NEW BERLIN – Trailing by as many as five points late in the third quarter, the Unadilla Valley boys basketball team needed a spark to turn things in their favor. It came from senior Levi Rifanburg when he slammed home a two-handed putback dunk following a teammate’s miss.

After Rifanburg’s highlight play, the Storm rallied back to tie the game and eventually the 50-44 victory in the Class C quarterfinals Saturday evening.

“We responded well after being down five late in the third,” said UV head coach Matt Osborne. “Our defense was outstanding and Levi, Cam, and Andrew really controlled the rebounding for us. We could have given up once they took the lead, but we dug deep, kept our composure and responded to the challenge.”

Andrew Jackson, another UV senior, hit a driving bank shot from eight feet out to give UV a four point lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Jackson then went on to shoot 6-for-9 at the free throw line to seal the deal for the home team.

The Storm held a three point lead after the first quarter and extended the margin to seven points by halftime.

Pacing UV to their growing lead was Caleb Parker who scored six points in the second quarter.