Newfield High School boys win Section IV title

Newfield boys basketball had the magic touch this season. Despite suffering three regular season losses, the Trojans were the only team to defeat a pair of state-ranked teams in Watkins Glen (at full strength) and Moravia, taking down the latter twice. No win was bigger than Saturday’s 55-45 Section IV Championship victory over Moravia, sending Newfield to the State Tournament.

Newfield’s program has dominated the local scene for several years now, with this title being the fourth sectional crown for the Trojans since 2017. This one was under head coach Michael Nembhard, a former junior varsity coach who took over for three-time sectional champion Chris Bubble prior to the season. He talked about reaching these heights in his first year as head coach.

“I’m just so proud of these guys,” Nembhard said. “We had our ups and downs this season. … We used the downs to get to this level where we are at now. It means a lot to me. Being a first-year varsity coach, coaching after coach Bubble kind of gives a lot of pressure. But I never doubted my coaching ability. I never doubted my guys. I’m just so proud. It means the world to me.”

The team was led by IAC MVP Jalen Hardison, a junior who has been starting for Newfield since his eighth-grade season. His 18 points helped Newfield come back from a 24-21 halftime deficit against Moravia, pulling away in the fourth quarter. Hardison talked about the adjustments that were made after the low-scoring first half.

“In the beginning of the first half, we were just being really hesitant with our layups, me especially,” Hardison said. “I was being really hesitant when I was driving. In the second half, we just started going straight to the rim and just focusing on every single shot we had. That’s how we won.”

This was the third time Newfield and Moravia met this season. The first was a tightly contested 62-54 victory for the Trojans on the road in the regular season. Moravia punched back in the IAC Championship game, dominating Newfield 80-61. The championship game being the rubber match between the two teams made it that much more special.

“I’m not going to lie, that was the focus, to get the opportunity to play Moravia in the sectional championship,” Nembhard said. “It wasn’t only my focus, but it was also the guys’ focus. Moravia is a heck of a team — hats off to them. They are well coached. In sports, you get beat and you want to get back and beat them. It’s something that we wanted. It’s something that happened. It’s something that was destined. I’m just so thankful that the guys came out and got the W.”

It was a true team effort to get to this point for Newfield. In the semifinals against Watkins Glen, senior Derek Pawlewicz lit up the scoreboard with 27 points and 10 rebounds. In the finals, Zachary Taylor hit several big shots in the third quarter to spark the comeback and give Newfield its first lead of the game. Austin Jenney worked hard against Moravia to pull in 10 rebounds despite giving up size to several Blue Devil players. Nembhard talked about his secondary players behind Hardison.

“As great as Jalen is — like I tell the guys — he needs a supporting cast,” Nembhard said. “Basketball is a team sport. One guy can be great like Jalen, but he needs other guys around him to step up. They’ve been doing that. Derek Pawlewicz has been stepping up a lot the last four games, Austin Jenney and Zach Taylor too. I’ve always preached to them that you have to be a help to Jalen in order for us to go far. We’re just thankful for the supporting cast.”

All season long, Watkins Glen and Moravia were the best teams in Section IV, entering the postseason ranked eighth and 11th in New York state, respectively. Defeating both of those teams before entering the State Tournament was massive for Newfield’s confidence.

“This game definitely boosted our confidence a little bit,” Hardison said. “But we want to stay level-headed and just take it one game at a time. We know each game is going to get a little bit tougher the further we go. We just want to go as far as possible and hopefully make a state championship run.”

Next up for Newfield will be another tough state-ranked team. The Trojans will travel up to Liverpool High School on Saturday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. to face Section III representative West Canada Valley. The Indians are 23-1 this season and ranked sixth in the state. After taking down the best Section IV had to offer, the Trojans are up for the challenge.

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