Syracuse, N.Y. — Just as soon as you’ve woken up from your Thanksgiving Day nap and gotten your fill of NFL football, it’ll be Section III girls basketball season.
Eight teams are in action in the first games of the year on Friday in two tournaments — the Henninger Tournament and the Zebra Classic.
Syracuse.com is streaming Utica Notre Dame at Liverpool in the Zebra Classic at 1 p.m., with play-by-play and color commentary from sports reporters Ryan Storie and Kenny Lacy Jr.
Liverpool has reached two straight Class AAA state title games, while Utica Notre Dame has claimed back-to-back sectional titles and won the Class B state crown in 2024.
You can find all the details on how to watch here.
Here’s a refresher on how last season ended:
Liverpool defeated Cicero-North Syracuse for the third straight year to claim the Class AAA championship, Nottingham outlasted West Genesee to win Class AA for the first time in 20 years and Utica Notre Dame’s Ella Trinkaus outscored Jamesville-DeWitt by herself to lead the Jugglers to another sectional crown, this time in Class A.
Bishop Grimes extended its final season with a win over General Brown in Class B, Cooperstown got its revenge over Hamilton after two regular-season losses in Class C and LaFargeville repeated in Class D.
LaFargeville, Section III’s lone state champion from last season, won the school’s first state championship in any sport by claiming the Class D state title.
Here are syracuse.com’s 2025-26 preseason girls basketball rankings:
Class AAA (last season’s record)
1. Liverpool (21-4)
First game: 1 p.m. Friday vs. Utica Notre Dame in Zebra Classic
2. Cicero-North Syracuse (17-5)
First game: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10 vs. Liverpool
3. Baldwinsville (14-8)
First game: 7:15 p.m. Dec. 5 @ Fayetteville-Manlius
4. Bishop Ludden-Grimes (14-8)
First game: 3 p.m. Saturday vs. Central Square
5. Rome Free Academy (15-6)
First game: 11:30 a.m. Friday vs. Binghamton in Zebra Classic @ Liverpool
Class AA (last season’s record)
1. Nottingham (17-7)
First game: 1 p.m. Saturday vs. South Jefferson
2. West Genesee (9-14)
First game: 6:45 p.m. Dec. 2 vs. Indian River
3. Henninger (7-13)
First game: 1 p.m. Friday vs. Central Valley Academy in Henninger Tournament
4. East Syracuse Minoa (10-12)
First game: 6:45 p.m. Dec. 2 vs. Homer
5. Central Square (15-6)
First game: 3 p.m. Saturday @ Bishop Ludden-Grimes
Class A (last season’s record)
1. Utica Notre Dame (19-4)
First game: 1 p.m. Friday @ Liverpool in Zebra Classic
2. Jamesville-DeWitt (17-6)
First game: 3 p.m. Friday vs. Niagara Falls in Henninger Tournament
3. Indian River (18-5)
First game: 6:45 p.m. Dec. 2 @ West Genesee
4. Central Valley Academy (13-9)
First game: 1 p.m. Friday @ Henninger in Henninger Tournament
5. Christian Brothers Academy (11-10)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 3 @ Cazenovia
Class B (last season’s record)
1. Marcellus (17-6)
First game: 6:30 p.m. Monday vs. Holland Patent
2. General Brown (19-5)
First game: 7 p.m. Monday vs. Canton
3. Little Falls (20-3)
First game: 3 p.m. Dec. 6 vs. Frankfort-Schuyler
4. Oriskany/Westmoreland (18-2)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 2 @ Morrisville-Eaton
5. Clinton (17-4)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 2 vs. Canastota
Class C (last season’s record)
1. Cooperstown (21-5)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 5 @ Delaware Academy
2. Hamilton (20-4)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 4 @ Holland Patent
3. West Canada Valley (16-7)
First game: 7 p.m. Monday vs. Lowville
4. Weedsport (19-4)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 2 vs. Fabius-Pompey
5. Sandy Creek (16-6)
First game: 6:30 p.m. Monday vs. Thousand Islands
Class D (last season’s record)
1. LaFargeville (22-2)
First game: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 vs. Thousand Islands
2. Sackets Harbor (12-11)
First game: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 vs. Belleville Henderson
3. Copenhagen (7-15)
First game: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday @ Lyme
4. Watertown IHC (11-9)
First game: 7 p.m. Dec. 5 vs. Alexandria
5. McGraw (9-6)
First game: 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 @ Solvay