SUNDAY. BINGHAMTON. BE THERE!
CCS Boys,
Girls Going
To States
By LIBBY CUDMORE
COOPERSTOWN - With their victory over Utica Academy of Science Atoms on Sunday, March 3, Hawkeyes’ basketball team Captain Jack Lambert has his dad beat. “My team won sectional championship in 1985 and ’86,” the elder Lambert said. “But now Jack has one more on me!” The boys will play Section IV champions Unadilla Valley in the state Class C quarterfinals on Sunday, March 10, at the Broome County Memorial Arena. “We beat them in December 48-45,” he said. “It was a low-scoring, close game, so we think this will be another tough contest.” In Sunday’s nail-biter, the Hawkeyes beat the Atoms 61-57, taking the lead in the fourth quarter after dogging at the Atoms’ heels. “Those first two baskets threw us off,” said Coach Lambert. “I gathered the team around and said, ‘This is going to be a grind.’” At halftime, the Utica Academy of Science was up 34-27 in Utica’s favor. By the end of the third quarter, it was 46-40. With four minutes left, Jack Lambert tied the score.
Then it rose to 50 points. 52. 57 for Cooperstown with 30 seconds remaining. With eight seconds on the clock, Utica brought the score to 57. Then Jesse Furnari sank the final two baskets to bring the Cooperstown boys to 61 points and win their 11th Section III championship, their third in four years. “I’ve got goosebumps,” said Jack. “My voice is weak from screaming like crazy.” The younger Lambert credited the long drills his dad made him run with their endurance out on the court. “We knew we had it,” he said. “We knew we could come back with that energy.” “And when you had a kid like Ryan Lansing, his energy is limitless,” said John. Following the game, Ryan was named to the all-tournament team, while Jack was named Most Valuable Player. And dad John, in his first-year as head coach, was named Coach of the Year. “I didn’t know they would announce it there,” he said. “When I heard my name, I couldn’t believe it. I was so flattered.” But they weren’t the only ones returning to Cooperstown with a championship.
