By Rob Jonas
-Tamarac 62 -Mohonasen 38
(Tamarac Girls)
ROTTERDAM – It took some time for the Tamarac girls basketball team to get into a rhythm on offense. Once they did, the Bengals never looked back.
Tamarac went on a 23-7 run in the second quarter and steadily pulled away for a 62-38 victory over Mohonasen Thursday, Nov. 30, in a non-league game.
Every Tamarac starter played a role in the victory. Junior guard Emily Erickson scored seven of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter. Junior forward Renna Poulin and senior guard Kayla Doody combined for 13 points during the Bengals' second quarter burst. Junior guard Liz Machnick and senior forward Tina Ray netted 13 of Tamarac's 16 points in the third quarter.
“We definitely have a good overall team,” said Erickson. “We get everyone involved.”
“I tell them every game you can't just have two scorers. You need all five players to be involved,” said Tamarac coach Curt Bailey. “We like our kids to take the open shots when they have them.”
Mohonasen (0-1) played the physical, aggressive defense that is the hallmark of Suburban Council teams, but its offense lagged behind – a by-product of the team's inexperience. The Mighty Warriors hurried their shots, and as Tamarac's lead grew, they started passing the ball wildly, which led to several turnovers.
“We got into that mentality of trying to make it all up with one shot, and you can't do that,” said Mohonasen coach Doug Holden, who started two sophomores, two juniors and a freshman in the opener. “You have to get defensive stops.”
“We always expect them to be more aggressive because they play bigger schools than we do,” said Erickson. “But, we don't get too nervous because we have that experience. We just play our game.”
Tamarac's defense had a lot to do with Mohonasen's offensive struggles, as well. The Bengals stuck to their assignments and made the Mighty Warriors fight for nearly every shot.
“That's really been our forte,” said Bailey. “I tell them every single game, the only thing you can rely on is your defense. They had some nice shooters, and we did a nice job of closing in on them.”
Mohonasen started the game strong, scoring the first five points and not allowing a Tamarac field goal until shortly after the midway point of the first quarter. Erickson single-handedly changed the momentum with a personal 7-1 run – capped with an open three-pointer – to give the Bengals an 8-6 advantage, but the Mighty Warriors ended the opening stanza on a 5-1 spurt to regain a two-point advantage.
Mohonasen stayed with Tamarac through the first three minutes of the second quarter, tying the score at 16-16 on Ava Fasolino's three-pointer. A short jump shot off the glass from Poulin and Erickson's second three-pointer of the night proved to be the beginning of the end, though. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bengals were ahead 32-18.
“They work really well together,” Holden said of Tamarac (2-0), which defeated Fonda-Fultonville in its season opener. “Curt (Bailey) is a very good coach. His teams always play well.”
Junior guard Jordyn Caldwell and sophomore forward Bre Lott each scored seven points to lead Mohonasen's offense. Caldwell also directed traffic and was one of Mohonasen's most active defenders, but foul trouble limited her playing time.
“She makes people uncomfortable and forces them to make mistakes,” Holden said of Caldwell, who fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. “She's very good off the ball.”
Tamarac is off until Friday, Dec. 8 when it travels to Berlin for the last of its three non-league road games to start the season.
“I'd like for us to get out of the gate (quickly),” said Bailey. “That's why we're starting with three away games. I want to see how they react to hostile environments.”
Mohonasen begins its Suburban Council schedule Tuesday, Dec. 5, against Bethlehem in Rotterdam.
(Mohonasen Girls)
(Tamarac's Emily Erickson)
By Aidan Joly
Saratoga --
Despite a strong fourth quarter comeback effort by Saratoga, Niskayuna hung on and stayed undefeated with a 53-46 win on Tuesday night at Saratoga Springs High School.
The Blue Streaks trailed by 15 at the beginning of the final stanza and 13 with less than five minutes to play and things looked bleak. However, the group stayed poised and went on an 11-2 run that put them to within three points with about 90 seconds to play, a run that was highlighted by a three-pointer from Dillon Waite with 3:48 to play. That run lasted about three minutes before Niskayuna scored the final four points of the night to put the game on ice.
“We have four seniors on the floor who have been through this before. We’ve been on both sides of it. We’re just leaning on those seniors to make the right plays, be strong with the ball, make our free throws, make good decisions and close teams out on the road,” Niskayuna head coach Mike Grasso said.
The key portion of the game for the Silver Warriors was the run that they went on late in the second quarter, ending the first half on a 9-1 run to give them a double-digit lead at the break. They also scored the first four points of the second half to put themselves up 16, which was the largest lead of the night.
“I thought Gavin [Olsen] and Kasper Matia gave us two huge sparks off the bench rebounding and running the floor,” Grasso said. “It was really nice to see those young guys step up and really contribute in that second quarter.”
Outside of that run, Saratoga played pretty evenly with Niskayuna, only trailing by two at the end of the first quarter and out-scoring them by eight in the fourth quarter.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as hitting shots and that’ll get you on the right side of things,” Saratoga head coach Matt Usher said. “[Niskayuna] has a couple guys that are very good at knocking down jump shots from the perimeter and they went on some big runs and got some separation. We tried to fight back.”
Niskayuna was led by Owen Evans, who finished the night with 13 points, while Sam Booth and Jack Allen had 10 each. For Saratoga it was a more balanced attack, with Hutton Snyder, Evan Ash and Ethan Straughter scoring nine each with Waite adding eight.
Niskayuna is now 7-0 with the loss, while Saratoga falls to 3-5.
“They fought back really hard in the fourth quarter,” Grasso said. “They battled, they’re a great group, coach Usher does a heck of a job with them and we’re glad to get out of here with a win.”
Photo above is from each girls team twitter feed.
Class AA championship Hilton 73, Averill Park 71, OT
TROY – With 15.3 seconds left in regulation, Hilton’s Mallory Heise banked home a shot to send a NYSPHSAA Class AA girls semifinal game against Section 2 champion Averill Park into overtime. Arianna Veradi converted a pair of free-throws with 23 seconds remaining to put Averill Park up 71-70. The Warriors stopped Hilton’s initial drive upcourt but the Cadets got a turnover with 7.5 seconds showing on the clock.
Hilton got the ball in, drove toward the basket before kicking the ball out to Elena Graziano in the corner and the junior responded with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to advance Hilton to the Class AA title game Saturday against the victor of the second semi-final between Albertus Magnus and East Meadow.
GBB Class AA: Semifinals
— NYSPHSAA (@NYSPHSAA) March 16, 2024
HILTON (V) DOWN BY 1 GETS IT DONE IN THE LAST SECOND OF OVERTIME
They edged Averill Park (2) and advance to the finals!!!
Watch it tomorrow night at 8:45 PM!#NYSPHSAA pic.twitter.com/SH9ZjH9COs
JAMES A. ELLIS
Duanesburg's Allison O'Hanlon (30) is challenged by Moravia's Jordan Smith (11) and Caroline Wasileski as she drives top the hoop during NYSPHSAA state championship game Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.
By James A. Ellis
TROY – Alex Moses got the buzzer-beating 3-pointer she was looking for but not the potential game-tying foul call as Section 2 champion Duanesburg fell to Section 4 champ Moravia 46-45 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C girls state championship final Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.
“I am extremely proud of them and what they have been able to accomplish for a small town like ours is truly incredible,” Duanesburg coach Chris Herron said. “We knew it was going to be a battle as any game at this stage of the season is going to be.” Duanesburg broke out to an early advantage with senior Allison O’Hanlon netting 11 points to give the Eagles a 13-12 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
O’Hanlon kept her scoring touch through the opening minutes of the second quarter, adding five more points, before Hannah Mulhern hit a three to keep the Eagles ahead 21-19 at the half.
The Blue Devils took the lead on Allison Kehoe’s 3-pointer to open the third quarter, sparking an 8-3 run for a 27-24 lead. Duanesburg charged back in front on the power of consecutive 3-pointers from Kate O’Hanlon, Allison O’Hanlon and Mulhern to go ahead 30-27.
The teams exchanged baskets through the final minutes of the period with Jessalyn Jones hitting a 3-pointer for Moravia with a minute left in the quarter before Allison O’Hanlon hit a basket at the buzzer to give the Eagles a slim 33-32 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play. Moravia opened the final stanza with a 7-1 run before Moses hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to 39-37 with four minutes left to play. The Eagles pulled to within a point, 43-42, on a Kate O’Hanlon basket with just under two minutes left in regulation.
Jones connected on a baseline floater to open a three-point advantage,45-42, with 90 seconds left. Duanesburg picked up the pace on offense creating opportunities that did not fall.
After a tied-up ball under the Eagles’ basket gave Moravia possession with 29 seconds left, Duanesburg fouled Jones and she converted on one-of-two free throws for a 46-42 lead. The Blue Devils’ Jordan Smith pulled down the defensive rebound off an Allison O;Hanlon 3-point attempt and was immediately fouled. Smith missed both free throws setting up a final play for the Eagles.
Moses hit the buzzer-beating 3-pointer under tight defensive pressure but did not get the foul call and the Blue Devils celebrated the 46-45 victory. Smith led Moravia with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, all on the defensive board, while Jones finished with 12 points including three 3-pointers.
Allison O’Hanlon finished with 24 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists for Duanesburg, while Hannah Mulhern had eight points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists and Kate O’Hanlon added seven points to go with six points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists from Moses.
Duanesburg finished the season with a 21-6 overall record. Moravia wrapped up its season with a 23-3 overall record.
NYSPHSAA Championships Class C Moravia 46, Duanesburg 45
Moravia 12 7 13 14 - 46
Duanesburg 13 8 12 12 - 45
Moravia scoring: Jones 4-1-12, Genson 3-1-7, G. Heim 1-1-3, Smith 5-1-11, Kehoe 2-0-5, Wasileski 3-0-6, Hess 1-0-2. Duanesburg scoring: K. O’Hanlon 3-0-7, A. O’Hanlon 8-5-247-5-24, Mulhern 2-2-8, A. Moses 2-0-6. Team scoring: Moravia 19-3-46. Duanesburg 14-7-45.
JAMES A. ELLIS
Duanesburg's Hannah Mulhern (34) drives against Moravia's Caroline Wasileski during the NYSPHSAA Class C championship game Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.
JAMES A. ELLIS
Duanesburg's Kate O'Hanlon (23) dribbles out from under the basket after recovering a loose ball during the NYSPHSAA Class C championship game Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.
Shyla Sanford and Madeline Malicki lead Shaker to 50-41 win over Albany
By Sean Martin
Albany
The one-two punch of Shyla Sanford and Madeline Malicki got Shaker off to a good on the road against Albany and when the Blue Bison turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, Shaker was on its way to a season-opening win over the Lady Falcons.
Sanford and Malicki scored 19 points apiece with each contributing four steals as Shaker knocked off Albany 50-41 in Suburban Council play Tuesday night.
Shaker led 22-19 at the half before finding its rhythm on both ends of the floor in the second half.
“We have a little different look this year, we come out small and play a little more zone,” Shaker coach Ron Beaudoin said. “The second half was a better defensive effort overall, we switched up to man, it was just a great overall effort by everyone.”
Shaker (1-0, 1-0) took control in the third as Malicki hit two of her three 3-pointers in the period and with Albany forced to defend the perimeter, Sanford found room to roam down low, scoring 12 points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter.
“My 3’s weren’t falling tonight so I decided to do something else,” Sanford said. ““They had to come out and now, the middle was wide open. Everyone was finding me down low and that is when I got all those points.”
Malicki’s hit a 3-pointer with 3:41 left in the third to give Shaker a 31-25 lead and another with 2:04 left to give the Blue Bison a 36-27 lead, its biggest margin of the game to that point.
“We shot terribly in the first half, it was awful and I know we are a better shooting team than that,” Beaudoin said. “Maddy got a little roughed up and I think she likes that because the next couple plays were back-to-back 3’s and then going to the foul line hitting over 50-percent of her foul shots.”
Shaker’s pressure defense clogged the Albany (1-1, 0-1) passing lanes and dictated the tempo of the game and led to numerous layup opportunities, helping the Blue Bison earn a 27-18 margin in free throws attempted.
“Our motto is always defense, that is what we always work on in practice,” Malicki said.
Alexandra Debeatham added nine points while leading Shaker with 10 rebounds and helped defend Albany center Haille Hart, who finished with 10 points.
“I thought, Lexi Debeatham, Hannah (Malicki), Lexi Ratigan, Julia Debetham really did a great job containing Haille,” Beaudoin said.
Trailing by 10 entering the fourth quarter, Albany chipped away at the Shaker lead and cut the gap to 42-36 on a Hart basket with 3:12 left to play but the Lady Falcons could not draw any closer with Sanford leading the Shaker charge.
“We tried to tell her (Sanford), this year, make a goal for yourself,” Beaudoin said. “She’s got a couple of goals in mind, she’s really trying to work on driving more, pull up jump shots and rebounding more. She had a career-high five rebounds (tonight).”
Aubrey Halloran led Albany with 14 points and Junasia Lanier chipped in 10.
Sean Martin is a local freelance writer
SHAKER-
M. Malicki 4 8-13 19, J. Debeatham 0 1-2 1, Sanford 6 7-10 19, A. Debeatham 4 1-2 9, Morrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 17-27 50.
ALBANY
Lanier 2 5-6 10, Harris 0 4-6 4, Halloran 6 1-2 14, Hart 5 0-4 10, Estrada 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 10-18 41.
Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 F
Shaker
Albany
3-point goals – M. Malicki 3; Lanier, Halloran, Estrada
