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As the saying goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Onondaga proved that on Thursday night at Chittenango, overcoming a 7-0 opening deficit with a 14-4 finishing run to beat Mohawk in the Section III, Class C-1 final 62-50.

Mohawk, the No. 5 seed in the bracket, was coming off an emotional semifinal win over No. 1 Cooperstown, and despite having to wait an extra two nights because of weather postponements, the Mohicans came out hot, opening with a 7-0 run and leading 17-9 after the 1st quarter. Onondaga, the No. 2 seed, came back in the 2nd with a 13-2 opening run to take a 22-19 lead, but Mohawk survived it and stayed in the game, trailing only 27-26 at the half.

In the 3rd quarter, Onondaga tried several times to start another run, but Mohawk responded each time to keep it close. At the end of the quarter, the Tigers looked to take the momentum with a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 46-40 lead, but the Mohicans responded right away in the 4th, cutting it to 48-46 with six and a half minutes left. After that, though, Onondaga took over with a 9-0 spurt, finishing the game on a 14-4 run to pull away for its first sectional title since 2004. Mohawk's last title came in 1969.

The Tigers were led by Mike Cota's 24 points, while the team's all-time leading scorer Latavius Murray was held to just 15 thanks to great defense by Mohawk's Mike Traglia. Dan Mabbett led the Mohicans with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks, and Rob Rocker added 11 points and nine boards.

Onondaga, now 19-4 and ranked 11th in the state in Class C, advances to play top-ranked, undefeated C-2 winner West Canada Valley in the overall Class C final Sunday at Manley Field House at 12:45. Mohawk finishes the season 14-9.