Christian Brothers Academy basketball players hold aloft the 2009-10 Section II Class AA championship trophy. It is the fifth such trophy the Brothers have won in the last seven years. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

With the two top teams in Section II squaring off in the Class AA championship game Tuesday night, it figured to be an epic game.

Not so fast, said the Christian Brothers Academy team.

In its methodical, polished style, CBA never let the Plainsmen fall into a rhythm offensively and the Brothers took their shot scoring points when the situation arose.

CBA posted an 11-0 run during a 2:20 stretch in the second quarter, which proved to be the difference in a 59-47 victory over Shenendehowa.

CBA, which was making its eighth consecutive appearance in a Section II title game, won its fifth title in seven years.

Senior Kameron Ritter scored 15 points and made three blocks, while junior Galal Cancer scored 17 points and made a game-high eight rebounds. Cancer made seven of the 10 free throws he attempted in the final 2:08 of the game.

Junior Max Weaver buried four three-point shots, scoring a game-high 18 points for the Brothers.

Kam Ritter leaps for a shot attempt over Shenendehowa's Brandon Miller (44) during Tuesday's Section II Class AA championship game. Ritter, a senior, was named Tournament MVP.

Ritter made a pair of three-point plays during the 11-0 run, giving the Brothers an 11-point lead heading into halftime. The Brothers increased their lead to as big as 17-points midway through the third quarter.

The Plainsmen had a mini-rally in them, as Matt Miner, Dan Lee and Manny Hernandez all connected on three-point buckets in the fourth quarter, drawing to withing nine points with four minutes to play. CBA, however, was put into the bonus very early on and milked the shot clock for all it was worth on most possessions, taking time off the clock.

CBA's Jack Reilly (55) fights for a loose ball with Shenendehowa's Dan Lee during Tuesday's Section II Class AA championship game at Times Union Center.

It was an anticlimactic ending to a long-awaited showdown between the two teams, but over the past eight years, CBA has proven to be the most consistent large school program in the area.

2009-10 Section II Class AA boys basketball All-Tournament Team:

Amari Gaddy, Jr., Albany
Jerel Scott, Sr., Bishop Maginn
Matt Miner, Sr., Shenendehowa
Dan Lee, Sr., Shenendehowa
Galal Cancer, Jr., CBA
MVP - Kameron Ritter, Sr., CBA

For more on the game, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record and also check back to this post for a video coming shortly.

--
In girls basketball action tonight in Syracuse,Averill Park moved on to the regional finals - putting them one step away from returning to the New York State Final Four in their backyard at Hudson Valley Community College.

Lauren Nunziato scored 19 points, including five three-point goals, to spark the Warriors past Section III champion Cortland, 59-54 in a Class A regional semifinal at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

Katie Duma chipped in with 13 points and Brooke O’Shea added 10 points for Averill Park (21-1), the state’s top-ranked team in Class A.

With the Warriors leading 56-54, O’Shea drove from the left side of the key for a lay-up and was fouled with seven seconds remaining. She drained the free throw to secure the victory against Cortland (17-4).

Michaela Ottati contributed nine points and 11 rebounds for Averill Park.

The Warriors advance to a regional final against Section X champion Malone-Franklin Academy (19-1) on Friday at SUNY-Potsdam.

AVERILL PARK 59, CORTLAND 54

Averill Park (59): L.Nunziato 7-0-19, Duma 3-6-13, Bro.O’Shea 4-2-10, Ottati 3-0-9, Hawes 2-0-4, Bri.O’Shea 2-0-4. Totals: 21-8-59.
Cortland (54): Brown 6-2-14, Reagan 5-1-13, Tennatn 5-3-13, Mann 4-0-8, A.VanGorder 3-0-6. Totals: 23-6-54.
Averill Park (21-1) 13 19 15 12 – 59
Cortland (17-4) 10 12 14 18 – 54
3-point goals: Averill Park 9 (L.Nunziato 5, Ottati 3, Duma 1). Cortland 2 (Reagan 2).