ROCHESTER — It’s been 19 years since the Randolph Cardinals boys basketball made it to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four at Glens Falls. With Section VI titles and Far West Regional appearances since, the Cardinals just haven’t been able to get over the hump to get back to the North Country.

That changed on Saturday afternoon at Gates Chili High School where head coach Kevin Hind and the Cardinals long wait to get back to the state final four came to an end with Randolph locking down Section V’s Lyons 57-47 in the Class C Far West Regional.

“I took a team in 2003-2004, I’ve coached a lifetime since,” Hind said about Glens Falls. “We’ve been a basketball family, lived in the gym, dreamed of getting to Glens Falls with (oldest son) Tyler (Hind). We got cut off a couple times, won three sectional titles in four years, but just couldn’t get over that hump. … We’ve coached since 2003-04 to get back there. (Jamestown coach) Ben Drake is one of my best friends and he says ‘Glens Falls, where the streets are paved with gold,’ and that’s just how I think of it. … Going to Glens Falls is everything and it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to the last 20 years.”

On the back of a monster 11-point third quarter, Carson Conley scored a game-high 24 points, Jaiden Huntington scored all of his 18 points in the first half and Drew Hind chipped in 11.

“It’s definitely a strength in our offense,” Conley said about him, Huntington and Hind as a scoring threat. “If they have one defender that can really guard they can put him on one guy, then the other two can shoot. We all have that confidence and it’s so crucial in big games like this to not play scared and shoot the ball and they fell today.”

Randolph is set to play Section IV’s Moravia, which defeated Section III’s Dolgeville 58-38. The Cardinals and Blue Devils are the second Class C semifinal on Friday at 11:15 a.m. at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, following the 9:15 match between Section I’s Haldane and Section X’s Canton.

“We put the work in to be here and this is very deserving,” Conley said about Randolph advancing to the state final four. “It’s just keep rolling now. We’ve got all the momentum in the world now, we feel really good and this excitement we’re going to ride right to Glens Falls.”

RANDOLPH (57)

ONelson 2 0 4, Kelly 0 0 0, DHind 4 2 11, GNelson 1 0 2, Conley 7 6 24, Huntington 6 0 18. Totals 20 8 57.

LYONS (47)

Briggs 2 0 4, Walker 3 5 11, Sides 6 0 16, Lopez 1 0 3, Bell 0 0 0, Williams 1 0 2, Horn 0 0 0, LeBracht 3 1 9, Johnson 1 0 2, Wood-Asbury 0 0 0. Totals 17 6 47.

Randolph 21 14 11 11 — 57

Lyons 14 11 10 12 — 47

RANDOLPH GIRLS ADVANCE

BUFFALO — On a team full of shooters, Katelyn Storer is usually Randolph’s fifth option offensively.

On Saturday, the senior forward scored the Cardinals’ biggest basket — potentially of their season.

Storer took a pass from sophomore Quinn Pence in the lane and scored underneath the basket before Randolph survived Pavilion’s final possession to beat the Golden Gophers 42-40 in the Class C Far West Regional at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.

“I knew one of us was going to hit a shot. … Katelyn Storer stepped up and hit that last shot,” Randolph senior Kyra Pence said postgame. ” … Our defense is so strong, I knew we would finally get that stop and win that game.”

The win vaults the Section VI champions into next weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four at Hudson Valley Community College. Randolph, which last reached the semifinals in 2012, will take on Section IV Union Springs at 12:30 p.m. next Saturday at the McDonough Sports Complex. Section II Greenwich will take on Section IX Millbrook in that day’s second semifinal.

Skylar Herington had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists; Quinn Pence had 12 points, eight steals and three assists; and Payton Morrison had 8 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Cardinals.

“Two years ago when we won it in our own gym we felt like we could’ve gone quite a long way,” Kyra Pence said of the Cardinals’ 2021 sectional title. “Last year, it was kind of sad. This year, we had to make it worth it … and go to states.”

Having already watched their boys team claim the regional title on the bus, the Cardinals capped a Randolph sweep in Class C. Now, a large portion of the Cattaraugus County town will be looking for hotel rooms in the Capital District.

“Both the boys and girls have played basketball since they were little kids. In third grade, they started playing together. We’ve dreamed about this, going to states with both programs,” head coach David Pihlblad said. ” … It’s so cool right now for Randolph, the community and the girls. It’s such a cool moment.”

PAVILION (40)

Tillotson 1 0 2, Zinkievich 5 2 15, Conway 1 0 2, Kingsley 8 4 20, Washburn 0 1 1. Totals 15 7 40.

RANDOLPH (42)

KPence 1 0 2, Bowles 0 0 0, QPence 4 0 12, Storer 3 0 6, Steward 0 0 0, Morrison 3 0 8, Herington 6 0 14, Dickerson 0 0 0. Totals 17 0 42.

3-point goals–Zinkievich 3, QPence 4, Morrison 2, Herington 2.

Pavilion 6 7 13 14 — 40

Randolph 15 10 4 13 — 42

Brink leads Panama girls to win

BUFFALO — As a freshman, Mandy Brink had her dream of playing for a state championship taken away when the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the postseason days before Panama was supposed to play in a Far West Regional.

Three years later, in the twilight of her high school career, Brink has booked that trip to Troy.

The Panthers senior captain scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, picked up four steals and handed out four assists as Panama beat Keshequa 63-44 in the Class D Far West Regional on Saturday afternoon at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena.

“I could not let that season go because it was just so devastating,” Brink said postgame. “Being a senior, leading my team and being a captain, it feels so good. I’m so glad that we all get this opportunity.”

Next up for the Section VI champions is a trip to suburban Albany for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four next weekend at Hudson Valley Community College. At the McDonough Sports Complex, the Panthers will take on Section X champion Hammond at 9 a.m. next Saturday. The second state semifinal will feature Section II Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons and Section IV Oxford Academy.

“We deserve to be there. The effort, the work and the heart that they put into this game, they deserve to be at the final four,” said Panama head coach Dennis Hinsdale, who won a state title as Clymer’s coach in 2010. “We’ll go up there … we’re going to have fun … but it’s a business trip.”

Now the Panthers will head to the eastern part of the state for the first time since going three straight years from 2015 to 2017. All three times, they were denied the program’s first state title by Section X champion Heuvelton.

“Playing Sherman, Clymer, Westfield, Jamestown, Southwestern, Randolph … it’s all coming home to roost now,” Hinsdale said.

Kylie Morgan had 7 points and a team-high 15 rebounds; Hannah Schauman grabbed five rebounds; Kaitlyn Horton had five rebounds; and Lilly Odell had five rebounds for the Panthers.

KESHEQUA (44)

Isaman 5 0 11, Thayer 3 0 6, Davis 1 0 2, RBenner 0 1 1, Linde 0 0 0, Nageldinger 0 0 0, LBrenner 4 4 12, Wilkins 5 1 12, BBenner 0 0 0, Hugi 0 0 0, Wood 0 0 0. Totals 18 6 44.

PANAMA (63)

Brink 6 15 28, Schauman 0 0 0, Greene 2 2 6, Morgan 3 1 7, Horton 6 2 14, Range 0 0 0, Markham 0 0 0, Odell 2 3 8. Totals 19 23 63.

3-point goals–Isaman, Wilkins, Brink, Odell.

Keshequa 9 7 16 12 — 44

Panama 21 12 12 18 — 63

Panama boys’ season ends

HENRIETTA — The Titans is a fitting mascot for Avoca/Prattsburgh as it continues to show that’s what it is in Class D boys basketball in New York State.

After claiming the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D Championship a year ago, Avoca/Prattsburgh is hungry for another title – and it was on full display Saturday in the Far West Regional against Section VI champion Panama. The Titans dominated every facet of the game, cruising to a 67-35 victory over the Panthers at Rush-Henrietta High School.

“They’re better than advertised,” Panama head coach Ed Nelson said. “I’ve seen a lot of tape on them, knew what they did last year. They get in transition really well, get to the hoop well, there are not a lot of weaknesses on their basketball team.”

Bryce Hinsdale led the Panthers with a team-high 16 points and three assists.

PANAMA (35)

Roth 2 0 4, Hinsdale 6 0 16, Keefe 1 0 3, Catanese 1 0 2, Graves 0 0 0, Horton 0 0 0, Mescall 4 0 10, Barmore 0 0 0, Vicente 0 0 0. Totals 14 0 35.

AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH (67)

DeVoe 10 0 21, Campbell 2 0 4, Abbott 6 3 18, MPutnam 3 1 8, Crowder 3 1 10, Stilson 1 0 2, DPutnam 1 0 2, Hammond 1 0 2. Totals 27 5 67.

3-point goals-Hinsdale 4, Keefe, Mescall 2, DeVoe, MPutnam, Abbott 3, Crowder 3.

Panama 7 5 5 18 — 35

Avoca/Prattsburgh 22 16 19 10 — 67