S-E’s Nick Hull (23 points) and Dilen Maceda (#0, 16 points) led the charge in the 59-46 victory over Utica-Notre Dame. (Photo by Morgan Golliver)

SHERBURNE – The Sherburne-Earlville boys’ basketball team hosted Utica-Notre Dame in a preliminary round of the Section III, Class B Tournament. S-E, coming in as a 13th seed, appreciated hosting one more game this year on their newly named ‘Kevin Vibbard Court’. S-E made Coach Vibbard and the home crowd proud with a 59-46 victory against the Jugglers. This win advances them into the official sectionals bracket.

S-E was off to a hot start, posting 26 points in the first quarter with the ability to finish and pass the ball throughout the entire contest. Both teams traded three-pointers in their first possessions to make a good first impression early on. S-E saw strength from Dilen Maceda, who has been an asset all season, from the start. Maceda took control and moved inside for 13 of his total 16 points in the first quarter alone.

Utica-Notre Dame slowed S-E down a bit to start the second quarter. The Jugglers went on a brief 6-0 run, but from then on, they could not finish their shots, even when picking up multiple offensive rebounds. S-E had the advantage of executing from start to finish, where they settled into a comfortable lead. While the game intensified, Vibbard reminded his team to “be patient” as they were eager to continue building on their lead.

Nick Hull also played fierce for S-E, along with Maceda. Hull scored a team-high 23 points, where he matched efforts with eight points in both the first and third quarters. He also went to the foul line three times and hit five-of-six free throws and knocked down four three-pointers.

Darren Miles added 10 points with two three’s while Noah Bigford played great defense with several blocks and picked up multiple offensive rebounds as well. Bigford scored eight points as Brayden O’Hara contributed with two points in the win.

S-E heads to play Little Falls on Wednesday, where they hope to revenge the 65-35 loss from early February. Wednesday’s game is set to tip-off at 6 p.m.

Scores by quarter:

U-N 13 11 10 12–46

S-E 26 9 12 12–59

U-N: Christian Babiarz 20, Jayden Rios 11, Chard Gowe 7, Campbell Poah 4, Carlloyd Gowe 4.

S-E: Nick Hull 23, Dilen Maceda 16, Darren Miles 10, Noah Bigford 8, Brayden O’Hara 2.

Three-pointers: U-N 5 (Rios 3, Babiarz, Ch Gowe); S-E 6 (Hull 4, Miles 2)