CHENANGO BRIDGE – Candor had great difficulty weathering the "Storm" in Wednesday's Section IV Class C semifinals showdown Wednesday night at Chenango Valley High School.
Indians senior, Luke Thomas, picked up a steal with five seconds remaining, and dribbled out the clock to preserve his team's 51-49 victory over upstart Unadilla Valley.
UV, winners of 10 out of 11 games coming in, had two possessions in the final 10 seconds, and failed to get a shot off either time. "Our guys made some big stops in the last 30 seconds, and that speaks a lot for the team," said Candor first-year coach, Nate Thomas. "We know we have a bullseye on our backs when we step on the floor, and we know the other team is going to bring their best. Our guys have responded to that really well."
Candor nearly saw an unbeaten record, a top seeding in the section tournament, and its number two state ranking go by the wayside against a club that stepped on the floor with a new level of alacrity and purpose.
The unbeaten Indians never led the game by more than five points, and UV (16-7) led or was tied with its opponent in each of the four quarters. "I can't say enough about the effort of our kids tonight," said UV coach Matt Osborne, who has guided his team to three straight sectional semifinals appearances. "We got off to a rocky start this season and were last in our own Christmas Tournament, but we just played the second-ranked team in the state to the wire, and that says a lot for how much these guys have grown."
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