Wellsville, Hornell, Fillmore, Cuba-Rushford and Wayland-Cohocton in the hunt
By Bill Collmer, Hornell Sun Senior Sports Writer, photo from AW Sports Photos
The 2025-2026 boys sectional basketball tournament in Section V tips-off tonight.
Canisteo-Greenwood is chasing the first-ever title in school history while storied programs like Fillmore, Wellsville, Bishop-Kearney and Avoca-Prattsburgh look to continue their legacy.
Class D Boys
Top Seed: Andover-Whitesville (18-2)
Defending Champion: Fillmore
Contenders: No. 2 Elba, No. 3 J-T
Sleeper: No. 4 Mt. Morris, No. 7 Avoca-Prattsburgh.
Summary: Elba Swept J-T during the regular season, A-W beat J-T. Elba and A-W have not met this season. Elba plays in the tough Genesee Region versus Batavia Notre-Dame, Pembroke and Kendall.
Andover-Whitesville defeated Class B No. 3 Seed C.G Finney during the regular season. Their only losses were to Class C Powerhouses Fillmore & Cuba-Rushford.
AW is led by high Scoring Guard Brody Vance and Vincent Joyce who scores and rebounds. Senior Colton Calladine does a little bit of everything.
Elba had a trio of players chosen to the GR All-Star team including Senior Nicholas Scott, Junior Brady Werth and Sophomore Ryan Marsceill who is lethal from 3-point land.
J-T is led by the senior tandem of Jim Ainsworth and Landon Zver, Ainsworth leads J-T with 17.4 PPG and recently surpassed 1,000 career points. He also averaged 3.3 Assists per game and 2.2 Steals. Ainsworth was a named a First Team Steuben County All-Star.
Zver averages 15.6 PPG and leads the team with 8.8 Rebounds per game and 3.8 Assists per game, he shoots a team high 51% from the field. Zver was a first team All-Star for Steuben County and is closing in 1,000 career points.
Mt. Morris is the only D school in the Livingston County Athletic Association and plays C and B’s all season. They could play spoiler to a top seed.
Avoca-Prattsburgh lost leading Scorer J.J Crowder in December but have played tough in his absence, they shouldn’t be taken lightly with Juniors Carter Button (2nd Team All-County) And 3-point Sharpshooter Austin Swift picking up the slack from Crowder’s absence.
The Championship game will be held Friday March 6th at the Blue Cross Arena.
Class C2 Boys
Top Seed: Northstar Christian Academy (19-1)
Defending Champion: York
Contenders: No. 2 Honeoye, No. 3 Naples, No. 4 Fillmore, No. 5 Cuba-Rushford, No. 6 Batavia Notre-Dame, No. 7 Perry, No. 8 York.
Summary: Probably the deepest Sectional Bracket I’ve seen in my 32 years following High School Basketball.
No. 2 Honeoye, No. 4 Fillmore and No. 8 York are all defending Sectional Champions from last season. Honeoye won Class C3 last season and made it all the way to the State Championship game.
No. 1 Northstar might have the toughest draw having to possibly play York in the Quarterfinal. This class is a coin toss. Naples only two losses are to No. 2 Honeoye, Cuba-Rushford’s only two losses are to No. 4 Fillmore. Fillmore’s only losses were to Geneseo (18-2) and Canisteo-Greenwood (17-3).
York entered Sectionals as the No. 7 Seed last season and won the Championship. This class is loaded with some of the Top Players in Class C in All of NYS including All-State Players, Landon Washburn (Honeoye), Cam Mucher (Fillmore), Jonah Bialek (Fillmore), Parker Bonafede (York) Carter Brown (Cuba-Rushford) and Peyton Joy (Cuba-Rushford) Chase Antinore (Notre-Dame) who averages a double-double 15.3 PPG & 10.5 RPG.
The Championship game will be March 7th at the Blue Cross Arena
Class B2 Boys
Top Seed: Bishop-Kearney (17-3)
Defending Champion: East-Rochester
Contenders: No. 2 Canisteo-Greenwood, No. 3 C.G Finney, No. 4 East-Rochester
Summary: Canisteo-Greenwood is seeking a sectional championship and appears to be the favorite from the No.2 spot.
No. 1 Bishop Kearney could have a tough opponent in East Rochester in the semi-finals.
Senior Carson Chaffee the Steuben County League MVP has been unstoppable this season. He is joined in the Starting five by Seniors Kevin and Thomas Sirrani, Junior James Smith who is ferocious on the Boards and 8th Grade Sharpshooter Jack Beers.
Canisteo-Greenwood is looking for their first ever Sectional Championship in Boys Basketball. No.4 East-Rochester defeated C-G 46-44 in the Semifinals last season on a buzzer beater. Those two meeting in the Championship game in a re-match would be ideal.
The Championship game will be held Friday March 6th
Class B1 Boys
Top Seed: Leroy (13-7)
Defending Champion: World of Inquiry
Contenders: No. 2 Hornell, No. 3 Wayland-Cohocton
Sleeper: No. 4 Waterloo, No. 6 Wellsville No. 7 Mynderse
Summary: Leroy defeated Hornell on a 3-pointer at the buzzer two weeks ago in Arkport.
Look for one of the Finger Lakes East teams to try and play spoiler in this wide-open bracket.
Hornell has played every game on the road this season so sectionals will be no different. Hornell is led by Seniors Dewayne Dixon (11.5 PPG) and Marco Picco (12.0 PPG) and Sophomore Ben Woolever (16.5 PPG).
Wayland-Cohocton is led by Juniors Alex Fedorchuck (17.9 PPG) & Cole Hanggi (17.0 PPG) and are playing their best Basketball at the right time.
No. 6 Wellsville defeated No.2 Hornell on December 22, 64-50 and defeated No. 3 Wayland-Cohocton 68-51 on January 21.
The Championship game will be held at the Blue Cross Arena on March 6 .
