THE BIG BASKETBALL GAMES OF LAST WEEK
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports Editor
Since there were a number of boys’ and girls’ basketball games going on last week, we’ll take a look at the biggest games as the teams approach the halfway mark of conference schedules.
BOYS BASKETBALL
New Lebanon 55—Doane Stuart 42
New Lebanon 43—Berkshire 31
After beating Berkshire in their first league game of the year, New Lebanon was quickly letting their season slip away with six straight league losses, but the Tigers may have saved their season with two crucial wins last Tuesday and Thursday.
A close first half was blown open with a terrific third and fourth quarter on Tuesday as New Lebanon cruised to a 13 point win over Doane Stuart. The key was getting offensive variety, since three different players scored in double digits. Sophomore big man Bryan Potter scored a season-high 19 points to lead the way, while Kodiak Mullins scored 12, and, another sophomore, Ben Burgess added 10.
The Tigers built on that win with their second of the season over Berkshire. New Lebanon got consistent scoring in every quarter while holding the Bulldogs to single digits in all four stanzas. Again it was Potter who led the way, this time with 16 points, including 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Mullins chipped in with another 12, and four other players scored to help New Lebanon to the win.
Ichabod Crane 50—Hudson 47
In their second meeting of the year with the Riders, the Bluehawks were hoping to defend their home turf, but a slow start was too much for them to overcome. ICC jumped out by 12 after one quarter and extended that to 16 by the half, as they took it to their Patroon Conference rivals. In the second half, Hudson started to heat up while the Riders went ice cold, allowing Hudson back into the game. Although the Bluehawks got close, they could never fully close the gap. The Riders remain a game back of Maple Hill, and Hudson fell to 5-4.
Sean Shattenkirk led the way for ICC with 16 points including three from behind the arc, while juniors Josh Ingham and Chris Larm added 13 and 12 respectively. Ingham, like Shattenkirk, knocked down a trio of three-point shots.
For Hudson, Justin Brantley scored 17 points, and Barry King added 10. Jacori Anderson, who gave the Riders fits in their first meeting, was held to just 4 points in the second.
Hudson 42—Chatham 45
The Panthers picked up a huge win over rival Hudson at home during Panther Pride Day on Saturday. After trailing by 9 at the half, the Panthers came out strong and took control down the stretch. In the waning moments, with the game hanging in the balance, Josh Keyes converted a lay up to give the Panthers the lead for good.
The win is affects both teams in a big way: the Panthers improve to 6-4 in the league; Hudson falls to 5-5. Both teams are right in the middle of the pack of the Patroon but are headed in opposite directions after last week as Chatham went 2-0 and Hudson went 0-2.
Not only did Keyes score the game-winning basket, he also led the way for Chatham, scoring 14 points. Will Gauthier added 9, and Brian Gauthier added 8.
Barry King scored 12 to lead Hudson, but no other Bluehawk got to double digits in the loss.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Ichabod Crane 47—Scotia 32
Ichabod Crane 30—Mohonasen 53
Ichabod Crane 53—Rome Free Acadmey 50
Ichabod Crane went on the road for three games this past week and walked away with two wins—key for a team that needs to rack up as many wins as possible heading toward sectionals.
The win at fellow Class A Scotia was a solid one since the Tartans have performed well against other Class A schools. Ichabod jumped ahead early and maintained control throughout, especially in a 14-4 third quarter.
The Riders hit three triples and converted their free throws, making 12 of 19. Becca Smith led the way scoring 12 points, while Rachel Dellehunt added 8, and Courtney Barry and Elena Ooms each added 7.
The loss to Mohonasen was not as a shock since the Mighty Warriros had trounced ICC earlier this year and are considered by most to be the best Class A team in Section II girls’ basketball at the moment. ICC struggled mightily to get their offense going throughout the course of the game. No player reached double digits for the Riders. Dellehunt and Sarah Wheeler led the team in scoring with 6 points a piece.
The win over RFA is difficult to judge because the team is from out of section. What you can see is that the Riders traveled a long way, fell behind, but used a good fourth quarter to pull out a tough road win, and showed heart. ICC went into the fourth quarter down 4 but outscored their opponents 19-12.
Again it was threes and free throws that helped the Riders pull out the win. They nailed three triples again and went to the line 36 times, converting 22. Smith led the Riders with 15 points, including 7 from the free throw line, and Wheeler added 9. Haley Ooms knocked down two three-pointers en route to a total of 8 points.
Taconic Hills 30—Coxsackie-Athens 42
After picking up a win earlier in the week against Chatham, the Titans could not keep their momentum going. Taconic Hills took a three-point lead after one quarter, saw the lead cut to two at the half, and then re-extended to three heading into the fourth quarter, but neither their offense or defense could get it going in the final quarter, and they were outscored 20-6.
Rachel Preusser led the way for the Titans offense with 15 points, scoring in double digits for the fifth time in six games.
Germantown 49—Emma Willard 37
Facing unbeaten Emma Willard, a fellow school in the Central Hudson Valley League, the Clippers continued their undefeated run with a comfortable win on Tuesday. Germantown jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead and never looked back.
Caitlin Briggs led the way with 25 points, her second 20-point plus game of the year, and Taylor Race added 11 in the league victory.
