys basketball championship games will be played at three different sites the weekend of March 6 to 8.
Here is a look at the four teams from the Elmira-Corning region that qualified for sectional play, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Corning
Matchup: Top-seeded Hawks have a bye into the Class AAA championship game, where they will play either second-seeded Ithaca or third-seeded Elmira at 7:45 p.m. Friday, March 6 at Watkins Glen High School.
Record: 19-1.
Key players: Sophomore guard Nolyn Proudfoot has scored more than 1,600 career points and is averaging 29 per game this season. Kyler Stevenson averages 17 points per game and fellow starters Kohl Hogue, Carter Proudfoot and Teigen Gill are significant contributors.
Sectional titles: Three since advent of Corning Hawks in 2010-11 following merger of Corning East and Corning West. Corning West won the Section 4 Class B title in 1998. Corning or Painted Post schools won nine Section 5 championships from 1924 through Corning East’s lone title in 1965.
Last season: Corning beat Elmira, 72-69, in the Section 4 Class AAA final before falling to New Rochelle, 64-51, in a NYSPHSAA sub-regional. Hawks finished with an 18-4 record.
Notable: Corning, coming off a 66-63 loss to Seton Catholic Central in the STAC final, went 2-0 against both Elmira and Ithaca during the regular season.
Elmira
Matchup: Third-seeded Elmira plays at second-seeded Ithaca in a Class AAA semifinal at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
Record: 6-9.
Key players: The Express is led offensively by a trio of standouts from the sectional champion football team in Julian Colon, Daeshaun “Dash” Harris and Darien “Baby” Harris. Malaki Banks, a 6-foot-6 forward, returned late in the season from injury and is an impact player inside.
Sectional titles: Three as the Elmira Express following the 2011 merger of teams at Southside and Elmira Free Academy. EFA won nine Section 4 titles and Southside three.
Last season: Lost 72-69 in overtime to Corning in the Section 4 Class AAA final and finished with a 12-6 record.
Notable: This will be the fourth meeting of the season between Elmira and Ithaca. The Express’ two wins over the Little Red included a 72-53 victory at the Josh Palmer tournament and 77-69 on the road. Ithaca won at Elmira, 71-68.
Watkins Glen
Matchup: Fourth-seeded Watkins Glen will host fifth-seeded Chenango Forks in a Class B quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
Record: 13-6.
Key players: The Lake Hawks have had several players lead the way offensively. That includes Jude Santos, Christopher Simiele, Dominic Lewis and Bryce Bockelkamp.
Sectional titles: Watkins Glen is 0-4 in Section 4 championship games, with its most recent loss 63-60 to Newfield in the 2015 Class C final.
Last season: Watkins Glen fell to Waverly, 66-42, in a Class B quarterfinal.
Notable: The Lake Hawks enter sectional play riding a six-game winning streak and are 13-2 over their last 15 contests.
Elmira Notre Dame
Matchup: The top-seeded Crusaders host either eighth-seeded Marathon or ninth-seeded Oxford in a Class C quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
Record: 15-4.
Key players: Rocco Sayers and Max O’Connor have both taken over games with their outside shooting. Finn Schweizer, Landon English and Skoon Jenkins provide additional scoring, rebounding and defensive toughness.
Sectional titles: 10, with the most recent coming in 2014.
Last season: Won two games in Section 4 Class C tournament before falling to Moravia, 73-40, in the semifinals. Crusaders finished with a 12-10 record.
Notable: Notre Dame’s 1978 Class A title under head coach Mike Johnston Sr. remains the only official state championship for a boys basketball team from the Elmira-Corning region.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Breaking down Elmira-Corning region boys basketball playoff teams
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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