Postseason on horizon for NAC

In just a little more than a week, the postseason officially will begin in Section 10 sports. The last three weeks of February will determine which teams move on to participate in the state playoffs.

The championships begin on Feb. 11 when Section 10 determines its wrestling champions at Gouverneur High School, though a start time has not been announced for that event.

Here’s a look at each sport’s championship dates and sites as well as teams to watch for:

BOYS BASKETBALL

■ Class A: Massena and Malone are the only two Class A schools and will face each other for the right to go to the state playoffs at 7:45 p.m. on Feb. 20 at SUNY Potsdam. The Red Raiders will be favored, having a 10-3 overall record heading into this week. Massena has defeated Malone twice this season, winning 53-51 and 59-55.

■ Class B: Potsdam, which is 12-2, reached the state championship game a year ago and was in the state final four two years ago. Section 10’s championship game will be at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 at SUNY Potsdam and the Sandstoners are a slight favorite but will face a test from Ogdensburg Free Academy (10-3). The Blue Devils defeated Potsdam 56-47 on Jan. 16.

■ Class C: St. Lawrence Central and Brushton-Moira are the top two teams in this class and the championship game will take place at 1 p.m. on Feb. 25 at SUNY Potsdam. St. Lawrence Central was just 6-6 overall heading into this week, but was 4-0 against Class C opponents. The Larries defeated Brushton-Moira 61-55 and 50-32 during the regular season.

■ Class D: A state semifinalist could emerge from this class, which will crown a champion at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 25 at SUNY Potsdam. Chateaugay (16-0) was in the state semifinals a year ago and is favored to win again. The Bulldogs, ranked fourth in the most recent state poll, will face competition from No. 8 Madrid-Waddington (12-1), as well as Lisbon (10-4) and Edwards-Knox (9-5). Chateaugay edged Madrid-Waddington 58-53 earlier in the season.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

■ Class A: Malone and Massena will meet for this title at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at SUNY Potsdam. The Huskies won the first meeting 45-36 but lost the second game 41-29.

■ Class B: Salmon River is the favorite in this division as the only one of the five schools that entered this weekend with a winning record. The Shamrocks are 11-3 overall. The championship game will take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at SUNY Potsdam.

■ Class C: Tupper Lake (10-4 overall) appears to be the class of this field. The only other Class C school with a winning record is 7-6 Brushton-Moira. The championship will take place at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at SUNY Potsdam.

■ Class D: This could be the most interesting of all eight basketball divisions as the last two Section 10 champions have played in the state championship game and there are five different schools that can make a case as contenders for this title, which will be played at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 24 at SUNY Potsdam.

The five contenders are No. 3 Hermon-DeKalb (10-2), No. 10 Hammond (12-2), defending champion Chateaugay (12-3), Clifton-Fine (10-3) and Madrid-Waddington (9-3).

Hammond has played all but Chateaugay and has a 5-0 record against this field. Hermon-DeKalb lost 48-44 to Hammond and edged Clifton-Fine 49-47. The Eagles are 0-3 against Hammond and Hermon-DeKalb. Madrid-Waddington has played only Hammond, losing twice and Chateaugay has yet to play any of the other four teams.

HOCKEY

■ Division I: Massena (14-2) has lost two straight years to rival Potsdam (10-5-2) in the championship game, but a win over Canton on Monday extended the Red Raiders’ winning streak to 14 games. Massena, which is ranked third in the state, routed the Sandstoners 8-2 during the regular season. The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Cheel Arena but there is a chance it could be moved back a day if the Clarkson University women’s hockey team is hosting an ECAC Hockey playoff series that weekend.

■ Division II: Salmon River (11-2-1) was ranked No. 1 in the state for a time but could be tested by Ogdensburg Free Academy (9-4) in this championship. The Blue Devils defeated Salmon River 5-4 earlier in the season. This game is the first of a championship doubleheader and is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Cheel Arena. But, like the Division I game, it could be moved if the Clarkson women have a home playoff series that weekend.

Sportswriter Cap Carey covers Northern Athletic Conference sports for the Times. You may reach him at ccarey@wdt.net