Two Wayne-Finger Lakes girls basketball programs took the court Saturday at Finger Lakes Community College, with one chasing a third straight sectional championship and the other looking to secure a spot in the regional round.
The No. 2 Bloomfield Bombers came up just short in their bid for a three-peat, falling to the No. 4 Canisteo-Greenwood Chargers, 66-61, in overtime in the Class C1 championship in a game filled with momentum swings.
Bloomfield, seeking its 15th sectional title, started fast. The Bombers jumped out to a 20-6 lead after the first quarter and carried a 31-20 advantage into halftime.
Canisteo-Greenwood turned the tide in the third quarter. The Chargers opened the half on an 11-0 run, holding Bloomfield scoreless for nearly four minutes while defensive pressure forced turnovers and shot-clock violations. They grabbed the lead midway through the period before Sadie Kachmaryk halted the run with back-to-back three-pointers, helping Bloomfield take a two-point lead into the fourth despite being outscored 17-8 in the quarter.
Bloomfield led by five with five minutes remaining, but the Chargers rallied and the teams traded the lead several times down the stretch.
Trailing 52-49 with under 40 seconds left, Kachmaryk drained another three-pointer to tie the game with 29.9 seconds remaining. Canisteo-Greenwood missed a potential go-ahead shot late, and Bloomfield’s final attempt after a timeout never materialized, sending the game to overtime.
The Chargers scored first in the extra period and never trailed again, outscoring Bloomfield 14-9 to secure their first sectional title as a merged program.
Calla McCombs scored a game-high 23 points for Bloomfield, finishing her career with a program-record 1,843 points. Payton Bentley led Canisteo-Greenwood with 22.
Bloomfield finishes its season at 18-5, while the Chargers improved to 22-2 and will face Keshequa in the Class C Far West Regional qualifier Tuesday night.
In the other game, the Waterloo Tigers punched their ticket to regionals in dominant fashion.
No. 2 Waterloo, fresh off a win over top-seeded Dansville to capture their fourth sectional title in six years Wednesday, rolled past Class B2 champion and No. 6 seed the Le Roy Oatkan Knights, 62-29, in the regional qualifier.
The Tigers took control early, leading 21-6 after the first quarter and 42-15 at halftime before extending the margin to 52-25 entering the fourth. The Oatkan Knights were held to just four points in the final quarter.
Waterloo buried 12 three-pointers in the victory.
Addison Bree knocked down four threes and scored 16 points, while Jonay Hawkins also finished with 16 to lead the Tigers. Tangel Williams added 12 points on four three-pointers, Khia Moody scored eight, Delianey Battin chipped in four, and Gwyn and Ava Panek combined for six.
Waterloo will face Section VI champion Southwestern in the regional round Wednesday at Gates-Chili High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.