Although Hudson had a short run atop the Patroon Conference once Ichabod Crane left to play an independent schedule it has been Maple Hill who has risen to the top in recent years. With Ichabod back in the Patroon and running over teams their match up on Wednesday with the Wildcats becomes even more intriguing. Both teams have made it look easy as they've jumped out to undefeated starts.
Both teams have a lot of height. The Riders can look for a number of different players to lead them on any given night. Rebecca Smith won't be the tallest player in this game but will be one of the toughest on the boards and down low for ICC. Sarah Wheeler has also played well for the Riders so far this year averaging almost 10 points a game. Another foursome of players will also provide size, rebounding and some points down low, Cassidy Austin, Chrissy James, Monica Hall and Hannah Smith.
For Maple Hill their star is Katie Roth a 6'2" Junior. Jessica Dailey and Samantha Hendricks both check in at close to 6' while Anna Racz also brings in some size. Dailey is an important piece because she can stretch a defense by being able to step outside and hit a three.
I think a lot of the size for both of these teams will cancel out, if either is able to really control the boards or outscore the other based on the bigs then that team could actually dominate what should be a close game. Like I said however I think for the most part the bigs cancel each other out which leads us to the wings and guards.
The Riders are going to rely on three players to handle their perimeter duties. Haley Ooms has been running the point and racking up the assists and steals. Her defensive pressure on the ball denying entry passes inside will be key for ICC. Shana Barry has good size and good energy and can step out and hit a three, she's going to be crucial in checking Dailey. Alyssa Stall could be the big key in this game. She's the Rider's most consistent deep threat and her ability to get free and get hot from deep will be big.
For Maple Hill they will rely on Dailey to hit outside shots even though she's tall and Racz to create off the bounce. Kristen DerGurahian will have to come up big on offense and defense. She's always brought a ton of energy to the defensive end. Not having Meeghan Arno at the point this year could be big, she has been a really good creator for them for the last 2 years.
I think the Riders are deeper which certainly plays to their advantage but Maple Hill is a little more versatile. It's an interesting early season match up and neither can overlook undefeated Greenville either. But for now their eyes have to be on this anticipated contest. My gut reaction says Maple Hill starts hot, takes an early lead and in the end holds on 66-59.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Week that was: Columbia County Girl's Basketball
In a bit of a rush so I'm going to skip out on the non local teams for girl's basketball and instead just take a look at the Columbia County teams.
Ichabod Crane-
Their return to the Patroon Conference has been a smooth one so far as the Riders notched two more wins to improve to 4-0 on the young season. The Riders beat up on Cairo and Chatham winning by a combined 144-20, scoring 72 in both games.
Against Cairo the Riders had nine different players score and 5 went for double digits. Cassidy Austin scored a game high 12 points while Alyssa Stall went for 11. A trio of Riders scored 10 points, Shana Barry, Haley Ooms and Sarah Wheeler.
The Riders allowed just four players to score for Chatham while having 10 players score for themselves. Sarah Wheeler led the charge with 12 points while Shanna Barry added 11 and Rebecca Smith had 10.
The Riders will face their biggest test of the season on Wednesday when they host Maple Hill, who took over as the dominant team in the league after the Riders left the league a few years ago. Both teams will head into this game undefeated with early season bragging rights on the line.
Hudson-
After opening their season against powerhouses ICC and Maple Hill the Bluehawks had a pair of games this week and went 1-1 to improve their record to 1-3 in the league. Hudson topped Chatham by 30 points on Tuesday before falling to Rensselaer by four, 33-29 on Friday.
Hudson put 9 players into the scoring column against Chatham with Danielle Kitsock scoring a game high 15 points including a pair of triples. Jenna Turner added 11 while Sam Davis and Skylar Pertilla each scored 8.
In their hard fought loss to the Rams the Bluehawks were outscored by 2 in the first quarer, 8-6 and two more, 4-2 in the fourth falling by 4. Only five players score for Hudson with just one, Sam Davis scoring in double figures with 10.
Hudson will have a shot to draw their league record even next week when they play Taconic Hills and Cairo, two teams who have not been at their best in the early season.
Taconic Hills-
The Titans came into the week 1-1 and played just one game, on Tuesday where they were blown out by Maple Hill 46-13. Taconic Hills managed just 4, 2, 4 and 3 points in each of the four quarters.
Three players scored for the Titans with Alexis McComb scoring 6, Rachel Preusser scoring 4 and Kayla Henderson adding 3.
The Titans have two games schedule next week against two very solid teams in Rensselaer and Hudson. If the Titans can earn two wins they gain a lot of momentum heading into the Holiday break.
Chatham-
The Panthers remained winless after a pair of blowout losses this week. First Chatham fell by 40 to Hudson before falling by 59 to Ichabod Crane.
In the game against Hudson six different players scored for the Panthers. Chatham knocked down 8 three pointers in defeat. Karsyn Sawyer led the way with 9 points all on threes while Marissa Myers scored 8 points including a pair of threes. Erika Sheerin also added 6 points, all from beyond the arch.
Points were hard to come by against ICC as the Panthers scored just 5, 3, 0 and 5 in the four quarters. Four Panthers got into the scoring column led by Caitlin Gilligan who scored 5. Marissa Myers added 4 in the loss while Jackie Sheerin added 3 and Karsyn Sawyer chipped in with a free throw.
Things get no easier next week as the Panthers face off against a very good Catskill squad on Wednesday but may have a shot at their first win Friday when they travel to Coxsackie. The Indians are 0-3 and have been outscored 178 to 47.
Germantown-
The Clippers came into the week at 2-0 and had a pair of games on tap. The Clipps opened the week with a 60-18 thrashing of Hawthorne Valley. On Friday Germantown hosted fellow unbeaten Waterford and fell 57-55. The Waterford contest was back and forth the entire way before the Fordians were able to pull it out in the fourth quarter.
Against the Wildcats the Clipps did not allow their opponents to hit double digits in any quarter. Six different players scored for Germantown led by Taylor Race who finished with 24. Kim Kreig added 19 while Patti Cameron knocked in 11.
The dynamic guard duo of Katie Howe and Jackie Sorensen were big for Waterford on Friday combining for 35 points. For Germantown Taylor Race led all scorers with 27 points including a three pointer and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Kim Kreig added 14 while four other Clipps got in on the scoring action.
Next week the Clipps are schedule to face off against 2-2 Loudonville Christian and winless New Lebanon as they look to get back on the winning track.
New Lebanon-
The Tigers were slated to play just one game this week, Friday against Hawthorne Valley. As of now we have no heard any updates from this game.
The Tigers have a tough week next week with 2 games scheduled. Both contests are against C.H.V.L. elites, Germantown and Waterford.
Hawthorne Valley-
Hawthorne Valley came into the week 0-2 and dropped to 0-3 after a blowout loss to Germantown. The Wildcats were scheduled to play New Lebanon on Friday but we have no been able to track down any reports from that game.
Against Germantown Frances Workman scored 14 of her team's 18 points in the loss.
The Wildcats will search for their first win next week as they play 2-2 Loudonville Christian on Wednesday then winless in league Doane Stuart on Friday.
Ichabod Crane-
Their return to the Patroon Conference has been a smooth one so far as the Riders notched two more wins to improve to 4-0 on the young season. The Riders beat up on Cairo and Chatham winning by a combined 144-20, scoring 72 in both games.
Against Cairo the Riders had nine different players score and 5 went for double digits. Cassidy Austin scored a game high 12 points while Alyssa Stall went for 11. A trio of Riders scored 10 points, Shana Barry, Haley Ooms and Sarah Wheeler.
The Riders allowed just four players to score for Chatham while having 10 players score for themselves. Sarah Wheeler led the charge with 12 points while Shanna Barry added 11 and Rebecca Smith had 10.
The Riders will face their biggest test of the season on Wednesday when they host Maple Hill, who took over as the dominant team in the league after the Riders left the league a few years ago. Both teams will head into this game undefeated with early season bragging rights on the line.
Hudson-
After opening their season against powerhouses ICC and Maple Hill the Bluehawks had a pair of games this week and went 1-1 to improve their record to 1-3 in the league. Hudson topped Chatham by 30 points on Tuesday before falling to Rensselaer by four, 33-29 on Friday.
Hudson put 9 players into the scoring column against Chatham with Danielle Kitsock scoring a game high 15 points including a pair of triples. Jenna Turner added 11 while Sam Davis and Skylar Pertilla each scored 8.
In their hard fought loss to the Rams the Bluehawks were outscored by 2 in the first quarer, 8-6 and two more, 4-2 in the fourth falling by 4. Only five players score for Hudson with just one, Sam Davis scoring in double figures with 10.
Hudson will have a shot to draw their league record even next week when they play Taconic Hills and Cairo, two teams who have not been at their best in the early season.
Taconic Hills-
The Titans came into the week 1-1 and played just one game, on Tuesday where they were blown out by Maple Hill 46-13. Taconic Hills managed just 4, 2, 4 and 3 points in each of the four quarters.
Three players scored for the Titans with Alexis McComb scoring 6, Rachel Preusser scoring 4 and Kayla Henderson adding 3.
The Titans have two games schedule next week against two very solid teams in Rensselaer and Hudson. If the Titans can earn two wins they gain a lot of momentum heading into the Holiday break.
Chatham-
The Panthers remained winless after a pair of blowout losses this week. First Chatham fell by 40 to Hudson before falling by 59 to Ichabod Crane.
In the game against Hudson six different players scored for the Panthers. Chatham knocked down 8 three pointers in defeat. Karsyn Sawyer led the way with 9 points all on threes while Marissa Myers scored 8 points including a pair of threes. Erika Sheerin also added 6 points, all from beyond the arch.
Points were hard to come by against ICC as the Panthers scored just 5, 3, 0 and 5 in the four quarters. Four Panthers got into the scoring column led by Caitlin Gilligan who scored 5. Marissa Myers added 4 in the loss while Jackie Sheerin added 3 and Karsyn Sawyer chipped in with a free throw.
Things get no easier next week as the Panthers face off against a very good Catskill squad on Wednesday but may have a shot at their first win Friday when they travel to Coxsackie. The Indians are 0-3 and have been outscored 178 to 47.
Germantown-
The Clippers came into the week at 2-0 and had a pair of games on tap. The Clipps opened the week with a 60-18 thrashing of Hawthorne Valley. On Friday Germantown hosted fellow unbeaten Waterford and fell 57-55. The Waterford contest was back and forth the entire way before the Fordians were able to pull it out in the fourth quarter.
Against the Wildcats the Clipps did not allow their opponents to hit double digits in any quarter. Six different players scored for Germantown led by Taylor Race who finished with 24. Kim Kreig added 19 while Patti Cameron knocked in 11.
The dynamic guard duo of Katie Howe and Jackie Sorensen were big for Waterford on Friday combining for 35 points. For Germantown Taylor Race led all scorers with 27 points including a three pointer and 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Kim Kreig added 14 while four other Clipps got in on the scoring action.
Next week the Clipps are schedule to face off against 2-2 Loudonville Christian and winless New Lebanon as they look to get back on the winning track.
New Lebanon-
The Tigers were slated to play just one game this week, Friday against Hawthorne Valley. As of now we have no heard any updates from this game.
The Tigers have a tough week next week with 2 games scheduled. Both contests are against C.H.V.L. elites, Germantown and Waterford.
Hawthorne Valley-
Hawthorne Valley came into the week 0-2 and dropped to 0-3 after a blowout loss to Germantown. The Wildcats were scheduled to play New Lebanon on Friday but we have no been able to track down any reports from that game.
Against Germantown Frances Workman scored 14 of her team's 18 points in the loss.
The Wildcats will search for their first win next week as they play 2-2 Loudonville Christian on Wednesday then winless in league Doane Stuart on Friday.
Boys Bball from Thursday & Friday
After a day off from games due to the snow on Wednesday boys basketball got back into the swing of things on Thursday.
THURSDAY
Hawthorne Valley at New Lebanon
After their inspiring play late against Germantown earlier in the week the Wildcats came into New Lebanon looking for an upset but ran into a Tigers squad who is playing some great basketball right now. The Tigers jumped out to an 8 point lead after one and added to their lead in the middle quarters before Hawthorne Valley fought back some in the fourth before falling 58-43.
Bryan Potter again led the Tigers in scoring finishing with 16 points including a trio of triples. Mike Gavrity finished with 15 while Todd Ferguson added 11 in the win. Sjaak Smeele tallied 17 points for the Wildcats while Christian Peterson added 14, but the major factor was 6'7" Emil DeJong being held scoreless in the loss.
FRIDAY
Coxsackie Athens at Taconic Hills
The winless Titans came out fast and took a 3 point lead into the second quarter before the Indians settled in and took over en route to a 66-47 win. The Indians outscored the Titans 33-17 in the second half.
Nate Tailleur hit double digits yet again for the Indians finishing with 16 points while teammates Nathan Barbour and Dan Hanson scored 13 and 12 respectively. For the Titans Mike Jacobsen scored a game high 23 points despite not hitting a three pointer. Jacobsen was one of 7 Taconic Hills players to score but the only one to reach double digits.
Ichabod Crane at Chatham
In a classic Columbia County rivalry the Riders remained unbeaten as they pounded the young yet talented Panthers 64-41. The Riders used a 14-6 first quarter advantage and an 18-8 final quarter to get the win.
Chris Larm recorded a double double for ICC going for 24 points and 12 boards. Derick Horn finished with 14 points for the Riders while Tanner Wolfe added 12. Despite not scoring, senior guard Josh Ingham did a fantastic job in the second half slowing down Chatham's Will Gauthier.
Gauthier finished with a Panther high 24 points, but 15 of those came in the first half. Gauthier was one of just four Panthers who scored in the contest.
Hudson at Rensselaer
In a game that was closed to the public the Rams remained unbeaten and kept Hudson winless after a 60-49 game. The Rams took a two point lead into the half but pushed it to seven heading into the final quarter before sealing the game on a 20-16 run in the fourth.
Chris Britt scored a game high 26 points including 9 of 14 from the free throw line. Britt scored 11 of his points in the final quarter to lead the Rams while also adding 10 rebounds for the game. Mico Perez- De Los Santos added 14 in the win.
For Hudson nine different players got into the scoring column, but just one, Larell Roberts hit for double digits, finishing with 16 points.
Greenville at Maple Hill
The Wildcats blew out the Spartans 76-36 in Patroon Conference action. Maple Hill outscored Greenville in every quarter as they cruised to the victory to remain unbeaten.
Sean Danaher scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds for Maple Hill while David Briggs and Chris Despart added 15 and 14.
Not a single Greenville player reach double digits while their two big scorers, Ross Bentley and John Hicks combined for just 15 points.
Cairo Durham at Catskill
The Cats remained undefeated after a hard fought 61-46 win over the Mustangs Friday night. Catskill jumped out to a 4 point lead after one quarter and extended that to 16 heading into the half. As always the Mustangs did not let up as they cut their deficit to 8 heading into the final quarter but could not close the gap.
Dean Forrester scored a game high 19 points for Catskill. Hassan Spencer added 18 while teammate Jonathan Hall added 10. Three other Cats also got into the scoring action.
Brett Zimmerman led Cairo with 17 points while Cian McGeever scored 13 and Jonathan Halligan added 10.
THURSDAY
Hawthorne Valley at New Lebanon
After their inspiring play late against Germantown earlier in the week the Wildcats came into New Lebanon looking for an upset but ran into a Tigers squad who is playing some great basketball right now. The Tigers jumped out to an 8 point lead after one and added to their lead in the middle quarters before Hawthorne Valley fought back some in the fourth before falling 58-43.
Bryan Potter again led the Tigers in scoring finishing with 16 points including a trio of triples. Mike Gavrity finished with 15 while Todd Ferguson added 11 in the win. Sjaak Smeele tallied 17 points for the Wildcats while Christian Peterson added 14, but the major factor was 6'7" Emil DeJong being held scoreless in the loss.
FRIDAY
Coxsackie Athens at Taconic Hills
The winless Titans came out fast and took a 3 point lead into the second quarter before the Indians settled in and took over en route to a 66-47 win. The Indians outscored the Titans 33-17 in the second half.
Nate Tailleur hit double digits yet again for the Indians finishing with 16 points while teammates Nathan Barbour and Dan Hanson scored 13 and 12 respectively. For the Titans Mike Jacobsen scored a game high 23 points despite not hitting a three pointer. Jacobsen was one of 7 Taconic Hills players to score but the only one to reach double digits.
Ichabod Crane at Chatham
In a classic Columbia County rivalry the Riders remained unbeaten as they pounded the young yet talented Panthers 64-41. The Riders used a 14-6 first quarter advantage and an 18-8 final quarter to get the win.
Chris Larm recorded a double double for ICC going for 24 points and 12 boards. Derick Horn finished with 14 points for the Riders while Tanner Wolfe added 12. Despite not scoring, senior guard Josh Ingham did a fantastic job in the second half slowing down Chatham's Will Gauthier.
Gauthier finished with a Panther high 24 points, but 15 of those came in the first half. Gauthier was one of just four Panthers who scored in the contest.
Hudson at Rensselaer
In a game that was closed to the public the Rams remained unbeaten and kept Hudson winless after a 60-49 game. The Rams took a two point lead into the half but pushed it to seven heading into the final quarter before sealing the game on a 20-16 run in the fourth.
Chris Britt scored a game high 26 points including 9 of 14 from the free throw line. Britt scored 11 of his points in the final quarter to lead the Rams while also adding 10 rebounds for the game. Mico Perez- De Los Santos added 14 in the win.
For Hudson nine different players got into the scoring column, but just one, Larell Roberts hit for double digits, finishing with 16 points.
Greenville at Maple Hill
The Wildcats blew out the Spartans 76-36 in Patroon Conference action. Maple Hill outscored Greenville in every quarter as they cruised to the victory to remain unbeaten.
Sean Danaher scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds for Maple Hill while David Briggs and Chris Despart added 15 and 14.
Not a single Greenville player reach double digits while their two big scorers, Ross Bentley and John Hicks combined for just 15 points.
Cairo Durham at Catskill
The Cats remained undefeated after a hard fought 61-46 win over the Mustangs Friday night. Catskill jumped out to a 4 point lead after one quarter and extended that to 16 heading into the half. As always the Mustangs did not let up as they cut their deficit to 8 heading into the final quarter but could not close the gap.
Dean Forrester scored a game high 19 points for Catskill. Hassan Spencer added 18 while teammate Jonathan Hall added 10. Three other Cats also got into the scoring action.
Brett Zimmerman led Cairo with 17 points while Cian McGeever scored 13 and Jonathan Halligan added 10.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Boys Bball so far this week and picks for Thursday/Friday
Well the snow knocked out one day of games, and left us with just a single Patroon Conference game and a handfull of local C.H.V.L. games leading up to the big slate of contests on Friday. Here's a look at the games that went on Monday and Tuesday.
TUESDAY
Doane Stuart at New Lebanon
The Tigers continue to impress with their early season play as they improved to 2-0 in league play. Although Doane Stuart is no powerhouse a 54-34 win for New Lebanon is still impressive. The Tigers used an 8-1 second quarter to propel them to victory.
Junior big man Bryan Potter continues to improve scoring 25 points after starting the year with 15. Potter impressed with a 3 of 3 performance from the free throw line and knocked down a pair of three's. Mike Gavrity added 8 and Todd Ferguson scored 7 in the win.
Rensselaer at Greenville
The Rams improved to 3-0 in the Patroon after a 73-62 win on the road. Rensselaer built a 7 point lead after one quarter but it was cut to one heading into the half. A strong second however pushed the Rams to the win.
Chris Britt led the Rams in scoring yet again going for 20. A trio of other Rams also hit double digits with Jarrid Wilkinson scoring 17 while Mico Perez-De Los Santos and Marquel Fallen each scored 11.
Ross Bentley led Greenville with 15 points while teammate John Hicks added 13.
Germantown at Hawthorne Valley
In what seemed like a lopsided game played at Columbia Greene Community College turned into a game that was played tighter than the final score indicated. The Clippers took a 26-2 lead after just one quarter and added 8 more points to their lead heading to the half. The Wildcats came out furiously in the second half playing the entire 16 minutes like the game was hanging in the balance. Against both Clippers subs and starters the Wildcats played with heart outscoring Germantown by 17 in the second half but it was not enough as the Clipps held on for the 63-48 win.
Cody Broast hit 3 field goals, 3 three pointers and 3 free throws scoring a game high 18 points for the Clipps. Daniel Thomas added 12 points on 2 field goals, 2 three's and 2 free throws. Seven other Clippers made their way into the scoring column.
For Hawthorne Valley Christian Peterson finished with 13 points while Emil DeJong and Sjaak Smeele each scored 11. Allan Gallardo added 7 in the loss for the Wildcats.
PICKS:
THURSDAY
Hawthorne Valley at New Lebanon
I loved the heart and hustle from the Wildcats against G-Town but they lack the creative scoring prescense to be a consistent threat. Then again if they play as hard as they did in the second half for a whole game, they could be tough for any team with their intensity and length. Still it looks to be like the Tigers have some pieces in place to have a nice year.
New Lebanon 65 -Hawthorne Valley 44
FRIDAY
Coxsackie Athens at Taconic Hills
The Titans are hurting this year, I like Chris Filli inside, Mike Jacobsen can shoot, they've got some youth but this just isn't a dangerous team. If they are going to get a win this year I think it'll be against Greenville. The Indians are better than people think, I was shocked they lost as bad as they did against ICC. Nate Tailleur is tall and long and can really score and Austin Simmons is a monster inside. They do need consistent play from their guards though to become more of a threat.
CA 60 - TH 39
Greenville at Maple Hill
The Spartans have a lot of bodies who play per their usual and a lot of size but don't have that great player. It's been a long while since they had that dominant guy, probably since Albe Hulick. Andrew Clark and Will Grimmond were both quality guys and they couldn't lead the Spartans any higher up the ranks so I don't see how this team could be better. They have a big guy in Bentley who can shoot it, they'll need more than that against Maple Hill. The Wildcats have the perfect ingredients to be a good team....confidence, good coach, uptempo style, hard nosed defense, a dominant big man (Sean Danaher), a good point guard (Dominic Prinzo) and a good scorer on the wing (David Briggs)
Greenville 55 - MH 73
Cairo Durham at Catskill
A defensive minded team against an offensive oriented squad. C-D lost Hunter Phillips their scorer and Piano their point guad but have some solid holdovers in Zimmerman, McGeever and the Halligon boys. Still they struggled at times to score last year and that was with Phillips. You know they'll be well coached and they are going to bring it on the defensive side but I think the Cats have just too much fire power (Taylor, Hall, Forrester) and size (Jones) in this one.
CD 50 - Cat 62
Hudson at Rensselaer
Hudson is 0-2 and really needs a win, the Rams are 3-0 and looking very good early on as they always do. Hudson has lots of talent (but not Jacori Anderson, who's not playing this year) but have lacked consistenty and also had to play the league's top 2 teams (ICC and MH) to open their season. The Rams got an easy one with Greenville but proved their worth over two pretty good teams in Cairo and Chatham. A lot of players doing good things for the Rams this year but the key is to stop Chris Britt. Hudson has the athletes to do that and they've got some kids that can score too like Jeff Crank and Larell Roberts. A big key will be a matchup up undersized, ultra quick football stars who play point guard for their teams, Nevin Sheldon and Mico Perez-De los Santos. I think Hudson is more talented top to bottom, but I think the Rams have the best player on the court and are really well coached. I'll go with Hudson only because I think they know how badly they need to avoid falling to 0-3.
Hud 71 - Rens 66
ICC at Chatham
This game could have been a match up of two of the elites if Josh Keyes had decided to play basketball instead of Indoor track. As it stands Chatham lost a close one to Rensselaer but still return some solid players. Brandon Johnson and Ian McGrath have both played well so far for Chatham, some other guys have been decent, Acheson needs to be better for them to reach their full potential but it's on Will Gauthier to take this team to the next level. He's tall and long and very athletic for a point guard. He shoots, he defensds, drives, dishes and rebounds, basically as a junior he's the best player in the league and has to carry this team night in and night out. ICC on the other hand is as well balanced as they come. Any given night seniors Chris Larm, Derick Horn or Josh Ingham could lead them in scoring, with the other two probably in double digits as well. Senior big man Tanner Wolfe is becoming more productive by the day and junior point guard Mitchell Niemeyer runs this offense to perfection and hit's threes. ICC is extremely well coached, always prepared and play that brutal (for opposing offenses) zone. If Gauthier can have a monster game and Johnson and Acheson battle downlow Chatham has a shot, but even then I think it's a long shot.
ICC 70 - Cha 57
TUESDAY
Doane Stuart at New Lebanon
The Tigers continue to impress with their early season play as they improved to 2-0 in league play. Although Doane Stuart is no powerhouse a 54-34 win for New Lebanon is still impressive. The Tigers used an 8-1 second quarter to propel them to victory.
Junior big man Bryan Potter continues to improve scoring 25 points after starting the year with 15. Potter impressed with a 3 of 3 performance from the free throw line and knocked down a pair of three's. Mike Gavrity added 8 and Todd Ferguson scored 7 in the win.
Rensselaer at Greenville
The Rams improved to 3-0 in the Patroon after a 73-62 win on the road. Rensselaer built a 7 point lead after one quarter but it was cut to one heading into the half. A strong second however pushed the Rams to the win.
Chris Britt led the Rams in scoring yet again going for 20. A trio of other Rams also hit double digits with Jarrid Wilkinson scoring 17 while Mico Perez-De Los Santos and Marquel Fallen each scored 11.
Ross Bentley led Greenville with 15 points while teammate John Hicks added 13.
Germantown at Hawthorne Valley
In what seemed like a lopsided game played at Columbia Greene Community College turned into a game that was played tighter than the final score indicated. The Clippers took a 26-2 lead after just one quarter and added 8 more points to their lead heading to the half. The Wildcats came out furiously in the second half playing the entire 16 minutes like the game was hanging in the balance. Against both Clippers subs and starters the Wildcats played with heart outscoring Germantown by 17 in the second half but it was not enough as the Clipps held on for the 63-48 win.
Cody Broast hit 3 field goals, 3 three pointers and 3 free throws scoring a game high 18 points for the Clipps. Daniel Thomas added 12 points on 2 field goals, 2 three's and 2 free throws. Seven other Clippers made their way into the scoring column.
For Hawthorne Valley Christian Peterson finished with 13 points while Emil DeJong and Sjaak Smeele each scored 11. Allan Gallardo added 7 in the loss for the Wildcats.
PICKS:
THURSDAY
Hawthorne Valley at New Lebanon
I loved the heart and hustle from the Wildcats against G-Town but they lack the creative scoring prescense to be a consistent threat. Then again if they play as hard as they did in the second half for a whole game, they could be tough for any team with their intensity and length. Still it looks to be like the Tigers have some pieces in place to have a nice year.
New Lebanon 65 -Hawthorne Valley 44
FRIDAY
Coxsackie Athens at Taconic Hills
The Titans are hurting this year, I like Chris Filli inside, Mike Jacobsen can shoot, they've got some youth but this just isn't a dangerous team. If they are going to get a win this year I think it'll be against Greenville. The Indians are better than people think, I was shocked they lost as bad as they did against ICC. Nate Tailleur is tall and long and can really score and Austin Simmons is a monster inside. They do need consistent play from their guards though to become more of a threat.
CA 60 - TH 39
Greenville at Maple Hill
The Spartans have a lot of bodies who play per their usual and a lot of size but don't have that great player. It's been a long while since they had that dominant guy, probably since Albe Hulick. Andrew Clark and Will Grimmond were both quality guys and they couldn't lead the Spartans any higher up the ranks so I don't see how this team could be better. They have a big guy in Bentley who can shoot it, they'll need more than that against Maple Hill. The Wildcats have the perfect ingredients to be a good team....confidence, good coach, uptempo style, hard nosed defense, a dominant big man (Sean Danaher), a good point guard (Dominic Prinzo) and a good scorer on the wing (David Briggs)
Greenville 55 - MH 73
Cairo Durham at Catskill
A defensive minded team against an offensive oriented squad. C-D lost Hunter Phillips their scorer and Piano their point guad but have some solid holdovers in Zimmerman, McGeever and the Halligon boys. Still they struggled at times to score last year and that was with Phillips. You know they'll be well coached and they are going to bring it on the defensive side but I think the Cats have just too much fire power (Taylor, Hall, Forrester) and size (Jones) in this one.
CD 50 - Cat 62
Hudson at Rensselaer
Hudson is 0-2 and really needs a win, the Rams are 3-0 and looking very good early on as they always do. Hudson has lots of talent (but not Jacori Anderson, who's not playing this year) but have lacked consistenty and also had to play the league's top 2 teams (ICC and MH) to open their season. The Rams got an easy one with Greenville but proved their worth over two pretty good teams in Cairo and Chatham. A lot of players doing good things for the Rams this year but the key is to stop Chris Britt. Hudson has the athletes to do that and they've got some kids that can score too like Jeff Crank and Larell Roberts. A big key will be a matchup up undersized, ultra quick football stars who play point guard for their teams, Nevin Sheldon and Mico Perez-De los Santos. I think Hudson is more talented top to bottom, but I think the Rams have the best player on the court and are really well coached. I'll go with Hudson only because I think they know how badly they need to avoid falling to 0-3.
Hud 71 - Rens 66
ICC at Chatham
This game could have been a match up of two of the elites if Josh Keyes had decided to play basketball instead of Indoor track. As it stands Chatham lost a close one to Rensselaer but still return some solid players. Brandon Johnson and Ian McGrath have both played well so far for Chatham, some other guys have been decent, Acheson needs to be better for them to reach their full potential but it's on Will Gauthier to take this team to the next level. He's tall and long and very athletic for a point guard. He shoots, he defensds, drives, dishes and rebounds, basically as a junior he's the best player in the league and has to carry this team night in and night out. ICC on the other hand is as well balanced as they come. Any given night seniors Chris Larm, Derick Horn or Josh Ingham could lead them in scoring, with the other two probably in double digits as well. Senior big man Tanner Wolfe is becoming more productive by the day and junior point guard Mitchell Niemeyer runs this offense to perfection and hit's threes. ICC is extremely well coached, always prepared and play that brutal (for opposing offenses) zone. If Gauthier can have a monster game and Johnson and Acheson battle downlow Chatham has a shot, but even then I think it's a long shot.
ICC 70 - Cha 57
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
First set of Boys Basketball Games
One Patroon Conferece game on Monday and a trio on Tuesday gives us a good early feel for how the season is shaping up. Neither Cairo or Maple Hill have played yet, two teams who were top notch squads last year so watching out for how they fair in their start to season will be key.
MONDAY
Chatham at Rensselaer
Interesting first game match. A lot of people are looking at Chatham as a team who can be a real factor in both the league and section over the next two years. The decision of Josh Keyes to do indoor track intstead of basketball hurts this team a lot, but still with junior Will Gauthier running the show and versatile Brandon Johnson inside the Panthers should be good. The Rams lost a lot of good players and looked to rely heavily on a pair of seniors this year, Chris Britt and Mico Perez-De Los Santos who's been hampered by injuries on the court the past few years.
Chatham jumped out to a seven point lead after one quarter before the Rams cut their deficit to one at the half. Chatham pushed their lead back up to four heading into the final stanza but the Rams outscored Chatham 14-8 in the fourth quarter behind 10 points from Britt as Rensselaer pulled out a 53-51 win.
Britt finished with 17 points, scoring 4 times from the floor, once behind the arch and knocking down 6 of 7 free throws. De Los Santos added 12 for the Rams in the win. Gauthier scored a game high 20 points for Chatham, while Johnson added 12.
Chatham is going to look to get on track Friday when they face Taconic Hills who look as though they will struggle this year. The Rams head to Cairo on Friday in what should be an interesting tough, defensive battle.
TUESDAY
Hudson at Ichabod Crane
This was the battle everyone, including Chatham coaches, were watching on Tuesday. Two always tough teams battled out in what might be the most intense rivalry in the entire conference. The first big thing to point out is Jacori Anderson is not playing for Hudson. Anderson was voted by his peers last year as one of the most dominant shot blockers and rebounders in the league and his loss is huge to them.
Ichabod jumped out to an early lead but Hudson closed the gap and the game remained pretty close throughout. The Riders never seemed to lose control in the game and no matter how close it got it seemed as though ICC would hold on for the win. After some free throws late to help ice the game the Riders held on for a 50-40 victory.
Not shockingly the Riders were led by a trio of seniors who all scored in double digits. Derick Horn scored 12, Chris Larm added 11 and Josh Ingham threw in 10 including a pair of triples. Tanner Wolfe another senior added in 8 points and was a force on the boards while junior point guard Mitchell Niemeyer scored 7 points and dished out a number of quality assists.
Larell Roberts scored 11 points to lead Hudson while Lindon Alert and Jeff Crank scored 9 and 8 respectively. Sophomore Alert was very impressive running the point and attacking the hoop while Crank, a junior, plays under control and has a versatile game. Senior point guard Nevin Sheldon coming off a fantastic fall football season was held scoreless, but did provide a good defensive effort.
Ichabod returns to action on Thursday against a much improved Coxsackie Athens team. Hudson will host Maple Hill on Thursday on a big early season contest. If the Bluehawks fall to 0-2 this early in the season they could be in a rough spot.
Coxsackie Athens at Greenville
Two teams who finished near the bottom of the league last year, the big difference for this season is the Indians return most of their top talent while the Spartans lost most of their big guns. Greenville took an early lead before C-A went up by 1 before the half. After a defensive third quarter the two teams put up a lot of points in the fourth but Coxsackie held on for a 62-55 win.
Nate Tailleur and Dan Hanson each scored 14 points for the Indians while Kevin Wiley added 12. Austin Simmons put in 5 for C-A but his main strength is in his rebounding, shot blocking and defense. For Greenville Ross Bentley scored a game high 19, but John Hicks was the only other Spartan who reached double digits, scoring 11.
Coxsackie hosts ICC on Friday in what should be a great early test to see just how far they've come while Greenville heads to high scoring Catskill on Thursday.
Catskill at Taconic Hills
The Cats blew out the Titans 81-37 in both teams opening game of the year. Catskill jumped out to a 16 point lead after one quarter and carried that through the final three. The Titans were expected to struggle thsi year but this first loss is tough, while the Cats lost a good amount of talent but returned enough to be considered at least a middle to upper middle of the pack squad.
Jeremy Taylor led the Cats in scoring with 16 while Mike Beauford, Dean Forrester and Jason Jones each added 12. Mike Jacobsen scored 13 for the Titans in the loss.
Up next for Catskill is a home stand against Greenville on Thursday, while Taconic Hills heads to Chatham on Friday in what could be a tough game.
MONDAY
Chatham at Rensselaer
Interesting first game match. A lot of people are looking at Chatham as a team who can be a real factor in both the league and section over the next two years. The decision of Josh Keyes to do indoor track intstead of basketball hurts this team a lot, but still with junior Will Gauthier running the show and versatile Brandon Johnson inside the Panthers should be good. The Rams lost a lot of good players and looked to rely heavily on a pair of seniors this year, Chris Britt and Mico Perez-De Los Santos who's been hampered by injuries on the court the past few years.
Chatham jumped out to a seven point lead after one quarter before the Rams cut their deficit to one at the half. Chatham pushed their lead back up to four heading into the final stanza but the Rams outscored Chatham 14-8 in the fourth quarter behind 10 points from Britt as Rensselaer pulled out a 53-51 win.
Britt finished with 17 points, scoring 4 times from the floor, once behind the arch and knocking down 6 of 7 free throws. De Los Santos added 12 for the Rams in the win. Gauthier scored a game high 20 points for Chatham, while Johnson added 12.
Chatham is going to look to get on track Friday when they face Taconic Hills who look as though they will struggle this year. The Rams head to Cairo on Friday in what should be an interesting tough, defensive battle.
TUESDAY
Hudson at Ichabod Crane
This was the battle everyone, including Chatham coaches, were watching on Tuesday. Two always tough teams battled out in what might be the most intense rivalry in the entire conference. The first big thing to point out is Jacori Anderson is not playing for Hudson. Anderson was voted by his peers last year as one of the most dominant shot blockers and rebounders in the league and his loss is huge to them.
Ichabod jumped out to an early lead but Hudson closed the gap and the game remained pretty close throughout. The Riders never seemed to lose control in the game and no matter how close it got it seemed as though ICC would hold on for the win. After some free throws late to help ice the game the Riders held on for a 50-40 victory.
Not shockingly the Riders were led by a trio of seniors who all scored in double digits. Derick Horn scored 12, Chris Larm added 11 and Josh Ingham threw in 10 including a pair of triples. Tanner Wolfe another senior added in 8 points and was a force on the boards while junior point guard Mitchell Niemeyer scored 7 points and dished out a number of quality assists.
Larell Roberts scored 11 points to lead Hudson while Lindon Alert and Jeff Crank scored 9 and 8 respectively. Sophomore Alert was very impressive running the point and attacking the hoop while Crank, a junior, plays under control and has a versatile game. Senior point guard Nevin Sheldon coming off a fantastic fall football season was held scoreless, but did provide a good defensive effort.
Ichabod returns to action on Thursday against a much improved Coxsackie Athens team. Hudson will host Maple Hill on Thursday on a big early season contest. If the Bluehawks fall to 0-2 this early in the season they could be in a rough spot.
Coxsackie Athens at Greenville
Two teams who finished near the bottom of the league last year, the big difference for this season is the Indians return most of their top talent while the Spartans lost most of their big guns. Greenville took an early lead before C-A went up by 1 before the half. After a defensive third quarter the two teams put up a lot of points in the fourth but Coxsackie held on for a 62-55 win.
Nate Tailleur and Dan Hanson each scored 14 points for the Indians while Kevin Wiley added 12. Austin Simmons put in 5 for C-A but his main strength is in his rebounding, shot blocking and defense. For Greenville Ross Bentley scored a game high 19, but John Hicks was the only other Spartan who reached double digits, scoring 11.
Coxsackie hosts ICC on Friday in what should be a great early test to see just how far they've come while Greenville heads to high scoring Catskill on Thursday.
Catskill at Taconic Hills
The Cats blew out the Titans 81-37 in both teams opening game of the year. Catskill jumped out to a 16 point lead after one quarter and carried that through the final three. The Titans were expected to struggle thsi year but this first loss is tough, while the Cats lost a good amount of talent but returned enough to be considered at least a middle to upper middle of the pack squad.
Jeremy Taylor led the Cats in scoring with 16 while Mike Beauford, Dean Forrester and Jason Jones each added 12. Mike Jacobsen scored 13 for the Titans in the loss.
Up next for Catskill is a home stand against Greenville on Thursday, while Taconic Hills heads to Chatham on Friday in what could be a tough game.
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