PLATTSBURGH – If winning the Section VII, Class B championship last week wasn’t enough to prove the Saranac Lake boys basketball team is among the section’s best, then Thursday’s result certainly put all doubt to bed.

The Red Storm dominated the Peru Nighthawks 67-32 in the second annual Section VII Champions Challenge at the Clinton Community College gym.

The challenge was a clash between Section VII champions before heading off to the state tournament. Saranac Lake, the sectional Class B champions, faced off against the Class A winners.

Cedar Crist paced the Red Storm with a game-high 26 points, while sophomore Gunner Harrison added 13 points. Saranac Lake’s senior guards Mik Denkenberger and Zack McCarthy added 10 points each in the win to help the team improve to 20-3 overall.

The Red Storm jumped out to a 16-2 early first-quarter lead and faced little resistance the remainder of the way. Peru’s Camden Sweeney led his team with 10 points, which included two 3-pointers.

The Saranac Lake boys will now compete in the NYSPHSAA Class B state regional round against the Section 2 champions, who are yet to be determined. That game will be at 2 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy on March 14. The winner will advance to the state final four.

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Saranac Lake 67, Peru 32

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Red Storm 16 16 16 19 — 67

Nighthawks 2 6 14 10 — 32

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Individual stats

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Saranac Lake (67): Zack McCarthy 5-0-10; Cedar Crist 10-2-26; Mik Denkenberger 3-1-10; Gunner Harrison 5-3-13; Alius Martelle 1-0-2; Connor Gillis 1-0-2; Levi Lambert 1-0-2; Elias Willett 0-0-0; Maddox Hamelin 0-0-0; Noah Hastings 0-0-0; Josh Kunath 0-0-0; Owen Hybicki 1-0-2; Finn Maiore 0-0-0; Cooper Barry 0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-6-67.

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Peru (32): Eli Ledwith 0-0-0; Deacon Whitmarsh 3-1-7; Stephen Santor 0-0-0; Jordan Osborne 2-0-5; Gavin Sypek 0-0-0; Cooper Sweeney 1-0-2; Cogan St. Denis 0-0-0; Trenton Taylor 1-0-2; Camden Sweeney 3-2-10; Layden Delaronde 0-0-0; Greyson Peters 2-0-6; Mouhamadou Diatta 0-0-0. TOTALS:12-3-32.

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3-point goals: Saranac Lake (7): Cedar Crist 4, Mik Denkenberger 3. Peru (5): Camden Sweeney 2, Greyson Peters 2, Jordan Osborne.