No. 1 Faith in way of Cooperstown boys

The Redskins (20-3) meet top-ranked Faith Heritage (23-0) in the Section Three Class C Championship at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Manley Field House in Syracuse.

Class C-1 champion Cooperstown, ranked 14th in the state, advanced to the sectional final with a 63-62 victory over Herkimer on Wednesday. The Redskins are looking for their first state-tournament appearance since 2003, when Cooperstown made it to the Class C state championship game but lost to Buffalo City Honors.

Dave Pikarsky and Eddie Bauer, both junior varsity call-ups in 2003, lead the Redskins with roughly 20 and 15 points per game this wi[an error occurred while processing this directive]nter. Chris Bush contributes around 10 ppg as well.

"We’re not as tall and athletic (as 2003), but we still do the same things — play full-court, man-to-man and trap wherever we can," Cooperstown coach Dave Bertram said. "That system has been followed since they were JV players. They learn it and that’s what we do."

Faith Heritage is coming off a 57-51 victory Tuesday over Onondaga, which beat the Redskins, 65-56, for the Cooperstown Tournament title Dec. 29. Aaron Hall finished with a game-high 24 points in the C-2 championship, and Cooper Stroman contributed 13.

Hall and Stroman played on the 2003 team that defeated Downsville, 53-51, in a Class D state quarterfinal at Oneonta State. Faith won the Class D state title in 2002.

"They run the floor really well," Bertram said of Faith Heritage. "They pass really well. They find people on the low block really easily. They don’t press; they like to sit in a 2-3 zone.

"Their height is between 5-foot-7 and 6-2," he continued. "And they have one kid, Aaron Hall, who can jump out of the gym. He’s a good post player who can hit the three-point shot and he had three dunks in his last game."

Bertram said he will mark Hall with Bush — who leads the Redskins in steals and rebounds — and perhaps double down on the post depending on what happens early in the game.