In a rematch of last year’s Section IV Class C championship game, No. 1 Moravia and No. Delaware Academy (Delhi) are set to meet at 4 p.m. Saturday at Tompkins Cortland Community College with the same trophy on the line.
In last year’s meeting, Delhi came out strong, took a lead early and hung onto an eight-point advantage at halftime.
Moravia managed to put first half struggles behind it and finished strong to win its second straight sectional title. The Blue Devils now look to three-peat today.
After a 16-1 regular season, Moravia has dominated their first two matchups of the postseason. The Blue Devils beat No. 8 Southern Cayuga 78-54, and knocked off No. 5 Elmira Notre Dame 73-40.
The win over Southern Cayuga represented a bit of revenge, as the Chiefs beat Moravia to open the season. The Blue Devils evened the season series during the regular season and won the rubber match in the quarterfinals.
Delaware Academy finished the regular season 15-4. The Bulldogs beat No. 7 Union Springs 67-50 in the quarterfinals and topped No. 3 Trumansburg 67-60 in the semis.
Moravia’s Joe Baylor will have eyes on him from the opposition, much like he has all season, but the senior continues to show he’s built for the big game. It’ll be players like Zach Szachta, Dillon Palmer, Riley Jones and Jaiden Francis that could all play huge roles in Saturday’s contest.
Delaware Academy’s Tommy Nagy scored 18 points against Union Springs, then had 28 points on eight 3-pointers last round against Trumansburg. The Bulldogs also bring a great deal of size to the floor that could pose a threat down low for Moravia.
Moravia is riding an 18-game winning streak and is currently ranked No. 4 in the state’s most recent Class C poll. Delaware Academy has won 11 straight games and currently sits in the No. 12 spot in the state rankings.
