After blowouts, nail-biters and the spoiling of a magical run, No.1 meets No. 3 in the finals of the Section V Class D2 Boys’ Basketball sectional tournament. The matchup is set to take place at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday at 1 PM. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 ELBA (19-3/Genesee Region Division II) vs. No. 3 PRATTSBURGH (17-5/Steuben County)
When: 1 PM Saturday, Blue Cross Arena
Scoring offense: Elba (64.50 PPG), Prattsburgh (78.50 PPG)
Scoring defense: Elba (55.0 PPG), Prattsburgh ( 59.55 PPG)
Current streak: Elba has won nine straight games, Prattsburgh has won five of its last six.
How they got here: Colton Dillon’s 13-point third quarter, and 41-point evening, helped Elba roll past No. 9 Destiny in the quarterfinals, 83-62. The Lancers followed with a narrow 79-72 semifinal victory over No. 4 Bradford.
Mason Putnam netted a career-high 52 points as Prattsburgh routed No. 6 Chesterton Academy 88-61 in the quarterfinals. Another 88-point night for the Vikings dispatched No. 7 Romulus, 88-47, and sent them to the finals.
Last time they met: Prattsburgh defeated Elba 82-65 on December 7, the two team’s lone meeting this season.
History 101: Elba is appearing in the finals for the first time since winning the 2017 title, which was its first since back-to-back Class D championships in 1971 and ’72.
Prattsburgh is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the D2 finals. The Vikings are seeking their second title in three seasons and third since 2015.
Players to watch for Elba: Colton Dillon (26 PPG, 14 RPG, 1,333 career points) 6-foot-3 inch Jr. G; Collin O’Halloran (9 PPG, 5 RPG, 4 APG) 5-foot-10 inch Sr. G
Prattsburgh: Mason Putnam (32.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 4.7 SPG – Section V’s career active scoring leader with 2,474 points) 5-foot-10 inch Sr. G; Kris Johnson (12.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG) 6-foot Jr. F; James Crowder (9.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.2 APG) 5-foot-10 inch Jr. F; Ammon Anderson (8.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG) 5-foot-9 inch Sr. F/G
Coaches: Ciaci Zambito (Elba) and Brian Putnam (Prattsburgh)
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS regional qualifier against the winner of the winner of Avoca versus Genesee Valley in the Class D1 championship.
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