One squad is looking for its first sectional title since 2017 and sixth in program history. The other squad hasn’t lost a game in a month and is on the verge to its first championship in program history. Geneseo and Alexander are set to battle in Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial for the Section V Class C1 Boys’ Basketball title. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 seed GENESEO BLUE DEVILS (18-4 / Livingston County Division II)
vs.
No. 2 seed ALEXANDER TROJANS (18-4 / Genesee Region Division I)
Friday, Mar. 7 Blue Cross Arena, 9 p.m.
How they arrived here: After a bye in the first-round, Geneseo tipped off its road to a sectional title with a 20-point win over No. 8 Warsaw (64-44) in the quarterfinals. The Blue Devils then pulled out a 46-37 victory against No. 4 Red Creek in the semifinals to advance to the Class C1 championship game. Alexander also started the postseason with a bye. The Trojans then cruised to the Class C1 finals with a 83-50 quarterfinal victory against No. 10 Byron-Bergen and topped No. 3 Gananda 75-61 in the semifinals.
Scoring offense: Geneseo (61.5), Alexander (66.0)
Scoring defense: Geneseo (49.4), Alexander (47.1)
Trends: Geneseo has won five in a row and nine of its last 10. During this win streak, the Blue Devils have won four of its five games by 14 points or more and have held all opponents to under 55 points. Geneseo is 3-0 in games this season decided by two possessions or less. Alexander rolls into the Class C1 championship on a seven-game win streak all by 10-plus points. The Trojans have held opponents during this streak to 61 points or less and earned four of its seven wins by 30 points or more. To go along with that, three of Alexander’s four losses on the season have been by eight points or less.
Players to watch for Geneseo: Jackson Willis Sr. 20.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 SPG, 2.3 APG; Avery Hepler Jr. 13.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG; Oren Ray Jr. 10.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.6 RPG, 3.4 SPG; Caleb Rice Sr. 6.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 APG; Luke Davis Sr. 3.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG; Reece Byrnes Sr. 2.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG; Eric Hammond Jr. 1.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG
Alexander: Dylan Pohl Sr. 20.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG; Kingston Woods Jr. 13.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4 APG; Austin Wakefield So. 8 PPG, 3 RPG, 3 APG; Jake Brooks Sr. 6.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 SPG
Coaches: Gregg Hepler (Geneseo), Jalen Smith (Alexander)
History 101: Geneseo is looking for its sixth sectional title in program history and first since 2017. The Blue Devils have won titles in Class C twice (1961, 1971) , Class B once (1960), Class CC (1999) once and most recently in Class C2 (2017), but not in C1 yet. Alexander is searching for its first sectional title in program history. Alexander made the move to Class C1 after falling in the Class C2 championship to Byron-Bergen in 2024.
What’s at stake: Winner advances to the Class C regional qualifier.
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