P.O. Box 5
Afton, NY 13730
607.639.8200

Monday, March 8, 2004

Afton sweeps at Arena

Unforgettable rally lifts boys to 59-46 victory as Rams freeze

High School Boys Basketball: Section Four Class D Championship

By Jeff Vella

Staff Writer

BINGHAMTON - The South Kortright boys played a memorable first quarter in Saturday's Section Four Class D Championship.

The rest of the game, though, the Rams would probably rather forget.

Second-seeded SK lost to fifth-seeded Afton, 59-46, despite having a 28-13 lead after the opening eight minutes at Broome County Arena.

"It's a terrible feeling to know we gave the game up," said SK junior Jon Kenchen, who scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the first quarter. "We had them."

The Rams (18-4) let Afton crawl back in it by scoring six points in the second quarter and two in the third.

In the fourth, Jamie Goodrich and Derek Winans combined for 21 points as the Crimson Knights outscored SK, 25-10.

Afton (14-9), which last won a sectional title in 1962, plays Section Three champion Poland (19-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a state quarterfinal at SUNY-Oswego.

"It's an honor," said Knights coach Dick Winans, whose team lost to Downsville in last season's final and had to replace four starters. "This was supposed to be a rebuilding year."

Afton took its first lead when 5-foot junior point guard Winans hit a deep three-pointer from the left side 1 minute and 45 seconds into the fourth quarter. That made it 37-36, and Winans (16 points) was just getting started.

After Kenchen scored three straight points to put SK up, 45-42, Winans again let fly from what seemed like somewhere near Vestal, swishing it in to tie the score. The three-pointer started a 17-1 run to end the game.

"That Winans kid hit some deep threes I wouldn't have expected him to take," Kenchen said. "At the end, he was bombing. He couldn't miss. He was unconscious."

Goodrich made a turnaround jumper on Afton's next possession to make it 47-45, and the Knights didn't trail again.

Winans hit another three from the left side with just over two minutes left to put Afton up, 52-45.

"When you're small, you've got to be quick and you've got to be able to shoot the outside shot," said Dick Winans, the father of Derek and 2003 graduate Josh, the 5-1 star of last season's team.

Any comeback hopes took a serious hit when Kenchen fouled out with 1:58 left, getting whistled on a questionable offensive foul as he barreled into the lane.

Goodrich finished with nine points in the fourth quarter, and he scored 13 of his game-high 19 in the second half.

"We noticed they had a real small lineup," said Goodrich, a 6-2 senior. "Everyone they were putting on me came up to my shoulders. Coach told me to go in the paint and post them up."

Although Goodrich led Afton in scoring during the regular season, he's been severely hindered in sectionals by a jammed finger on his left hand. He failed to score in Afton's semifinal victory against Downsville.

"He was back to his old self tonight," Dick Winans said.

The Rams can look back to the third quarter as their undoing. They had a 34-22 lead at halftime after enduring the second quarter without Kenchen, who sat the final seven minutes with two fouls.

SK hit 1 of 12 shots in the quarter. Most of those were from within five feet, and at least four were uncontested layups.

"I thought the shots we were getting were good shots," SK coach Bob VanValkenburgh said. "We missed a ton of layups, a TON of layups. Some guys tightened up."

SK's only points in the quarter came on Jack Cooperman's left-handed shot from underneath with 5:40 left.

After that, Kenchen easily got to the front of the rim on several occasions, but he missed three shots from in close during the period. Afton whittled the Rams' 12-point lead to two, at 36-34, by the end of the quarter.

"I know I got the shots I wanted in the lane," he said. "Everything I took hit the back of the rim. I fault the loss on my back because I should have taken charge.

"We just couldn't make any chip shots," he continued. "Everything we took would go in, rattle out. That was the game. We scored two points in the third quarter, and you can't do that against a good team like Afton."

It was hard to believe that same SK team had hit 11 of 14 shots in the first quarter, including 5 of 5 three-pointers. The Rams' 28 points came close to their total in a 36-33 semifinal victory over Worcester.

"That's probably the best quarter anyone's played against us ever," Goodrich said. "Even the Class C schools that we played all year. They were hitting everything."

SK's Jon Paczkowski hit 3 of 3 three-pointers in the first quarter for all nine of his points.

"The first quarter we couldn't miss a shot," said Kenchen, who hit both his three-point tries in the first quarter. "We came out fired up. For some reason, we died down in the second half."

Dick Winans said he switched from a zone defense to a man after first quarter to take away the open threes.

"We haven't played a man all year," he said. "We're a terrible man team. But they didn't get the open looks after we changed."

After the first quarter, SK hit 6 of 42 shots (14 percent).

"It was frustrating," VanValkenburgh said. "This was an opportunity today. We matched up well with these guys.

"But you have to keep it in perspective over the long haul," he continued. "They had a great year. It was a fun group and they definitely went past my expectations. They should be proud of the season."

Notes: SK, which had to replace four starters this season, graduates four again this year - Cooperman, Paczkowski, Max Tannone and Pete Tiller. Kenchen will be the lone returning starter. ... Cooperman finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. ... The Rams were going for their first sectional title since 2000. ... Afton won the Section Four Class C title in 1962, beating McGraw, 78-62. Afton also beat McGraw for the 1961 sectional title, 68-59.

AFTON 59, SK 46

SECTION FOUR CLASS D CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday at Broome County Arena

5-AFTON (14-9): Derek Winans 5 3-4 16, Tim Sanford 2 2-2 6, Billy Bunzey 1 0-0 2, Kerry Mohrien 1 7-10 9, Mike Sickler 1 0-0 2, Trevor Beames 0 0-0 0, Ryan Berkeley 1 0-0 2, Andrew Winans 1 0-0 3, E.J. Wright 0 0-0 0, Matt Masse 0 0-2 0, Jamie Goodrich 9 0-2 19, Richard Terrell 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21 12-20 59.

2-SOUTH KORTIGHT (18-4): Greg Colasuonno 2 0-0 4, Jon Paczkowski 3 0-0 9, Max Tannone 1 0-1 2, Jon Kenchen 5 5-6 17, Jack Cooperman 5 1-2 11, Pete Tiller 1 1-2 3, Matt McMullen 0 0-0 0, Robert Bridgeforth 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 7-11 46.

Afton 13 9 12 25 - 59

SK 28 6 2 10 - 46

Three-point field goals: Afton 5 (A. Winans, Goodrich, D. Winans 3), SK 5 (Kenchen 2, Paczkowski 3).

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Jeff Vella can be reached at jvella@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.