WEEK IN REVIEW: BOYS' BASKETBALL

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

12-20-09 - 11:45 p.m. As schools move towards the holiday break a number of teams were searching for crucial early season wins to either give them momentum or place themselves into better position.  Although games down the stretch are how teams are often judged, taking care of business early in the season is just as important to build confidence moving forward.

MONDAY

Germantown at Doane Stuart

Taking on winless Doane Stuart, the Clippers wanted to continue their undefeated season, but to the surprise of most, they were down by one after a quarter. Using a massive 28-8 second quarter, the Clipps were able to fight back and earn a 74-53 victory in the CHVL.

Eight players scored for Germantown, with four of them reaching double digits in the win. Thomas Griffin led the charge with 16 points, while Mike Wyant added 14. Cody Broast chipped in with 11, while Larry Niebling added 10.

Chatham at Catskill

The Panthers headed into Catskill to face the undefeated Cats and held a 5-point lead with under a minute remaining in the game. The Cats' Dean Forrester scored as time ran out to force overtime, and once into overtime, Will Gauthier went the length of the court and scored a layup to tie the game and force a second overtime. In the second overtime, Catskill put things together and held on for a 75-73 win to knock off the Panthers.

Gauthier finished with a game high 27 points, while Brandon Johnson added 18 and Ian McGrath scored 10 in the loss.

TUESDAY

Berlin at Hawthorne Valley

Despite coming in without a win, Hawthorne Valley built on the momentum from two tight games against local rivals Germantown and New Lebanon to upend the Mountaineers 57-35. The Wildcats were able to hold Berlin to single digits in three of the four quarters while allowing just one Mountaineer to reach double digits for the game. A big 22-8 edge in the third quarter helped Hawthorne Valley to seal the win.

Christian Peterson scored a season high 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Sjaak Smeele tied his season high set the game before with 17 points, while five other Wildcats chipped in.

Taconic Hills at Hudson

Both the Titans and the Bluehawks headed into this early week matchup searching for their first win. In front of their home fans, the Bluehawks jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead and held on for a 72-53 win.

Larell Roberts turned in a double-double for Hudson, ending up with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Jeff Crank continued his solid play for Hudson, finishing with 16 points. Nevin Sheldon scored 2 points but unofficially racked up well over 10 assists. Nine other players also got involved in the scoring for Hudson.

Taconic Hills got 11 points from Dylan Dotterer and 9 from Mike Jacobsen. Chris Filli and James McDarby each added 8.

WEDNESDAY

Germantown at Loudonville Christian

In a battle of two undefeated league teams, the Clippers headed up to Loudonville and jumped out to a 20-9 lead after one quarter. The Clipps pushed that lead to 15 heading into the half, and it got as high as 20 in the second half before the Eagles came storming back. By the end of the third, Germantown’s lead had been cut to 5, and the Eagles outscored the Clippers by 10 in the fourth en route to a 65-60 win.

The Clippers held Loudonville Christian to just one three-pointer in the game. The Eagles came in averaging more than two a contest. A trio of players, T.J. Duguid, Luke Khachadourian, and Cullen Overholt hurt the Clippers as they scored 57 of their team's 65 points. 

For Germantown, Cody Broast scored 15 points, including a trio of triples. Mike Wyant added 12, while Thomas Griffin and David Lyons each chipped in 10.

THURSDAY

Heatly at Hawthorne Valley

Off their first win of the year, Hawthorne Valley hosted the Hornets of Heatly but fell 67-52. The Wildcats fell behind by 6 after one quarter, and Heatly expanded that lead after every quarter en route to the victory.

Christian Peterson scored 18 in the loss, while Alan Gallardo added 10. Five other players scored for Hawthorne Valley, including Sjaak Smeel and Emil DeJong who scored 9 and 8 respectively.

Coxsackie Athens at Chatham

The Indians traveled to Chatham and pulled off a minor upset, knocking off the Panthers 54-52. Coxsackie was leading by 6 coming out of the half before the Panthers cut their deficit to just 1. Chatham was not able to take over the game, however, and they fell by two.

Brandon Johnson led Chatham with 18 points, while Will Gauthier was held to a season low 11. Five other players, all underclassmen, also scored for the Panthers in the loss.

Hudson at Cairo-Durham

The Bluehawks went on the road against a hard-nosed, defense-minded Mustang squad and fell behind 5 early. Hudson battled back outscoring Cairo by 17 points over the second and third quarters as they cruised to a 53-41 win—their second win of the year and in a row.

Jeff Crank led the way with 17 points, including a pair of threes, while Nevin Sheldon added 10, and Larell Roberts scored 9. Talib Barksdale added 8, while Lindon Alert put in 6 in the win.

FRIDAY

New Lebanon at Berlin

The Tigers remained undefeated in league play thanks in large part to a 9-0 first quarter start against Berlin on Friday.  New Lebanon added double digits in second and third quarters as they won 45-30.

The Tigers got offensive production from just five players, with Bryan Potter leading the way with 21. Todd Ferguson kicked in 15 points in the win. New Lebanon held every Berlin player to single digits.

Waterford at Germantown

The Clippers bounced back from the earlier season loss as they destroyed the Fordians 93-66. Germantown put up an impressive set of points in each quarter, scoring 18, 30, 23, and 22 over the four stanzas.

The Clippers neutralized the Fordians' size down low by bombarding the Waterford defense with shots from deep.  Germantown knocked down nine shots from deep and also got Waterfod in foul trouble as they went to the line for 25 free throws. In contrast, Waterford hit just four threes and went to the charity stripe for only 8 shots.

Thomas Griffin knocked down four shots from deep and finished with a game high 25 points, while Mike Wyant did his damage from the free-throw line, converting on 8 of 12 shots en route to a season high 22 points. Cody Broast knocked down two from beyond the arc and finished with 20 points, while Larry Niebling also got into double digits with 11.

Taconic Hills at Rensselaer

The winless Titans traveled to undefeated Rensselaer, and the two teams remained on the same tracks after a 59-46 win by the Rams. The Titans were within 2 points after one quarter and down just 4 at the half but had to an endure a 22-6 run by Rensselaer in the third. The Titans fought back some in the fourth quarter, outscoring their opponents 20-13.

Kyle Preusser was the only Titan in double figures, knocking down a pair of shots from deep and shooting a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line en route to 14 points. Mike Jacobsen added 9 in the loss, while Dylan Dotterer scored 8.

Greenville at Ichabod Crane

The Riders remained undefeated as they crushed Greenville 76-44 in Valatie on Friday. The Riders outscored the Spartans by 11 points in the first quarter and added to their lead in the third, outscoring Greenville 23-10.

Derick Horn led the way for ICC with 20 points, including three three-pointers. Chris Larm added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Mitchell Niemeyer added 13 points and multiple assists and steals. Seven other Riders got in on the scoring including Josh Ingham, who scored 6 points on two shots from beyond the arc.

SATURDAY

Chatham at Hudson

In a crucial early season battle, two local rivals fought tooth and nail, with the Bluehawks pulling out a 70-60 win at home. Hudson took a two-point lead after one quarter and continued to add to their lead throughout the game.

Larell Roberts led Hudson with 22 points, while Jeff Crank and Lindon Alert chipped in 14 and 10 respectively. Four other players added points for Hudson, including Nevin Sheldon who scored 9 and added a number of assists.

For Chatham Will Gauthier scored 20 points including five triples. Brandon Johnson continued his strong play with 16 points including his first three-pointer of the year. Five other players also scored for the Panthers.