Northeastern Clinton's Bailee LaFountain (10) drives the baseline for the score on the Chiefs defender. It would be the finals of the Section VII Class B Girls Basketball between the #1 Northeastern Clinton Cougars and the #2 Saranac Chiefs. The Cougars would start off hot and quick with a 12-7 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the game would be played more evenly with a 10-9 cougars quarter and take a 22-16 lead into the break. When the teams came back for the third quarter the break would do the Chiefs go as they came back energized with a 10-5 quarter and trail by just one at 27-26 as they entered the fourth quarter. In that fourth quarter, both teams would have their best offensive output of the game as the Chiefs win the quarter 16-11 and get the come from behind win at 42-38. With the win, the Chiefs advance to the NYSPHSAA Class B Girls Tournament and will play the quarterfinals on March 12th at Clinton Community College as the Northeastern Clinton Cougars season comes to an end at 18-3. Gallery

Saranac's Breanna Ducatte (40) with the three from the corner over the Northeastern Clinton defender. Gallery

Northeastern Clinton's Reid LaValley (2) with the goal over Beekmantown's Austin Doser (31 as he gets hit and sent to the ice. It would be a match-up of the top two teams in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference as the #1 Beekmantown Eagles would faceoff with the #2 Northeastern Clinton Cougars for the conference championship at the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse. The game would start out very evenly matched through the first period as there would be no score after one but that doesn't mean that there weren't chances by both teams to get on the board. The Cougars would finally break the ice and get the opening goal of the game from Reid LaValley for the 1-0 lead 4:12 into the second period. The game would stay there till the 10:34 mark of the period when Reid Fessette would get the equalizer on the unassisted goal. Then in the final 90 seconds of the period, the Eagles would pull ahead on the Luke Moser powerplay goal to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission, The game would stay there till the ten-minute mark of the third period when Reid Levalley would strike for the second goal of the game and tie the game at two. The game would stay there through the rest of the regulation and we were headed into that all-important overtime. It would take until there were eight seconds left in the second overtime when Reid LaValley would strike for the third time and get the championship. With the win, the Northeastern Clinton Cougars will be headed to the NYSPHSAA Division 2 tournament and will take on the #1 team in the state Pelham on March 5th for the right to go to the NYSPHSAA Final Four March 12th-13th. Gallery

Beekmantown's Sam Bingel (11) with the hard hit on Northeastern Clinton's Wayne Simpson (18) that sends him flying into the glass. Gallery

Northeastern Clinton's Darren Dubois (23) with the contested shot over Saranac's Justin Bedard (0) for the basket to keep his team in the front early. It would be game number 2 on the day for Saranac High School as the #1 Saranac Chiefs would host the #5 Northeastern Clinton Cougars in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Class B Semi-Finals and take on the winner of #2 Plattsburgh Hornets and #3 Saranac Lake Red Storm in finals on March 5th at Clinton Community College. The upset-minded Cougars would be in good shape after the first quarter with a quick sprint to a 19-12 lead. In the second quarter, the Chiefs would start pulling them back in with a 15-p quarter and trail 28-27 at the intermission. The third quarter when the teams came back would be an even quarter with nine points each making it 37-36 game headed to the fourth. In the fourth quarter, some clinch defense by the Cougars would lead to an 18-13 quarter and a 55-49 win for the Cougars. In the winning effort, the #5 Northeastern Clinton Cougars have earned a surprise spot in the championship against the #2 Plattsburgh Hornets at Clinton Community College. Gallery

Saranac's Justin Bedard (0) lays it off the window for the score as Northeastern Clinton's Aidan Creller looking for the rebound. Gallery

Northeastern Clinton's Reid LaValley (2) comes in on the break and flips it over Saranac's Mason Patnode for the goal and 1-0 lead. It would be semi-finals boys hockey in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference as the #2 Northeastern Clinton Cougars would host the #3 Saranac Chiefs. The game would start off quick for the home Cougars as they would get the opening goal of the game from Reid LaValley for the 1-0 lead. Although the Chiefs would answer back fast and furious as they would answer back with three goals of their own in the next few minutes from Caitlin, Hayden Buckley, and Zack O'Connell and take the 3-1 to the end of the period. In the second period, there would be no scoring although it wouldn't be for the lack of trying and the Chiefs would keep their 3-1 lead as they head to the third. The game was starting to look like the Chiefs were going to the upset win but at 2:24 left in the game, the Cougars would make it a one-goal game at 3-2 Reid LaValley. Then with 1:27 left the Cougars would tie the game up on the Ryan Racine goal and from there the game would go to overtime. In the overtime, the Cougars would come all the way back and get the win at 4-3 on the Chase Letourneau with 3:38 left in the overtime. With the win, the #2 Northeastern Clinton Cougars are headed to championship Gallery

Saranac's Landon Duprey (16) meets up with Northeastern Clinton's Winfred Simpson (18) and go head to head collision chasing after the loose puck. Gallery

Plattsburgh High School freshman Bailey Hewson attempts to cut into the middle through the defense of Northeastern Clinton's senior Elisabeth Prairie and sophomore Desiree Dubois. Northeastern Clinton rode a strong second and third quarter performance to a 49-29 victory over Plattsburgh High School Friday in Champlain Valley Athletic Conference action.
Both teams got off to a slow start, with neither scoring before the midpoint of the opening quarter. The Hornets got on the board first with a pair of free throws from junior Calli Fitzwater, but it was the Cougars who ended the opening frame with a 9-5 lead.
Northeastern Clinton pulled away in the second, led by a nine-point quarter for sophomore Desiree Dubois.
The score at the halftime break saw the Cougars with a 21-9 lead. Plattsburgh junior Cora Long put up nine points of her own in the third quarter, but the Hornets were never able to pull back the Cougars' lead.
Dubois led Northeastern Clinton's offense with 20 points, ahead of 13 points from sophomore Bailee Lafountain. Long's 16 points led the Hornets in the loss, followed by Fitzwater with 6 points.
Both Dubois and Long knocked down four shots each from the three-point arc. Gallery

Plattsburgh High School junior Cora Long dribbles toward the baseline to get beyond the defense of Northeastern Clinton sophomore Desiree Dubois. Gallery