NAC capture Class C, first since 2015

PLATTSBURGH — Emmett LaClair was in kindergarten the last time it happened. In sixth grade, Shane Gilmore made a promise to his coach, Nate Bilow, that he would win one.

For the first time since 2015, Northern Adirondack is the Section VII Class D champion, defeating Moriah 60-41.

“We promised our coach when we were in sixth grade that we’re gonna win the title, and it feels great to really give them that promise,” Gilmore said. “It means a lot to him, I know it does. You should have seen him tearing up, but I’m just glad we could give that to him. It feels awesome. As a team, we’ve been working hard.”

It was a day that was meant for the Bobcats as the Vikings had their number in recent years. In fact, Friday’s game ended Moriah’s run of sectional titles at 12.

“I mean, it feels good,” Gilmore said. “They’re a good team, they’ve been a good team for a long time. They’ve had a lot of good runs, and it feels good to finally get them. We got beat by them last year and this year in the regular season. They’ve gotten us in sectionals a couple of times, too. It feels nice to get one back.”

NAC held a four-point lead heading into the break and slowly pulled away in the third quarter. By the time the leads had reached its limits, the closest Moriah could get was 13 points.

LaClair, who finished with a game-high 26 points, didn’t let the moment get the best of him until he knew the lead was safe.

“The feeling never came until you put the subs in,” he said. “And then I realized we might have just got it, and we did. I’m just so happy to be part of my team.”

The game didn’t start out pretty as nerves played a key factor in the first quarter. The Bobcats held a 6-4 heading into the second.

“I was nervous watching the Plattsburgh-Peru game,” Gilmore said. “I’ve been nervous all day, and when I stepped on the court, it really hit me. I was like, ‘This is real.’ and it definitely showed us a sloppy first quarter. But I think once we got into it, we started playing and we just kept moving. It loosened us up.”

With the win, NAC advances to the NYSPHSAA Class C Regional Semifinals where they will play Section X’s Lisbon March 11 at 7 p.m. at CCC.

Before that, the Bobcats will face Bolton in the Champions Challenge Thursday at 6 p.m.

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NAC 60, Moriah 41

Northern Adirondack (60)

Chinchilla 4-4-13, Bushey 2-0-5, Coryea 0-1-1, Moore 5-2-13, LaClair 10-4-26 Gilmore 0-2-2. TOTALS: 21-12-60

Moriah (41)

Mandy 2-0-4, Kazlo 6-0-12, Sargent 5-5-15, Whitman 2-0-6, McGinness 0-1-2, Brassard 1-0-2. TOTALS: 16-6-41

Halftime- NAC, 24-20

3 point goals- NAC (4) Chinchilla, Moore, LaClair 2. Moriah (2) Whitman 2