SECTIONAL PREVIEW: CHATHAM BOYS' BASKETBALL
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports Editor
The Chatham boys’ basketball team earned themselves the tenth seed in Section II Class B and will travel to Cohoes on Tuesday night to play the seventh-seeded Tigers. Chatham, which finished the season 11-9 overall and 9-9 in the Patroon Conference, is a young team who finished the season well, winning four of six down the stretch. They will have to face a veteran Cohoes team led by nine seniors who are coming off a 11-9 overall and 11-5 in conference season. That 11-5 mark was good enough for third place in the highly competitive Colonial Council.
The two teams have not met this season but do have a common opponent, Mechanicville, who each team played twice—once at home and once the road. The Panthers topped Mechanicville in both meetings, by the scores of 66-57 on the road and 58-50 at home, while Cohoes won their matchups with Mechanicville 64-39 and 50-34. Based on experience with a common opponent and a veteran-laden lineup, the Tigers seem to have the edge over the Panthers heading into the contest.
Chatham is made up of a good mix of youth and veterans, but it has been the energetic play and adjustment to the speed of the varsity game by the young guys that has turned the Panthers season around. Sophomore point guard Will Gauthier is big for the position (6' 1”) and is a terror as a defender and a rebounder. His ability to get to the hoop and finish or draw fouls—81 free throw attempts while knocking down over 70 percent—or to bury a three-pointer—he has a team-high 28—make him a dangerous all-around option. A pair of 6' 2” sophomore forwards go about their scoring in different ways. Both Brandon Johnson and Josh Keyes can make hoops down low or off offensive rebounds, but what makes them dangerous and good complements to each other is Johnson’s ability to knock down the open jumper, while Keyes is a strong-bodied slasher. Also don’t sleep on senior Brian Gauthier, who provides quality defense and leadership along with the ability to drive or knock down the occasional triple.
The Panthers’ job defensively will be pretty simple: stop 6' 4” senior Nick Benoit—a task easier said than done. Despite the fact that the Tigers have four guys who have scored over 100 points this year, it is Benoit who has topped the 300-point mark this season and has scored nearly 30 percent of his team’s points this year. Despite his size, Benoit is third on the team in threes, sinking 15, and he also tops in free throws both attempted and made. His combination of inside and outside scoring abilities, along with his rebounding, make him a tough matchup for almost any team in Class B. Junior forward Josh Lemay is a wide body who can also score inside and out, while senior guard Greg Tessier brings leadership and the ability to knock down the three.
Chatham may have the height and length to help at least slow down Benoit, because I’m not certain he can be completely stopped. The key for this young Panther squad will be consistent play, which they have lacked at times this year because of their youth. Their defense can wreak havoc on an opposing team’s offense, and they will need to do that and limit Benoit’s touches to win this game. I don’t think it’s impossible for Chatham to win this game, I just think it’s always tough to deny a really good senior player on his home court in Sectionals. Plus I think Chatham’s best days are still a year or two away, when they will be very dangerous threats.
Prediction: Chatham 51—Cohoes 62
