Corning’s scoring leaders this season, Nolyn Proudfoot and Kyler Stevenson, delivered prime-time performances Friday, March 6 to help the Hawks secure back-to-back Section 4 Class AAA boys basketball championships.
They combined for 75 points as top-seeded Corning pulled away for a 90-68 victory over second-seeded Ithaca at a jam-packed Watkins Glen High School field house.
Proudfoot, a sophomore, scored 48, two off his program-record of 50 set earlier this season. Stevenson, a senior, added 27 points, all but two of those coming in the first three quarters.
The rest of Corning’s lineup did its part as the Hawks improved to 20-1 and delivered the program’s fourth sectional title since its inaugural season of 2010-11.
“We were ready,” Stevenson said. “We’ve been waiting for this all season.”
The Hawks returned to action for the first time since suffering their initial loss, 66-63, against Binghamton Seton Catholic Central in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference championship game Feb. 21. The teams reunited for a combined practice to tune up for their respective sectional finals.
Johnston’s 2002-03 Corning West team also had an 18-0 regular season before falling short of a sectional championship. He was happy to see this team’s excellence rewarded with a title.
“I’m proud of the kids,” he said. “Hard work paying off. I reflect back through all the years with the great kids I’ve had an opportunity to coach. Having coach (Bill) Hopkins be a part of it as well. He’s so knowledgeable and really helps us in a lot of ramifications.
“I’m happy for them. They’re going to get an opportunity to play in the Arena for the first time in their life.”
The Hawks will play William Floyd, the runner-up from Long Island’s Section 11, in a regional final at 3:15 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton. A win would send Corning back there for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four March 20.
Corning stars of the game
Proudfoot, a sophomore who averages 29 points per game, scored his 48 on 14-for-31 shooting from the field. He went 16-for-18 at the foul line and hit four 3-pointers. He added 11 rebounds.
Stevenson went 13-for-20 from the field and had 13 rebounds and 3 steals.
“You can decide what defense you’re going to play against us or how you’re going to guard people. We can decide where you’re going to guard them,” Johnston said. “We just took advantage of some mismatches and some open looks.”
Stevenson was told by Proudfoot before the game he would be the X factor for the Hawks.
“I feel like Kyler was the guy for us,” Proudfoot said. “We knew he was going to get his just because when we play (against) zone we thrive. We’re really good at finding that X and getting open layups.”
Said Stevenson: “Off the start I felt good, getting my layups, rebounds and stuff.”
Kohl Hogue added 7 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for Corning. Carter Proudfoot, Nolyn’s brother, contributed 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Teigen Gill had 6 assists.
Ithaca stars of the game
Jasmir Robbins paced Ithaca (9-10) with 30 points to go with 8 rebounds. Vaughn Bailey had 18 points.
“They’re going to be really good,” Johnston said of the Little Red. “They’ve got a bunch of sophomores that really have a great skill level, skill set.
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy and play hard. We matched the challenge and we knew that if we stayed the course over the course of four quarters, we’d find a way.”
Key moments
Every Corning victory this season has come by double-digits. The Little Red, which lost by scores of 80-61 and 98-72 to the Hawks in the regular season, was within 20-19 after one quarter and 44-33 at the half.
The lead was 64-53 before Corning closed the third quarter with a 7-0 run. After Ithaca got within 11, Nolyn Proudfoot scored seven points during a 9-0 surge that made it an 80-60 game.
Johnston said his players stayed the course and didn’t get rattled.
“There was a little bit of anxiety, we can all admit that,” said Proudfoot, who played briefly with a nosebleed plug in a physical contest. “We came out, we were a little all over the place, but I felt like once the game went on and progressed I felt like we started to box out and go for rebounds and just get it done.”
Twice as nice
Corning’s win followed a 48-38 triumph by the school’s girls team in its sectional final against Elmira. Nolyn Proudfoot said that offered a boost and he took note of the big-game environment for the boys game.
“It was great,” he said. “Our gym is huge and there’s a lot more seats, but I felt like this was more compact. When something happened it would erupt. It was a great atmosphere.”
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Corning puts away Ithaca for back-to-back AAA boys basketball titles
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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