ROME – New York Mills threw a blanket over the Otselic Valley offense forcing a multitude of turnovers en route to a 55-27 victory Tuesday night in the Section III Class D finals at Rome Free Academy.

It was the second sectional finals loss for the Vikings this decade, who previously lost to Hamilton in 2001. "I'm really proud of our season, but by the same token, I hope this helps our kids understand what it takes to get better," said Otselic Valley head coach Dave Loomis.

The Vikings claimed the Section III D-2 title winning three close games on the strength of rebounding, defense, and efficient offense. All of those were quashed by the state-ranked Marauders, who proved their depth winning without two starters, both of whom were dismissed from the team three games ago.

Mills led 18-7 early in the second quarter, and held OV without a point the final 6:29 of the quarter closing on an 11-0 run. Seven of those points came from the foul line, while Dave Wadas scored on a drive to the basket and Chris Critelli had a layup off a steal.

"We knew they were very good coming in," said Loomis of NY Mills, who at 23-1 match up with Section IV champion, Charlotte Valley on Saturday. "They played at a level of quickness we just couldn't deal with. They challenged every pass and had a hand in every passing lane. They were better than us in all aspects of the game tonight."