GAME OF THE WEEK: CLIPPERS MOVE INTO CLASS D FINAL FOUR

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

03-01-10 - 12:30 p.m. - For the third time this season, the Germantown and Hawthorne Valley boys' basketball teams matched up on the court, but this time not as Central Hudson Valley League foes but instead as Class D tournament participants. With a berth to the sectional final four on the line, the Wildcats made the trip to Germantown just a day after dispatching seventh-seeded Northville.

In their two previous meetings this season, the Clippers had earned two wins, 63-48 and 61-37. Despite the seemingly lopsided scores, both games were played closer than it seemed, and the Wildcats finished both games strong. Coming into this sectional battle the Wildcats had won five games in a row while the CHVL champion Clippers had won eight in a row.

In the first half, the Wildcats ran their offense through the perimeter, largely ignoring 6’7” senior center Emil DeJong, despite his obvious height advantage in the post. His only points in the opening minutes came on an offensive rebound and follow. Coming out of the half, DeJong started by grabbing a board and scoring down low, while teammate Max Ocean quickly followed that with a triple to cut the deficit to 6. Germantown responded with a three from Broast and two free throws from Niebling, while DeJong continued to run the floor hard, working the offensive boards and trying to keep his team in it. DeJong scored 8 points in the quarter, but Broast and Griffin combined to score 14, and the Clippers eased into the fourth up 51-34.

Brandon Jason hit a three to start the fourth for the Clippers, and the game was all but decided then. Jason’s triple was the last of eight long range shots nailed by Germantown in the game. Hawthorne Valley, as they’ve done all year, continued fighting and made the final score look closer, but Germantown cruised to a 66-54 victory.

Thomas Griffin finished with a game-high 22 for the Clipps, while Cody Broast added 20. Mike Wyant chipped in with 9 for Germantown, and Larry Niebling added 7. For the Wildcats, Emil DeJong finished with 16 points, and Alan Gallardo kicked in 12. Hawthorne Valley’s leading scorers Christian Peterson and Sjaak Smeele combined to score just 15 in the loss.

Up next for Germantown is a trip to Glens Falls either Tuesday or Wednesday for the Class D final four. Their opponent is still not yet finalized since conference rival Loudonville Christian won their first round game, but third-seeded Sharon Springs did not even play their first round matchup until Sunday when they came away with a win.

Germantown and Loudonville Christian split their season series at one game each in the league this year, but the two teams went in vastly different directions down the stretch, which is where the Clippers got their win. Third-seeded Sharon Springs is the defending Section II Class D champion and finished 13-6 overall, 8-4 in the Western Athletic Conference Southern Division. The Spartans have one player who has scored over 250 points this year, and five others have scored over 100 points on the season. Sharon Springs, much like the Clippers, likes to get up and down the floor, move the ball around, and get points from a number of players. Although they have two other perimeter threats, only one player, Matt Larkin, is a consistent threat from deep. In either potential final four matchup, the Clippers would be favored but not by much, so it should make for an interesting showdown.