SYRACUSE - About midway through the Silver Creek Black Knights Far West Regional game with Section 5's Mynderse, coach Rob Genco noticed a little something different in the countenance of standout Zeddie Williams.
"When he gets that look in his eye," Genco said, "I'm not going to be the one who tries to slow him down and contain him. I'll let the other team (try to do that)."
Of course, Mynderse was unable to slow the senior, who netted 12 second-half points on the way to a game-high 16, and the result was a familiar one for the Black Knights: a victory, 53-47.
Article Photos
Silver Creek boys coach Rob Genco will lead the Black Knights to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four this weekend in Glens Falls. See additional photos at cu.post-journal.com.
P-J photo by Scott Kindberg
For those counting, that's now 23 victories in a row - the state's longest active streak.
Silver Creek, which held steady at No. 2 in the state for Class C in the New York State Sportswriters Association's latest boys basketball poll, is hoping it can string together a few more "Ws" this coming weekend, when it opens the New York State Public High School Athletic Association state tournament at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Friday at 1:30 p.m. There, the squad will square off against Section 9's Pine Plains, the state's top-ranked team at 20-2 overall.
A win in that game earns the Black Knights a place in Saturday evening's championship game, where they will face either fourth-ranked Moravia (21-2) or third-ranked Lake George (22-2).
One more interesting fact: Silver Creek is one of just two remaining unbeatens (along with Class D's Argyle) in the state.
Also in Class C, Portville, which went 18-3 this season with all three losses coming to Silver Creek, is No. 16 while Maple Grove (18-2) is No. 18.
Jamestown is No. 20 in Class AA.
This season was a typically successful one for the Red Raiders (19-3), who captured a third Section 6 Class AA title in the past four years. It wasn't until they ran up against the sizable frontline of Bishop Kearney - all three of whom are 6-foot-8 and taller - in the Far West Regional at the Blue Cross Arena that they met their match.
Bishop Kearney, ranked eighth in the state, is 15-7 overall.
Jamestown rival, Niagara Falls, meanwhile, is at No. 26 behind its 17-6 mark.
Olean (20-2) fell to No. 5 in Class B following a heartbreaking, last-second loss to Batavia in the Far West Regional while in Class D Sherman (16-6) is No. 4, Brocton (17-2) No. 6 and Clymer (14-6) is an honorable mention.
In the girls rankings, 20th-ranked Jamestown completed its season with an 18-4 record and a sectional title for the first time since 2008. The Lady Red Raiders fell in the Far West Regional to third-ranked Gates Chili, which is 23-0.
The Class C girls rankings are packed with area squads. Leading the way is No. 10 Randolph (19-4), which won a third straight sectional title, while rival Frewsburg (19-2) follows at No. 17 and Chautauqua Lake (19-1) rounds out the list in a tie for No. 20.
Bishop Kearney, which beat the Lady Cardinals in the Far West Regional, is No. 4 in the state with a 17-8 mark.
Rounding out the list Class D Sherman, ranked seventh with a final record of 18-3, and Clymer, ranked 15th behind a final record of 16-3.
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Also released were the final state wrestling rankings.
Best amongst area small schools was once-beaten Falconer (17-1), which was ranked . Close behind was rival Fredonia (7-1) at No. 19 while Westfield-Ripley-Chautauqua Lake earned an honorable mention.