New Showcase Tourney: Section Five teams versus Section Four teams
by Bill Collmer Hornell Sun Senior Sports Writer, pictured is Canisteo-Greenwood All-State Freshman Guard Kara Mahany
For the past 20 years Avoca Central School has hosted a Shoot the Lights out Basketball camp directed by Section Four Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Bill Hopkins. Now, Hopkins is sponsoring the First Annual Shoot the Lights out Basketball Showcase that will feature Section Five teams squaring off against Section Four teams in an all-day event hosted at Avoca School on Saturday January 9, 2027. This Showcase will have five games with three boys’ games and two girls’ games throughout the day. Every game on the day will have players who have attended the Shoot the Lights out basketball camps at Avoca School. Several players who have attended the Camps over the years have gone on to win Sectional and State Championships.
Avoca-Prattsburgh’s Pacey Hopkins was named New York State Class D Player of the year in 2022, Avoca-Prattsburgh’s Sawyer Devoe and Macoy Putnam were New York State Co-Players of the year in 2023 while teammate Haydon Abbott was also Named All-State that season. All four players attended multiple Shoot the Lights out Basketball camps at Avoca School.
Saturday January 9, 2027, Schedule
Noon-Avoca-Prattsburgh vs. Trumansburg-Boys
1:30-Avoca-Prattsburgh vs. Odessa-Montour-Girls
3:00-Canisteo-Greenwood vs. Waverly-Girls
4:30-Canisteo-Greenwood vs. Watkins Glen-Boys
6:00-Fairport vs. Corning-Boys
The host Avoca-Prattsburgh Titans will tip things off versus Section Four school Trumansburg. A-P brings back Senior guard Jaeden “J.J” Crowder who missed most of last season with a broken hand. Crowder has been a mainstay at A-P for several years; he was an 8th grader on A-P’s State Championship squad in 2023 and a freshman on the team that reached the State Semifinals in 2024.
Early last season Crowder surpassed 1,000 career points. He enters his senior season with 1,042 career points. Crowder had a busy summer as he traveled to France to represent the United States in the Paris World games. He also played on the AAU Circuit and attended the 20th Shoot the Lights out basketball Camp at Avoca School in July.
The Avoca-Prattsburgh girls will play in the second game of the day versus Odessa-Montour. A-P returns several key players including Junior Meyah Putnam who was named Steuben County League MVP last season. Putnam has been attending Shoot the Lights out Basketball Camps for several years and was the first winner of the Caitlin Clark Shooter of the week award in 2025. Also, back for A-P is Senior Center Evelyn Travis who was named All-State last season for the second consecutive season.
Odessa-Montour returns Junior Center Leah Antes who was named fifth team All-State last season. Antes had a memorable Sophomore season that saw her surpass 1,000 career points. She averaged 25 points, 14 rebounds and 5 steals per game while shooting 73% from the foul line. She scored a career high 35 points versus Addison, one of four games where she scored 30 or more points. In a win over Spencer-Van Etten she scored 30 of her teams 42 points.
The Canisteo-Greenwood girls will play Waverly in the third game of the day, Canisteo-Greenwood is coming off their first Sectional Championship in School history and return several key Players including All-State Freshman Guard Kara Mahany(pictured above) who can really twinkle the twine from the outside. With four full seasons left to go Mahany could go down in the history books as one of the best shooters in Section Five History. Canisteo-Greenwood Coach Collin Button and first year Waverly Coach Toby Foster played against each other in high school in the Class D State Semifinals in Glens Falls. Button’s Jasper-Troupsburg Wildcats defeated Candor 56-46 to advance to the State Championship game. Foster went on to play Division one Basketball at Canisius College in Buffalo.
Waverly is a defensive minded team who will try and shutdown the potent Chargers offense. Waverly plays a suffocating defense and brings back their best Player in Ryliegh Judson. Judson has an offer to play D2 Basketball at Mansfield University. She was All-State Honorable Mention in Class A last season.
The Canisteo-Greenwood boys will play Watkins Glen in the fourth game of the day, C-G and WG both lost in the Sectional Finals last season. While CG lost four starters from last year’s team, the cupboard is far from bare as they have several players who are ready for their turn. Jack Beers is the lone returning starter, and the Sharpshooter has been playing on the AAU Circuit all spring and summer and will be ready for his second season on varsity.
Watkins Glen returns their Leading scorer from last season Senior Jude Santos who was named tenth team All-State in Class B last season as well as a First Team League All-Star.
Fairport and Corning will square off in the night cap, this is a rematch of the Class AAA State Semifinal from last season that saw Fairport win 79-72 over Corning. Fairport fell in the State Championship game to Albany CBA 78-67. However, both teams will look much different as Fairport graduated 12 seniors off last year’s team and Corning only returns two starters. One of them however is Senior All-State guard and defensive wizard Carter Proudfoot, pictured right.
There will be a $5 Admission fee, but it’ll be good for all five games.
The Avoca and Prattsburgh Historical Societies will both be setting up displays that day at Avoca School featuring the History of Basketball from both schools. In 1989 Avoca went 28-0 and captured the New York State Class D Championship, in 1991 Prattsburgh went 29-0 and won the New York State Class D Championship. In 2021 the two schools merged for Sports and the Avoca-Prattsburgh Titans won back-to-back State Championships in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 the Titans lost in the State Semifinals.
The Historical Societies will display Memorabilia, Newspaper articles, Photo Albums and other items from the historic Basketball teams from both Avoca and Prattsburgh over the years.
Registration forms for the 2027 Shoot the Lights out Basketball camp that will be held at Avoca School from July 12-16 will be available along with Shooting Instructional DVDs that will be available to purchase.
