Coop Sports Recap: Basketball Sectionals This Weekend

COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown Central School’s volleyball season came to an end with a sweep by defending champions Beaver River on Tuesday, February 11. Beaver River, which has not lost a match in two seasons, boxed out the Hawkeyes 25-17, 25-22 and 25-15. They went on to defeat Mount Markham in five sets to defend their Section III Class C title. The Hawkeyes finished the season 15-3. Senior players Alexis Wolfe, Emmy Lippitt, Grace Sperry, Josie Furnari and Sophia Badgley will graduate in the spring. 

The girls basketball team continued its rampage with a 73-20 home victory over Sauquoit Valley on Tuesday, February 11. Senior Polly Kennedy scored 16 points and made nine rebounds and three blocks, and senior Brenna Seamon recorded yet another double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Senior Mia Kaltenbach, seventh-grader Emily Johnson, and junior Katie Crippen also scored in the double digits, with 14, 13, and 10, respectively. The Hawkeyes honored Bella Reich, Kaltenbach, Kennedy and Seamon for Senior Night. 

Cooperstown slipped past West Canada Valley 50-46 on Saturday, February 15. Johnson put away another 19 points and six rebounds; Crippen made a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The team finished the regular season with a 16-4 record and earned the number two seed in the Division II tournament. 

Johnson (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Crippen (10 points, 10 rebounds) each achieved a double-double in Cooperstown’s 68-31 romp against Beaver Valley in the first-round playoff game on Monday, February 24. Eighth-grader Lanie Nelen scored 14 points. 

The girls won a hard-fought seesaw quarterfinal against Sandy Creek 58-39 on Thursday, February 27. Johnson put away 18 points, while Seamon just barely missed a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and nine steals. 

Their semifinal victory over West Canada Valley on Monday, March 4 was even more precarious, ending at a nail-biting 60-58. Johnson led the team with 16 points and secured the victory with four free throws in the final minute. Nelen had 15 points, four rebounds and two steals. Seamon scored 12 points and made eight rebounds and five steals.

The Hawkeyes will face top-seeded Hamilton in the Section III Class C championship at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. Hamilton beat them twice this season, 42-43 on December 17 and 55-47 on February 1. 

The boys team maintained their undefeated season and secured the Center State Conference Division III title in a 75-54 win over Hamilton on Thursday, February 13. Junior Miles Nelen scored 23 points and junior Jackson Crisman recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Christian Lawson had 16 points and eight assists. Following a forfeit by Westmoreland on Monday, February 17, the boys finished the season with a perfect 20-0 record and received the top seed for the Division tournament. 

Nelen again led the team with 33 points as the Hawkeyes blew past Cincinnatus 109-45 in the first playoff game on Monday, February 24. Lawson scored 19 points, followed by Crisman with 16 and sophomore Brody Murdock with 13. 

Five Cooperstown players scored in the double digits in the 71-49 quarterfinal victory over Faith Heritage on Thursday, February 27. Nelen put away 21 points, senior Cooper Bradley and junior Cooper Coleman each had 12, and Lawson and Crisman contributed 11 and 10, respectively. 

The Hawkeyes advanced to sectional finals with a 67-49 win over Hamilton on Monday, March 3. Nelen scored 31 points, including seven three-pointers. Murdock added 13.

Cooperstown will face Waterville at SRC Arena at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. They beat Waterville twice this season, 82-55 on December 20 and 84-61 on February 3.