With his team already confirmed for their second consecutive appearance in the Class B championship game thanks to their 70-52 win over Chatham on Sunday night, Watervliet head coach Walter Bowden was on hand, as one would expect, for the game that would determine his team's opponent in that title game.

Bowden was part of a relatively sparse crowd that watched reigning Class B champions Fonda, the fifth seed in this year's tournament, down top-seeded Hoosick Falls 41-34 on Monday night in Glens Falls, setting up a rematch of last year's title tilt. That game will take place in Glens Falls on Thursday, with the tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Braves won last year's ultimate game, but the Cannoneers came out on top twice in the two regular season games between the Colonial Council and Liberty Division foes.

"My first thought is that it's very difficult to beat a team three times," Bowden said. "They played us very tough last time at their place, and they're playing very well right now. They've got a ton of guys that can shoot the ball. It's going to be a very difficult game."

Fonda punched their ticket by limiting some of Hoosick Falls' best players to what they could do with the ball, and that is ultimately a concern for Watervliet as well.

"They can knock down shots and they're an excellent defensive team," Bowden said. "They have a tendency to make teams look bad and make the game reflect their style. We're really going to have to work hard to get past them a third time."

The Braves and Cannoneers play very different styles. Watervliet prefers to push the pace, with the Gleason brothers, Devonte and Jordan, working well together in transition. Fonda prefers to lock down on defense and force you to make a mistake on the other side of the court.

"Last time we played them, the scores were in the 40s, and that's not where we want to be," Bowden said. "They almost knocked us off. Hopefully we can get the tempo more in our favor and get some buckets. We want them to play from behind. Any time you see a team a third time, you're obviously very familiar with each other."

Meanwhile, the Braves aren't exactly relishing the idea of playing a team that's had their number this season. The Cannoneers are the only team Fonda has played more than once this year without picking up at least one win.

"They're a very good team," Fonda coach Eric Wilson said of Watervliet. "All year I've been saying that they're the most talented team in our section for Class B. We might have to try something new to beat them."

Can't make it up to Glens Falls tonight to catch the Panthers and Braves? Have no fear. I'll be there live blogging tonight, starting just before the 5 p.m. tip-off. Find out who's going to be taking on Watervliet for the Class B title... follow along below.

Today's event is at Hudson Valley Community College, as Lansingburgh and Hudson Falls do battle in a Section II Class A boys basketball contest. Troy High fell on this very court last night against Bishop Maginn. Can the Knights avoid the upset here this afternoon?

The game gets underway at about 2:35 p.m. I'll have live updates here.

Looking for the full brackets for the various Section II basketball tournaments? Well, have no fear, here they are, updated as of the Feb. 26 games.

2011 Section II Class AA Boys

2011 Section II Class A Boys

2011 Section II Class B Boys

2011 Section II Class BB Boys

2011 Section II Class C Boys

2011 Section II Class D Boys

2011 Section II Class AA Girls

2011 Section II Class A Girls

2011 Section II Class B Girls

2011 Section II Class C Girls

2011 Section II Class D Girls

Back live here at the TU Center in Albany as we get ready to see if La Salle junior Connor Sutton and Loudonville Christian senior Brian Walsh can finish off their seasons with state championships.

The matches are about to get underway.

Live this morning from the TU Center in Albany again as seven local wrestlers vie for a place in the state finals.

I'm blogging live from the Times Union Center as the New York State Wrestling Tournament of Champions is underway.

Brian Walsh from Loudonville Christian School was selected to read the Wrestler's Creed before the proceedings got underway. Congratulations to Brian on the honor.



UPDATE, 7:30 p.m.: After I left, Joe Shell of Colonie earned a major decision of Solcz, 17-7, Shen's Tony Fusco picked up an 11-6 win over Joe Giaramita, and Shen's Cole Lampman was pinned at 285 by Alex Tibbles.

Tomorrow's semifinal matchups are as follows:

DIVISION I – SEMIFINAL MATCHES
125: Max Miller (SHEN) vs. Anthony Abidin (XI); 130: Nick Kelley (SHEN) vs. Steven Rodrigues (I); 140: Jim Carucci (SHEN) vs. Adam Lepkowsky (XI), Connor Sutton (LSI) vs. Lewis Cucchiara (V); 171: Joe Shell (COLO) vs. Chanse Menendez (XI); 189: Tony Fusco (SHEN) vs. Joe Kavanagh (VIII).

DIVISION II – SEMIFINAL MATCHES
152: Brian Walsh (VLIET) vs. Tristan Hamner (VI).

See you back here tomorrow morning for the semis!

Join me at 7 p.m. tonight for a live blog as No. 6 Cohoes hosts No. 11 Cobleskill in the first round of the Class BB boys basketball tournament.

 Join us starting at 6:00 p.m. for tonight's game.

The first round brackets have been released for the NYSPHSAA wrestling meet at the Times Union Center in Albany, which takes place this Friday and Saturday.

Division I

Division II

Local wrestlers listed below.

Division I
96 pounds
Shawn Berman, jr., Albany vs. John Stramiello, fr., Pine Bush (Section IX)
112 pounds
Blake Retell, fr., Shaker vs. Derrick Grey, so., Indian River (Section III)
119 pounds
Corey Southard, sr., Columbia vs. Shane Connolly, jr., Warwick Valley (Section IX)
Cody Mosley, jr., Averill Park vs. Nick Oliveto, sr., Suffern (Section I)
125 pounds
Max Miller, sr., Shenendehowa vs. Greg Partridge, so., Corning (Section IV)
130 pounds
Matt Greene, jr., Columbia vs. Jimmy Porteus, jr., Brockport (Section V)
Nick Kelley, so., Shenendehowa vs. Brant Page, sr., Horseheads (Section IV)
135 pounds
Jon Clemente, sr., La Salle vs. Patrick Mix, sr., Lake Shore (Section VI)
Dave Almaviva, so., Shenendehowa vs. Christian Foutain, so., Franklin Academy (Section X)
140 pounds
Jim Carucci, sr., Shenendehowa vs. Mark Swertfager, sr., John Jay Cross River (Section I)
Connor Sutton, jr., La Salle vs. Mike Feeney, jr., Lockport (Section VI)
145 pounds
Evan Wallace, jr., Columbia vs. Jorge Jimenez, jr., Herbert H. Lehman (PSAL)
171 pounds
Joe Shell, sr., Colonie vs. Thor McHugh, sr., Arlington (Section I)
189 pounds
Tony Fusco, jr., Shenendehowa vs. Conor Wetzel, sr., Massapequa (Section VIII)
215 pounds
Mike Almaviva, sr., Shenendehowa vs. Warren Bosch, sr., Kings Park (Section XI)
285 pounds
Cole Lampman, jr., Shenendehowa vs. Max Antone, jr., Niagara Wheatfield (Section VI)

Division II
96 pounds
Luis Weierbach, fr., Hoosick Falls vs. Rob Kishun, so., Valley Stream North (Section VIII)
152 pounds
Brian Walsh, sr., Watervliet vs. Donald Vanburen, sr., Onteora (Section IX)
160 pounds
Brad Burns, so., Hoosick Falls vs. Keegan Cerwinski, jr., Greene (Section IV)

They missed out on automatic bids in Glens Falls last week, but for four local wrestlers, their loss at the Civic Center doesn't sting quite as much anymore - they'll be in Albany next week after all.

Shenendehowa's Dave Almaviva (135) and Jim Carucci (140), who lost to La Salle's Jon Clemente and Connor Sutton respectively at last week's state qualifiers, received at-large bids to the NYSPHSAA tournament, which takes place at the Times Union Center on Feb. 25 and 26. They were the only two Shen wrestlers to lose their final match in Glens Falls.

Two other final round runners-up were also named: Averill Park's Cody Mosley (119), who had been a 5th seed in Glens Falls and scored an upset over top ranked Kevin Bates of Guilderland in the semis, and Matt Greene (130) of Columbia, who has dominated in his weight class but has twice been unable to best Shen's Nick Kelley.

The four grapplers join Albany's Shawn Berman (96), Colonie's Joe Shell (171), Columbia's Corey Southard (119) and Evan Wallace (145), Hoosick Falls' Luis Weierbach (96) and Brad Burns (160), La Salle's Clemente and Sutton, Shaker's Blake Retell (119), Shenendehowa's Max Miller (125), Nick Kelley (130), Tony Fusco (189), Mike Almaviva (215), and Cole Lampman (285), and Watervliet's Brian Walsh (152) among locals who will be competing at the TU Center next weekend.

Here they are. Click the links below for each tournament.

2011 Section II Class AA Boys

2011 Section II Class A Boys

2011 Section II Class B Boys

2011 Section II Class BB Boys

2011 Section II Class C Boys

2011 Section II Class D Boys

Here they are. Click the links below for each tournament.

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: The links were not working when I posted them, they should be working now.

2011 Section II Class AA Girls

2011 Section II Class A Girls

2011 Section II Class B Girls

2011 Section II Class C Girls

2011 Section II Class D Girls

We were hoping to have a live stream, but there's no formal announcement being made, so follow the live blog below instead. I'll be updating it as we get seedings.

We're just under 24 hours away from finding out the seedings for the 2011 Section II boys and girls basketball tournaments. It's exciting stuff, because from here on out, it's win or go home.

So which teams are going to be the top seeds when the seedings are announced tomorrow in Saratoga? Here are my best guesses, along with the post-season schedules.

You can find out how very wrong I was right here at The Reale Deal tomorrow, as we live stream the conference as it happens, along with a live blog in case you can't watch the live stream.

Boys
Class AA: Doesn't seem like there's any reason why CBA (Big 10) would be anything less than the top seed, even if they lose to Albany tonight. If they do lose, that would open the door for Shenendehowa (Suburban Council) to be considered.

Class A: This one has to be Scotia (Foothills Council). Lansingburgh (Colonial Council) is in a strong position for the No. 2 seed, but they have competition from Mohonasen (Suburban Council) and Hudson Falls (Foothills Council) for that spot.

Class B: Hoosick Falls (Wasaren League) and Watervliet (Colonial Council) have to be the favorites here, but don't count out Chatham (Patroon Conference), who may be a dark horse top pick.

Class BB: As opposed to the B bracket, BB's top seed is a slam dunk: Schenectady Christian (Western Athletic Conference) is undefeated and ranked 4th in the state for Class B.

Class C: It's pretty clearly defined which two teams are at the top, but the question is, which order will they be in? The smart money is on undefeated Lake George (Adirondack League) but Argyle (Adirondack League) is in the conversation too, the teams are ranked second and third in the state in Class C and are easily the favorites to meet in the finals, unless Fort Plain (Western Athletic Conference) can get into the mix.

Class D: This is another toss-up, likely between New Lebanon (Central Hudson Valley League) and Sharon Springs (Western Athletic Conference), my money is on the Spartans. Loudonville Christian earned a share of the CHVL title, but lost twice to New Lebanon, who has the other share. They'll likely be jockeying for position with Fort Ann (Adirondack League) and Germantown (Central Hudson Valley League) for third or fourth.

Schedule
Feb. 18/19 - Play-in Rounds (at higher seeds)
Feb. 22/23 - First Round (at higher seeds)
Feb. 25 - Class B (HVCC) and Class D (Saratoga) quarterfinals (2 of 4)
Feb. 26 - Class B (HVCC) and Class D (Saratoga) quarterfinals (2 of 4)
Feb. 26 - Class AA (HVCC), Class BB (Guilderland), and Class C (Saratoga) quarterfinals
Feb. 27 - Class A quarterfinals and Class B (1 of 2) semifinals at HVCC
Feb. 28 - Class BB quarterfinals and Class B (1 of 2) semifinals at Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 1 - Class AA semifinals at Times Union Center
Mar. 1 - Class C semifinals and Class D (1 of 2) semifinals at Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 2 - Class A semifinals and Class D (1 of 2) semifinals at Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 3 - Class B and Class BB finals at Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 5 - Class A finals, Class C finals, Class D finals, and Class B/BB qualifier at Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 8 - Class AA finals at Times Union Center
Mar. 9 - Class B champion vs. Section X (Regional Semifinal, SUNY Plattsburgh)
Mar. 9 - Class D champion vs. Section VII (Regional Semifinal, TBA)
Mar. 12 - Regional Finals (Class AA, TBA; Class A at Section III, Class B at Section VII, Class C at Section II, Class D at Section X)
Mar. 18-20 - State Tournament, Glens Falls Civic Center
Mar. 25-27 - Federation Tournament, Times Union Center

Girls
Class AA: According to the Section II handbook, there are two top seeds in the Class AA tournament, which plays like a crossover between the Big 10 and the Suburban Council. Thus, the top seeds will be Albany (Big 10) and Shenendehowa (Suburban Council).

Class A: Not much reason to believe that undefeated Scotia (Foothills Council) won't be the top seed here, and that Holy Names (Colonial Council) will be the second overall seed. It would be a bit of a surprise if those teams do not face each other at HVCC on Mar. 4.

Class B: This shouldn't be too controversial. Maple Hill (Patroon Conference) is undefeated in a weak league, but they've been so very dominant in that league that they've erased doubt that they should be the top seed. The real question here is in the No. 2 seed. That could reasonably go to Hoosic Valley (Wasaren League), Watervliet (Colonial Council), Cohoes (Colonial Council) or Johnstown (Foothills Council).

Class C: Argyle (Adirondack League) is the obvious choice here.

Class D: This one will go to either Heatly (Central Hudson Valley League) or Fort Ann (Adirondack League), it seems.

Schedule
Feb. 18/19 - Play-in Rounds (at higher seeds)
Feb. 22/23 - First Round (at higher seeds)
Feb. 25/26 - Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Mar. 1 - Class A (Colonie), Class B (Saratoga), and Class D (SUNY Adirondack) semifinals
Mar. 2 - Class AA (HVCC) and Class C (Rensselaer) semifinals
Mar. 4 - Class A and Class B finals at HVCC
Mar. 5 - Class AA, Class C, and Class D finals at HVCC
Mar. 8 - Class A champion vs. Section X (Regional Semifinal, SUNY Adirondack)
Mar. 8 - Class B champion vs. Section X (Regional Semifinal, SUNY Potsdam)
Mar. 8 - Class D champion vs. Section VII (Regional Semifinal, SUNY Adirondack)
Mar. 12 - Regional Finals (Class AA, at Section III; Class A at Section III, Class B at SUNY Plattsburgh, Class C at HVCC, Class D at SUNY Potsdam)
Mar. 18-20 - State Tournament, HVCC
Mar. 25-27 - Federation Tournament, Times Union Center

Join me at 6 p.m. as I live blog from the finals of the Section II state qualifiers at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Here's the schedule for today's crossovers. They are being held in Watervliet in the new Harry Tucker Gym, and they feature the first game for the Cannoneers' boys basketball team on their new home court.

11 a.m. - Ravena vs. Voorheesville
1 p.m. - Mechanicville vs. Cobleskill
3 p.m. - Ichabod Crane vs. Fonda
5 p.m. - Cohoes vs. Schalmont
7 p.m. - Lansingburgh vs. Watervliet

The Liberty Division teams (all listed second) will be the home teams. The admission charge is $3.00 and will be charged to everyone, including students.

No food or drink will be allowed in the new gym.

Due to limited parking at Watervliet High School, a bus shuttle will begin at 2:30 to shuttle people to the gym from the elementary school (2557 10th Avenue) and the Big K Plaza (195 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham) for the last three games. Watervliet police will tow cars parked illegally.

The seeding committee, in the end, did a pretty good job. All of the No. 1 seeds and most of the top ranked seeds advanced to the state qualifier semifinals.

Here are tomorrow's semifinal brackets with local wrestlers in them, which start at 10 a.m. at Glens Falls Civic Center. Wrestlers are listed with their seeds:

DIVISION I
96 pounds
#1 Shawn Berman, Albany vs. #4 Kevin Parker, Shenendehowa
#2 Brandon Winchip, Queensbury vs. #3 Dominic Inzana, Saratoga

103 pounds
#1 Brandon Lapi, Amsterdam vs. #5 Allan McNeil, Averill Park
#2 Tyler Wood, Queensbury vs. #3 Jesse Porter, Shenendehowa

112 pounds
#1 Blake Retell, Shaker vs. #4 Corey Ali, Shenendehowa
#2 Casey Jones, Queensbury vs. #3 Joey Butler, Burnt Hills

119 pounds
#1 Kevin Bates, Guilderland vs. #4 Cody Mosley, Averill Park
#2 Corey Southard, Columbia vs. #3 James Ronca, Ballston Spa

125 pounds
#1 Max Miller, Shenendehowa vs. #4 Drew Oligney, Lansingburgh
#2 Brendan Goldup, La Salle vs. #3 Brendan Morgan, Columbia

130 pounds
#1 Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa vs. #5 Nick Thomas, Burnt Hills
#2 Matt Greene, Columbia vs. #4 Matt Stenard, Niskayuna

135 pounds
#1 Jon Clemente, La Salle vs. #5 Nick Leffler, Scotia
#2 Gus Clarke, Schenectady vs. #3 Dave Almaviva, Shenendehowa

140 pounds
#1 Connor Sutton, La Salle vs. #5 Thomas Carta, South Glens Falls
#2 Jim Carucci, Shenendehowa vs. #3 Angelo Kress, Columbia

145 pounds
#1 Evan Wallace, Columbia vs. #5 Colin Selin, Niskayuna
#2 Mark Hitchcock, Mohonasen vs. #6 Elijah Cooks, Colonie

160 pounds
#1 Toby Barnes, Ballston Spa vs. #4 Anthony Paturso, Mohonasen
#2 Brian Adriance, Columbia vs. #3 Stephen Lumley, South Glens Falls

171 pounds
#1 Joe Shell, Colonie vs. #5 Austin Hanson, South Glens Falls
#2 Matt Lashway, Queensbury vs. #6 Jared Strong, Glens Falls

189 pounds
#1 Tony Fusco, Shenendehowa vs. #4 Matt McCarty, Colonie
#2 Chris Ohnsman, Ballston Spa vs. #3 T.J. Baldwin, Queensbury

215 pounds
#1 Mike Almaviva, Shenendehowa vs. #5 Jon Babson, La Salle
#2 Bill Cook, Ballston Spa vs. #3 Isaiah Earing, Schenectady

285 pounds
#1 Cole Lampman, Shenendehowa vs. #4 Alex Pontiff, Queensbury
#2 Landon Moore, Saratoga vs. #6 Alberto Biasiucci, Burnt Hills

DIVISION II

96 pounds
#1 Carter Merecki, Salem vs. #4 Mike Kelly, Hudson Falls
#2 Luis Weierbach, Hoosick Falls vs. #3 Jerome Gladney, Ravena

112 pounds
#1 Zach Marcel, Corinth vs. #5 Cameron Milliken, Albany Academy
#2 Al Aubin, Whitehall vs. #3 Sean Ryan, Tamarac

125 pounds
#1 Andy Lyman, Ravena vs. #5 Sam Delarge, Albany Academy
#2 Zack Winney, Hudson Falls vs. #3 Connor Lawrence, Duanesburg

135 pounds
#1 A.J. Rue, Ravena vs. #4 Kyle Mulcahy, Corinth
#2 Nick DiCaprio, Albany Academy vs. #3 Jose Sartin, Galway

140 pounds
#1 Karl Palmer, Granville vs. #5 Hunter Hamilton, Hadley/Lake George
#2 Chris DiSonnel, Cohoes vs. #3 Jesse Maher, Ravens

152 pounds
#1 Brian Walsh, Watervliet vs. #5 Mike Green, Cobleskill
#2 Kurt Friedenberger, Canajoharie vs. #3 Billy Pine, Cambridge

160 pounds
#1 Brad Burns, Hoosick Falls vs. #5 Kyle Derepentigny, Cohoes
#2 Josh Veshia, Watervliet vs. #3 Brandyn Ainsworth, Broadalbin-Perth

171 pounds
#1 Erik Franklin, Fonda vs. #5 Tyler Morris, Salem
#2 Justin Oravsky, Watervliet vs. #3 Dallas Mesick, Duanesburg

189 pounds
#1 Zach Diekel, Whitehall vs. #4 Jeff Senecal, Duanesburg
#2 Zack Bazan, Maple Hill vs. #3 Zach Morris, Watervliet

215 pounds
#1 Nick Gwiazdowski, Duanesburg vs. #4 Jeff Wagner, Maple Hill
#3 Jeremy Stevens, Cambridge vs. #7 Joe Nellis, Johnstown

A wrestler at a school on Long Island has contracted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a communicable bacterium that often causes difficult-to-treat infections, even in healthy people.

Newsday reported that Hauppauge wrestler Nick Mauriello, Jr. is in intensive care at Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital due to an MRSA infection that he contracted late last month. As a precaution against additional MRSA spread, all sectional state qualifying tournaments this weekend will have their mats cleaned after each and every round, as will the mats at the state tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany.

Unlike the girls, there simply aren't an awful lot of local boys teams ranked in New York State, and that number got even lower on Wednesday.

Two of the three local ranked teams are in Class AA, and naturally, those are Christian Brothers Academy and Shenendehowa. The undefeated Brothers are still ranked 3rd in the state, behind Niagara Falls and Poughkeepsie, the only other undefeated schools in Class AA. Further down the list, in 16th, is Shenendehowa, though they are ranked 11th among NYSPHSAA schools.

Hoosick Falls are the only other ranked team in the area, and just barely - the Panthers are 16th out of 20 ranked teams in Class B, and their ranking does not yet take into account their loss to Schuylerville on Monday.

Loudonville Christian, previously ranked in Class D, was unranked this week following their defeat at the hands of Germantown last week.

Here are the top 15 schools in each class this week.

Class AA
1. Niagara Falls (Section VI)
2. Poughkeepsie (Section I)
3. Christian Brothers Academy (Section II)
4. Wings Academy (PSAL)
5. Abraham Lincoln (PSAL)
6. Rush-Henrietta (Section V)
7. Wadleigh (PSAL)
8. Cardozo (PSAL)
9. Boys & Girls (PSAL)
10. Mount Vernon (Section I)
11. Horace Greeley (Section I)
12. Newburgh Free Academy (Section IX)
13. Jamestown (Section VI)
14. Baldwin (Section VIII)
15. Utica Proctor (Section III)

Class A
1. Mount St. Michael (CHSAA)
2. Long Island St. Mary (CHSAA)
3. Aquinas (Section V)
4. Williamsville South (Section VI)
5. Lutheran (AIS)
6. Cortland (Section III)
7. Kennedy Catholic (Section I)
8. Harborfields (Section XI)
9. Midwood (PSAL)
10. Jamesville-DeWitt (Section III)
11. Cardinal Hayes (CHSAA)
12. Scotia (Section II)
13. Amityville (Section XI)
14. Bishop Kearney (Section V)
15. Yonkers Roosevelt (Section I)

Class B
1. Burke Catholic (Section IX)
2. Potsdam (Section X)
3. Binghamton Seton (Section IV)
4. Schenectady Christian (Section II)
5. Livonia (Section V)
6. Mynderse (Section V)
7. Albertus Magnus (Section I)
8. Blind Brook (Section I)
9. Dunkirk (Section VI)
10. Frederick Douglass (PSAL)
11. Malverne (Section VIII)
12. Collegiate (AIS)
13. Northeastern Clinton (Section VII)
14. Lawrence-Woodmere (AIS)
15. Skaneateles (Section III)

Class C
1. Tuckahoe (Section I)
2. Lake George (Section II)
3. Argyle (Section II)
4. Sidney (Section IV)
5. Bloomfield (Section V)
6. Seward (Section IX)
7. Buffalo Grover Cleveland (Section VI)
8. Greenport (Section XI)
9. Fort Plain (Section II)
10. Moravia (Section IV)
11. Buffalo Tapestry Charter (Section VI)
12. Spencer-Van Etten (Section IV)
13. Onondaga (Section III)
14. Maple Grove (Section VI)
15. Watertown Immaculate Heart (Section III)

Class D
1. New York Mills (Section III)
2. C.G. Finney (Section V)
3. Batavia Notre Dame (Section V)
4. Sackets Harbor (Section III)
5. South Kortright (Section IV)
6. Chateaugay (Section X)
7. Fillmore (Section V)
8. Clymer (Section VI)
9. Sharon Springs (Section II)
10. Mount Morris (Section V)
11. Panama (Section VI)
12. Whitesville (Section V)
13. Hermon-DeKalb (Section X)
14. Chapel Field (Section IX)
15. Lisbon (Section X)

The latest New York State Sportswriters Association girls basketball state rankings have been released.

Shenendehowa remains 4th in Class AA despite their narrow victory over Burnt Hills last week. They are still the top ranked team in the NYSPHSAA as the three teams ahead of them are not part of the state's public school league - Christ the King and Brooklyn Nazareth of the CHSAA and Murry Bergtraum of New York City's PSAL.

Not too far behind the Plainsmen is Shaker, now ranked 8th in Class AA. The Blue Bison and the Plainsmen do battle in Clifton Park on Thursday.

Holy Names is ranked 12th in Class A. The only other Section II team that is ranked this week in Class A is 5th-ranked and undefeated Scotia of the Foothills Council.

Maple Hill leads three area teams ranked in Class B. The undefeated Wildcats are pegged as the 7th best Class B team in the state, leading 17th-ranked Watervliet and 21st-ranked Cohoes.

Finally, Heatly - unbeaten in the CHVL - has passed Fort Ann of the Adirondack League to become the top ranked Section II team in Class D. The Hornets moved up to 11th in the state, surpassing the Cardinals, whose loss to Class C's 5th-ranked Argyle, their second loss in three games, dropped them to 14th.

The top 15 in each class are listed below.

Class AA
1. Christ the King (CHSAA)
2. Nazareth (CHSAA)
3. Murry Bergtraum (PSAL)
4. Shenendehowa (Section II)
5. Jamestown (Section VI)
6. Lockport (Section VI)
7. Cicero-North Syracuse (Section III)
8. Shaker (Section II)
9. Northport (Section XI)
10. Penfield (Section V)
11. Binghamton (Section IV)
12. Carmel (Section I)
13. St. Peter's (CHSAA)
14. South Shore (PSAL)
15. Mary Louis (CHSAA)

Class A
1. Grand Island (Section VI)
2. Pittsford Mendon (Section V)
3. Peekskill (Section I)
4. Buffalo Sacred Heart (CHSAA)
5. Scotia (Section II)
6. Elwood John Glenn (Section XI)
7. Nichols (AIS)
8. Pearl River (Section I)
9. Malone (Section X)
10. Albertus Magnus (Section I)
11. Whitesboro (Section III)
12. Holy Names (Section II)
13. Harborfields (Section XI)
14. Red Hook (Section IX)
15. Marlboro (Section IX)

Class B
1. Irvington (Section I)
2. South Jefferson (Section III)
3. Aquinas (Section V)
4. Oneonta (Section IV)
5. Briarcliff (Section I)
6. Lancaster St. Mary's (CHSAA)
7. Maple Hill (Section II)
8. Long Island Lutheran (AIS)
9. Center Moriches (Section XI)
10. Cazenovia (Section III)
11. Salmon River (Section X)
12. Northeastern Clinton (Section VII)
13. Utica Notre Dame (Section III)
14. Watkins Glen (Section IV)
15. Wilson (Section VI)

Class C
1. Gananda (Section V)
2. Tioga (Section IV)
3. Harpursville (Section IV)
4. Immaculata (AIS)
5. Argyle (Section II)
6. Haldane (Section I)
7. Staten Island Academy (AIS)
8. Fabius-Pompey (Section III)
9. Waterville (Section III)
10. Tri-Valley (Section IX)
11. Marion (Section V)
12. Poly Prep (AIS)
13. Stony Brook (Section XI)
14. Bainbridge-Guilford (Section IV)
15. Keshequa (Section V)

Class D
1. Coleman Catholic (Section IX)
2. Batavia Notre Dame (Section V)
3. Copenhagen (Section III)
4. Hermon-DeKalb (Section X)
5. South Kortright (Section IV)
6. Hamilton (Section III)
7. New York Mills (Section III)
8. Jasper-Troupsburg (Section V)
9. Hammondsport (Section V)
10. Hammond (Section X)
11. Heatly (Section II)
12. Elba (Section V)
13. Livingston Manor/Roscoe (Section IX)
14. Fort Ann (Section II)
15. Pine Valley (Section VI)

The seedings have been released for Friday and Saturday's Section II meet, which is taking place at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Local wrestlers are listed in bold. The ninth wrestler listed in each division and weight class will only be seeded if a seeded wrestler is dropped before the meet.

There are no local wrestlers seeded in Division II at 145 or 285 pounds.

DIVISION I
96 pounds
1. Sean Berman, Albany (37-1)
2. Brandon Winchip, Queensbury (32-3)
3. Dominic Inzana, Saratoga (33-5)
4. Kevin Parker, Shenendehowa (23-12)
5. Phil Corney, Burnt Hills (24-19)
6. Erick Riveras, Amsterdam (23-15)
7. Anthony Sgoranno, South Glens Falls (16-7)
8. Tristen Canova, Bethlehem (8-7)
9. Joe Toth, Averill Park (16-18)

103 pounds
1. Brandon Lapi, Amsterdam (44-2)
2. Tyler Wood, Queensbury (32-7)
3. Jesse Porter, Shenendehowa (27-5)
4. John McHugh, Columbia (33-5)
5. Allan McNeil, Averill Park (24-16)
6. Dalton Jones, Ballston Spa (19-6)
7. Matt Morris, Bethlehem (25-8)
8. Brandon Diaz, La Salle (14-12)
9. Mike Kenny, Glens Falls (13-10)

112 pounds
1. Blake Retell, Shaker (36-2)
2. Casey Jones, Queensbury (21-4)
3. Joey Butler, Burnt Hills (30-11)
4. Corey Ali, Shenendehowa (26-8)
5. Josh Jose, Colonie (27-20)
6. Joe Clemente, La Salle (15-14)
7. Connor Hersh, Ballston Spa (20-11)
8. Nick Dyer, Saratoga (21-13)
9. Jordan Alburger, Mohonasen (27-14)

119 pounds
1. Kevin Bates, Guilderland (30-7)
2. Corey Southard, Columbia (30-4)
3. James Ronca, Ballston Spa (24-10)
4. Cody Mosley, Averill Park (24-9)
5. Josh St. John, Queensbury (27-12)
6. Won-Suh Nordquist, Glens Falls (18-8)
7. Zach Joseph, Shenendehowa (19-17)
8. Hunter Rumph, Saratoga (31-13)
9. Nolan Hale, Burnt Hills (16-14)

125 pounds
1. Max Miller, Shenendehowa (34-1)
2. Brendan Goldup, La Salle (27-7)
3. Brendan Morgan, Columbia (32-4)
4. Drew Oligney, Lansingburgh (33-8)
5. Sean Romanski, Bethlehem (24-5)
6. Jake Ashcraft, Burnt Hills (35-16)
7. Tom O'Connor, Queensbury (26-16)
8. Eric Steele, Niskayuna (20-14)
9. Mike Barnes, Shaker (20-15)

130 pounds
1. Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa (35-3)
2. Matt Greene, Columbia (36-2)
3. Josh Colura, Scotia (30-11)
4. Matt Stenard, Niskayuna (24-5)
5. Nick Thomas, Burnt Hills (35-12)
6. Dom Notar, Mohonasen (26-14)
7. Spencer Kilburn, South Glens Falls (18-10)
8. Jiliani Staples, Ballston Spa (19-16)
9. Brian Stevens, Queensbury (13-11)

135 pounds
1. Jon Clemente, La Salle (30-6)
2. Gus Clarke, Schenectady (32-1)
3. Dave Almaviva, Shenendehowa (32-7)
4. Phil Bazicki, Colonie (37-9)
5. Nick Leffler, Scotia (33-7)
6. Tyler Moses, Averill Park (25-16)
7. Tyler Lybolt, Columbia (29-14)
8. Brad Averill, Shaker (32-13)
9. Spencer Thomas, Ballston Spa (21-15)

140 pounds
1. Connor Sutton, La Salle (33-3)
2. Jim Carucci, Shenendehowa (34-4)
3. Angelo Kress, Columbia (30-7)
4. Cody Staulters, Ballston Spa (21-7)
5. Thomas Carta, South Glens Falls (25-5)
6. Nick Haluska, Guilderland (27-12)
7. Brandon Barbero, Colonie (30-17)
8. John Linendoll, Queensbury (21-8)
9. Tim Schiraldi, Saratoga (25-15)

145 pounds
1. Evan Wallace, Columbia (37-1)
2. Mark Hitchcock, Mohonasen (30-3)
3. Gaetano Lanzi, Amsterdam (32-10)
4. Ta-Kiem Cowan, Albany (32-10)
5. Colin Selin, Niskayuna (24-6)
6. Eli Cooks, Colonie (34-12)
7. Robert Cox, Shaker (35-9)
8. Evan Myers, Queensbury (27-8)
9. Tyler Wachtel, Ballston Spa (21-17)

152 pounds
1. Alex Espina, Niskayuna (30-1)
2. Mike Hewitt, Queensbury (22-4)
3. Josh Lyle, Burnt Hills (30-16)
4. Christian Kernosek, Guilderland (28-10)
5. Dan Duffy, Shenendehowa (20-17)
6. Dan Matrazzo, Saratoga (29-14)
7. Kyle Sutphin, South Glens Falls (25-8)
8. Jake Wronoski, Columbia (27-10)
9. Nate Rokjer, Shaker (29-15)

160 pounds
1. Toby Barnes, Ballston Spa (23-2)
2. Brian Adriance, Columbia (31-3)
3. Stephen Lumley, South Glens Falls (22-3)
4. Anthony Patruso, Mohonasen (28-2)
5. Josh Fuchs, Colonie (34-10)
6. Mike Garrison, Amsterdam (33-9)
7. Shawn Coonradt, Saratoga (21-15)
8. Nick Bergrami, Niskayuna (22-8)
9. Thomas Esman, Burnt Hills (28-19)

171 pounds
1. Joe Shell, Colonie (44-4)
2. Matt Lashway, Queensbury (30-6)
3. Alex Garrigan-Piela, Columbia (31-6)
4. Nick Gibbons, Saratoga (21-14)
5. Austin Hanson, South Glens Falls (21-9)
6. Jared Strong, Glens Falls (19-9)
7. Sean Ghikas, Mohonasen (35-6)
8. Will Mars, Shenendehowa
Mike Monfils, Shaker (36-9)

189 pounds
1. Tony Fusco, Shenendehowa (33-2)
2. Chris Ohnsman, Ballston Spa (31-2)
3. T.J. Baldwin, Queensbury (30-7)
4. Matt McCarty, Colonie (37-10)
5. Joe Donnelly, Averill Park (30-9)
6. Joe Mazzei, Glens Falls (16-10)
7. DeShon Tucker, Albany (15-5)
8. Noah Pressler, Niskayuna (18-8)
9. Jon Dipace, Scotia (26-12)

215 pounds
1. Mike Almaviva, Shenendehowa (30-3)
2. Bill Cook, Ballston Spa (29-3)
3. Isaiah Earing, Schenectady (23-3)
4. Sean Cahill, Columbia (31-9)
5. Justin Babson, La Salle (22-11)
6. Shawn Girard, South Glens Falls (17-6)
7. Brandon Breault, Queensbury (23-12)
8. Josh Soper, Amsterdam (17-15)
9. Jason Johnson, Colonie (22-13)

285 pounds
1. Cole Lampman, Shenendehowa (31-6)
2. Landon Moore, Saratoga (31-4)
3. Corey Quintana, Mohonasen (34-6)
4. Alex Pontiff, Queensbury (28-8)
5. Brandon Giminiani, Colonie (28-8)
6. Alberto Biasiucci, Burnt Hills (30-16)
7. El Shaddai Gilmore-VanHoesen, Columbia (30-4)
8. Kyle Culihan, Scotia (27-10)
9. Chris Rodriguez, Amsterdam (31-17)

DIVISION II
96 pounds
1. Carter Mercki, Salem (22-3)
2. Luis Weierbach, Hoosick Falls (21-4)
3. Jerome Gladney, Ravena (34-9)
4. Mike Kelly, Hudson Falls (34-9)
5. Ridge Sulkey, Cairo (11-3)
6. Alexis Bleau, Schoharie (27-9)
7. Austin Luna, Schuylerville (23-6)
8. Gordon Trahan, Canajoharie (19-9)
9. Nico Riccio, Galway (23-9)

103 pounds
1. Kyler Harrington, Hudson Falls (22-3)
2. Cassidy White, Corinth (12-6)
3. Jon Vaisey, Warrensburg (21-10)
4. Zach Bonfante, Watervliet (16-18)
5. Paul Lambert, Schalmont (26-12)
6. Tom Peabody, Hoosick Falls (12-7)
7. James Giroux, Schuylerville (21-9)
8. Cody Keys, Salem (12-13)
9. Nathaniel Hart, Johnstown (11-15)

112 pounds
1. Zach Marcel, Corinth (30-1)
2. Al Albin, Whitehall (26-11)
3. Sean Ryan, Tamarac (32-6)
4. Dan Jardine, Hadley/Lake George (25-11)
5. Cameron Milliken, Albany Academy (30-6)
6. Tyler Garmey, Mechanicville (24-6)
7. Kyle Brown, Schoharie (26-10)
8. Jordan Maynard, Hudson Falls (8-5)
9. Connor Franzese, Cohoes (29-9)

119 pounds
1. Noah Valsatro, Hudson Falls (44-3)
2. John Diekel, Whitehall (28-7)
3. Jake Anderson, Schuylerville (31-2)
4. Freddy Pechette, Ravena (27-10)
5. Lucas Howland, Schoharie (28-6)
6. Anthony Mosca, Watervliet (34-7)
7. Chris Rosa, Cobleskill (24-10)
8. Ron Radley, Maple Hill (22-7)
9. Dan Cramer, Hoosick Falls

125 pounds
1. Andy Lyman, Ravena (46-1)
2. Zack Winney, Hudson Falls (35-9)
3. Connor Lawrence, Duanesburg (23-4)
4. Denver Berry, Warrensburg (18-15)
5. Sam Delarge, Albany Academy (20-18)
6. Seamus Cutler, Corinth (13-9)
7. James Cavallaro, Watervliet (15-10)
8. Skyler van Derwerken, Schoharie (15-13)
9. Presten Gardner, Tamarac (17-13)

130 pounds
1. Nick Gallo, Schalmont (38-4)
2. Donny Radliff, Cobleskill (11-1)
3. Curt Rowley, Duanesburg (32-9)
4. Brenden Miller, Granville (32-5)
5. Quinn Treadgold, Voorheesville (36-9)
6. Mike McNally, Watervliet (23-12)
7. Mike Mattat, Hoosick Falls (14-10
8. Geno Brancati, Hudson Falls (30-11)
9. R.J. Rodes (29-13)

135 pounds
1. A.J. Rue, Ravena (42-4)
2. Nick DiCaprio, Albany Academy (32-3)
3. Jose Sartin, Galway (31-6)
4. Kyler Mulchahy, Corinth (28-7)
5. Kory Harrington, Hudson Falls (27-15)
6. Frank Aronson, Salem (17-6)
7. Schuyler Brosdwell, Cobleskill (21-10)
8. Brad Johnson, Schoharie (16-12)
9. Derek Struck, Berne-Knox (23-11)

140 pounds
1. Karl Palmer, Granville (37-1)
2. Chris DiSonnel, Cohoes (37-4)
3. Jesse Maher, Ravena (34-11)
4. Spencer Glaser, Voorheesville (31-4)
5. Hunter Hamilton, Hadley/Lake George (18-10)
6. Brandon Walsh, Maple Hill (18-12)
7. Victor Woodworth, Hudson Falls (31-18)
8. Vince Pasquini, Berne-Knox (22-10)
9. Trevor Norman, Schoharie (20-16)

152 pounds
1. Brian Walsh, Watervliet (39-2)
2. Kurt Fridenberger, Canajoharie (24-5)
3. Billy Pine, Cambridge (35-6)
4. Matt Casullo, Berne-Knox (24-9)
5. Mike Green, Cobleskill (28-12)
6. Tyler Winney, Hudson Falls (30-15)
7. Stephen Abare, Corinth (24-7)
8. Nick Leviellee, Duanesburg (22-20)
9. Mike Coyne, Cairo (14-4)

160 pounds
1. Brad Burns, Hoosick Falls (23-2)
2. Josh Veshia, Watervliet (29-5)
3. Brandyn Ainsworth, Broadalbin-Perth (34-3)
4. Joe Hulsebosch, Tamarac (31-9)
5. Kyle Derepantigny, Cohoes (32-10)
6. Phil Mascitelli, Schalmont (26-9)
7. Lucas Nelson, Warrensburg (24-9)
8. Jason St. John, Duanesburg (8-7)
9. Josh Richards, Berne-Knox (17-15)

171 pounds
1. Erik Franklin, Fonda (24-3)
2. Justin Oravsky, Watervliet (29-3)
3. Dallas Mesick, Duanesburg (38-6)
4. Ken Maurer, Rensselaer (28-3)
5. Tyler Morris, Salem (18-9)
6. Kyle Thompson, Schuylerville (27-5)
7. Kyle Bachern, Hadley/Lake George (22-7)
8. Joe Groat, Ichabod Crane (25-11)
9. Derrick Knight, Cobleskill (12-13)

189 pounds
1. Zach Diekel, Whitehall (25-4)
2. Zack Bazan, Maple Hill (25-4)
3. Zach Morris, Watervliet (26-6)
4. Jeff Senecal, Duanesburg (26-12)
5. Stuart Curtis, Albany Academy (33-3)
6. Mike Germain, Corinth (26-8)
7. Jason Yard, Hadley/Lake George (26-8)
8. Harrison Proctor, Schuylerville (27-10)
9. Drew Benson, Cobleskill (18-16)

215 pounds
1. Nick Gwiazdowski, Duanesburg (42-0)
2. Devin Clark, Ravena (31-10)
3. Jeremy Stevens, Cambridge (33-10)
4. Jeff Wagner, Maple Hill (24-7)
5. Brad Pierson, Watervliet (18-12)
6. Ian Flanagan, Salem (14-13)
7. Joseph Nellis, Johnstown (18-9)
8. David Couch, Hoosick Falls (18-10)
9. Jared Vibert, Tamarac (28-9)

 It's been a better than average Tuesday. Only a handful of area schools closed due to the overnight ice and snow, so today's basketball schedule will have minimal disruption.

Averill Park's basketball games against Mohonasen (in Averill Park for the boys, in Rotterdam for the girls) have been postponed due to their school cancellation today. Also, Ichabod Crane's cancellation has postponed their Colonial Council girls matchup with Holy Names.

Other than that, it's smooth sailing locally. I'll be live-blogging tonight's Fonda at Watervliet game from the brand new gymnasium at Watervliet High School starting at 7 p.m. Surf on by this blog to take part.

A number of local wrestlers claimed class championships at Saturday's Section II class meets.

Shenendehowa won its ninth consecutive Class A championship in Saratoga. Queensbury, Corinth, and Hudson Falls won the B, C, and CC team titles respectively.

The local wrestlers who earned individual honors:

96 pounds
A: Shawn Berman, Albany

103 pounds
A: Jesse Porter, Shenendehowa

112 pounds
A: Blake Retell, Shaker

125 pounds
A: Max Miller, Shenendehowa
B: Brendan Goldup, La Salle

130 pounds
A: Nick Kelley, Shenendehowa

135 pounds
B: Jon Clemente, La Salle

140 pounds
A: Jim Carucci, Shenendehowa
B: Connor Sutton, La Salle
CC: Chris Disonell, Cohoes

145 pounds
A: Evan Wallace, Columbia

152 pounds
CC: Brian Walsh, Loudonville Christian (Watervliet) 

160 pounds
A: Brian Adriance, Columbia
CC: Josh Veshia, Watervliet

171 pounds
A: Joe Shell, Colonie
CC: Justin Oravsky, Watervliet

189 pounds
A: Tony Fusco, Shenendehowa
C: Zach Bazan, Maple Hill

215 pounds
A: Mike Almaviva, Shenendehowa
B: Jonathan Babson, La Salle

285 pounds
A: Cole Lampman, Shenendehowa

The big quadruple-header that was supposed to have taken place on Tuesday at the Times Union Center had Wednesday as the only possible makeup date, and since schools were also closed Wednesday, that forced Colonie, Columbia, Shaker, and Shenendehowa to move those games back to school sites. That has to be a great disappointment to the student-athletes. When I interviewed the girls at Shaker, the sense of excitement about the opportunity to play at the area's premier sports venue was palpable.

There is, however, going to be boys high school basketball at the TU Center, and it's going on tonight. These games are nothing to sniff at, either.

The first, at 6 p.m., is a battle between the top two teams in the Big 10, Christian Brothers Academy and Schenectady. The Brothers have looked unbeatable at times, but Troy High proved a few weeks back that they're not quite invincible. While the Patriots are unlikely to catch CBA in the standings, since the Brothers would have to lose more than once, they can certainly make things harder for Troy (who hosts fourth-place Albany tomorrow) to catch them.

At 7:30 p.m., the Albany Academy Cadets, who have beaten all comers in the Capital District (though Schenectady did win one of the two they played with the Cadets) face Bennington's Mount Anthony. The Cadets are making their case for a high seed in Class AA and will be looking to finish their season strong with a win tonight before closing out with a home-and-home with Nassau County's Long Island Lutheran over the next two Saturdays.

I spoke with Troy High football coach Jack Burger this evening about senior tailback Jordan Canzeri's planned National Letter of Intent ceremony that was scheduled for 11:45 a.m. at Troy High on Wednesday morning. As of right now, it's still on, but the looming weather forecast that is threatening to cancel school is likely to put a kibosh on that actually happening.

Burger did mention, however, that Canzeri, despite his verbal commitment to Villanova University, was at the final hour reconsidering scholarship offers from the University of Iowa and the University of Connecticut. Fox23 is now reporting, via Twitter, that Canzeri has changed his mind and will now make a commitment, likely to be solidified by his upcoming National Letter of Intent, to the University of Iowa.

This follows a report from Jan. 30 by Scout.com which confirmed that Canzeri recently made a visit to Iowa City, Iowa even after his soft verbal commitment to Villanova.

Burger mentioned during the course of our conversation that quarterback Brian Marsh and wide receiver/defensive back Josh Blaauboer are planning to sign NLI's on Wednesday to solidify commitments to UAlbany.

It's Tuesday, so it must be time for another snowstorm postponing prep events around the Capital District. Here are the local functions that got the ax for tonight:

Boys basketball
Troy at Schenectady
Bishop Gibbons at Albany
La Salle at Catholic Central
Amsterdam at CBA
Averill Park at Bethlehem
Colonie vs. Columbia (Times Union Center)
Shenendehowa vs. Shaker (Times Union Center)
Lansingburgh at Ravena
Watervliet at Cobleskill
Cohoes at Ichabod Crane
Germantown at Doane Stuart
Waterford at Loudonville Christian
Hoosic Valley at New Lebanon
Berlin at Heatly
Rensselaer at Chatham

Girls basketball
Albany at Bishop Gibbons
Schenectady at Troy
Bethlehem at Averill Park
Colonie vs. Columbia (Times Union Center)
Shenendehowa vs. Shaker (Times Union Center)
Schalmont at Albany Academy
Holy Names at Mechanicville
Ravena at Lansingburgh
Ichabod Crane at Cohoes
Cobleskill at Watervliet
Greenwich at Hoosick Falls
Stillwater at Hoosic Valley
Tamarac at Schuylerville
Maple Hill at Catskill

Hockey
Shenendehowa at Saratoga Springs

Wrestling
Tamarac at Maple Hill
Shaker at Scotia

With more (and heavier) snow forecast tonight and into tomorrow, I wouldn't count on any of these games scheduled for tomorrow being played either (but double check if conditions change):


Boys basketball
Hoosick Falls at Greenwich
Hoosic Valley at Stillwater
Schuylerville at Tamarac
Heatly at Doane Stuart

Girls basketball
Emma Willard at Hawthorne Valley
Chatham at Rensselaer

Hockey
Queensbury at La Salle
CBA at Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa