Senior Colin Martin’s three-pointer with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter gave Byron-Bergen the lead for good and classmates Braedyn Chambry and Brody Baubie calmly made six of eight free throws down the stretch while sophomore Joel Lamb grabbed two defensive rebounds over the final 27 seconds to lead the top-seeded Bees to a 52-46 victory over second-seed Alexander to win the Class C2 Section V boys basketball crown.
The Bees defeated Eugenio Maria de Hostos in the quarterfinals and York 61-60 in the semi-finals to advance.
“Obviously not shooting a lot but feeding him (Chambry) the ball is a bucket,” Baubie said. “I’ve done it (made free throws) multiple times at the end of games and free throw shooting helps us win games.
“My main thought (standing on the free throw line in the final 30 seconds) was we were going to seal the game and, being in this position for the first time if I made those, we win the first championship meant everything to me to make those.”
Byron-Bergen led for most of the first half thanks to five offensive rebounds and opened up a six-point lead in the third quarter before Alexander battled back and took a one-point lead just prior to Martin’s trey.
“Coach always says basketball is a game of runs and she said they had theirs and it was our time to get ours so that’s what we did,” Baubie said.
Chambry finished with a game-high 24 points while limiting the Alexander center to just two. Martin registered 14 points, Baubie and senior Brendan Pimm six each, and junior Noah Clare added two.
Baubie and Martin were named to the Class C2 All-Tournament Team along with Chambry, who was named Most Valuable Player.
“I was so happy for them because they knew what was in front of them, they knew the enormity of it and it’s just incredible,” head coach and Class C Coach of the Year Roxanne Noeth said.
“At Byron-Bergen we’re about to tear our gym down and restructure the whole thing, so there will never be another one (title) on the gym floor that I (grew up) playing on and that they played on, which is kind of cool, historically. How do you put that into words…it’s been forever and today’s the day.”
“Pretty great, honestly…it’s everything we dreamed of,” Chambry said. “We started in third grade playing together…we play every game for each other, beating teams that are, honestly, better than us because we play for each other and play harder than everyone else on the court because we love each other.”
Byron-Bergen basketball coach makes Section V history
On Saturday, March 2, 2024, Roxanne Noeth made Section V athletics history by becoming the first woman to coach a boys varsity basketball team to a sectional championship in the 103-year history of the organization. The win marks the first sectional championship in Byron-Bergen boys basketball history. The only other Byron-Bergen basketball sectional championship was in 1984 when ninth grader Noeth was called up from JV to help the girls varsity basketball team to victory.
As a member of the championship 1984 team, Noeth carved out a place for herself in Byron-Bergen athletics’ history, setting the single game scoring record in 1987 which was tied in 2022 by varsity boys basketball player Corden Zimmerman and broken by boys captain Braedyn Chambry this season. Noeth still holds the girls basketball single game scoring record and was inducted into the Byron-Bergen Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
After graduation, Noeth attended St. John Fisher where she played Division III basketball and softball. She is also a member of the St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Fame. She coached collegiate women’s basketball at RIT before stepping away to raise her children. She returned to Byron-Bergen basketball in 2009 when she began volunteering for her children’s basketball teams. In 2017, she was hired officially as head coach of the boys varsity basketball team.
“It was never on my radar to be a boys basketball coach specifically,” said Noeth, “but the opportunity arose, and I’ve always had great support from the administration and community.”
Noeth was hired by Athletic Director Rich Hannan and Superintendent Pat McGee, who was High School Principal at the time.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Coach Noeth and the job she has done with this program,” said Hannan. “I have watched her build the team for many years now. She is extremely knowledgeable and puts her heart and soul into giving her athletes the best opportunity possible to achieve their greatest potential. She leaves no stone unturned and is always prepared. Her passion rubs off on her team and you can see it in her players.”
Outside of the Byron-Bergen community, Noeth noticed some raised eyebrows. Despite the abundance of men coaching girls teams, Noeth was often the only woman in the room for boys basketball. According to Noeth, the first three years as head coach were tough, but she soon made a name for herself and the team within the division. In 2023, she became the first woman to be named Section V Class C3 Coach of the Year for Boys Basketball, a title which she has kept for the 2024 season in C2.
“Coach Noeth is an excellent role model for her players and all our future coaches,” said McGee. “The Sectionals win was huge for our community, but I also feel the enormous impact it has made on the future of Section V coaching.”
“Seeing Coach Noeth raise the Sectional trophy was a reminder of what is possible,” said Byron-Bergen Assistant Principal Katie Grattan. “The future coaches of Section V are watching.”
When asked about her legacy, Noeth states, “The impact of my coaching a boys team, the impact it is having on young girls and women, it’s definitely a positive side effect, but it’s not why I coach. I love this team. I love this sport. I’m just a coach.”
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