Live blog: Follow along as Haldane chases the first NYSPHSAA title in program history

We're heading upstate and will be posting live updates from the Woodlands and Haldane games at the NYSPHSAA final four in Glens Falls.

Stay tuned.

NYSPHSAA Class C Championship

Haldane (21-3) vs. Moravia (22-3)

Starters

Haldane: Ross Esposito, Fallou Faye, Michael Murray, Nate Stickle, Matt Nachamkin.

Moravia: Adam Wasileski, Aiden Kelly, Kyler Proper,, Drew Nye, Logan Bell.

First quarter

End 1. Haldane 12, Moravia 9. Not a lot of whistles. Took a few minutes for both teams to settle in then they started trading baskets. Luke Bozsik dropped a 3 and Matt Nachamkin went coast to coast for a layup to give Haldane a five-point edge, then Moravia hit at the buzzer.

Second quarter

417 Nachamkin fouled pulling in his own miss, hits two free throws. Haldane leads 18-13 and playing sticky defense.

257 Haldane has only given up one field goal so far this quarter. Evan Giachinta hits a pair of free throws and the lead is 22-13.

238 Moravia hits a corner 3 and calls time, down 22-16.

109 Ross Esposito hits a 3 for Haldane. Kyler Proper answers in kind for Moravia. Time out. Haldane leads 25-19.

Halftime. Haldane 25, Moravia 22. Logan Ball with a corner 3 narrows the deficit. Moravia closed on a 9-3 run, moving the ball quickly and exploiting the overplaying Haldane zone.

Esposito and Nachamkin lead Haldane with nine points apiece. Haldane is 9 for 18 from the field and 3 for 6 from behind the arc. Moravia is 8 for 25 from the field and 4 for 12 from behind the arc. Rebounds are even at 12.

Third quarter

530 Moravia has the zone defenses figured out. Proper gets another open 3 to fall and it's all tied up, 27-27.

200 Giachinta with a drive, gets bucket and the free throw. Nachamkin get to the line a short time later and drops a pair of free throws. Haldane leads 32-27.

End 3. Haldane 32, Moravia 32. The lead got away quickly. Moravia closed on a 5-0 run and knotted it up on an open straightaway 3.

Fourth quarter

447 Haldane and Moravia exchanged buckets early. It's 34-34 and getting tense.

350 Proper from 3 again gives Moravia a 37-36 lead. Quick time out.

238 Haldane suffers fourth turnover of the quarter, holding a 38-37 edge.

207 Bell with a 3 from top of the arc. Moravia leads 40-38. Haldane living and dying with this 1-2-2 zone.

40.3 Moravia runs clock. Haldane gets a stop and secures the rebound. A highly-animated Joe Virgadamo finally gets ref's attention for a time out. Still a 40-38 Moravia lead.

18.4 Haldane calls time out just as Esposito lost the handle. Shot clock is off.

5.6 Haldane loses the ball in a crowd on the baseline without getting a shot up. Time out.

4.8 Haldane gives the foul. Wasileski hits the first. Time out. Wasileski misses the second. Nachamkin rebounds and pushes. Ball tipped away from behind by Wasileski.

Final. Moravia 41, Haldane 38.

Box score

Haldane: Matt Nachamkin 19P, 8R; Ross Esposito 9P; Luke Bozsik 3P; Evan Giachinta 5P; Nate Stickle 2P.

Moravia: Drew Nye 5P, 6R; Aiden Kelly 9P; Kyler Proper 11P, 5A; Logan Bell 11P; Abram Wasileski 5P.

Haldane vs. Moriah

NYSPHSAA Class C semifinal

Starters

Haldane: Ross Esposito, Fallou Faye, Michael Murray, Nate Stickle, Matthew Nachamkin.

Moriah: Cooper Allen, Joe Pelkey, Logan Gilbo, Chase McGuiness, Dieter Olcott.

First quarter

320 Time out Moriah. Haldane started with a pair of turnovers, but has settled in quickly and holds a 9-6 lead.

End 1. Luke Bozsik drops a 3 at the buzzer for the Blue Devils, who have a 19-18 lead. Moriah got more comfortable, starting pushing the pace off Haldane misses and went on an 18-7 run to get back in the game.

Second quarter

313 Haldane is giving up a lot of transition buckets and was down 27-22 before Nachamkin and Giachinta deliver in the low post. Time out Warriors, holding 27-26 lead.

110 The Blue Devils now have Nachamkin fully involved on the offensive end. He posts up and scores then drops a 3 the next time down. Haldane is leading 33-30.

Halftime. Haldane 33, Moriah 32. The Blue Devils have done a pretty good job of adjusting. Now they have to have a discussion about getting back on defense and protecting the rim. The Warriors are getting a lot of points off hustle plays.

Nachamkin leads Haldane with 12P and 5R. Bozsik has 8P and 4R. Esposito has 5R and 4A.

Third quarter

538 Moriah burns a timeout. Blue Devils with a furious start. Nachamkin attacks the rim. Bozsik hits another 3. It's an 11-3 run and Haldane leads 44-35.

324 The Warriors momentarily slow the Haldane roll. Drop a pair of free throws to get within 46-40.

101 Haldane was giving up points in the paint again. The Warriors got within 46-44 but a kick-out 3 from Esposito halts the run. Blue Devils lead 49-44.

End 3. Ryan Van Tassel off the bench for a couple of layups in the final 20 seconds to give Haldane a jolt of adrenaline. Blue Devils lead 53-44.

Fourth quarter

520 Haldane leads 56-48. Gave up a couple of layups here in the fourth, which cannot become a trend.

250 Blue Devils call time up 60-53. They slowed the pace each of the last two possessions. Need to get a good shot. Lots of time left.

114 Nachamkin with another big defensive rebound. Haldane struggles to get the ball up vs. pressure, but gets into the front court and calls time. Blue Devils holding a 61-56 lead. One bucket goes a long way on this trip.

:34 Esposito with a pair of free throws gives Haldane wiggle room, but Pelkey hits a 3 at the other end. Time out. Blue Devils up 63-59.

:19.3 Moriah came up with a steal. Missed at the other end. Nachamkin with the rebound. He was fouled and goes 2 for 2 at the line.

:11 The Warriors miss from 3. Guess who? Nachamkin again on the board. Foul. He's got two more FTs. It's a 67-59 lead.

Final. Haldane 67, Moriah 59. Blue Devils are back in the state final, second straight year.

Box score

Haldane (21-3): Ross Esposito 11P, 5R, 8A; Fallou Faye 4P; Michael Murray 8P; Nate Stickle 1P, 4R, 4A; Matt Nachamkin 22P, 14R, 3A, 2B; Ryan Van Tassel 4P; Luke Bozsik 13P, 4R; Evan Giachinta 4P, 7R.

Moriah (21-3): Cooper Allen 19P, 9R, 3A; Joe Pelkey 13P, 4R; Chase McGuiness 11P; Logan Gilbo 9P, 11R; Dieter Olcott 4P, 5R; Evan Fleury 3P.

Woodlands vs. Stillwater

NYSPHSAA Class B semifinal

Pregame

Woodlands got a nice sendoff this morning and got loose during a short practice at Glens Falls High School. The bus pulled up 30 minutes ago and the Falcons are on the court now. Stillwater is only 40 minutes south and has a very large fan contingent.

Starters

Woodlands: Maxwell Abrahams, Aaron Woodberry, Eric Woodberry, Jamison Stevens, Sebastian Benitez.

Stillwell: Thomas McDonough, Kaelan Leak, Lukas Lilac, Jaxon Mueller, Carter Wichens.

First quarter

630 Stillwater gets a four-shot possession and goes up 8-2 on a Niznik 3-pointer.

503 Mueller is a load in the low post. He powers in and gives the Warriors a 12-4 lead. Falcons call time out. He's too big and too skilled to play straight up.

121 Baseline layup from Aaron Woodbury knots the score 12-12.

End 1. Stillwater 17, Woodlands 12. Leak scored five in a row to end the run and end the quarter. Eric Woodberry is cold from the field, but has a couple of buckets. Benitez is off to a good start at both ends for the Falcons, who have picked up the intensity on the defensive end.

Second quarter

456 Woodlands burns a timeout after Leak hits again from 3 and Mueller runs out for a fast-break layup to put Stillwater up 27-18. Falcons have to start running shooters off the arc.

138 Time out Stillwater. The Falcons have gone man-to-man and made the Warriors pause. Stevens with five straight points at the other end to bring Woodlands within 27-23.

Halftime. Stillwater 31, Woodlands 25. The Falcons are in the game despite a couple of tough stretches. Switching to man was the right thing after giving up four 3-pointers. Woodlands is settling for the first open look and just needs a little more patience on the offensive end. Benitez leads the Falcons with eight points, Stevens has seven points and Eric Woodberry has six points and three assists on 3 of 17 shooting.

Third quarter

3:30 Time out Woodlands. Nerva Cherubin hit a 3 with shot clock about to expire to bring the Falcons within 34-32, but Wichelns answers from behind the arc and Mueller makes it a 39-32 lead for the Warriors.

:58 More touches. More baskets. Stevens displays touch and caps an 8-0 run from 15 feet to give Woodlands a 40-39 lead. Time out Warriors.

End 3. Woodlands 42, Stillwater 40. Here we go again. Eric Woodberry gets a tough bucket to give the Falcons a lead and they get the stop at the other end. Best quarter by far for Woodlands.

Fourth quarter

652 Aaron Woodberry feeds Benitez, who is having a big-time game, for a layup. Woodlands leads 47-42.

439 McDonough with a fast break layup off a Falcons turnover. Lilac with two free throws off a Woodlands miss. Stillwater up 50-47, four minutes to go.

230 Time out Woodlands. The Falcons just turned the ball over, down 53-49. That's four turnovers this quarter. Good time for a deep breath.

:57 Falcons have gone six minutes without a field goal and trail 58-49.

:39 Woodlands calls time. Stillwater on a 20-4 closing run and has a 62-49 lead. Warriors remembered they brought Mueller along, started feeding him inside and got back in. He's got nine points this quarter.

Final. Stillwater 64, Woodlands 53.

Box score

Woodlands (21-5): Jamison Stevens 13P, 6R, 4A; Sebastian Benitez 18P, 13R; Maxwell Abrahams 2P; Aaron Woodberry 4P; Eric Woodberry 11P, 4R, 4A; Nerva Cherubin 3P; Masai Campbell 2P.

Stillwater (26-1): Jaxon Mueller 23P, 7R; Kaelan Leak 17P, 4R, 3A; Carter Wichelns 9P, 3R; Lukas Lilac 9P, 4R, 4A; Thomas McDonough 6P, 4R.

Upcoming schedule

Friday

Class B championship

Woodlands or Stillwater vs. Salamanca or Marcellus, 5:15 p.m.

Class C semifinal

Haldane vs. Moriah, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Haldane or Moriah vs. Lyons or Moravia, 5:15 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Live blog from NYSPHSAA boys basketball final four Woodlands, Haldane