Jugglers top list of Section III girls' basketball tournament selections
SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Some may say it's tough at the top, but don't tell the Notre Dame girls' basketball team that.
The defending New York State champions earned the top seed in the Section III Class A tournament, which — along with the other five classes — were announced on Thursday, December 20. They were one of two local teams to earn top seeds, and one of 22 local teams to make the tournament.
The Jugglers were again led this season by the Trinkaus sisters — Erin and Ella. Ella led the team with just over 25 points per game, while Erin came in at just over 11 points. That helped the Jugglers go undefeated in Section III play, with their only losses coming to Section II's Greenwich and Shaker — both of whom were ranked top ten in the state in their class — and Section V's Aquinas Institute, who is ranked fifth in Class AA.
The Jugglers — ranked fifth in Class A — will have over a week off while they await the winner of eighth-seeded Oneida and ninth-ranked Westhill. That game is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at 4 pm in Oneida.
In Class AAA, Proctor has opted out of the tournament and will finish the season at 4-9. That leaves one local team who will be moving on — fourth-seeded Rome Free Academy. The Black Knights had three players who scored almost ten points a game or more this season, and junior Haylee Bostwick led them all, scoring 15 points a game. RFA has only lost five games this season — two of those were to Notre Dame, while another two were to teams out of the section.
The Black Knights will host fifth-seeded Bishop Ludden on Thursday, February 27. The winner of that game will travel to Liverpool to face the top-seeded Warriors on Wednesday, March 5. The Warriors' only loss in Section III this season came over the weekend, losing 49-44 to Cicero-North Syracuse.
There is only one local representative in the Class A Tournament as well. Whitesboro squeaked into the bracket at 2-15, thanks to winless Watertown and 3-17 Auburn opting out. Whitesboro broke a 14-game losing streak on February 11 with a 60-51 win over Holland Patent. They are led by juniors Maddy Montana and A'Nya Jackson, both of whom are scoring over 15 points per game — no other player is scoring more than three.
Whitesboro will be on the road to West Genesee on Wednesday, February 26 to take on the top-seeded Wildcats. Despite a six-game losing streak, the Wildcats were able to win two out of their last three to sneak into the top seed over 14-6 Nottingham.
While seven local teams made the Class B Tournament, the Oriskany Skyhawks breezed to the top, claiming the fourth seed. The Skyhawks' only loss this season came to Class C West Canada Valley by five points on December 16th. Since then, Oriskany has been on a tear, not allowing more than 42 points during their 15-game winning streak while scoring no less than 44 and allowing less than 20 in three games.
The Skyhawks are led by senior guard Madalynne Enos, who is putting up 15 points and four assists a game. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Jackie Downs has averaged a double-double — 13 points and 10 rebounds — a game. They will be at home for the first round of the Class B tournament, where they will host the 13th-seeded Jordan-Elbridge Eagles. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for Monday, February 24 at 6 pm.
The top of the Class C bracket is loaded with local talent, but topping them all is top-seeded, three-loss Hamilton. The Emerald Knights only loss in the section this season came to Class AAA's Bishop Ludden. In between, Hamilton has had winning streaks of five and 11 this season, with their biggest win being a 70-point victory over Morrisville-Eaton on February 11. That allowed them to have the second-best point differential in the section, outscoring their opponents by an average of almost 26 points.
Five different Emerald Knights scored over 100 points this season, with junior Logan Langel leading the way. Langel led the team in points, assists and steals this season, while senior Reagan Hope led the team in rebounds in her sixth season on the team.
With the first seed, Hamilton will have a few days off, where they will await the winner of 16th-seeded Sauquoit Valley and 17th-seeded Poland. That game is set for Friday, February 21 at 6 pm at Sauquoit Valley. The winner of that game will play on Monday, February 24 at 6 pm at Hamilton.
Class D has no local representatives. The only local team — 3-12 Madison — opted out of the tournament. The Class D Tournament will only have seven teams playing, beginning on Wednesday, February 26 with three games.
The full schedule for the Section III Girls' Basketball tournament is below (local games in bold italics):
Class AAA
Thursday, February 27
(5) Bishop Ludden @ , 6 pm– Winner will face (1) Liverpool on Wednesday, March 5(6) Fayetteville-Manlius @ (3) Baldwinsville, 5 pm– Winner will face (2) Cicero-North Syracuse on Wednesday, March 5
Final: Sunday, March 9 at 5 pm at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Class AA
Tuesday, February 25
(7) Fulton @ (2) Nottingham, 5 pm
Wednesday, February 26
@ (1) West Genesee, 5 pm(5) East Syracuse Minoa @ (4) Central Square, 6 pm(6) Oswego @ (3) Henninger, 6 pm
Semifinals: Tuesday, March 4 at Phoenix High SchoolFinals: Sunday, March 9 at 1 pm at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Class A
Friday, February 21
(13) Homer @ (4) Syracuse CBA, 5:30 pm(12) Chittenango @ (5) Indian River, 5 pm
Saturday, February 22
(9) Westhill @ , 4 pm– Winner faces Thursday, February 27, 6:30 PM(10) South Jefferson @ 7 pm– Winner faces (2) Jamesville-DeWitt, Wednesday, February 26, 6 pm(14) Carthage @ 5:30 pm(11) Mexico @ 5 pm
Semifinals: Monday, March 3 at Central Square High SchoolFinals: Friday, March 7 at 5 pm at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Class B
Friday, February 21
@ (17) Syracuse Academy of Science, 6 pm– Winner will face (1) Bishop Grimes, Monday, February 24, 6 pm @ (15) Hannibal, 1 pm– Winner will face (2) Marcellus, Monday, February 24, 5 pm(14) Altmar-Parish-Williamstown @ (3) General Brown, 6 pm
Saturday, February 22
, 5:30 pm(12) Lowville @ 1 pm@ (7) Cazenovia, 4 pm(11) Skaneateles @ (6) Phoenix, noon
Monday, February 24
(13) Jordan-Elbridge @ 6 pm
Semifinals: Monday, March 3 at Sandy Creek High SchoolFinals: Sunday, March 9 at 11 am at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Class C
Friday, February 21
– Winner will face (1) Hamilton, Monday, February 24, 6 pm(18) Fabius-Pompey @ (15) Beaver River, 5 pm– Winner will face , Monday, February 24, 6 pm@ (14) Onondaga, 7:30 pm– Winner will face Monday, February 24, 7 pm
Saturday, February 22
(9) Cato-Meridian , 5 pm(13) Alexandria @ (4) Weedsport, 6 pm(12) LaFayette @ (5) Tully, 2 pm(10) Thousand Islands @ (7) Sandy Creek, 2 pm
Monday, February 24
(11) Jordan-Elbridge @ 6 pm
Semifinals: Tuesday, March 4 at SUNY MorrisvilleFinals: Sunday, March 9 at 7 pm at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Class D
Wednesday, February 26
(5) Lyme @ (4) Copenhagen– Winner will face (1) LaFargeville, Monday March 3 — Time TBA(7) Stockbridge Valley @ (2) Watertown IHC, 6 pm(6) McGraw @ (3) Sackets Harbor, 6 pm
Semifinals: Monday, March 3 at Case Middle School, WatertownFinals: Sunday, March 9 at 3 pm at SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Notre Dame Predicted to Suffer Recruiting Loss to Big Ten Powerhouse
Notre Dame Predicted to Suffer Recruiting Loss to Big Ten Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman have put together a strong 2026 recruiting class, consisting of 16 total commitments, ranking No. 4 in the nation, according to On3. Advertisement Despite already having a handful of talented players, it's clear they aren't done yet and one name they've been making an impression on is EDGE McHale Blade, whom they've hosted six times and have an official visit scheduled for June 20. They could certainly come out on top, as he's down to his top seven schools, choosing between the Michigan Wolverines, Wisconsin Badgers, Purdue Boilermakers, Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans, Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, though, on Monday, On3's Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for Blade to land with the Wolverines, which he just took an official visit with on Friday. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.© Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This would no doubt be unfortunate for Notre Dame, but a big win for Michigan, as On3 Industry Rankings have Blade as a four-star recruit, the No. 21 EDGE, the No. 4 player in Illinois and the No. 155 player in the nation. Advertisement In his sophomore season for Simeon High School, he put up decent numbers, appearing in seven games, accumulating 22 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six hurries. Of his other top schools, he has also already taken official visits with the Boilermakers (May 24) and the Badgers (May 30), while having one scheduled with the Trojans (June 13), so his options are wide open. If Blade does end up with Michigan, though, he could prove to be a key piece to its recruiting class, which ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 17 in the nation with a total of seven commitments. Luckily for Notre Dame, though, no matter what, they have already secured several other talented EDGE recruits, including five-star Rodney Dunham and four-star Ebenezer Ewetade. Related: Elite 5-Star Recruit Names Top School After Official Visit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Michigan football woos 4-star edge McHale Blade, gains ground in recruiting visit weekend
Michigan football woos 4-star edge McHale Blade, gains ground in recruiting visit weekend Michigan football is coming off its second big recruiting weekend with a slew of high-profile official visitors, and it appears as if the Wolverines are starting to make some moves. Even with some prospects who appeared that they'd end up elsewhere. With several top targets in Ann Arbor, the staff worked hard to get into the good graces of top-tier talent who have offers from the elite of the elite across college football, and it does seem as if the maize and blue pitch is paying some dividends. Though the Wolverines have yet to get any commitments coming out of the official visit weekend, is it becoming increasingly imminent? The Wolverines make a move with McHale Blade Among those who were in attendance this weekend was 2026 Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star edge rusher McHale Blade. Ranked highest by Rivals, which has him as the No. 111 player in the country, regardless of position, and the 15th-best edge rusher in the country, Blade was expected to end up at Notre Dame. However, according to On3's Steve Wiltfong, things seem to be trending toward Michigan football. (subscription required) Move my prediction from Notre Dame to Michigan for Chicago (Ill.) Simeon On300 edge McHale Blade. He was one of the standouts in Ann Arbor over the weekend. Michigan now has a 54.5% edge to land Blade according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The current class At the moment, the Wolverines have seven commitments, including one edge rusher in three-star Tariq Boney from the DMV region. Michigan is looking to land potentially several more, with five-stars Carter Meadows and Trenton Henderson both holding the maize and blue in high esteem. Blade has visited Ann Arbor five times thus far, including this year's spring game, and several games last year, including the Oregon and Northwestern games.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Tennessee 2026 center Gan-Erdene Solongo commits to Notre Dame basketball
Tennessee 2026 center Gan-Erdene Solongo commits to Notre Dame basketball Notre Dame men's basketball is taking a page out of football head coach Marcus Freeman's book, as it has landed its second commitment in as many days. On Sunday it was Jonathan Sanderson, a Michigan point guard and son of the Irish's new director of strength & conditioning Jon. On Monday morning, Tennessee center Gan-Erdene Solongo joined him in Notre Dame's 2026 class. The 7-foot and 270-pounder is ranked by On3 as its No. 99 overall recruit, giving the Irish two top-100 players in the group. Head coach Micah Shrewsberry hasn't put it all together on the court, but he is building towards much better times in South Bend. Last year's four commits were ranked as the No. 5 overall class in the 247Sports Composite, and with these two verbals, Notre Dame is again near the top of the rankings in 2026 at No. 7. The future is extremely bright for the Irish, as they continue to add impressive talent to the roster.
