SYRACUSE – The New Hartford boys basketball team’s supporting cast stepped up Sunday.

The top-seeded Spartans needed the effort with standout junior Zach Philipkoski limited at times during a battle against No. 10 seed Syracuse Academy of Science in the Section III Class A final.

Senior guard Connor Karwowski had the go-ahead layup late in overtime and Philipkoski added a pair of free throws down the stretch to help New Hartford earn a 65-61 victory over SAS in a back-and-forth thriller at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena.

It was the first time in 15 years that the Spartans have claimed a Section III title, New Hartford coach John Randall said. The Spartans earned the title during the 2006-07 season when they knocked off Cortland for the championship.

SAS’ Steyvon Jones (game-best 34 points) tied the game at 61 on a floater in the lane with 55.8 seconds left in overtime and the teams traded subsequent possessions without baskets.

New Hartford gained some momentum, though. Philipkoski dribbled the ball before getting it to junior Colton Suriano, who connected with a cutting Karwowski on a pass down low for a layup and a 63-61 lead late in the extra frame. The layup came after Karwowski had two earlier attempts halted.

“It was the same as any other layup. It was no different,” said Karwowski, who finished with seven of his nine points after halftime. “When one guy is down, another steps up.”

Philipkoski, who finished with a team-best 32 points despite playing through injuries including re-aggravating a shoulder injury, had a pair of rebounds and connected on the free throws to help seal the win.

“We know we had a target on our backs. So, we had to come out and execute,” said Philipkoski, who was named Most Valuable Player of the Class A tournament. “We did what we had to do.”

Randall said Philipkoski gutted through his injuries when others might not.

State-ranked New Hartford (21-2 overall) advances to play Section X champion Franklin Academy at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

On Sunday, neither team led by more than two possessions and there were 10 lead changes.

Randall said New Hartford – which trailed 27-26 at halftime but grabbed a 33-27 lead a few minutes into the third quarter – did a good job of limiting any big runs.

“$5 (for admission)? You gotta be kidding me. That was unbelievable by both teams,” Randall said. “(SAS) should have probably been the No. 2 seed and not the 10 seed. They gave us all we could possibly handle. We made one more shot at the end. Credit to them. Their game plan was great. We did all we could to hang in there.”

That includes the efforts of the “supporting cast of players” who are the unsung heroes, Randall said.

“They kept us in the game for Zach to get us home at the end,” he said.

Suriano, who is also part of the Class A all-tournament team, finished with nine points. Senior Will Trela also had nine points.

“When you’re playing for a section final, every possession is important. I felt like that last 12 minutes of that game, every possession was important,” Randall said. “Both teams played their hearts out.”