Elmira boys and girls hoops win Section IV titles
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – It was a thrilling night for Elmira boys and girls basketball.
The Elmira High School gym held plenty of celebrations on Friday, as the boys and girls teams won Section IV Class AAA titles over Corning. The Elmira girls opened the day of championship basketball action, defeating the Hawks 51-38. The Express offense was led by senior Ellie Clearwater’s 21 points, as well as 14 from freshman Mariah Matias. Corning’s effort was powered 15 points from freshman standout Charlise Starns. Elmira’s win accounts for their 1st sectional crown since the Express won 4 straight from 2017 to 2020.
The Express will now head to the NYSPHPSAA Tournament to play in the winner of Section IX in the sub-regional round. Opening round action begins at Dutchess County Community College, this Tuesday at 6 p.m.
In the nightcap, the Elmira boys outlasted Corning 82-69 for their 2nd straight title. The Express and Hawks battled back and forth, with multiple 1st half lead changes, and high scoring efforts. Corning and Elmira traded the lead throughout much of the 1st half, with the Express gaining the advantage at the half. In the 2nd half, Elmira jumped out to a lead and fended off several charges from the Hawks. With a 6 point lead, Elmira’s Ashtyn Traugott-Knoll knocked down back-to-back triples to seal the victory for the Express. Knoll’s big shots occurred in the final 2:15 of the contest and forced the Hawks to begin fouling.
Elmira scoring attack was lead by a pair of 20 point nights from Knoll and James Harris. Additionally, Jerry Daniel scored 17 points and Chris Woodard totaled 11 for the Express. The Hawks effort was led by 21 points from Gavyn Hogue and 18 from 8th grader Nolyn Proudfoot. Mekai Daniels added 13 for Corning.
The Elmira boys will now head to the NYSPHSAA Tournament for sub-regional action. The Express will take on the winner of Section I, on Wednesday at Yorktown High School. Tip-off is slated for 5:15 p.m.
The section championship games in Elmira were not the only ones to be played on Friday night. In Section V, the Hornell boys saw their season end with a 68-59 loss to Mynderse in the Class B final. On the girls side, Dundee/Bradford bested Keshequa 51-47 for the Class C2 crown. The win sends the BraveScots to the Class C playoffs on March 5th. In Pennsylvania, the Wyalusing girls punched their ticket to the PIAA Tournament with a 3rd place game win over Northumberland Christian, 41-39.
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