WEEK IN REVIEW/SECTION PREVIEW: BOYS' BASKETBALL
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports
This week's basketball schedule was close to bare since there were only three makeup games and one nonleague game scattered throughout the week for our local teams, but the big news to come from this week was the annual Section II seeding meetings for Class AA, A, B, C, and D. Columbia County has schools being represented in Class A, B, and D this year as representatives from the Patroon Conference and Central Hudson Valley League begin their quest for a sectional title.
First we’ll take a look at the four local games and then delve into each school's sectional matchups and what the rest of their class looks like for the upcoming tournament.
SATURDAY
Chatham at Cairo Durham
The Panthers' season came to a close on Saturday when they fell to Cairo 52-36 before deciding to forgo postseason play. The first half was hotly contested as the two teams each put up 10 points in the first quarter before the Mustangs outscored Chatham by 2 in the second to hold a slight halftime lead. Coming out of the half, the Panthers started slow and were outscored 21-11 and that third period spelled the end for a comeback chance.
Only six players scored for Chatham, led by Will Gauthier who finished with 9 points and was held to single digits for just the second time this season. Brandon Johnson added 8, Junha Shin had 7, and Sebastian Acheson chipped in six in the loss.
SUNDAY
Hawthorne Valley vs. New York City Steiner
The Wildcats traveled to Buffalo to face off with Steiner on Sunday and came away with a 66-22 blowout victory. Hawthorne Valley put up 16 points in each of two quarters and 17 points in each of the other two quarters, while holding their opponents to single digits in all four periods.
Hawthorne Valley got scoring contributions from nine players, with Christian Peterson leading the way with 18 points. Allan Gallardo knocked down three triples on his way to 11 points, while Sjaak Smeele added 10.
THURSDAY
Ichabod Crane at Rensselaer
The Riders got back on the winning track, bringing home a 50-34 win over the home-standing Rams. ICC fell behind by a point after a quarter but outscored Rensselaer 21-5 in the second quarter and 11-8 in the third to help them post the 16- point win.
Eight players scored for ICC, with three hitting for double digits. Chris Larm led the way with 12 points, Derick Horn added 11, and Josh Ingham hit two three-pointers on his way to 10 points.
Hudson at Catskill
Seedings were handed out on Wednesday, and if one were to take a look at Class B where the Bluehawks were seeded twelfth and the Cats fourth, this Patroon Conference matchup would look like a mismatch. But Hudson earned a big win and gave themselves a momentum boost heading into postseason play by posting a hard fought 62-59 road win. The Bluehawks have now won three in a row heading into sectional play.
Larell Roberts made eight shots from the field, two from deep, and seven from the free-throw line as he scored 29 big points. Senior point guard Nevin Sheldon added 11 points, while Jeff Crank and Lindon Alert put in 9 and 8 respectively.
SECTIONAL PREVIEW
CLASS A - ICC: We thought the Riders had a pretty big range where they could fall after their loss to Catskill, but we didn’t realize there were just nine teams in Class A. Still we thought two wins to end the year could see the Riders in the top two, but their loss to Catskill would cause a drop. After seeing the seedings, I think even if the Riders had picked up two wins they still would have been fourth at best, as it stands they are seeded fifth.
The Riders will take on the fourth-seeded Tartans of Scotia at Hudson Valley on Sunday. Scotia finished 10-3 in the tough Foothills League and will certainly provide a stiff test for the Riders. Scotia isn’t a particularly tall team, so that should play well into the Riders' strength, which is their size. The key will be slowing down the Scotia shooters, namely junior Terrell Winney, who’s buried 65 threes this year.
The Riders love to play zone, but that often opens up chances for three-pointers and could play well into Scotia’s hand. Could we see some box-in-one action with Josh Ingham guarding Winney? The key for the Riders is to limit Tartan three-point attempts while taking their time on offense, feeding the ball into the post, and taking advantage of their size.
The rest of Class A is varied and interesting. The top-seed Lansingburgh has 6’10” Tyler Hammett and two good-scoring wings in Sajae Pryor and Salaam Knight, but even the top seed could be upset when they face ninth-seeded Bishop Gibbons. Gibbons' record isn’t strong, but they come in battle-tested from playing in the toughest league in all of Section II: the Big 10. Neither matchup would be great for ICC in the next round, but both are beatable teams. In the bottom half of the bracket, South Glens Falls relies almost solely on three players but have a lot of size in those three guys, matching up well with the Riders. They’ll face Burnt Hills in the first round, another team who’s record isn’t great but is coming in after playing all year against mainly Class AA foes in the Suburban Council. The other first-round game features third-seeded Averill Park, which always plays in the Suburban and is a deep, tall, and talented team facing off a guard-oriented Gloversville team.
If I were to pick right now I think the Riders have a good shot in the first round if they aren’t overwhelmed by the situation. I think ICC would have a tough match in the second round but certainly have a shot. My pick right now for the Class A winner comes from the bottom of the bracket. It's either South Glens Falls or Averill Park, with me leaning toward South Glens Falls to bring home a title.
CLASS B - Hudson: We thought the Bluehawks could get seeded anywhere from eighth to tenth, and after seeing Catskill earn the fourth seed, I thought Hudson was in good shape. For some reason the committee seemed to reward the Cats for their play in the league but then penalize Hudson for being in the Patroon.
As the twelfth seed the Bluehawks must open postseason play on Tuesday on the road at Johnstown. The Sir Bills went 7-6 in the tough Foothills but are very beatable as the sixth seed. Johnstown relies mainly on three players, but they are surely led by Ian Yost, a pure power player down low. A key to beating their zone is three-point shooting and forcing Yost to make tough plays and earn fouls. Jeff Crank can really shoot for Hudson, and Larell Roberts has had stretches of shooting and driving. Those two will be big, but keep an eye on young guard Lindon Alert who’s length when driving may help draw fouls. I’ve thought all year Hudson would be best served playing man to man, but they’ve stayed zone for the most part, and that could help them here in trying to neutralize Yost. Johnstown is battle-tested and may have the best player in the game, so normally I’d lean toward them, especially since it’s home, but Hudson is playing well. The game is a real tossup, but I think, top to bottom, Hudson has more talent and can escape with a close win.
If Hudson were to win, the next round is also certainly winnable since they’d match up with either Cairo or Catskill, who for some reason were matched up in the first round despite playing in the Patroon and having already played twice. I think Hudson lucked out a bit. Their first two games are winnable, and they know that. The only true powerhouse team in their group is top-seeded Fonda.
In the bottom half, second-seeded Watervliet and third-seeded Schuylerville are both very good, while teams like Schenectady Christian (sixth) and Broadalbin Perth (seventh) have plenty of talent. My pick right now would likely pit Fonda against Schuylerville, and I’ll take the upset and take a veteran and deep Black Horse squad from Schuylerville.
CLASS D - Germantown: Our pick for the Clippers was a second seed and a potential final four matchup against Sharon Springs, and when the seedings came out, there was Germantown at number two and Sharon Springs at three. The good news for the Clippers is that they'll receive a first-round bye and not have to play until Sunday at Saint Rose, when they will face the winner of Hawthorne Valley-Northville. The Clipps would come in favored over both, especially the Wildcats who they’ve already defeated twice this year in the CHVL. A potential final four match with Sharon Springs would feature two teams with a balanced scoring attack, but the Clippers have more overall offensive firepower, and I think rebound a bit better, so I think that would lead them into the finals.
The top half of the bracket features top-seeded Argyle who is very good and have some excellent guards, led by Matt Stevens. Argyle could match up with Heatly in the second round, and that’s a dangerous matchup since the Hornets early in the season were one of the best teams in the CHVL, led by the Heffern cousins who can light it up from deep. In the potential fourth-fifth match, New Lebanon finished second in the CHVL, led by arguably the top big man in Class D, Bryan Potter, while the fifth seed is Fort Edward, a historically tough squad from the Adirondack League.
For me this might be the most clear cut bracket since I’d be legitimately surprised if it isn’t Argyle against Germantown in the finals. Both teams are really young and have a good chance of being equally as strong next year, but for this year, I’d take Argyle in a fantastic battle.
CLASS D - New Lebanon: The Tigers finished second in the CHVL and were rewarded with the fourth seed in Class D. Their first round matchup comes on Tuesday, when they will host Hartford from the Adirondack League. Hartford didn’t have a great year, aren’t a big scoring team, and lack great size. All that is good news for the Tigers, who feature a pretty balanced team who have some scoring options, although they clearly rely on junior big man Bryan Potter and junior guard Mike Gavrity to do the majority of the scoring.
A first round win would likely send them to face Fort Edward, which has had a strong team in the past but is a bit down this season and seems like a favorable matchup for the Tigers. A potential final four matchup with top-seeded Argyle looms. The two teams played earlier in the year in Argyle, with the Scotties pulling out an 82-76 overtime win. I’m sure the Tigers would love nothing more than to get a bit of revenge over Argyle in the final four and then get some revenge on Germantown in the finals.
CLASS D - Hawthorne Valley: The Wildcats come into sectional play as one of the hottest teams around, having won their last five games and six of their last seven. We said last week that we thought their seeding range was pretty wide, but I thought their finish to the year would earn them a home game. Instead they find themselves as the tenth seed and headed to Northville on Tuesday. Northville comes in as a middle-of-the-pack team in the WAC, but they do feature two very good scorers in MacKenzie Groff and Mike Van Nostrand. The key will obviously be slowing them down, while also getting solid scoring contributions of their own. Forwards Christian Peterson and Sjaak Smeele—both 6'2"—have been playing well, but I think bigger keys will be how guard Allan Gallardo and big man Emil DeJong complement the two talented forwards. I think this is a winnable game for the Wildcats, but it’s on the road and I think Groff is the best player in the game. I’ll take the Wildcats because they are hot, but they will have a tough time in the next round against Germantown, although they have played the Clippers tough this year.
