By Aidan Joly

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – After the game was close for the first three quarters, Albany girls’ basketball turned it on in the fourth, leading them to a 62-51 triumph in a battle of state-ranked, undefeated teams on Thursday night at Saratoga Springs High School.

 

For the first 24 minutes of the contest, neither team was able to jump ahead of the other as the biggest lead seen in the first three quarters was a six-point advantage which was held by the Falcons in the first few minutes of the game. The two squads essentially traded basket-for-basket for the larger part of the game, headlined by Saratoga’s Kayla Lahart who had 10 points in the first half, and Albany’s Ahniysha Jackson and Leah Gonzalez, the pair combining for 22 of the Falcons’ 27 points before the break.

 

After the third quarter ended, the Falcons held a 43-42 lead. From there, they totally changed on both sides of the ball. They led by a slim margin midway through the fourth, leading 48-46 with less than five minutes to play. From there, it was Albany’s game to lose. They went on a 14-2 run in the span of just over four minutes, putting the game away. They included a pair of clutch three-pointers out of the hands of Jenna Citone and Junasia Lanier, who combined for 12 points in the fourth and 25 overall.

 

 

 

“A couple of our other girls stepped up. Jenna Citone comes in and hit a lot of big shots, and then Junasia Lanier on the defensive end and distributing the ball,” Albany head coach Decky Lawson said. “I’m just loving what I’m seeing tonight.”

 

This fourth quarter rally by Albany came without Jackson, their top scorer. She got her fourth foul of the game late in the third and had to come out of the game for the majority of the fourth quarter. She did come back in with less than two minutes to play and made some free throws, but Albany pulling away and winning it in the fourth makes it all the more impressive that it came without her.

  

“I thought that would have sort of rallied us a little bit and put us into ‘let’s go get some points’ and see what we can do until she comes back in, but we turned the ball over and they were aggressive,” Saratoga head coach Robin Chudy said.

 

Jackson finished the night with 16 points despite not playing much of the fourth. She was one of five Falcons, that scored in double digits, the only five Falcons scorers as Citone had 13, Lanier had 12 and Gonzalez finished with 11. For the Blue Streaks, Kerry Flaherty had 13 and Dolly Cairns and Lahart had 10 each.

 

The win puts Albany at 7-0 on the season, placing them as one of the best teams in the section and a real threat for the rest of the year. They play again on Saturday, taking on Clarkstown South on the road, a 1 p.m. start.

 

“The feeling is one game at a time. We’re not looking past anyone and we’re just trying to earn some respect,” Lawson said.

 

Saratoga is now 6-1 on the year. They will head out to central New York after Christmas, facing West Genesee on December 27 at 8 p.m.

 

 

By Craig Handel

 (Special to Section2Basketball.com)

 

FORT MYERS, FL

Six days after he led his Glens Falls football team to a New York State championship, Joseph Girard III was on the court for the Indians’ basketball team’s season opener.

 

He was off that night. Just 34 points.

 

Off? You have to understand, this was a guy averaging 50 a night last season.

 

That’s how much Glens Falls relies on Girard, a 6-foot-2 guard headed to Syracuse.

 

When Girard is on – as shown by outings of 53 and 57 points this season – the Indians win.

 

When he’s off, they’ll likely lose.

 

It’s a lot of pressure. Girard squarely puts it on his shoulders, even if it bothers his uncle and coach, Robert Girard.

 

“He’s why we’re here,” Robert Girard said moments after Mississippi’s Petal High pulled away from Glens Falls for a 78-56 victory on Thursday night in the Culligan City of Palms Classic Signature Series.

 

With the loss, Glens Falls (6-1) will play Brunswick (Ga.) in the consolation game Saturday.

 

“He takes too much of the blame. He’s got two guys covering him, all game long. That wears on a kid. We know we live or die by him, no doubt about it. Those other kids know their roles and know what he can do.”

 

In the last two nights, Girard received a big dose of the highs and lows of competing at this level against some of the best high school players in the country.

 

In the last two nights, Girard received a big dose of the highs and lows of competing at this level against some of the best high school players in the country.

 

On Wednesday, the 6-foot-2 guard headed to Syracuse showed why when he won the 3-point shooting contest.

 

On Thursday, he made just 5-of-23 shots – and 2-of-14 from 3-point range.

 

“(Wednesday) night, I got it going in the 3-point contest,” said Girard, who had 22 points or 23 below his average. “I wanted to compete.

 

“Today, it didn’t work out in my favor. This one is definitely on me.”

 

Since age 3, Joseph Girard III has been on a basketball court. As a youth he won a national Elks foul-shooting contest, which got his named etched in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 

“It’s definitely been in his blood for a long time,” Robert Girard said.

 

Last season, Girard III made 179 3-pointers as he led his team to a 20-3 record.
He has been compared to another Glens Falls great – Jimmer Fredette. In 2011, Fredette led BYU to the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida in overtime. He averaged 28.9 points his senior season.

 

After being a first-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, he jumped around the NBA before finding his niche in China the past three years.

 

In November, Fredette scored 75 in a Chinese Basketball Association game, including 40 in the fourth quarter. In 2016-17, he led the league in scoring, at 37.6 points per game, counting all phases of the season and won the CBA International MVP award for the Shanghai Sharks.

 

“He’s been compared to him since he was 10 years old,” Girard’s father, Joseph II, said. “They went to the same elementary, middle and high school.”

Joseph III said he went to Fredette’s camps and learned a lot.

 

“He showed me his footwork and quick release, scoring in the paint,” he said. “And he’s a great role model on and off the court. Great player, great person. If I can be half as good and get half the accolades, I’ll be pretty good.”

 

While Penn State liked Girard for football as well as basketball, Duke, Boston College, Notre Dame and Michigan also offered scholarships in hoops.

 

Michigan coach John Beilein thought he may have had the inside track because he coached Joseph’s dad at Le Moyne College but another player compared to young Girard – Syracuse assistant Jerry McNamara – gave the Orangemen the edge.

 

“He would text, call or FaceTime almost every day,” Joseph Girard II said. “Gerry sees a lot of himself in Joseph, like looking in the mirror. He wants to coach him and feel he can help him in a lot of ways.”

 

Joseph Girard III added, “In the end, I felt more comfortable with Syracuse. Coach Mac and I talk all the time.”

 

With an interest in being a broadcaster, Girard III also found Syracuse appealing.

 

However, it looks like he’ll be playing for awhile.

 

“No. 1, he’s a competitor,” Robert Girard said. “He can shoot the lights out for sure but he’s got a gene that he doesn’t like to lose at all. He’ll fight to the bitter end. That’s how he was brought up. He also can defend when he wants to.

 

“He’s gonna have a real good college career.”

 

 

By Craig Handel

 (Special to Section2Basketball.com)

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. - As Joseph Girard III beat himself up for not making more shots, for not going on a run when Glens Falls High still was in the game, for letting his teammates and coaches down, uncle and coach Robert Girard shook his head.

 

“He’s why we’re here,” Robert Girard said moments after Mississippi’s Petal High pulled away from Glens Falls for a 78-56 victory on Thursday night in the Culligan City of Palms Classic Signature Series.

 

With the loss, Glens Falls (6-1) will play Brunswick (Ga.) in the consolation game Saturday.

 

“He takes too much of the blame. He’s got two guys covering him, all game long. That wears on a kid. We know we live or die by him, no doubt about it. Those other kids know their roles and know what he can do.”

 

In the last two nights, Girard received a big dose of the highs and lows of competing at this level against some of the best high school players in the country.

 

On Wednesday, the 6-foot-2 guard headed to Syracuse showed why when he won the 3-point shooting contest.

 

On Thursday, he made just 5-of-23 shots – and 2-of-14 from 3-point range.

 

“Last night, I got it going in the 3-point contest,” said Girard, who had 22 points or 23 below his average. “I wanted to compete.

 

“Today, it didn’t work out in my favor. This one is definitely on me.”

 

 

Ironically, it was a Girard who kept Glens Falls in the game. Cousin Trenton – who even his dad admits his 5-foot-6 listing on the roster is generous – nailed 7-of-15 field goal attempts, including four 3-pointers, and tallied 19 points. His trey early in the fourth quarter drew his team within 57-50 after Petal had led by as many as 18 points.

 

“He’s a tough kid who works his butt off,” Robert Girard said. “He wears his emotions on his sleeve. Me and (Joseph) need to control him.”

 

However, the winning Panthers responded with a mini run, Trenton Girard sprained his ankle, and Petal kept pouring it on.

 

 

“We don’t see a team as long as this,” Joseph Girard said. “At home, we’re the most athletic team around. And those lollipop passes, we can maybe get away with those. Not here.”

 

Robert Girard added, “I thought our bigger kids were getting to the basket. I don’t know if the ball was slippery but it came out. They were long and lanky. I thought Trenton also had a couple of clean looks but their kid got a piece of it.”

 

The coach thought his team would have its problems but when it rallied from an early deficit to lead 17-16 after the first quarter, he felt his players were just as good.

 

But Glens Falls went cold and Petal mixed inside and outside. A 12-2 run run gave the Panthers a 32-22 lead. Joseph Girard’s layup at the halftime buzzer still had his team trailing 42-28.

 

“We missed some shots we normally make,” Robert Girard said. “It’s a great atmosphere, the experience so far has been awesome.

 

“We appreciated being able to come. We’re happy we’re here.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Bryan Cooney

 (Special to Section2Basketball.com)

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. - 

It was fitting that Joe Girard gave Southwest Florida basketball fans a taste of what he has done to many basketball teams in New York over his high school career after a lackluster showing in Glens Falls’ defeat Thursday in their Culligan City of Palms Classic debut.

 

The all-time leading scorer in New York history and Syracuse signee scored early and often Saturday afternoon as the scoring dynamo put up the second highest individual scoring output in tournament history with 59 points to help the Indians defeat Brunswick (Ga.) 80-65 in the consolation final of the Signature Series.

 

“That might have been one of his better ones ever and he probably passed up a few shots he could have taken,” Indians head coach Robert Girard said.

 

“We feel good about that, he got everyone involved. Guys made big shots, even our defense was really good. That’s who he is out there, he’s our leader. The kids look at him, everybody knows. When they’re handling the ball, they look to go to him.”

 

 

Converting on 20-for-42 from the field, Girard connected on 11 of his 29 3-point attempts but rued afterward of his three misses at the foul line that would have given him the tournament scoring record of 62, one better than former University of Florida guard Kenny Boynton who accomplished the feat for American Heritage High School in 2007.

 

“I struggled from the free throw line this week for sure, I’ll definitely have to go back and practice that,” Girard said.

 

“It is what it is, we won so it’s all good with me.”

 

After being held to 22 points on 5-for-23 shooting from the field in Glens Falls’ 78-56 loss to Petal (Miss.), Girard needed to produce after the Indians fell behind 9-0 just two and a half minutes in. After catching fire to the tune of 13 first-quarter points, the 6-foot-2 guard added 15 more in the second quarter to finish the half with 28 on the strength of six 3-pointers and push Glens Falls to a 39-35 halftime advantage.

 

Hot shooting from the perimeter kept Brunswick in the game as Torrey Dickens, Jr. knocked in three 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Pirates close to within 57-54 entering the fourth quarter, but Girard scored five quick points to open the quarter to give Glens Falls some breathing room.

 

After Girard pulled the trigger on a right-wing 3-pointer to put the Indians ahead by double figures for the first time all game at 67-56, the chase was on to try and add his name to the tournament record book.

 

Sitting at 48 points, Girard bombed in another 3-pointer on the opposite wing on the ensuing possession to give him 51 points with 4:10 remaining in the game. With the crowd buzzing, Girard went back to the right-wing to knock down an even longer 3-pointer to put him at 54 with a little over three minutes remaining.

 

 

With the game well in hand, Girard knocked down a pair of free throws after a Brunswick technical foul and added a driving lay-up to put him at 58 points with a little over a minute remaining. One final 3-point attempt from the left wing bounced out and it seemed like Brunswick would dribble out the clock, but the Pirate bench was called for a technical foul with 6.1 seconds left. Giving Girard a chance to match his personal best of 60 points in which he accomplished twice last year as a junior for the Indians, he missed his third free throw of the game before converting the second and was removed to a rousing hand from the Suncoast Credit Union Arena crowd.

 

It was the first 50-point game since Boynton set the tournament mark 11 years ago and only the fifth such game in tournament history as Girard joined two other former Florida guards in Teddy Dupay (56 points) and Nick Calathes (50 points) along with late Clifford Rozier, who scored 51 points in 1989 before being a first-round pick in the 1994 NBA Draft out of Louisville.

 

Girard’s cousin Trenton added 16 points with four 3-pointers for Glens Falls who return to New York with a blemish on their record at 9-1 but will take memories and confidence with them as they push for a long postseason run.

 

“It was a great experience and definitely helped me, but more importantly it’s going to help our team,” Joe Girard said.

 

“I don’t know if we’ll see some teams like this back at home, but it gives us a confidence booster coming out of here with a win. It can help us for the playoffs back at home. Our confidence is definitely rising and our ability to play is definitely rising as well.”

 

Game Highlights.

 

Teams	End 1Q	Halftime	End 3Q	Final
Glens Falls	18	39	57	80
Brunswick (GA)	15	35	54	65

 

 In game win probability

Glens Falls		Brunswick (GA)
16	3PT SHOOTING	9
8-11	FREE THROWS	6-12
73%	FT %	50%
3	LEADS	2
19	LARGEST LEAD	9
	Top Scorers
Glens Falls	Joseph Girard #11	59
Glens Falls	Trenton Girard #13	16
Brunswick (GA)	Torrey Dickens Jr. #14	21
Brunswick (GA)	Xavier Bean #10	11

 

 Game flow chart

 

 Full Glens Falls shot chart -HERE

 

 

 

All 11 of Joseph Girard III made three point field goals.