If you’ve spent any time refreshing the Section V scoreboard on a snowy Tuesday night, you know the drill. You’re looking for the Section V basketball schedule, but half the games are listed as "TBD," three of them just got moved because of a broken heater in a rural gym, and the local paper hasn't updated its digital layout since 2014. It’s frustrating. Honestly, trying to track high school hoops in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region feels like a full-time job sometimes.
Section V is a massive beast. We’re talking over 100 schools across a dozen counties. From the heavy hitters in Class AAA like Aquinas and Fairport to the tiny Class D schools where the whole town shows up for a Friday night rivalry, the logistics are a nightmare.
The Best Places to Track the Section V Basketball Schedule Right Now
Forget the big national apps. They’re slow. They miss the last-minute bus cancellations. If you want the actual, live-updated Section V basketball schedule, you basically have two reliable options.
The gold standard is the NYSPHSAA Section V official website. It’s not flashy. It looks like a spreadsheet from the early 2000s, but it’s the source of truth. Most athletic directors use a system called rSchoolToday. If a game moves from 7:00 PM to 6:30 PM because the JV game ended early, that’s where it’ll show up first.
Then there’s the Pickin’ Splinters site. Run by Paul Gotham, this is the heartbeat of Section V hoops. He isn't just posting times; he’s tracking who’s in foul trouble and which kid from Irondequoit just dropped 30. It’s the color commentary that makes the dry schedule actually mean something.
You’ve also got the local brackets. Once February hits, the schedule changes daily. One upset in the quarterfinals and suddenly the "home" game you planned for is happening an hour away at a neutral site like Blue Cross Arena or a college gym. You have to stay nimble.
Why the 2025-2026 Schedule Looks Different
You might have noticed the classifications look a bit weird this year. The state changed the cutoff numbers for school populations.
Class AAA is the new big boy on the block. It’s weird seeing schools that used to be "AA" now competing in a different tier, but it was a necessary move. The "Section V basketball schedule" used to be lopsided. You’d have schools with 2,000 kids playing schools with 800. The new six-class system (AAA, AA, A, B, C, D) tries to fix that, but it means the tournament schedule is more spread out than ever.
👉 See also: Ohio State Football All White Uniforms: Why the Icy Look Always Sparks a Debate
It's a lot.
More classes mean more championship games. More championship games mean the schedule for the finals is a week-long marathon rather than a weekend sprint. If you're planning to catch the finals at the War Memorial, check the dates early. They aren't always back-to-back anymore.
Misconceptions About How Games Are Scheduled
People think athletic directors just pick dates out of a hat. They don't.
Scheduling is a brutal game of Tetris. An AD at a school like Victor or Canandaigua has to coordinate boys' varsity, girls' varsity, JV, and modified teams. Then they have to make sure there are enough referees. There is a massive referee shortage in Upstate New York right now. This is a real problem. Sometimes you’ll see a Section V basketball schedule change not because of weather, but because there simply aren't enough officials to cover five games in the same county.
Also, league play takes precedence.
- Monroe County League
- Private-Parochial
- Finger Lakes West/East
- Genesee Region
- Wayne County
Non-league games—the "fun" matchups—are usually squeezed into Saturdays or early December. If you see a weird gap in a team's schedule, they're probably waiting for a tournament slot or a holiday classic.
The Impact of Neutral Sites
Section V loves its neutral sites. Once the postseason hits, the schedule becomes a roadmap of Section V history. You’ll find yourself at the Rush-Henrietta gym, or maybe over at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC).
✨ Don't miss: Who Won the Golf Tournament This Weekend: Richard T. Lee and the 2026 Season Kickoff
The schedule usually shifts to neutral floors starting in the semifinals. Why? Because Section V wants to ensure a "fair" environment, but let's be real—it's also about gate receipts and capacity. Trying to fit a McQuaid vs. U-Prey crowd into a tiny neighborhood gym is a fire hazard.
Real-Time Updates: The "Secret" Sources
If the official sites are too slow for you, Twitter (X) is still the king of high school sports updates.
Follow the specific team accounts. Most varsity coaches or "booster" parents run these. Search for hashtags like #SecVBB or #SectionV. If a game is postponed due to a lake-effect snow squall in Wayne County, a tweet from the coach will beat the official website by thirty minutes every single time.
Also, pay attention to the Section V basketball schedule on Sunday nights. That’s when the "Week Ahead" posts usually go up from local sports reporters like those at the Democrat & Chronicle or the Rochester First sports desk. They often highlight the "Games of the Week," which helps you filter through the 50+ games happening on a Friday night.
Navigating the Postseason Madness
The "Section V basketball schedule" for the playoffs is a living document. It’s born the Sunday after the regular season ends—Selection Sunday.
Points are calculated using a weighted system. A win against a Class AAA powerhouse is worth more than a win against a struggling Class D school. This "point seed" system determines the bracket. Once those seeds are locked, the schedule is a race to the finish.
- Opening Rounds: Usually at the higher seed’s home gym.
- Quarterfinals: Usually still at home gyms, but sometimes moved for capacity.
- Semifinals: Neutral sites.
- Finals: The big stage.
If you are following a specific team, don't buy tickets until the night before. Seriously. One ice storm in Batavia can push the entire bracket back 24 hours.
🔗 Read more: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
How to Plan Your Season Viewing
If you're a casual fan just looking for good hoops, don't just follow one team. The beauty of the Section V basketball schedule is the variety.
Go see a game in the Genesee Region league. The gyms are small, the fans are loud, and the basketball is gritty. Then, the next week, go see a Class AAA game where the kids are 6'8" and playing above the rim.
Check the "Holiday Tournament" schedules in late December. Schools like Josh Faber's Hilton squad or the teams out in Pittsford often host multi-team tournaments. You can see four games in one day at one location. It’s the best value for your time if you're trying to scout the competition.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Parents
To stay on top of the Section V basketball schedule without losing your mind, do these three things:
Download the rSchoolToday Activity Scheduler app. Search for your specific school district. You can set up push notifications. If the game time changes while you're at work, your phone will buzz. It saves so many wasted trips to empty gyms.
Bookmark the Section V Scoreboard.
Not the news articles—the actual live scoreboard page. It’s usually updated within minutes of the final buzzer. It’s the easiest way to see how the rest of your team's class is performing, which affects those crucial "points" for playoff seeding.
Follow the "Big Three" on Social Media.
Get on X (Twitter) and follow Section V Basketball (@SecVBB), Pickin' Splinters (@PickinSplinters), and your local school's athletic department. Between those three, you will never miss a tip-off.
The season moves fast. Between the New Year and the first week of March, there are games almost every single night. Whether you're tracking a son or daughter on the court, or you're just a fan of the high-stakes drama that only high school sports can provide, keeping an eye on the schedule is the only way to keep up. Just keep a snow scraper in your car and your rSchoolToday app open.