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The Blackwell Blog

And on to 2012....

For this last entry of 2011, I'd like to offer my New Year's resolutions and...silent siren goes off, we're on full cliche alert.

Okay, no resolutions, no lists about last year, no lists to look ahead to this year. It's enough to just try and recap all the holiday tournaments and other fare that took place the last few days.

Yes, the biggest names, Dajuan Coleman and Breanna Stewart, were resting, but there wasn't a lack of stars on the court and interesting developments.

The big-name boys tournaments at Bishop Ludden and CBA saw the hosts beaten in the finals both times. Ludden fell to Bishop Kearney, no. 2 in the state in Class A and a real threat to J-D, while CBA lost to St. Joseph's, keeping Buddy Wleklinski from getting win no. 400 in front of friends and family. BIshop Grimes also lost twice at CBA, a bit of a cool-off.

But ESM is still unbeaten in the wake of taking out Mexico and Auburn in its own Vince Celi Memorial Tournament, while Cortland easily won at its own tournament, Marcellus began a possible revival by winning its own tournament, and CNS knocked off rival Liverpool in its tournament, but West Genesee lost its final to Ithaca and Westhill went 0-2 in that event, too.

Cortland, easily successful in its own tournament, was as predictable as seeing Henninger win the Mayor's Roundball Classic for the sixth year in a row, though it barely got past Nottingham in the first round before smashing Corcoran. Oswego rolled through Fulton's tournament and Utica Proctor cooled down its ancient rival, Rome Free Academy, to go to 6-0 as the surprising Black Knights fell to 7-2.

Looking at the girls side of tournament week, Bishop Ludden went from a competitive defeat to F-M to beating Jordan-Elbridge and sweeping to the Watkins Glen Tournament title. Skaneateles won the best game of the week, an overtime thriller over West Genesee in its own tournament, but the Lakers lost to Marcellus a night later, the Mustangs a surprising champion.

Utica-Notre Dame took its first defeat, to Albertus Magnus, but J-D kept itself unbeaten with two wins over Oneonta and Maine-Endwell and Chenango Valley, and Bishop Grimes beat Rochester Mercy for its own tournament title as Baldwinsville lay claim to ESM's Vince Celi Memorial. Carthage got a tournament win at Fulton, with Fabius-Pompey winning its own event and New York Mills taking the top prize in Oriskany.

Then there was wrestling, where Holland Patent won the Brett Dixon Duals at Central Square and Fulton, with 290 points, beat 20 others in the Kenneth Haines Tournament at SUNY-Oswego. Indian River and General Brown both went 10-0 in the Mountain Duals at Dolgeville, with Lowville victorious in the Lewis County Duals that it hosted.

Solvay, on the ice, recovered from its defeat to state no. 1-ranked West Genesee by winning the King of the Arena event, beating Corcoran in overtime in Tuesday's final. Naturally WG followed with two invitational wins at Shove Park, but RFA also beat Canton and Potsdam, so are we already looking at a late-February sectional finals rematch?

Indoor track athletes didn't take the week off. F-M's girls and CNS's boys roared to the top spots in the Oscar Jensen Holiday Relays at SRC Arena, while Cazenovia's girls and RFA's boys went to the front in the John DiMao Invitational at Colgate. Volleyball-wise, Canastota and Whitesboro girls won their divisions at the Raiders' Marcia Laidlaw Tournament, while on the boys side VVS won its own season-opening tournament, dominating the competition.

So bring on 2012....and a first week where, in boys basketball alone, there's F-M vs. CNS and Henninger, Tully vs. ITC and SAS, ESM getting its biggest test so far at Henninger and, on the girls side, CNS getting a challenge from F-M and Westhill playing Ludden.

And in a shameless promotion, our Inside High School Sports show, on ESPN Radio, returns in a two-hour version, 9 to 11 a.m., next Saturday morning. Yet another thing to look forward as we change the calendar....

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