Tim Darnell has had the fortune of coaching some pretty good basketball teams at Union Springs over the past several years.

The Wolves have won the past six Cayuga County Holiday Tournament titles, been atop the IAC, Division III and have made it to the Section IV, Class C finals.

Last summer the team discussed that this year could be special.

With the postseason just around the corner, Union Springs is 14-2 and has already clinched the IAC, Division III title. With Division II and the wild card still up for grabs (Lansing clinched Division I), the Wolves are comfortably waiting to see how the rest of the IAC shakes out.

“We haven't been in this position in years past where we've had two games to go, we've clinched already and we can watch everybody fight it out,” Darnell said.

Darnell says the No. 14 state-ranked Wolves are hoping to take a run at the IAC title, but just playing in the tournament would be a boost going into sectionals.

If Union Springs wins out (its last two games are against Southern Cayuga and Newfield), Darnell thinks that the Wolves would receive the No. 1 seed - the first in school history.

“I think - and our team thinks - that that would be a special honor,” Darnell said. “Obviously it's not the end all, because you want to be No. 1 at the end of the tournament, but to go in No. 1 would mean a lot.”

Union Springs is playing well now, especially on the defensive side.

“I think our offense as the year has gone on has gotten better,” Darnell said. “It's getting better each game, but we're winning because of our defense.”

Nick Schooley, one of six seniors on the squad, is averaging six assists per game and 2.3 steals. He believes that familiarity is playing a big role.

“There's a lot of continuity on the court, it makes it easier to play,” Schooley said. “Most of us have been playing together since fifth or sixth grade.”

He's just one of the Wolves that are putting up solid numbers.

Forwards Julius McClary and Devon Brady are averaging 14.8 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. McClary is pulling down 9.7 rebounds, while Brady is averaging 6.6. McClary leads the area in blocks, with 4.5 per game.

Pat Chandler is heating it up from the outside, with 23 3-pointers this season.

All four are seniors, but Union Springs has solid younger players coming up. Sophomores Jim Burns and Mike Bean have been putting in quality minutes off the bench.

“We thought that they could handle it,” said Darnell about Burns and Bean moving up. “They've handled it and they've improved dramatically. They are making a huge contribution to the team.”

Union Springs ends the regular season this Tuesday at Newfield after playing Southern Cayuga tonight. Darnell is hoping that the Wolves can stay undefeated in the division.

After that, the postseason is wide open. After IACs, Union Springs will likely face a rocky road to the Section IV championship game on March 1. Two MAC teams, No. 10 Oxford and No. 20 Walton (the 2007 Class D football state champions) is in the running, and Darnell says that Moravia, Groton, T.A.E, Candor and Unadilla Valley could also be in the mix.

“The top eight seeds right now, the eight seed has an 11-5 record if that tells you anything,” Darnell said. “This could be one of the toughest sectional years. I don't think that anyone is really phenomenal - I think that there are a lot of good teams, and I think there are eight teams that have a chance.”

Guard Mike Howell, the fifth starting senior, believes that his team can go far.

“We're starting to play our best basketball, we just want to keep going,” he said. “I think we're at the level that we want to be, we just want to keep getting better and keep winning games.

“We just want to win. That's what it's all about.”