ROSCOE – After clinching a home playoff game in the regular season finale, Roscoe had to square off against Eldred in the first round of the Class D Sectionals. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 16 point lead early, but a run by Eldred brought them all the way back, but Roscoe hit a few clutch shots late in the game that secured the 43-38 win.

The afternoon started with a Chapel Field and Mount Academy matchup that took place in Roscoe. Chapel Field continued their Class D domination with a 55-26 win over Mount. The Lions punched their ticket to the Section IX Championship game behind Noah Swart and Jonah McDuffie’s combined 30 points.

Immediately following the first game, Roscoe and Eldred headed to the court to warm up for their Sectional matchup. Roscoe secured the No. 2 seed after their league win over Eldred last week, which pushed the Yellowjackets to the No. 3 seed.

Eldred hit the first basket of the game, but Roscoe responded with 11 straight to give them an early nine point lead. The Yellowjackets ended the run, but Roscoe matched their six points and took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.

Eldred’s slow start wasn’t something that was typical for them, especially in games against their Class D opponents.

Roscoe started the second quarter on a 9-2 run, extending the lead to 26-10, but Aiden Johnston picked up his third foul in the middle of the quarter and headed to the bench.

Eldred’s offense got going against Roscoe’s defensive cast, outscoring the Blue Devils 8-0 to end the half trailing 26-18 and cutting the deficit in half.

“We wanted to be leading by double digits at the half,” Roscoe coach Mike Hill said. “They started to close the gap and we knew we were in for a dog fight.”

Roscoe’s offensive woes continued in the third quarter, as they were outscored 10-2 and Eldred had mounted a comeback to tie the game at 28. The Blue Devils scored the final basket of the quarter and ended the third up 30-28.

Roscoe started the fourth quarter with five straight points to give them a 7-point lead, but it would be short lived as Eldred answered with four to cut the lead to 35-32.

Eldred was unable to take the lead in the game, aside from their early 2-1 lead, but they kept the Blue Devils on their toes. They kept it close in the final frame, always staying one or two possessions away from taking a late lead.

When the final buzzer sounded, it was the Blue Devils that came out on top and earned a trip to SUNY Sullivan to take on Chapel Field for the Class D crown.

“We’re happy to play Chapel. The goal is to win the Section IX Title, and to do that you need to beat the best teams,” Hill said.  

The Roscoe crowd, a sea of white shirts for a “white out” game, erupted into cheers for the team.

“Hats off to Eldred for a great season,” Coach Hill said after the game. 

Eldred turned around from a winless team last year to a seven-win team with a playoff berth this season.

“We fought all the way back but couldn’t hit that basket in the fourth quarter when we needed it,” Eldred coach Bill Furler said. “They’re a good team, good luck to them.”