By ROB JONAS
SCOTIA – Two Class B heavyweights went toe-to-toe Wednesday night at Mekeel Christian Academy.
Carter Stewart hit the go-ahead free throw with 29 seconds left, and then he came up with a big defensive play at the other end of the court to help the Lions (10-1) defeat Watervliet 65-63 in a non-league game.
“It was a great high school game,” said Mekeel coach Chad Bowman. “Both teams were playing really good defense tonight.”
“It was a hard-fought game” said Watervliet coach Orlando DiBacco. “They are a very good basketball team. I don't think classification matters.”
After being honored for scoring his 1,000th career point in a pregame ceremony, it was Stewart's heads-up play with 10.8 seconds left that gave Mekeel an opportunity to pull out the win. The senior dove on a loose ball and called time out before a Watervliet player could tie him up and create a jump ball situation.
“We were screaming for a timeout, but there was no way he could have heard us over the noise,” said Bowman. “There was no way he could hear anyone but the player next to him.”
Senior guard Jordan Jackson made one of two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to put Mekeel ahead by two points. Watervliet had one last chance to tie or win the game, but JJ Chestnut's driving layup attempt rolled off the rim into Daniel McCarty's hands.
“It was just our defense and our grit tonight,” said Jackson, who led Mekeel with 20 points.
Neither team had much breathing room. The largest lead on either side was eight points, when Mekeel jumped out to a 22-14 lead late in the first quarter. Stewart scored Mekeel's first five points, but it was Jackson and Deonte Holder hitting back-to-back three-pointers that helped the lead swell to where it did.
Watervliet (8-3) got its high-powered offense in gear in the second quarter. Senior forward Joey Atkins jump-started the attack by scoring the Cannoneers' first nine points of the period. Then, junior Khari Croley drained a three-pointer to cap a 12-0 run that put Watervliet in front 32-28. Croley added a long jump shot and banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cannoneers a 42-37 halftime lead.
“I think our defense fuels our offense,” said DiBacco. “Our defense played very well in the second quarter, and that got our transition game going.”
Jackson and Holder kept Mekeel in the game in the second quarter, while Stewart concentrated on distributing the ball. Jackson bookended Watervliet's 12-0 spurt with three-pointers, and Holder made a couple of tough shots down the stretch to keep the Lions within striking distance.
“For us seniors, the whole team looks to us when things are going tough for us,” said Jackson.
Stewart was having trouble getting open looks for shots in the first half, but his ability to get the ball into the hands of his teammates in the first half was as critical as what he did in the second half.
“One of the most important things we nail every day in practice is distributing the ball,” said Stewart. “We spend a lot of time working on our passing.”
Mekeel came out strong in the third quarter by scoring the first five points to tie the score at 42-42. Watervliet battled back and built a 52-46 lead, but the momentum turned when Stewart hit a three-pointer as he was fouled with 1:48 left in the period. Stewart missed the free throw, but it sparked an 8-1 run for Mekeel that put the Lions in front 54-53. Stewart scored seven of the eight points during the spurt.
“Mekeel came out and set the tone in the third quarter,” said DiBacco. “I think we responded well, We played back and forth with the lead.”
The lead changed hands six times in the fourth quarter, with Holder sinking a pivotal three-pointer for Mekeel that put the Lions ahead 61-59. Watervliet tied the score twice down the stretch, but the Cannoneers could not regain the advantage.
The trio of Jackson, Stewart and Holder combined to score 55 of Mekeel's 65 points. Besides Jackson's 20-point performance, Stewart had 19 points and Holder added 16 points.
Atkins led Watervliet with 20 points, and Croley chipped in with 11 points off the bench.
By ROB JONAS
SCOTIA – Harmony Philo referred to it as a “little run,” but there was nothing little about it.
Gloversville (8-5) scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to overcome an early deficit on its way to a 48-39 victory over Scotia-Glenville (11-2) Thursday, Jan. 18 in a Foothills Council girls basketball game.
“We really needed that momentum,” said Philo, who led all scorers with 21 points. “That little run, everybody was working hard and making plays.”
Scotia-Glenville threatened to run away and hide from Gloversville. The Lady Tartans scored nine of the first 12 points of the game and built a 22-13 lead early in the second quarter.
Gloversville took control from there, thanks to its 3-2 zone defense. The Dragons denied entry passes to Mary Kate Palleschi and Rhaymi Porter at the top of the lane, forcing the Lady Tartans into several turnovers that led to points at the other end.
“That was our goal because they're very tall, so we wanted to force them into taking outside shots,” said Philo.
“We didn't adjust,” said Scotia-Glenville coach Megan Bowman. “We talked about not telegraphing our passes and bouncing the ball, and we didn't make the adjustments.”
Ironically, Philo wasn't the primary scorer during Gloversville's decisive 17-0 run, which gave the visitors a 30-23 halftime lead. Instead, she got the ball into Kendra Lavery's hands, and the junior forward responded by scoring 10 of her 15 points in that stretch. Kerri Hauser tacked on a turnaround jumper and a three-point play to cap the Dragons' spurt. Porter made one of two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to end Scotia-Glenville's scoreless streak.
“Over the last couple of weeks, they've really been laser-focused at finding each other,” Gloversville coach Molly D'Arcy said of Philo and Lavery.
Scotia-Glenville hung around for a while in the second half. Palleschi opened the scoring in the third quarter with a three-pointer to trim Gloversville's lead to 30-26, and the Lady Tartans forced the Dragons into several bad shots to slow down the scoring pace. Still, Gloversville's zone defense continued to discombobulate Scotia-Glenville's offense with turnover after turnover, and Philo and Lavery each made baskets to extend the Dragons' lead to 36-26.
Scotia-Glenville made another push in the fourth quarter. Mikyla Mitchell drained an open three-pointer, and Porter put back a missed shot to pull the Lady Tartans within five points. However, Mitchell fouled out with 4:08 left in the game, and Gloversville steadily pulled away for the nine-point victory.
“You can't hide the fact that Mikyla is our engine,” Bowman said of Mitchell, who committed her fourth personal foul in the third quarter and was limited to 10 points. “We could have sat her out at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but we took a chance and put her in.”
Palleschi netted a team-high 16 points for Scotia-Glenville, which edged Gloversville 41-39 in their first meeting Dec. 7 in Gloversville.
“Our girls are very excited, especially after losing to them earlier in the season,” said D'Arcy.
By ROB JONAS
COLONIE – Troy isn't through in the race for the Suburban Council Blue Division title.
Nazaire Merritt and Latyce Faison each scored 18 points to lead the Flying Horses to a 53-48 victory over Christian Brothers Academy Friday, February 9.
The win moved Troy (12-4 league, 12-7 overall) within one game of CBA (13-3, 16-3) for first place in the Blue Division with one game left in the regular season. The Flying Horses own the tiebreaker, having swept the Brothers in their two league meetings this season.
“We've been playing nailbiters all year,” said Troy coach Greg Davis. “We just keep it close and try to pull it out in the end.”
Merritt and Faison came alive in the second half to rally Troy from a six-point halftime deficit. The two junior guards each poured in 14 points to turn the tide.
“I had a talk with Latyce at halftime and told him it was time to go,” said Merritt, who scored a team-high 19 points in Troy's 70-64 victory over CBA in their first meeting on December 12. “Big shout out to Latyce.”
“He's just had an unbelievable year for us,” Davis said of Merritt, who leads Troy with a 16 points-per-game average. “He's had to play behind some talented guards, but this has been his time to shine.”
Faison didn't start the game for Troy, but once he got going, Davis wasn't about to take him out.
“We're basically under the impression that whatever is going to work that night, that's what we're going to do,” said Davis.
The Brothers kept the pace to their liking in the first half as they built a 23-17 lead, but the Flying Horses pushed the tempo at the start of the third quarter and used it to go on a 13-4 run that put them in front for the first time. The lead changed hands several times before Faison drained a three-pointer that gave Troy a 38-35 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
“I think they stepped up their defense (in the second half),” said CBA coach Dave Doemel. “We needed to pass the ball a little bit better. We made a couple of bad passes there, and they took advantage of it.”
Troy pushed the lead to 42-36 early in the fourth quarter before a basket by Andrew Signor and a three-pointer by Pryce Wasula brought CBA back within one point. A long jump shot from Faison and a driving layup by Lateef Johnson gave the Flying Horses some breathing room, and key free throws in the final 17 seconds from Merritt sealed the victory.
“They're not a good team to play catch-up against,” said Doemel. “Merritt is a great player.”
Jordan King poured in 20 points for CBA, while Signor and Peter O'Toole each added nine points. Twelve of King's 20 points came in the first half.
Troy concludes the regular season Tuesday, February 13, against Schenectady, while CBA battles Albany.
By ROB JONAS
SCHENECTADY – Gregory Van Epps had a difficult time finding his shot, but he found it at the right time.
The senior guard drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 12 seconds left to lift Mohonasen to a 76-74 Suburban Council victory over Schenectady Friday, January 26, at the Pat Riley Center.
“I just believed in myself and let it fall,” said Van Epps.
Mohonasen coach Josh Peck said the play was initially designed to have one of his forwards crash the basket, with Van Epps as the second option. Jalani Abdul-Aziz had the ball on the baseline, but he passed it to Van Epps, who drained the three-pointer from the top of the key.
“It wouldn't have been set up without Jalani making that pass,” said Van Epps.
Schenectady (4-9) had a chance to win the game in the final five seconds, but Jay-Quan Johnson's three-pointer bounced off the rim.
“I wish he had that shot at the end. He deserved to have that shot go in,” Schenectady coach John Miller said of Johnson, who led all scorers with 24 points.
Van Epps scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to help Mohonasen (8-6) complete an epic comeback against a determined Schenectady squad. The Mighty Warriors trailed by 14 points at halftime and by eight points early in the fourth quarter before rallying for only their second win in their last six games.
“There's no quit in these guys,” said Peck. “We're learning how to be unselfish with the ball, and it showed tonight.”
Schenectady looked like it was on its way to breaking its four-game losing streak in the first half. A pair of 11-2 runs – one to start the game, and the other in the second quarter – helped the Patriots jump out to a 41-27 halftime lead.
“I thought that was our most complete half of the season,” said Miller. “We made all of our free throws, we made all but two of our three-pointers and we did a great job of finding our man on defense.”
Schenectady was especially effective at shutting down Mohonasen's leading scorer, Duncan Tallman, in the first half. First, the Patriots made Tallman give up the ball by double teaming the junior guard. Then, they took the ball at Tallman, which forced him to commit a couple of quick fouls late in the first quarter. Tallman watched the rest of the first half from the Mohonasen bench.
Without Tallman on the floor, Schenectady was able to take the rest of Mohonasen's offense out of its rhythm. Johnson capped a 9-0 second-quarter run with a fast break layup and a pair of foul shots to put the Patriots ahead 36-21. Tyrone Pettway added a three-pointer just before halftime to give Schenectady its 41-27 advantage.
“You can't simulate their quickness in practice,” said Peck. “When they got us in their man or in that zone (defense), we just got stuck.”
Everything changed at the start of the third quarter, though. A series of unforced Schenectady errors and a pair of three-pointers from Tallman cut the Patriots' lead to 41-36, and the Mohonasen comeback was on. Tallman scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter to spark the Mighty Warriors' offense.
“If you give him an inch, he'll make you pay for it,” said Miller.
Schenectady tried to keep a safe distance from Mohonasen. Every time the Mighty Warriors got within a possession of tying the score, the Patriots got a key basket from Johnson, Elijah Jensen or Cameron Coles to make it a two-possession game.
Gradually, though, Mohonasen clawed its way back until the Mighty Warriors tied the score at 70-70 on Avery Deas' three-point play with 3:17 left in the fourth quarter. Deas then put Mohonasen in front for the first time all night by making one of two foul shots with 2:03 remaining.
Johnson promptly put Schenectady back in the lead by draining a pair of free throws after getting fouled on a drive to the basket. A driving layup by Coles with 1:03 left in regulation gave the Patriots a 74-71 advantage.
Mohonasen took control from there. A basket down low by Deas trimmed Schenectady's lead to one point. The Patriots recovered from a pair of turnovers by blocking Mohonasen's layup attempts to keep the score at 74-73, but they couldn't get a hand on Van Epps' three-pointer.
Deas led four Mohonasen players in double figures with 18 points. Chase Monroe came off the bench and scored 14 points, while Tallman and Van Epps each added 13 points.
Besides Johnson's 24-point effort, Schenectady received 17 points from Coles in a reserve role, and Johnsen made four three-pointers on his way to a 13-point night.
By ROB JONAS
SCHENECTADY – With Mayfield's top scorer sidelined with an ankle injury, Camryn Meca stepped up in a big way.
The senior guard drained two of her four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead No. 18 Mayfield past No. 15 Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 37-34 in the opening round of the Section 2 Class C girls basketball playoffs Friday, Feb. 16.
“She usually makes them at the right time for us,” Mayfield coach Brian Moore said of Meca.
Mayfield (13-8) lost leading scorer Sydney Sheldon late in the third quarter when she injured her right ankle while trying to prevent a turnover. Ava Megyeri converted the layup at the other end of the floor to pull Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons (8-13) to within one point of the Panthers. Then on Mayfield's next possession, Abigail Kienzle forced a turnover and made a fast break layup to give the Golden Knights a 24-23 lead – their first since early in the second quarter.
That's when Meca took over. She drained a corner three-pointer to put Mayfield ahead 26-24 at the end of the third quarter. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons pulled ahead again early in the fourth quarter, but Meca went on a personal 8-1 run to create a five-point Mayfield advantage.
“There was nothing else I could do but step up,” said Meca. “This is my senior season. I couldn't let this be my last game.”
Sheldon made some efforts to get back into the game. She tested her ankle behind the bench and had it taped up, but she stayed on the sideline for the entire fourth quarter. Moore said he is confident Sheldon will return for Tuesday's second-round game at No. 2 Mekeel Christian.
“She's a fighter. She'll be back for Mekeel on Tuesday,” said Moore.
Both teams struggled to get going in the first half. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons saw a number of shots bounce off the rim, while Mayfield was committing several unforced turnovers.
“They played tough, strong, deep man-to-man defense,” said Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons coach Patrick Moran. “They adjusted to us on our screening, which made it tougher on us.”
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons thought it had an advantage down low with junior forward Sarah Malinowski, who scored eight points and added several rebounds in the first half. However, Malinowski also got into foul trouble, and she wound up spending much of the second quarter on the bench.
With Malinowski off the floor, the Golden Knights struggled to hit their shots. That allowed Mayfield to close out the first half on a 10-2 run that gave the Panthers a 17-12 halftime lead.
Meca opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to increase Mayfield's lead to eight points. The three-pointer was Meca's 40th of the season, which placed her in a select club of Section 2 players.
“I knew I had to one more to make to get to 40,” said Meca.
Slowly but steadily, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons crawled its way out of its eight-point deficit. Kienzle and junior varsity call-up Ryann Relyea each scored four points during a 12-3 run that put the Golden Knights in front 24-23. But every time Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons thought it had gained the momentum, Meca hit a key shot for Mayfield to take it right back.
Meca finished with 16 points, and her four three-pointers tied her with Julie Hampton for the Mayfield team record for most threes in a season (43). Sheldon contributed eight points before getting injured, and junior forward Katie LaGrange added seven points off the bench.
Malinowski netted 10 points, and Relyea chipped in with seven points for Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.
“The kids played hard. I'm very proud of all of them,” said Moran.
