I was at Mechanicville/Stillwater girls basketball on different business yesterday - which will be the norm from here on out - so there wasn't really any tweeting. However, let's talk about the game a little bit.
My Thoughts - Mechanicville is good. I'm not sure how they'll respond when a team can successfully make it ugly against them, but Stillwater wasn't able to do that. It was a game of 2 contrasting styles - Stillwater wants to beat you 35-30, Mechanicville wants to beat you 75-70. Mechanicville dictated the pace of the game throughout. The 3 best players on the floor all were wearing red, which is a pretty surefire way of getting a win. They were able to frustrate Stillwater early with defensive pressure, and it paid dividends the rest of the way. Mechanicville went into a 3/4 court 1-3-1 and dropped back into the same zone if Stillwater broke it, which didn't happen as much as you'd hope. I'm not sure what Stillwater's offense is against a 1-3-1 zone - I'm not sure if they even have one. I only saw 1 time where they used a 2-guard set to attack the odd-guard zone - it worked, until a girl was called for a travel in the paint. I kinda felt bad for Stillwater's point guard, Kayla Zdonick. Not sure how many turnovers she had (a lot, probably), but I can't put the blame on her for most of them. When you're being pressured - trapped at times - and the wings are hiding behind the wings in the 1-3-1, there's really not much you can do. As usual against a zone like this, the opposite post area was left susceptible by a Mechanicville squad that was looking to jump passing lanes and get steals, but active hands on D and a lot of players shying away from the ball for Stillwater made that connection only happen a handful of times.
Turning Point - It was a slow start for both squads early, with Mechanicville mustering a couple Julia Amodeo buckets & Stillwater hitting 3 free throws in the first few minutes. Mechanicville made the switch from man (which was working just fine) to the 3/4 court 1-3-1, and the rest was history. Zdonick, or whoever the ballhandler was for Stillwater, was hung out to dry while getting trapped, and steal after steal turned into a bevy of transition buckets. Stillwater was held to 17 points in the first 3 quarters, and Mechanicville turned that 4-3 start into a 16-5 game after 1 and a 59-29 final.
Now, let's talk about who made an impression on me.
Julia Amodeo (Mechanicville, soph): Smart player with skill. Fundamental game, scored pretty easily. She plays with much more composure than the average sophomore. Not afraid to go right or left with the same amount of frequency, and has the most effective jab step I've seen in girls hoops this young season. She can shoot well from the perimeter, but she doesn't rely on it. Anticipates well on defense, and excelled in the zone and matching up.
Amanda Kenyon (Mechanicville, soph): Fearless for her size. She's their starting point guard, and she's the type of point guard you want. Handles the ball well against pressure, really effective changing speed and direction - shook a couple girls on the behind-the-back dribble early. Has her head up, looking ahead and is a pass-first point guard, but she's also not afraid to take it to the rack herself. She really shines on the defensive end - looks like their leader. Quick feet, slides and stays in front. Battled foul trouble all night, but still hustled every step of the way. 2nd foul, picked up midway through the 1st quarter, was the worst call of the night.
Courtney Pingelski (Mechanicville, sr): Pingelski represented this Section II region in the BCANY Hoops Festival this past summer, so it's not a secret that she can play a little bit. Tall for a guard at the Class B level - at 5'8" with long arms, she's nearly the tallest player on her team and plays the tallest with her wingspan - and uses that gift to create havoc by getting hands in the passing lane. Willing to take it to the rack, but she likes to let it fly from deep. Led her team in scoring with 15.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Tartans Start Strong, Finish Strong Over OFA
Scotia-Glenville 72, Ogdensburg Free Academy 50
Set the tone.
As a player, as a coach, as a basketball league administrator, any role in hoops I play - I preach that. Pretty much every other coach does, too.
The Scotia-Glenville Tartans - now the defending Class A Federation champion Scotia-Glenville Tartans - did just that, using a zone defense shading to deny OFA standout Kinnon LaRose any breathing room on the catch. While OFA started cold, Scotia was shooting over 50%, took a double-digit lead 6 minutes into the game and never let it drop back to single digits against a state semifinalist in Class B last season.
Ogdensburg scored first on a Jack Manke jumper, which Scotty Stopera responded to a minute later with his only 3 points of the game. That 3 gave Scotia the lead for good, less than 2 minutes into the game.
Damn, I just took the suspense out of this article, didn't I?
Scotia started a little slowly on offense, relying on the 3 in the first few minutes which wasn't dropping. Once they stopped settling, everything started flowing. They held Ogdensburg scoreless for the last 4:31 of the 1st quarter while reeling off 11 points, 5 from Joe Cremo and 4 from Mike Palleschi, to forge a 16-4 lead after 1. The UAlbany commit split a pair of free throws with 1:58 left in the 1st to get that double-digit lead. The balance continued for Scotia in the 2nd, and Diamond Corker showed he was worth more than being on the Section 2 All-Name 1st Team. Corker scored 8 of his 10 points in the 2nd, including 5 straight directly after LaRose's first points to give Scotia their first 20 point lead of the night. LaRose, who has been offered by Division I Hartford (same school that Saratoga grad Noah Arciero is at), didn't get on the board until his three with 2:18 left in the first half made it 29-14. After the Corker trey made it a 20 point game, LaRose scored on back-to-back possessions, giving him all 7 of his points in the half in a 1:21 stretch. Joe Almond finished the half with a trey for Scotia, sending them in the locker room with a 39-18 edge - their largest of the half.
Ogdensburg started off the 2nd half with a bit more fire. A Seth Pinkerton three followed a Peyton Lalone basket to bring it to 16 and (maybe?) give them some momentum. So much for that. After an empty possession each way, Cremo lined up a three from 22 feet out, nailed it and got fouled. The 4 point play woke Scotia back up and got them going. Ogdensburg made one more interesting push in the 3rd, when a 7-2 run culminating in a Tristan Moore bomb made it 45-32 with 4:26 left in the 3rd. Scotia responded with a 13-2 run in 2:21 of game time (6 coming from Cremo) that stretched the lead to 24 late in the 3rd. LaRose did well on his own to duel Cremo & Co., but he certainly got going a little too late, and he could use some help - the way Cremo has Palleschi, Stopera, Almond, Corker, etc. OFA quickly knocked it down to 17 in the opening seconds of the 4th, thanks to a 7-0 run with 4 points coming from Kinnon, but Scotia responded as always. Cremo scored 7 points for the Tartans in a stretch of just over 2 minutes, and a Joe Almond bucket following that gave Scotia their largest lead of the night at 68-43 with 4:47 left.
You don't always get to see scholarship-level talent against scholarship-level talent, and we were able to see that tonight in Kinnon LaRose vs. Joe Cremo. Even better, Ogdensburg ditched the 3-2 zone and went man-to-man in the 2nd half. LaRose guarded Cremo. Watching that matchup in itself was worth the trip - really interesting battle. Scotia stayed in their zone the whole game, continuing to try and make Kinnon's life miserable. He certainly got the better of it once his first bucket fell, but he was entirely too relaxed deferring to teammates early. I also loved the intensity of the matchup - it felt more like a sectional semifinal than an early December inter-section battle. The house was packed and you could feel the buzz in the crowd. They knew they were getting a treat. The intensity spilled over into a couple mini-incidents when the game was in hand in the 2nd half, but that's part of the business between two teams used to success. I wasn't complaining.
LaRose led his team with 19 points, all of them coming in a stretch that was just over 14 minutes of action. Jack Manke, OFA's big man, added 12 points. Joe Cremo was the game's high scorer, finishing with 32 points for Scotia. Mike Palleschi added 15 points; Diamond Corker and Joe Almond finished with 10 apiece for the Tartans. Free throws and field goal percentage inside the arc were a solid difference tonight: OFA shot 4/10, compared to a 16/20 Scotia squad. Scotia was blistering inside the arc, getting layup after layup. They shot 19/29 on anything worth 2 points. Turnovers were basically even, OFA committing 11 turnovers compared to Scotia's 10, and OFA shot 6/20 from beyond the arc compared to 6/19 from Scotia.
The crowd, including the Dog Pound, came out in full force for this one and they got a treat. I know I enjoyed myself, and I'll be making a trip back to Scotia soon!
Set the tone.
As a player, as a coach, as a basketball league administrator, any role in hoops I play - I preach that. Pretty much every other coach does, too.
The Scotia-Glenville Tartans - now the defending Class A Federation champion Scotia-Glenville Tartans - did just that, using a zone defense shading to deny OFA standout Kinnon LaRose any breathing room on the catch. While OFA started cold, Scotia was shooting over 50%, took a double-digit lead 6 minutes into the game and never let it drop back to single digits against a state semifinalist in Class B last season.
Ogdensburg scored first on a Jack Manke jumper, which Scotty Stopera responded to a minute later with his only 3 points of the game. That 3 gave Scotia the lead for good, less than 2 minutes into the game.
Damn, I just took the suspense out of this article, didn't I?
Scotia started a little slowly on offense, relying on the 3 in the first few minutes which wasn't dropping. Once they stopped settling, everything started flowing. They held Ogdensburg scoreless for the last 4:31 of the 1st quarter while reeling off 11 points, 5 from Joe Cremo and 4 from Mike Palleschi, to forge a 16-4 lead after 1. The UAlbany commit split a pair of free throws with 1:58 left in the 1st to get that double-digit lead. The balance continued for Scotia in the 2nd, and Diamond Corker showed he was worth more than being on the Section 2 All-Name 1st Team. Corker scored 8 of his 10 points in the 2nd, including 5 straight directly after LaRose's first points to give Scotia their first 20 point lead of the night. LaRose, who has been offered by Division I Hartford (same school that Saratoga grad Noah Arciero is at), didn't get on the board until his three with 2:18 left in the first half made it 29-14. After the Corker trey made it a 20 point game, LaRose scored on back-to-back possessions, giving him all 7 of his points in the half in a 1:21 stretch. Joe Almond finished the half with a trey for Scotia, sending them in the locker room with a 39-18 edge - their largest of the half.
Ogdensburg started off the 2nd half with a bit more fire. A Seth Pinkerton three followed a Peyton Lalone basket to bring it to 16 and (maybe?) give them some momentum. So much for that. After an empty possession each way, Cremo lined up a three from 22 feet out, nailed it and got fouled. The 4 point play woke Scotia back up and got them going. Ogdensburg made one more interesting push in the 3rd, when a 7-2 run culminating in a Tristan Moore bomb made it 45-32 with 4:26 left in the 3rd. Scotia responded with a 13-2 run in 2:21 of game time (6 coming from Cremo) that stretched the lead to 24 late in the 3rd. LaRose did well on his own to duel Cremo & Co., but he certainly got going a little too late, and he could use some help - the way Cremo has Palleschi, Stopera, Almond, Corker, etc. OFA quickly knocked it down to 17 in the opening seconds of the 4th, thanks to a 7-0 run with 4 points coming from Kinnon, but Scotia responded as always. Cremo scored 7 points for the Tartans in a stretch of just over 2 minutes, and a Joe Almond bucket following that gave Scotia their largest lead of the night at 68-43 with 4:47 left.
You don't always get to see scholarship-level talent against scholarship-level talent, and we were able to see that tonight in Kinnon LaRose vs. Joe Cremo. Even better, Ogdensburg ditched the 3-2 zone and went man-to-man in the 2nd half. LaRose guarded Cremo. Watching that matchup in itself was worth the trip - really interesting battle. Scotia stayed in their zone the whole game, continuing to try and make Kinnon's life miserable. He certainly got the better of it once his first bucket fell, but he was entirely too relaxed deferring to teammates early. I also loved the intensity of the matchup - it felt more like a sectional semifinal than an early December inter-section battle. The house was packed and you could feel the buzz in the crowd. They knew they were getting a treat. The intensity spilled over into a couple mini-incidents when the game was in hand in the 2nd half, but that's part of the business between two teams used to success. I wasn't complaining.
LaRose led his team with 19 points, all of them coming in a stretch that was just over 14 minutes of action. Jack Manke, OFA's big man, added 12 points. Joe Cremo was the game's high scorer, finishing with 32 points for Scotia. Mike Palleschi added 15 points; Diamond Corker and Joe Almond finished with 10 apiece for the Tartans. Free throws and field goal percentage inside the arc were a solid difference tonight: OFA shot 4/10, compared to a 16/20 Scotia squad. Scotia was blistering inside the arc, getting layup after layup. They shot 19/29 on anything worth 2 points. Turnovers were basically even, OFA committing 11 turnovers compared to Scotia's 10, and OFA shot 6/20 from beyond the arc compared to 6/19 from Scotia.
The crowd, including the Dog Pound, came out in full force for this one and they got a treat. I know I enjoyed myself, and I'll be making a trip back to Scotia soon!
The Podium: Section 3, December 5
These full slates of games make sifting through tiring. If you're on here tonight, you had a damn good game. Boys first.
Gold: Chase LaCava had himself a night. LaFayette jumped up on top of Fabius-Pompey and had to hold the Falcons off in a furious 4th quarter to win 65-62, and Chase went in. Section 3 night-high 35 points for the Lancer standout, and I'm sure they'll be hoping for a lot more of that from him.
Silver: It's child abuse down low! When you mix a 6'9"ish or more, lanky frame with someone that has legitimate basketball skill, good touch, a jumper, all that.. sorry, Camden. You got torched. Lehigh commit Caleb Sedore, the first Division I basketball player at Pulaski, had 25 points and 17 boards for Class C Pulaski in their road win over Class A Camden in the battle of the Blue Devils, 54-39.
Bronze: Tyler Reynolds & Jordan Roland are the definition of a dynamic duo. It's nearly impossible to pick which one had a better game tonight for Westhill because each of them dominate in their own fashion. I have to pick one though, so I'll roll with Tyler. He had 9 rebounds to go with his 29 points, and 16 of those 29 came in the 2nd half, where they eventually put Jamesville-Dewitt away in a 81-60 decision. The team to watch in Syracuse, although they're a Class B, starts off the right way yet again.
Anddd time for the girls.
Gold: Frankfort took a loss to a Poland team that they probably shouldn't have lost to. They responded by beating a team I was surprised to see them knock off in Sherburne-Earlville, and of course Danielle Migliore had a lot to do with it. The stud junior gave the Marauders 30 reasons why they should've tried to keep the ball out of her hands. 30 points, 10 boards, and a 65-55 W!
Silver: Ice Cube would've classified this as a good day, and who am I to say no to Ice Cube? Annie Giannone started off her season the right way for Auburn. She's already got 1,000 points, so might as well spread the wealth (which she's done all high school anyway). Last night, she messed around & got a triple double! 11 points.. 12 assists.. 11 steals... I mean, try and beat that stat line. Go ahead. I'll wait!
Bronze: Sophomore Payton Noeller had big-time numbers for her Cato-Meridian squad in a matchup against Port Byron that always seems to have a little added passion to it. She picked up 22 points, 11 boards, and 3 steals, and her team came out with a 45-41 victory. Big nights on the stat sheet are nice, but they're even nicer in a close win.
Gold: Chase LaCava had himself a night. LaFayette jumped up on top of Fabius-Pompey and had to hold the Falcons off in a furious 4th quarter to win 65-62, and Chase went in. Section 3 night-high 35 points for the Lancer standout, and I'm sure they'll be hoping for a lot more of that from him.
Silver: It's child abuse down low! When you mix a 6'9"ish or more, lanky frame with someone that has legitimate basketball skill, good touch, a jumper, all that.. sorry, Camden. You got torched. Lehigh commit Caleb Sedore, the first Division I basketball player at Pulaski, had 25 points and 17 boards for Class C Pulaski in their road win over Class A Camden in the battle of the Blue Devils, 54-39.
Bronze: Tyler Reynolds & Jordan Roland are the definition of a dynamic duo. It's nearly impossible to pick which one had a better game tonight for Westhill because each of them dominate in their own fashion. I have to pick one though, so I'll roll with Tyler. He had 9 rebounds to go with his 29 points, and 16 of those 29 came in the 2nd half, where they eventually put Jamesville-Dewitt away in a 81-60 decision. The team to watch in Syracuse, although they're a Class B, starts off the right way yet again.
Anddd time for the girls.
Gold: Frankfort took a loss to a Poland team that they probably shouldn't have lost to. They responded by beating a team I was surprised to see them knock off in Sherburne-Earlville, and of course Danielle Migliore had a lot to do with it. The stud junior gave the Marauders 30 reasons why they should've tried to keep the ball out of her hands. 30 points, 10 boards, and a 65-55 W!
Silver: Ice Cube would've classified this as a good day, and who am I to say no to Ice Cube? Annie Giannone started off her season the right way for Auburn. She's already got 1,000 points, so might as well spread the wealth (which she's done all high school anyway). Last night, she messed around & got a triple double! 11 points.. 12 assists.. 11 steals... I mean, try and beat that stat line. Go ahead. I'll wait!
Bronze: Sophomore Payton Noeller had big-time numbers for her Cato-Meridian squad in a matchup against Port Byron that always seems to have a little added passion to it. She picked up 22 points, 11 boards, and 3 steals, and her team came out with a 45-41 victory. Big nights on the stat sheet are nice, but they're even nicer in a close win.
The Podium: Section 2, December 5
So many games. So many options. Boys first.
Gold: It's not every game in upstate NY that you get to see a Division I prospect matched up against another Division I prospect. Ogdensburg/Scotia offered that, and OFA's Kinnon LaRose (offered by Hartford, interest has been shown by many more) guarded Scotia's Joe Cremo (Albany commit) the whole 2nd half. Kinnon did quite well on the offensive end himself, but Joe went off for 21 of his game-high 32 points after halftime doing it the Cremo way: kinda quietly. You realize he's doing well. Then you total up his numbers and think 'damn, that much?' It's because he's not too flashy. He doesn't force bad shots. He works hard every second and because of that, he consistently gets good shots. Joe did a lot of that tonight in those 32 points, and his defending Federation champ Tartans were up 21 at halftime en route to a 72-50 W over a team that made it to the state semis in Class B last year - and lost a close one to a Westhill team that hammered Olean in the state final.
Silver: Lake George/Argyle has become quite a rivalry game. The two best teams in the Adirondack lately, both with recent state championships to their name. This rivalry game wasn't much of a game, thanks in large part to another standout night from LG's Joel Wincowski. The UMBC commit dropped 37 for his squad in their 84-44 thrashing of the Scots. Joel and the rest of the squad look like they're coming out with a vengeance to redeem themselves from the sectional semifinal loss last year.
Bronze: Probably 4 people I could put here, but one thing that factors into this decision is the Skip Bayless clutch gene. Can you hit the big shot? Chris Boucher can, and he did. The Fort Edward standout got help from Dylan Heroux, but it was Chris who hit the game-winning bucket and came through with 24 big ones in their 67-65 victory. Love it when someone isn't afraid of the moment!
Anddd for the girls.
Gold: Niskayuna and Ballston Spa played a close one throughout, and they were tied at the end of 3. Nisky got the better of them in the 4th to win 46-41, and many thanks have to go to Deirdre Schutzman for that. She finished off with 24 big ones, making you think her last name should actually spell $chutzman. Good stuff from the junior to even their record heading into a tough one against Shaker next week.
Silver: Carly Johnson scored her average. Doesn't sound special, until I tell you her average is 25. She's the catalyst behind a lean mean Greenville machine that has won their 3 games by 21, 40, and 35. This 25 was the leading output in a 69-34 shalacking of Catskill. I'm new to Section 2. I didn't realize the soccer stud could hoop too (although she looks like a basketball player) until an old Taconic Hills coach said so. I might have to go to Greenville soon! They get Maple Hill right before Christmas... hmm. Might be a trip!
Bronze: Huge game in a losing effort. The only other thing Zibby Eckhardt could've done is eurostep between 2 girls and throw down a reverse dunk while flexing. She did just about everything else. Hit 2s (6), hit 3s (4), went 6/6 from the line. That's 30 points, good for the highest scoring night in a very busy girls basketball slate in Section 2. Her Guilderland squad lost 56-52 to Columbia, but she had herself a heck of an evening.
Gold: It's not every game in upstate NY that you get to see a Division I prospect matched up against another Division I prospect. Ogdensburg/Scotia offered that, and OFA's Kinnon LaRose (offered by Hartford, interest has been shown by many more) guarded Scotia's Joe Cremo (Albany commit) the whole 2nd half. Kinnon did quite well on the offensive end himself, but Joe went off for 21 of his game-high 32 points after halftime doing it the Cremo way: kinda quietly. You realize he's doing well. Then you total up his numbers and think 'damn, that much?' It's because he's not too flashy. He doesn't force bad shots. He works hard every second and because of that, he consistently gets good shots. Joe did a lot of that tonight in those 32 points, and his defending Federation champ Tartans were up 21 at halftime en route to a 72-50 W over a team that made it to the state semis in Class B last year - and lost a close one to a Westhill team that hammered Olean in the state final.
Silver: Lake George/Argyle has become quite a rivalry game. The two best teams in the Adirondack lately, both with recent state championships to their name. This rivalry game wasn't much of a game, thanks in large part to another standout night from LG's Joel Wincowski. The UMBC commit dropped 37 for his squad in their 84-44 thrashing of the Scots. Joel and the rest of the squad look like they're coming out with a vengeance to redeem themselves from the sectional semifinal loss last year.
Bronze: Probably 4 people I could put here, but one thing that factors into this decision is the Skip Bayless clutch gene. Can you hit the big shot? Chris Boucher can, and he did. The Fort Edward standout got help from Dylan Heroux, but it was Chris who hit the game-winning bucket and came through with 24 big ones in their 67-65 victory. Love it when someone isn't afraid of the moment!
Anddd for the girls.
Gold: Niskayuna and Ballston Spa played a close one throughout, and they were tied at the end of 3. Nisky got the better of them in the 4th to win 46-41, and many thanks have to go to Deirdre Schutzman for that. She finished off with 24 big ones, making you think her last name should actually spell $chutzman. Good stuff from the junior to even their record heading into a tough one against Shaker next week.
Silver: Carly Johnson scored her average. Doesn't sound special, until I tell you her average is 25. She's the catalyst behind a lean mean Greenville machine that has won their 3 games by 21, 40, and 35. This 25 was the leading output in a 69-34 shalacking of Catskill. I'm new to Section 2. I didn't realize the soccer stud could hoop too (although she looks like a basketball player) until an old Taconic Hills coach said so. I might have to go to Greenville soon! They get Maple Hill right before Christmas... hmm. Might be a trip!
Bronze: Huge game in a losing effort. The only other thing Zibby Eckhardt could've done is eurostep between 2 girls and throw down a reverse dunk while flexing. She did just about everything else. Hit 2s (6), hit 3s (4), went 6/6 from the line. That's 30 points, good for the highest scoring night in a very busy girls basketball slate in Section 2. Her Guilderland squad lost 56-52 to Columbia, but she had herself a heck of an evening.
Friday, December 5, 2014
The Podium: Section 2, December 4
Let's add a little nightly thing, too. The podium, short for the award
podium. We'll give you our gold, silver, and bronze awards nightly for
the top performances. Start with the boys!
Gold: You know John Sica is a pretty smart kid. The Bethlehem senior has committed to attend Columbia next year. It's an Ivy League school. Kind of a big deal. Also Division I. Gotta be able to hoop in order to play there, and that's what he'll be doing. The 6'7" tweener showed why he attracted the D1 interest, dropping 25 (23 in the first 3 quarters) along with about a half-dozen swats in Bethlehem's 69-53 W over Mohonasen - article coming about that later. I guess he can hoop a little bit.
Silver: You know you had a good game when I put you here in a losing effort. Josh Gonzalez did just that. The 6'6" workhorse had 23 points and 14 rebounds against Section IV Class AA Vestal, and the Class C Cougars certainly kept this close at the Drago tournament in Oneonta, losing 65-60. On the team scale, performances like this will make Phil Schoff's squad a definite contender in Class C. On the individual scale, Gonzalez's point total heading into the season is one that looks like a future 1,000 point possibility. He needs to average 20ish a game without missing time in order to get there, but a night like this gets him off on the right foot. The Energizer Bunny point count: 648.
Bronze: You know you had a good game when I put you here in a losing effort. Sound familiar? It was Josh's teammate. Colin Davis let that thing fly, and a whole lot of them went in. He actually led the Cougars in scoring with 26 - and he owned that land outside 19'9". 8 treys on the night. Bang bang!
Andddd time for the girls.
Gold: Duanesburg's standout led them again, this time in a 36-30 W over Section IV Class C Unatego. Rachel Gamache had 15 in the W as they worked their way to a double-digit halftime lead. The dual threat is a natural post who can step out and hit threes, which causes matchup nightmares in the WAC.
Silver/Bronze: How about we give those to Gamache too? The only other game was a 68-13 beatdown Emma Willard gave Doane Stuart, and I caught some of that... that's not getting on here.
Gold: You know John Sica is a pretty smart kid. The Bethlehem senior has committed to attend Columbia next year. It's an Ivy League school. Kind of a big deal. Also Division I. Gotta be able to hoop in order to play there, and that's what he'll be doing. The 6'7" tweener showed why he attracted the D1 interest, dropping 25 (23 in the first 3 quarters) along with about a half-dozen swats in Bethlehem's 69-53 W over Mohonasen - article coming about that later. I guess he can hoop a little bit.
Silver: You know you had a good game when I put you here in a losing effort. Josh Gonzalez did just that. The 6'6" workhorse had 23 points and 14 rebounds against Section IV Class AA Vestal, and the Class C Cougars certainly kept this close at the Drago tournament in Oneonta, losing 65-60. On the team scale, performances like this will make Phil Schoff's squad a definite contender in Class C. On the individual scale, Gonzalez's point total heading into the season is one that looks like a future 1,000 point possibility. He needs to average 20ish a game without missing time in order to get there, but a night like this gets him off on the right foot. The Energizer Bunny point count: 648.
Bronze: You know you had a good game when I put you here in a losing effort. Sound familiar? It was Josh's teammate. Colin Davis let that thing fly, and a whole lot of them went in. He actually led the Cougars in scoring with 26 - and he owned that land outside 19'9". 8 treys on the night. Bang bang!
Andddd time for the girls.
Gold: Duanesburg's standout led them again, this time in a 36-30 W over Section IV Class C Unatego. Rachel Gamache had 15 in the W as they worked their way to a double-digit halftime lead. The dual threat is a natural post who can step out and hit threes, which causes matchup nightmares in the WAC.
Silver/Bronze: How about we give those to Gamache too? The only other game was a 68-13 beatdown Emma Willard gave Doane Stuart, and I caught some of that... that's not getting on here.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The Podium: Section 3, December 4
Let's add a little nightly thing, too. The podium, short for the award podium. We'll give you our gold, silver, and bronze awards nightly for the top performances. Start with the boys!
Gold: Down at halftime and after 3 quarters, Herkimer junior Mitchell Scherer led the Magicians to a comeback win over Canastota on their home court, 57-54. He had a career-high 30 in the W, topping an old high of 28 from last season. He's now averaging 27 on this very young season. It's the first time a boy in a Magician uniform has scored 30 since Jon Adamson 9 years ago, and it's also the first time Herkimer boys have started 2-0 in 8 years... my sophomore year of high school! Shoutout to me.
Silver: A year ago, as a sophomore, Ryan Schmadel had a night in Oriskany's opener that he'll never forget. 47 points in a 90-81 shootout over Hamilton. No, I won't forget it either. 47 tonight was a little out there, but he certainly did do enough to garner the silver for tonight. 28 points, including 2 on a hammer, in his squad's 61-50 W over lifetime rival Westmoreland. The junior's moving ever-so-much closer to 1,000 points, should be there midway through the season.
Bronze: Worthy of being in this discussion is yet another junior, Weedsport's JJ O'Connor. He had 20 in the opener and followed it up with 26 tonight, a 65-44 W over rival Port Byron. A big-bodied guard that I called Boy Wonder since he's probably been in the weight room since he got out of the womb, he's a horse against Class C competition. Oh yeah, I think today's total pushed him over 800 points. He'll be at 1,000 soon too...
Anddd for the girls.
Gold: Bruh, Lexi Tubbs went in. I don't care what class it is. She set new career highs in each of her last 2 games, this one being 35 in Madison's 58-50 W over Otselic Valley. I haven't found any other stats, but I'm gonna guess she was out there getting boards too. She's now averaging 31.5 on the young season. I wonder who I'm trying to stop if I'm playing the Blue Devils this season?
Silver: I mean, dropping 31 is pretty cool too. Samantha Doupe did just that for Phoenix, and in a close game which makes it even better. They were tied after 1.. after 2.. after 3.. but got the edge to beat Solvay 66-62. The only other double-digit scorer for Phoenix had 11 - she was able to outduel Delperuto (20) and DeGonzaque (14). Guys, by the way... she's a freshman. Look out.
Bronze: I'll let you take your pick, because by the numbers, Shiane Irwin and Mikayla Blumenstock both had a huge impact for Poland in their 62-57 comeback W over Frankfort. Although Frankfort has a legitimate Division I prospect in Danielle Migliore (the junior standout had 26 tonight), the Tornadoes - whose top returning player, Kara Morrison, is out for the season - answered with major contributions from these two. Shiane led them in scoring with 21 and added 5 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals; Mikki was right with her, finishing with 20 points, 9 rebounds (team-high), 2 assists, and 4 steals (team-high). Not bad, not bad at all!
Gold: Down at halftime and after 3 quarters, Herkimer junior Mitchell Scherer led the Magicians to a comeback win over Canastota on their home court, 57-54. He had a career-high 30 in the W, topping an old high of 28 from last season. He's now averaging 27 on this very young season. It's the first time a boy in a Magician uniform has scored 30 since Jon Adamson 9 years ago, and it's also the first time Herkimer boys have started 2-0 in 8 years... my sophomore year of high school! Shoutout to me.
Silver: A year ago, as a sophomore, Ryan Schmadel had a night in Oriskany's opener that he'll never forget. 47 points in a 90-81 shootout over Hamilton. No, I won't forget it either. 47 tonight was a little out there, but he certainly did do enough to garner the silver for tonight. 28 points, including 2 on a hammer, in his squad's 61-50 W over lifetime rival Westmoreland. The junior's moving ever-so-much closer to 1,000 points, should be there midway through the season.
Bronze: Worthy of being in this discussion is yet another junior, Weedsport's JJ O'Connor. He had 20 in the opener and followed it up with 26 tonight, a 65-44 W over rival Port Byron. A big-bodied guard that I called Boy Wonder since he's probably been in the weight room since he got out of the womb, he's a horse against Class C competition. Oh yeah, I think today's total pushed him over 800 points. He'll be at 1,000 soon too...
Anddd for the girls.
Gold: Bruh, Lexi Tubbs went in. I don't care what class it is. She set new career highs in each of her last 2 games, this one being 35 in Madison's 58-50 W over Otselic Valley. I haven't found any other stats, but I'm gonna guess she was out there getting boards too. She's now averaging 31.5 on the young season. I wonder who I'm trying to stop if I'm playing the Blue Devils this season?
Silver: I mean, dropping 31 is pretty cool too. Samantha Doupe did just that for Phoenix, and in a close game which makes it even better. They were tied after 1.. after 2.. after 3.. but got the edge to beat Solvay 66-62. The only other double-digit scorer for Phoenix had 11 - she was able to outduel Delperuto (20) and DeGonzaque (14). Guys, by the way... she's a freshman. Look out.
Bronze: I'll let you take your pick, because by the numbers, Shiane Irwin and Mikayla Blumenstock both had a huge impact for Poland in their 62-57 comeback W over Frankfort. Although Frankfort has a legitimate Division I prospect in Danielle Migliore (the junior standout had 26 tonight), the Tornadoes - whose top returning player, Kara Morrison, is out for the season - answered with major contributions from these two. Shiane led them in scoring with 21 and added 5 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals; Mikki was right with her, finishing with 20 points, 9 rebounds (team-high), 2 assists, and 4 steals (team-high). Not bad, not bad at all!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Gator Chomp: Stretch of Fire Gives Sage a W
Sage 76, Cazenovia 53
In basketball - well, any sport really, but especially basketball - a small stretch of a game can make a huge difference.
Basketball is also a game of runs, so if a team keeps fighting, things can fall their way and perhaps they'll find their way back into the game. Sometimes though, the run a team hits you with can be insurmountable. That's what the home Russell Sage Gators gave Cazenovia.
This one took special interest to me because each team features a freshman from the Little Falls girls squads that won't be forgotten for a long time, and perhaps the two most noted names in Gen Schoff (Sage) and Kelli Shepardson (Cazenovia). This tidbit meant next-to-nothing in the game itself, but it's not something you see every day, especially coming out of a Class C program. They both saw their share of run - Schoff starts, and Shep will find herself among the first off the bench, playing as much or more than some of the starters. Cazenovia held a lead in the opening moments, but that stopped after Megan Plahanski's bucket made it 4-2. Amie Jefferson (Colonie) tied it for Sage, and Sara Tironi (Cambridge) split a pair of free throws to give Sage a lead at 5-4 3:02 into the game. They'd never give that lead up. Sage extended their run to 10-0 on a made free throw by Krystyn Knockwood (Troy) - the run was broken by none other than Kelli Shepardson. She followed that with a putback a minute later, and the teams traded points for nearly 4 minutes consecutively before Megan Bowman had back-to-back breakaway layups off her own pickpocketing to make it 20-12. Cazenovia responded by going on an 8-2 spurt, the last 4 coming from Erin O'Malley. 22-20.
That's when it all went downhill.
2 Amie Jefferson free throws. Lea McClain bucket. Frankie Pearson trey. Megan Bowman. That all happened in 74 seconds. Skylar Girard (Glens Falls) hit a pair of free throws to quickly bring the Wildcat deficit back to single digits, but that was short-lived. Sage eventually reeled off an 8-2 spurt in the final 1:36 of the half, pushing the halftime lead to 16 at 43-27. Free throws were the Gators' friend - that, and Cazenovia's carelessness with the ball. Caz coughed it up 19 times in the 1st half, and although both teams hit the double bonus relatively easily, Caz had so many team fouls in the half, the announcer gave up on the amount and started saying 'over the limit'. Cazenovia went 10/13 in the line that half, which is a decent amount of free throws in its own right. Sage went 13/22. Jefferson herself went 8/9, and she led Sage with 12 at the break.
Cazenovia had a chance to get back into it with a nice start in the 2nd half. Well, that didn't happen. The Gators ran off 13 straight to start the half, and a Krysta Vanacore three gave them their largest lead of 29 at 56-27 with 16:22 left, only to be matched once. Over a stretch of 9:09 spanning the late stages of the 1st half and early stages of the 2nd, the score went from 22-20 to 56-27 - a 34-7 Sage run. It came at a price that may have an effect beyond this game, though. Frankie Pearson, a sophomore from Hoosick Falls and arguably their best player, knocked down a corner 3 and got fouled in the process. I've seen more graceful landings. She came down on a defender's foot and man, did that ankle roll... an ankle that had a brace on it. If anyone reading this has sprained an ankle while wearing a brace, you know the feeling. It's worse and causes more damage. The dangers of braces and your muscles relying on the strength of the brace. Been down that road. Wish the best for her, because it looked nasty. On Caz's end, Sky Girard done stepped it up a notch. In 3 previous games, she scored 24 points in 50 minutes. That included a 21 point outburst over the weekend against Hilbert. That momentum kept on rolling, as she was a bright spot for the Wildcats, even when they were getting walloped. They finally got their 1st points in the half on a pair of Shepardson free throws 4 minutes in. Girard then scored 9 points in a 3:13 stretch, including back-to-back threes. She hit another one a couple minutes later, and a Mary Salo hook shot off the glass finally got Cazenovia back within 20. That lasted 48 seconds. Even with Pearson out of action and mainly 2nd string players in, Sage was able to go on a final 11-1 run while holding their opponents without a field goal for 6:17, bringing the lead to 29 one more time on a Julia Race layup.
Amie Jefferson led all scorers with 20 points - that included going 12/14 from the line, and she added a game high 14 rebounds. Pearson added 14 points and 4 steals, including 3 treys, before going down with 17:38 left. Vanacore added 12, all of them coming in the 2nd half. Megan Bowman also finished in double digits - the emotional leader of the crew had 10 points and a game high 8 assists and 4 steals. All 7 of Krystyn Knockwood's points came before halftime. Sara Tironi started down low and added 5 points to the cause. Julia Race had 4, and Lea McClain and Gen Schoff had 2. Cazenovia's only double digit scorer was Skylar Girard - the freshman followed up her 21 last game with 17 in the only game she'll be playing this year relatively close to her hometown. That included going 4/6 from downtown. Erin O'Malley added 8 points and a game high 5 blocks, and Kelli Shepardson had 6 and 5 rebounds. Although Shep came off the bench, she actually led Cazenovia in minutes played with 23. Rachael McDonough (Lansingburgh) and Mary Salo (Berne-Knox-Westerlo) had 4 points apiece, and McDonough added a team high 11 boards. 6 Wildcats recorded 2 points each - Kali Davis (Jordan-Elbridge), Shanna Staff, Megan Plahanski, Haley Zambito, D'Andrea Watson, and Taylor Spranger. Nateasha Williams (Northville) and Sierra Szwec had 1 point each, rounding up the 13 players who scored for Cazenovia.
Yo, Sage's backcourt is serious!
In basketball - well, any sport really, but especially basketball - a small stretch of a game can make a huge difference.
Basketball is also a game of runs, so if a team keeps fighting, things can fall their way and perhaps they'll find their way back into the game. Sometimes though, the run a team hits you with can be insurmountable. That's what the home Russell Sage Gators gave Cazenovia.
This one took special interest to me because each team features a freshman from the Little Falls girls squads that won't be forgotten for a long time, and perhaps the two most noted names in Gen Schoff (Sage) and Kelli Shepardson (Cazenovia). This tidbit meant next-to-nothing in the game itself, but it's not something you see every day, especially coming out of a Class C program. They both saw their share of run - Schoff starts, and Shep will find herself among the first off the bench, playing as much or more than some of the starters. Cazenovia held a lead in the opening moments, but that stopped after Megan Plahanski's bucket made it 4-2. Amie Jefferson (Colonie) tied it for Sage, and Sara Tironi (Cambridge) split a pair of free throws to give Sage a lead at 5-4 3:02 into the game. They'd never give that lead up. Sage extended their run to 10-0 on a made free throw by Krystyn Knockwood (Troy) - the run was broken by none other than Kelli Shepardson. She followed that with a putback a minute later, and the teams traded points for nearly 4 minutes consecutively before Megan Bowman had back-to-back breakaway layups off her own pickpocketing to make it 20-12. Cazenovia responded by going on an 8-2 spurt, the last 4 coming from Erin O'Malley. 22-20.
That's when it all went downhill.
2 Amie Jefferson free throws. Lea McClain bucket. Frankie Pearson trey. Megan Bowman. That all happened in 74 seconds. Skylar Girard (Glens Falls) hit a pair of free throws to quickly bring the Wildcat deficit back to single digits, but that was short-lived. Sage eventually reeled off an 8-2 spurt in the final 1:36 of the half, pushing the halftime lead to 16 at 43-27. Free throws were the Gators' friend - that, and Cazenovia's carelessness with the ball. Caz coughed it up 19 times in the 1st half, and although both teams hit the double bonus relatively easily, Caz had so many team fouls in the half, the announcer gave up on the amount and started saying 'over the limit'. Cazenovia went 10/13 in the line that half, which is a decent amount of free throws in its own right. Sage went 13/22. Jefferson herself went 8/9, and she led Sage with 12 at the break.
Cazenovia had a chance to get back into it with a nice start in the 2nd half. Well, that didn't happen. The Gators ran off 13 straight to start the half, and a Krysta Vanacore three gave them their largest lead of 29 at 56-27 with 16:22 left, only to be matched once. Over a stretch of 9:09 spanning the late stages of the 1st half and early stages of the 2nd, the score went from 22-20 to 56-27 - a 34-7 Sage run. It came at a price that may have an effect beyond this game, though. Frankie Pearson, a sophomore from Hoosick Falls and arguably their best player, knocked down a corner 3 and got fouled in the process. I've seen more graceful landings. She came down on a defender's foot and man, did that ankle roll... an ankle that had a brace on it. If anyone reading this has sprained an ankle while wearing a brace, you know the feeling. It's worse and causes more damage. The dangers of braces and your muscles relying on the strength of the brace. Been down that road. Wish the best for her, because it looked nasty. On Caz's end, Sky Girard done stepped it up a notch. In 3 previous games, she scored 24 points in 50 minutes. That included a 21 point outburst over the weekend against Hilbert. That momentum kept on rolling, as she was a bright spot for the Wildcats, even when they were getting walloped. They finally got their 1st points in the half on a pair of Shepardson free throws 4 minutes in. Girard then scored 9 points in a 3:13 stretch, including back-to-back threes. She hit another one a couple minutes later, and a Mary Salo hook shot off the glass finally got Cazenovia back within 20. That lasted 48 seconds. Even with Pearson out of action and mainly 2nd string players in, Sage was able to go on a final 11-1 run while holding their opponents without a field goal for 6:17, bringing the lead to 29 one more time on a Julia Race layup.
Amie Jefferson led all scorers with 20 points - that included going 12/14 from the line, and she added a game high 14 rebounds. Pearson added 14 points and 4 steals, including 3 treys, before going down with 17:38 left. Vanacore added 12, all of them coming in the 2nd half. Megan Bowman also finished in double digits - the emotional leader of the crew had 10 points and a game high 8 assists and 4 steals. All 7 of Krystyn Knockwood's points came before halftime. Sara Tironi started down low and added 5 points to the cause. Julia Race had 4, and Lea McClain and Gen Schoff had 2. Cazenovia's only double digit scorer was Skylar Girard - the freshman followed up her 21 last game with 17 in the only game she'll be playing this year relatively close to her hometown. That included going 4/6 from downtown. Erin O'Malley added 8 points and a game high 5 blocks, and Kelli Shepardson had 6 and 5 rebounds. Although Shep came off the bench, she actually led Cazenovia in minutes played with 23. Rachael McDonough (Lansingburgh) and Mary Salo (Berne-Knox-Westerlo) had 4 points apiece, and McDonough added a team high 11 boards. 6 Wildcats recorded 2 points each - Kali Davis (Jordan-Elbridge), Shanna Staff, Megan Plahanski, Haley Zambito, D'Andrea Watson, and Taylor Spranger. Nateasha Williams (Northville) and Sierra Szwec had 1 point each, rounding up the 13 players who scored for Cazenovia.
Yo, Sage's backcourt is serious!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Rensselaer Roundup: Riders & Rams Rally
Ichabod Crane 51, Heatly 42
What's cooler than being cool?
Well, Andre 3000 probably would've had Heatly in his head while singing 'ice cold' if he caught this one. Even with the Hornets shooting colder than the temperature, the outcome of the game remained at least somewhat in question until the final minute.
It took nearly 4 minutes for the game's first made field goal, a Sean Daly bucket for Ichabod Crane that brought the game to 4-2, with 4 Heatly free throws beforehand. Despite shooting just 1/13 in the 1st quarter, the Hornets maintained a 9-6 lead after 1 after a Marcel Walls trey banked home with :48.7 showing on the clock. The Riders shot just 3/13 themselves in the quarter and had 7 turnovers. An Austin Horton layup in the opening seconds of the 2nd gave Heatly their largest lead of 5, but Ichabod Crane went on a 9-0 while holding Heatly scoreless for nearly 4 minutes to jump on top by 4. It was a Peter Volkmann bucket that gave them the lead at 12-11 with 5:59 left in the 2nd, a lead they would never relinquish (although Heatly tied it up on 2 occasions after). Following a free throw from Daly and a Jimmy Hollister bucket, Horton hit a 3 to bring Heatly back within 2, where the score remained at 18-16 after 1 half. The numbers resembled Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder playing 2K.. too far? Heatly shot 4/33, and they were within 2. Ichabod wasn't helping their cause, shooting 8/31 themselves. For the math majors, the teams combined to shoot under 19% from the field in the half. Thankfully, it stepped up a little after intermission.
The majority of the scoring in the 1st came from Ichabod Crane's Sean Daly and Heatly's Austin Horton. That continued in the 3rd. A Daly bucket was answered by 2 from Austin Horton to tie it at 20, and once it tied again at 22, Daly scored twice more and a Volkmann three completed a 7-0 run in 1:18 (hey, some quick scoring!) to make it 29-22. Of course, Heatly answered with 2 more buckets from Horton, and Ichabod finished the quarter with a Daly free throw and jumper. Horton Heard a Daly? 32-26 Ichabod Crane after 3. Sean had 18 of the Riders' 32; Austin had 17 of the Hornets' 26. If a team got someone else to step up, they'd win.. enter Brad Kittle. The 6'6" lefty sophomore checked into the game for the 2nd time right before the end of the 3rd quarter. He started the 4th, and gave his coach Will Ferguson ten big reasons to keep in the game. Kittle started out the quarter with a bucket, and 2 Hollister free throws gave them their first double-digit lead. After the lead shrunk to 5, Kittle had baskets on 3 consecutive possessions to give Ichabod its largest lead of 11. His final points of an offensive explosion in the 4th came with 2:10 left, and they put Ichabod Crane back up 11 at 46-35. Of course, Heatly had an answer. A Thomas Weisenforth and 1 and a Horton bucket completed a 7-0 run to sneak Heatly back within 4 with :48.4 left, but Ichabod Crane held Heatly off by making 5 of its last 6 free throws (3/4 for Hollister, 2/2 for Volkmann) as the Riders escaped with a 2nd win. Sean Daly, averaging not much less than 50% of his team's points on the season, led Ichabod Crane again with 20 points. Austin Horton did the same, finishing with 19 for Heatly. The difference maker had to be Brad Kittle - even though Heatly made it interesting, his contribution in the 4th quarter sealed it for the Riders.
Rensselaer 53, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 47
The final score ended up being nearly the same, but you couldn't tell by the start. Whatever these two teams to bring the energy like they did at the beginning of the game... I'll have what they're having. Rensselaer scored the first 5 points in the 1st minute, and BKW's Zack Hilton responded with 5 of his own to tie it at 5 less than 2 minutes in. Then they were off to the races. Before you had a second to breathe, Rensselaer was holding onto a 16-15 lead 5 minutes into the game. The teams each shot in the 60% range in the 1st, with the score tied at 17 after 1. Rensselaer initially gave up the lead on a pair of free throws late in the 1st quarter. The game tied 3 times over the next few minutes, including twice in a much slower 2nd quarter. A pair of Rensselaer free throws gave them the lead back at 26-25 with 1:54 left in the half - a lead they wouldn't give up. A Joel Aguila bucket in the last second of the half gave the Rams a 30-27 edge headed into the locker room.
For as fast as the first half started, the 2nd half started in the complete opposite way. It took until 1:48 left in the 3rd for BKW to score, with that being a Hilton bucket, but Rensselaer only scored 6 over that stretch themselves. Justin Houck split a pair of free throws with no time showing on the clock, completing a 3rd quarter that went 6-3 in favor of Rensselaer. The Houck free throw also ended quite a nasty stretch for his team - the team went a whopping 15:01 of game time without anyone but Hilton scoring a point. He had 10 in that stretch. LaVontae Armwood, the most consistent player for the Rensselaer squad, had a bucket to start the 4th. BKW responded with a Justin Barber trey, which ended the final nasty streak of 15:50 without a field goal made by anyone but Hilton. Another Hilton make brought the score to 41-37 with 6:08 left, the closest it had been since halftime. Rensselaer responded by reeling off 9 of the next 11, 4 coming from Armwood. A C.J. Gil three-ball gave the Rams their first double digit lead of the night at 50-39 with 3:26 left. Slade Pulliam scored for BKW, and after a scoreless stretch, Gil hit 2 free throws to stretch the lead to double digits again with 1:33 left. The closest it got after was the final margin of 6, when Houck made a layup in the closing seconds. Rensselaer held off their opponents without needing to connect on a field goal after the Gil three. Armwood led the winners with 16 points - the game's high scorer was BKW's Zack Hilton, who finished with 21.
What's cooler than being cool?
Well, Andre 3000 probably would've had Heatly in his head while singing 'ice cold' if he caught this one. Even with the Hornets shooting colder than the temperature, the outcome of the game remained at least somewhat in question until the final minute.
It took nearly 4 minutes for the game's first made field goal, a Sean Daly bucket for Ichabod Crane that brought the game to 4-2, with 4 Heatly free throws beforehand. Despite shooting just 1/13 in the 1st quarter, the Hornets maintained a 9-6 lead after 1 after a Marcel Walls trey banked home with :48.7 showing on the clock. The Riders shot just 3/13 themselves in the quarter and had 7 turnovers. An Austin Horton layup in the opening seconds of the 2nd gave Heatly their largest lead of 5, but Ichabod Crane went on a 9-0 while holding Heatly scoreless for nearly 4 minutes to jump on top by 4. It was a Peter Volkmann bucket that gave them the lead at 12-11 with 5:59 left in the 2nd, a lead they would never relinquish (although Heatly tied it up on 2 occasions after). Following a free throw from Daly and a Jimmy Hollister bucket, Horton hit a 3 to bring Heatly back within 2, where the score remained at 18-16 after 1 half. The numbers resembled Ray Charles & Stevie Wonder playing 2K.. too far? Heatly shot 4/33, and they were within 2. Ichabod wasn't helping their cause, shooting 8/31 themselves. For the math majors, the teams combined to shoot under 19% from the field in the half. Thankfully, it stepped up a little after intermission.
The majority of the scoring in the 1st came from Ichabod Crane's Sean Daly and Heatly's Austin Horton. That continued in the 3rd. A Daly bucket was answered by 2 from Austin Horton to tie it at 20, and once it tied again at 22, Daly scored twice more and a Volkmann three completed a 7-0 run in 1:18 (hey, some quick scoring!) to make it 29-22. Of course, Heatly answered with 2 more buckets from Horton, and Ichabod finished the quarter with a Daly free throw and jumper. Horton Heard a Daly? 32-26 Ichabod Crane after 3. Sean had 18 of the Riders' 32; Austin had 17 of the Hornets' 26. If a team got someone else to step up, they'd win.. enter Brad Kittle. The 6'6" lefty sophomore checked into the game for the 2nd time right before the end of the 3rd quarter. He started the 4th, and gave his coach Will Ferguson ten big reasons to keep in the game. Kittle started out the quarter with a bucket, and 2 Hollister free throws gave them their first double-digit lead. After the lead shrunk to 5, Kittle had baskets on 3 consecutive possessions to give Ichabod its largest lead of 11. His final points of an offensive explosion in the 4th came with 2:10 left, and they put Ichabod Crane back up 11 at 46-35. Of course, Heatly had an answer. A Thomas Weisenforth and 1 and a Horton bucket completed a 7-0 run to sneak Heatly back within 4 with :48.4 left, but Ichabod Crane held Heatly off by making 5 of its last 6 free throws (3/4 for Hollister, 2/2 for Volkmann) as the Riders escaped with a 2nd win. Sean Daly, averaging not much less than 50% of his team's points on the season, led Ichabod Crane again with 20 points. Austin Horton did the same, finishing with 19 for Heatly. The difference maker had to be Brad Kittle - even though Heatly made it interesting, his contribution in the 4th quarter sealed it for the Riders.
Rensselaer 53, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 47
The final score ended up being nearly the same, but you couldn't tell by the start. Whatever these two teams to bring the energy like they did at the beginning of the game... I'll have what they're having. Rensselaer scored the first 5 points in the 1st minute, and BKW's Zack Hilton responded with 5 of his own to tie it at 5 less than 2 minutes in. Then they were off to the races. Before you had a second to breathe, Rensselaer was holding onto a 16-15 lead 5 minutes into the game. The teams each shot in the 60% range in the 1st, with the score tied at 17 after 1. Rensselaer initially gave up the lead on a pair of free throws late in the 1st quarter. The game tied 3 times over the next few minutes, including twice in a much slower 2nd quarter. A pair of Rensselaer free throws gave them the lead back at 26-25 with 1:54 left in the half - a lead they wouldn't give up. A Joel Aguila bucket in the last second of the half gave the Rams a 30-27 edge headed into the locker room.
For as fast as the first half started, the 2nd half started in the complete opposite way. It took until 1:48 left in the 3rd for BKW to score, with that being a Hilton bucket, but Rensselaer only scored 6 over that stretch themselves. Justin Houck split a pair of free throws with no time showing on the clock, completing a 3rd quarter that went 6-3 in favor of Rensselaer. The Houck free throw also ended quite a nasty stretch for his team - the team went a whopping 15:01 of game time without anyone but Hilton scoring a point. He had 10 in that stretch. LaVontae Armwood, the most consistent player for the Rensselaer squad, had a bucket to start the 4th. BKW responded with a Justin Barber trey, which ended the final nasty streak of 15:50 without a field goal made by anyone but Hilton. Another Hilton make brought the score to 41-37 with 6:08 left, the closest it had been since halftime. Rensselaer responded by reeling off 9 of the next 11, 4 coming from Armwood. A C.J. Gil three-ball gave the Rams their first double digit lead of the night at 50-39 with 3:26 left. Slade Pulliam scored for BKW, and after a scoreless stretch, Gil hit 2 free throws to stretch the lead to double digits again with 1:33 left. The closest it got after was the final margin of 6, when Houck made a layup in the closing seconds. Rensselaer held off their opponents without needing to connect on a field goal after the Gil three. Armwood led the winners with 16 points - the game's high scorer was BKW's Zack Hilton, who finished with 21.
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