One team has just one loss in the last two months in Section V. The other squad is looking for its second sectional title since 2022. Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial is the site of the Section V Boys’ Class C2 championship as Bolivar-Richburg and York go head-to-head. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 4 seed BOLIVAR-RICHBURG WOLVERINES (17-6 / Allegany County Division I)
vs.
No. 7 seed YORK GOLDEN KNIGHTS (12-11 / Livingston County Division III)
Friday March 7, Blue Cross Arena, 7 p.m.
How they arrived here: Bolivar-Richburg started its journey to the Class C2 final with a 71-48 victory over No. 13 HAC. The Wolverines carried that momentum into the quarterfinals with a 62-45 win against No. 5 Red Jacket and pulled out a 38-35 victory in the semifinals against top-seeded Dundee/Bradford. York entered the postseason with a 62-53 victory against No. 10 Perry in the first round. The Golden Knights followed with a couple of upsets including a 61-50 win over No. 2 Cuba-Rushford and a three-point victory against No. 3 Notre Dame Batavia (71-68) to lift York to the championship.
Scoring offense: Bolivar-Richburg (57.5), York (59.8)
Scoring defense: Bolivar-Richburg (49.6), York (55.1)
Trends: Bolivar-Richburg enters the championship winners in 11 of its past 12 and on a four-game win streak. Seven of those victories came by 10 points or more while the Wolverines are 3-0 in games decided by three points or less this season. During the four-game win streak, Bolivar-Richburg has outscored its opponents by a combined 75 points. After going 2-4 in the month of February, York enters the championship on a three-game win streak. In two of those three games, York held its opponent to under 50 points. On the season, the Golden Knights have held opponents to under 50 seven times.
Players to watch for Bolivar-Richburg: Landon Barkley Sr. (21.5 PPG;) Kingston Loucks Jr. (18.8 PPG); Braden Zilker Jr. (8.7 PPG); Waide Karnuth Sr. (5.6 PPG); Maddox Davison Sr. (2.5 PPG).
York: Parker Bonefede Jr. G/F 18.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG; Yeriel Diaz-Pena So. G 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.0 APG; Mason Parsons Jr. F 8.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG; Ryan Brady Jr. F 7.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG; Liam Ezard Sr. G/F 7.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG; Zachary Bauer So. G 5.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG
Coaches: Justin Thomas (Bolivar-Richburg), Ed Orman Jr (York)
History 101: Bolivar-Richburg is looking to end a 46-year drought and earn its first sectional title since 1979 (D) and first ever C2 title. The Wolverines have four sectional championships in program history all coming before 1979 including titles in 1958 (C), 1956 (B) and 1953 (B). York makes its fifth sectional title appearance since 2019 and is looking for its second sectional title in the past four years. The Golden Knights have three sectional titles in program history including a C3 title in 2012, its first ever championship back in 1939 and most recently in 2022 with its second C3 title after a victory over Caledonia-Mumford. York looks to add to its resume and earn its first ever Class C2 title.
What’s at stake: The winner earns a spot in the Class C regional qualifier.
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