East Rochester makes its debut: Section V teams in latest NYS girls basketball rankings
Two Section V league leaders are still considered among the best in New York state.
Class B's Hornell and Class C's Gananda remain atop the latest state rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association, with results through Dec. 31.
Hornell played once during the Christmas and New Years holiday, dropping its first game of the season in an 80-61 defeat to Aquinas (currently No. 3 in the Class A rankings).
However, the Red Raiders bounced back on Wednesday in a win over Bath-Haverling for the team's fifth victory of the season.
Bookmark this: Section V girls basketball scores for the 2023-24 season
"We have a handful of players who are seeing their first varsity minutes this year who we hope can fill critical roles as the year progresses, so nights like (Wednesday) are very valuable for the team as a whole," Hornell coach Jim Dagon said in an email. "The girls made it a point to make sure everyone on the team scored tonight, and they accomplished that goal which made all of us coaches very proud."
Gananda remains atop the Class C rankings despite not playing a game since Dec. 18. The Blue Panthers have won each of their five games by double-digits, their closest contest a 52-41 victory over East Rochester (ranked seventh in Class C) on Dec. 13.
While Gananda still has three-quarters of its regular season schedule remaining, the upcoming slate includes only one team currently listed in the state rankings (a rematch with East Rochester on Jan. 30).
East Rochester makes debut in NYS rankings
Similar to its Wayne County rival Gananda, East Rochester also enjoyed a long layoff over the holiday.
However, that didn't stop the Bombers from making their first appearance in this year's state rankings. Boasting an 8-1 record, East Rochester jumps from unranked to No. 7 in Class C.
The Bombers' first game since mid-December was a barn-burner on Wednesday against Greece Arcadia/Olympia. East Rochester pulled off a win thanks to double-digit scoring efforts from Zarriah Eldridge (17 points), Aaliyah Carmichael (14 points) and Aniyah Eldridge (11 points).
The upcoming schedule offers little respite, as two of the Bombers' next three opponents are also listed. East Rochester faces Eastridge (No. 25 in Class A) on Thursday, then Mynderse Academy (No. 14 in Class B) on Jan. 10.
Section V girls basketball teams in New York state rankings for Jan. 2
Class AAA
N/A
Class AA
No. 2: Hilton (5-1)
No. 4: Bishop Kearney (4-2)
No. 7: Victor (8-0)
No. 12: Webster Schroeder (5-3)
No. 15: Canandaigua (5-2)
Class A
No. 3: Aquinas (5-0)
No. 12: Pittsford Sutherland (6-1)
No. 14: Palmyra-Macedon (5-1)
No. 25: Eastridge (7-2)
Class B
No. 1: Hornell (4-1)
No. 9: Dansville (8-2)
No. 14: Mynderse (5-1)
No. 23: Livonia (4-4)
Class C
No. 1: Gananda (5-0)
No. 5: Keshequa (8-1)
No. 7: East Rochester (7-1)
No. 15: Oakfield-Alabama (7-1)
No. 19: Alexander (6-2)
No. 21: Caledonia-Mumford (6-2)
No. 24: York (7-1)
Class D
No. 8: Elba (5-2)
No. 18: Notre Dame Batavia (4-2)
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Section V girls basketball teams in NYS rankings: The list for Jan. 2
