BINGHAMTON - For the first time in the sectional playoffs, Union Springs boys looked like a No. 7 seed.

Facing a battle-tested team that had more size, speed and skill, the Wolves never had a chance Saturday night against top-seeded Seton Catholic Central, losing 66-39 in the Section IV, Class C title game at the Broome County Arena.

"There's a reason (Seton CC was) the ninth-ranked team in the state," said Union Springs coach Tim Darnell, whose 17-7 team knocked off No. 2 seed Elmira Notre Dame, 66-64 in the quarterfinals and No. 3 seed Unadilla Valley, 68-61, in the semifinals. "They were big, they were strong, they rebounded and they were skillful."

And on this night, Union Springs rarely had an answer for any of it.

The Saints (20-3), who'll play either Faith Heritage (23-0) or Cooperstown (20-3) in a state playoff game next weekend, held the Wolves to 3-for-22 shooting in building a 34-10 halftime lead.

"The two things we wanted to establish was an inside presence early and we wanted to apply pressure defensively with various presses and traps, and try to deliver a knockout punch early - physically and mentally," Seton Catholic coach Chris Sinicki said.

Seton Catholic accomplished both of Sinicki's goals in taking an 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter.

By the end of the first quarter, Seton Catholic's lead was 17-6 and five Saints had scored. Six-foot-five center Sam Thomas, 6-2 forward Jerome Gosney and guard Matt Cline each scored four points in the quarter for Saints.

But perhaps the most surprising part of the quarter was how effective Seton Catholic's pressure was against Union Springs.

In the Wolves' semifinal victory over Unadilla Valley on Wednesday, they had tremendous success against the press.

"We like playing fast, but they exploited us a little bit," Darnell said. "We had a hard time getting into our offense and we had a hard time bringing the ball up the floor sometimes."

The Saints opened the second quarter with a 9-0 spurt. The run included two offensive rebound baskets, two shots from close range by 6-8 reserve center Kyle Skinner and a fast-break layup by Gosney.

When Zach Jones, who scored a team-high 11 points, made one-of-two free throws with 4:10 left in the second quarter, Seton Catholic's lead was 26-6.

"We had heard they were going to push the ball and I challenged our guys, because that's kind of our game as well and we're not going to let anybody beat us at our game," Sinicki said. "I think our guys responded well."

Senior Sean Noonan had junior Bryan McClary had 11 and nine points, respectively, to lead Union Springs, which has never won a sectional title and was making just its second appearance in a final game.

Starters McClary and Pat Crowley, both juniors, are back next season. They'll be among seven returnees to the roster.

"We'll learn from this," Darnell said. "They need to walk out of her with their heads held high, because we had a successful year. We did a lot of good things and hopefully the bar goes up for Union Springs."