Last season, the Class C2 final was one of the year's most thrilling games. Silver Creek defeated Maple Grove in an instant classic at a packed JCC for the right to move on to the overall Class C final at Buffalo State. This weekend, Randolph visited Silver Creek on Friday night, and then hosted Maple Grove the following night, to makeup a game that had been postponed. I took advantage of the opportunity to the two teams from last season's final on back-to-back nights, who also happen to be the top two seeds in Class C2 as we head into sectionals in two weeks. My prediction: We have another instant classic to look forward to on Friday, March 1st!
Maple Grove flew around the court pressuring defensively, shot the ball well, and ran its sets to perfection, in a 56-40 victory at Randolph on Saturday. The Red Dragons improve to 16-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming in the season opener at Olean.
The crowded gymnasium in Randolph watched a great first quarter, as the lead changed 10 different times. The largest lead for either team didn't come until just 14 seconds remained in the quarter, when Jim Kistner came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer, giving the Red Dragons a 16-12 lead after one.
Maple Grove's Aaron Germain and Randolph's Bryce Morrison traded 3-pointers to begin the second frame, before the game's first run occured. Germain and Will Soffel each scored a pair of buckets, as part of an 8-2 run for the Red Dragons, giving them a 27-17 lead. The lead had been extended to 12 points, before Randolph grabbed the last four points of the half, sending the teams to the locker rooms with the score 32-24.
Early in the second half, Maple Grove used an 11-2 scoring burst to push its lead to 43-27. Morrison and Mitchell Maycock each bombed in shots from downtown in response, pulling the Cardinals back to within 10 points, 43-33.
Maple Grove entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point advantage, and still led by that same margin with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. Rather than Randolph making one last push to climb back into the game, it was the Red Dragons who furthered the distance. A '3' from Germain sparked a 9-0 spurt that included a basket from Will Soffel and four points from Graham Soffel. With 2:16 left on the clock, Maple Grove had its largest lead of the evening, 62-41.
Germain finished with a game-high 18 points, Austin Goerke added 16 points while pulling down 10 rebounds, and Will & Graham Soffel each had double-doubles, scoring 10 points apiece, with Will dishing 10 assists to match his brother Graham's 10 boards.
Morrison led Randolph with 16 points, Taylor Miller scored 13 points, and Maycock chipped in nine points on three 3-pointers.
-centercourt
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