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The post-buzzer hugs were not of celebratory nature, but of sadness. The victorious fist pumps of previous weeks were replaced with hands on heads and skyward looks of disbelief. 

The Blue Devils' hopes of capturing the program's second-ever state title will have to wait one more year. Moravia couldn't match Section VI champion Randolph, in a 50-43 loss Friday in the NYSPHSAA Class C semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. 

The closeness of the final score serves the most sour of tastes. There was no major discrepancy between the two teams, between the shooting (21 successful field goals for Randolph, 19 for Moravia), rebounding (22, including nine offensive, for Moravia to 21 for Randolph) or free throws taken (Moravia was 4-for-7, Randolph 5-for-6).

The edges, minor as they may be, did favor the Cardinals in most cases. Now Moravia is left to reflect on its season versus preparing for a state title game.

"I just feel like today we couldn't get into our offensive flow and rhythm," Blue Devils coach Todd Mulvaney said. "Part of that was them, part of that was us. This is a big stage and Randolph had a good game plan, and unfortunately we came out on the wrong side."

That the game was even close was a unique circumstance for the Blue Devils, who'd won their five previous postseason games by an average margin of 27 points.

Moravia never led against Randolph, victimized by some early hot shooting by the Cardinals' Carson Conley (12 points at halftime, 22 overall including four 3-pointers). 

It didn't help matters that sophomore forward Joe Baylor (eight points, five rebounds) was called for two early fouls on charge calls and forced to exit the game. Moravia played without Baylor for the final 3:30 of the first quarter and the entire second quarter. 

Despite his absence, Moravia trailed by only four, 17-13, at the end of the first quarter and three, 23-20, at halftime. 

Baylor returned to start the second half and knocked down some early shots. But whatever boost gained from his re-entry was quickly canceled out when, three minutes into the third quarter, Abram Wasileski (12 points, four rebounds) went down awkwardly with an apparent knee injury while battling for a loose ball. 

Wasileski did not return to the game. 

As Moravia tried to adjust without its leading scorer, Randolph continued its workmanlike effort. Conley's second 3-pointer of the third quarter put the Cardinals ahead by 11 points with 2:27 left in the frame, the biggest difference of the game at any point. 

Lacking for much of the game, Moravia found its groove from distance toward the end of the third. Drew Nye, Wasileski's replacement, drained a 3 in the waning seconds of the quarter, following by another early in the fourth that trimmed Randolph's lead to five. 

Point guard Kyler Proper (10 points, four assists) added his own 3 that brought Moravia within two, 43-41, with 5:20 left in regulation. That shot signalled the game's first true shift in momentum toward the Blue Devils, but it was fleeting.

Instead of a building block toward a triumphant comeback, that shot proved to be Moravia's last gasp. Randolph held the Blue Devils to only one more basket in the final five minutes, delivering Moravia only its second loss — but certainly the most consequential — of the season.

Moravia bows out knowing it played its final game without an entire toolbox at Mulvaney's disposal. Considering Baylor's early foul trouble and Wasileski's injury, the Blue Devils' starting lineup played only seven out of a possible 32 minutes together. 

"Obviously not having the two of them in our lineup really hurt us," Mulvaney said. "Where it hurt most was our zone offense. And not having them together, because they have great chemistry too, really had us struggling for a bit. The fact that we didn't hit any open 3s in the first half without Joe impacted the game. We couldn't stretch them like we wanted to."

Perhaps the lone saving grace is that Moravia's roster is junior- and sophomore-heavy, with four of five starters returning in 2023-24. 

That's little consolation for the four departing seniors, including starting forward Logan Bell, whose careers come to a close. 

"Our four seniors, we're going to miss dearly," Mulvaney said. "What they do behind the scenes for our team is something you can't really chart with stats.

"This is such a hard journey, such a hard path to even get to this game. It's easier said than done (to get back), but I do think it will motivate us to work hard in the offseason. All you can do is play as hard as you can and hope it makes you better and helps you get to the next level."