News & notes

 UAlbany has hired Tom Perkovich as their next football coach.

Perkovich just finished his 11th season at Susquehanna, where he had some modest success. The future of Jared Ambrose, who never had the interim label taken off this season, is uncertain.

We're getting conflicting information regarding Monday's bowling match between Troy & Lansingburgh at Uncle Sam Lanes. A Google search suggests that the match was postponed again. We will reach out to USL to find out more.

Tuesday's high school scores:

Men's hockey:

Queensbury 9, Guilderville 1. The Spartans, playing their 2nd game in three nights, rebounded after the loss to Saratoga on Sunday.

Women's basketball:

Saratoga 66, Niskayuna 48.

Mayfield 40, Whitehall 35.

Taconic Hills/Hawthorne Valley 52, Germantown 35.

Johnstown 50, Gloversville 36.

Men's basketball:

Colonie 58, Watervliet-Heatly 47. Greg Davis' club picks up its first win of the season.

Catskill 83, Greenville 46.

Rensselaer-Doane Stuart 54, Chatham 40.

Ravena 89, Hoosic Valley 49. The Ravens took out their frustrations after getting blown out by Troy last weekend on Hoosic Valley in a non-league rout.

Gloversville 49, Schuylerville 42.

Queensbury 70, Broadalbin-Perth 43.

Fort Plain 63, Waterford 22.

Merry Christmas, everyone. We'll be back on Saturday.

News & notes

 The Albany Times-Union unveiled its' women's volleyball all-stars today, and, well, the bias in favor of the Suburban Council couldn't be more obvious. Troy's Addison Harkin is the only player from outside the league to be named, and she made the 2nd team. We sympathize with teams like Queensbury, Mohonasen, South Glens Falls, et al, who got the el snubbino.

Shenendehowa's Hadley Ennist was named Athlete of The Year, and leads the 1st team for her coach, Lori Kessler. Joining Ennist are:

Avery Bush (Bethlehem).

Dyllan Thomas (Saratoga).

Alex Wemyss (Burnt Hills).

Jessica Macken (Shen).

Audri Chamberlain (Burnt Hills).

Harkin is joined on the 2nd team by:

Emma Codden (Guilderland).

Caroline Merolle (Shaker).

Brynn Sollien (Bethlehem).

Leah Vaughan (Burnt Hills).

Jacey Bitter (Shen).

It is a slap in the face of the women in Section 2 that the Suburban Council, which everyone knows has favored nation status in the press, had a monopoly on the all star teams.

Monday's high school scores:

Women's basketball:

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 27, Argyle 14.

Saratoga Catholic 62, Hartford 52.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 52, Northville 27.

Greenwich 59, Mechanicville 32.

Stillwater 65, Guilderland 43.

Broadalbin-Perth 43, Queensbury 36.

LaSalle 63, Coxsackie-Athens 58.

Glens Falls 69, Scotia-Glenville 54.

Amsterdam 60, Hudson Falls 43.

Schuylerville 64, Gloversville 21.

Men's basketball:

Fort Plain 78, OESJ 42.

Northville 78, Hadley-Luzerne 41.

Cooperstown 82, Saratoga Catholic 58.

CBA 62, Holy Trinity (LI) 56.

Indiana shut down Justice Shoats (0 points in 19 minutes), and while outscored, 40-35 in the 2nd half, held on to beat Siena, 81-60, Monday in a game aired on the Big 10 network. Francis Folefac led Siena with 19 points, as the Saints dropped their 2nd straight. Gerry McNamara's club is now idle until January 2 when they visit Iona.

News & notes

 While Section 2 is settling their issues with hockey refs, Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello is raising a stink with the folks heading up the board of directors for Knickerbacker ice arena in North Troy. According to Adam Toftegaard, per the Albany Times-Union, city corporation council Richard Morrissey claimed the proposed terms of an amended agreement were "unworkable".

Seems to me that the mayor is taking her cues from the national Republican party, headed by a bloviating, immature senior citizen in Washington.

Stay tuned.

Time to catch up on weekend action.

High schools:

Men's hockey:

Friday:

CBA 10, Taconic (Massachusetts) 1.

Beekmantown 5, Guilderville 3.

Baldwinsville 5, Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa 1.

Shenendehowa 5, Saratoga 2.

Bethlehem & Adirondack skated to a 1-1 draw.

Hawks 4, Bishop Timon 3.

Saturday:

Guilderville 8, Northeast Clinton 3.

Bishop Timon 4, LaSalle 2. The Cadets see their 4 game win streak snapped.

Hawks 5, Mohawk Valley 1. The Hawks finally win their own tournament.

Sunday:

Saratoga 4, Queensbury 1.

Women's basketball:

Friday:

Kennedy Catholic 75, Niskayuna 27.

Whitehall 49, North Warren 14.

Lake George 71, Hartford 44.

Watervliet-Heatly 64, Greenville 41.

Burnt Hills 55, Averill Park 48.

Schalmont 54, Mohonasen 48.

Albany Academy 78, Cohoes 39.

Rensselaer/Loudonville Christian 60, Germantown 39.

Coxsackie-Athens 45, Catskill 31.

Maple Hill 84, Chatham 11.

Ichabod Crane 55, Catholic Central 46.

Fonda-Fultonville 42, Middleburgh 21.

Mayfield 46, Galway 38.

Johnstown 61, Schoharie 34,

Columbia 74, Saratoga 32.

Bethlehem 75, Schenectady 17.

Shenendehowa 60, Ballston Spa 45.

Argyle 34, Warrensburg 32.

Corinth 75, Salem 11.

Granville 69, Fort Edward 25.

Saturday:

Niskayuna 54, Kennedy Catholic 50.

Corinth 51, Beekmantown 27.

Ballston Spa 66, Peru 57.

Malden Catholic (Massachusetts) 61, Academy of Holy Names 60.

Albany Academy 53, Averill Park 30.

Colonie 64, Our Lady of Lourdes 37.

Sunday:

Ballston Spa 55, Beekmantown 37.

Peru 49, Corinth 35.

Men's basketball:

Friday:

Dolgeville 66, Schoharie 62.

Bethlehem 61, Schenectady 42.

Schalmont 58, Mohonasen 50.

Watervliet-Heatly 69, Greenville 43.

Taconic Hills 66, Cairo-Durham 53.

Catskill 87, Coxsackie-Athens 61.

Maple Hill 65, Chatham 48.

Rensselaer 62, Germantown 54.

Cambridge 67, Waterford 33.

Schuylerville 61, South Glens Falls 55.

Corinth 76, Salem 41.

Lake George 52, Hartford 45.

Warrensburg 44, Argyle 43.

Shaker 68, Albany 51.

CBA 67, Colonie 38.

Columbia 62, Saratoga 41.

Fort Ann 78, Hadley-Luzerne 22.

Amsterdam 67, Queensbury 35.

Shenendehowa 94, Ballston Spa 73.

Glens Falls 64, Gloversville 40.

Greenwich 58, Saratoga Catholic 44.

Canajoharie 49, Mayfield 44.

Saturday:

Schoharie 64, Mayfield 41.

Ichabod Crane 75, Taconic Hills 63.

Glens Falls 64, South Glens Falls 46.

Hudson 60, Averill Park 43.

Burnt Hills 52, Schalmont 49.

Canajoharie 59, Dolgeville 50.

Sunday:

Tamarac 69, Voorheesville 50.

Fonda-Fultonville 60, Mechanicville 51.

Greenville 58, Cohoes 45. 

Cicero-North Syracuse 62, Ballston Spa 30.

Shaker 68, Liverpool 54.

Saratoga 63, Guilderland 50.

Colleges:

Women's basketball:

UAlbany 52, Hofstra 43.

Siena 73, Canisius 56. The Saints, after starting 0-7, have now won 4 in a row.

Men's basketball:

Cornell 83, UAlbany 75.

Troy High sports review, through December 19

 Troy High is on holiday break until January 5, although sports resumes December 29. Time to take a look at this week's action.

Men's basketball:

Current record: 4-0 (2-0 Colonial Council).

After beating Marcellus last Saturday at HVCC, Jamil Hood's squad had a few days to practice, and otherwise rest, before blowing away Ravena on Friday at Zotto Gym. If the Ravens came in with revenge on their minds, they were sadly disappointed.

Next: The Horses are off until January 2, when Watervliet-Heatly makes its first visit.

Women's basketball:

Current record: 5-1 (4-0 Colonial Council).

After upsetting defending champion Catholic Central on Tuesday (Hudl has it backwards), Will Harris' group crushed Ravena. The 30 point margin of victory matched their demolition of Guilderland 2 weeks earlier.

Next: The Glens Falls holiday tournament, December 29-30. Can Troy repeat last year's shockers?

Men's swimming & diving (merged with CBA & Columbia):

Current record: 4-1.

The 1 blemish came in a 4 team meet Friday, as the Flying Devil Brothers fell to Schenectady-Colonie in a meet that also included LaSalle & Hoosic Valley. LaSalle, for what it's worth, finished last. The loss was the 1st for the men's team since 2023.

Next: The pool is closed until January 6, when Bethlehem visits.

Bowling:

Current record: 4-2.

Don Poutre's club has hit the skids going into the holiday break, first losing at home to Mohonasen, then on the road at Cohoes, as the Tigers gained a split of the season series.

Next: The lone event on the schedule is a make-up date with Lansingburgh on Monday. Then, the keglers will be on vacation.

The sports review returns in two weeks.

High School Fridays: A stampede in the winds of winter (Albany at Shaker, 12/19/25)

 The women are in the spotlight tonight, as Shaker hosts Albany in a Suburban Council meeting of teams who've been past division champions.

Decky Lawson's Falcons are younger, less experienced than in past years, as Lawson is looking to find a successor to Azera Gates (now at Siena). Not only that, but Albany has spent the last few years chasing Averill Park for the Grey division title. Shaker is always in the thick of it in the Blue division, and opens the season undefeated.

The difference in this game was Shaker outscoring Albany, 18-4, in the 3rd quarter. Albany never recovered. The WNYA game of the week returns in 3 weeks with a Wasaren League match, with Tamarac visiting Saratoga Catholic.

Also:

11 months after demolishing Ravena, Troy continued their hot start in both men's & women's action. The guys remain undefeated under Jamil Hood, blowing out the Ravens, 79-49. The women, now 5-1, similarly crushed the Lady Ravens, 64-34. The women are idle until the Glens Falls Holiday tournament on December 29. The boys are off for 2 weeks before Watervliet-Heatly comes in.

In hockey, LaSalle has now won 4 in a row after beating Mohawk Valley, 3-1. Mohawk Valley comes from Section 3.

News & notes

 Saratoga Race Course, as we already know, will host the Belmont Stakes for the 3rd straight year come June. Overall the 2026 meet, split into two parts, will run a total of 51 days, with the majority of the meet, as per tradition, from July-September. They're expecting Belmont to reopen in the fall of 2026.

If you were like me, thinking the UAlbany-Vanderbilt women's basketball game would appear on the SEC Network proper on Thursday, you were disappointed. ESPN, which operates the channel, chose to put the game online. Just as well, as the Lady Commodores snapped the Lady Danes' 7 game winning streak, 64-35. Call it a reality check for Albany (9-3).

The dispute between Section 2 and officials that work their hockey games, per WTEN, is nearing an end. Parents across the region are breathing a sigh of relief. The agreement, to be ratified and signed on Monday, would be a great Christmas present for Section 2.

On the ice, Queensbury crushed the CD Jets, 9-1. The Jets have yet to win a game this season (0-6, 0-3 CDHSHL), while the Spartans sit atop the standings, tied points-wise with Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa, though Queensbury has played one fewer game. Meanwhile, CBA has cancelled tomorrow's scheduled non-league game vs. Waterton-Immaculate Heart, due likely to weather concerns.

In Puerto Rico, Susquehanna defeated Union in women's basketball, 63-44.

The rest of Thursday's high school action:

Men's swimming & diving:

Bethlehem 102, Albany 49.

Guilderville 92, Shaker 76.

Queensbury 88, Glens Falls 82.

Gloversville/Mayfield/Fonda 79, Hudson Falls-South Glens Falls 42.

Women's basketball:

LaSalle 71, Voorheesville 55.

Amsterdam 55, Queensbury 31.

South Glens Falls 49, Schuylerville 21.

Stillwater 67, Hoosic Valley 20.

Tamarac 64, Hoosick Falls 28.

Men's basketball:

Fort Ann 60, Crown Point 28.

LaSalle 65, Voorheesville 59.

Niskayuna 66, Guilderland 32.

A quick reminder that tonight's WNYA game of the week sees Albany vs. Shaker in women's action (7 pm).

News & notes

 Now, it's the women's turn to be on TV.

Tonight, UAlbany's women will face Vanderbilt in a non-league game airing on the SEC Network (Spectrum channel 384) at 7:30 pm. The Lady Danes, remember, don't have any sort of broadcast contract, unlike the men, so this is a rare treat. The Albany Times-Union incorrectly listed the game as being at 6:30 pm.

Speaking of the Albany men, they took down Stony Brook, 71-55, on Wednesday night. Amir Lindsey had 24 points to help the Danes snap a stretch where they'd lost 3 straight and 6 of 7. The Danes return home Sunday afternoon to face Cornell (WTMM, 3 pm).

Siena, on the other hand, found out how tough Vermont is.

The Catamounts, who've been Albany's nemesis for years, defeated the Saints, 83-69, on Wednesday night. Gavin Doty led 4 Saints in double figures with 18 points, as Siena saw its 7 game winning streak come to an end. Riley Mulvey (Albany Academy) had 4 points in 12 minutes. Up next for Siena is a trip to Big 10 country to play Indiana (WJMZ, Big 10 Network, 6 pm) on Monday. The Big 10 Network is a premium channel on Spectrum.

Weeks after learning that their new regional rival, the NY Phoenix, moved to the revived United States Basketball League, the Albany Patroons announced they'll sit out the 2026 season, with plans to return in 2027. The team will retain a presence in the Albany community during the hiatus. Something tells me that there's more to this than team management, led by president Michael Corts, is letting on......!

The only other college basketball game of local interest on Wednesday saw Union defeat Johnson & Wales, 65-60, in women's action. The Garnet Chargers are in Puerto Rico, where they'll next play Susquehanna later this afternoon.

Wednesday's high school action:

Men's hockey:

Hawks 9, Guilderville 2.

Shenendehowa 3, Queensbury 1.

Adirondack 2, Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa 0.

The Section 2 hockey website has confirmed that the Hawks tournament, taking place Friday & Saturday, will be at the M & T Bank Center, not at Union College.

Men's swimming:

Fonda-Johnstown 60, Canajoharie-Ft. Plain 57.

Women's basketball:

Granville 35, North Warren 27.

Corinth 44, Hadley Luzerne 17.

Lake George 53, Warrensburg 25.

Fort Plain-Canajoharie 55, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 41.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 51, Johnstown 33.

Duanesburg 53, Schoharie 33.

Mechanicville 58, Fonda-Fultonville 12.

Galway 47, OESJ 33.

Mayfield 62, Northville 52.

Whitehall 84, Fort Edward 4. Ouch!

Men's basketball:

Fonda-Fultonville 46, Canajoharie 34.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 57, Loudonville Christian 43.

Fort Plain 61, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 60.

Duanesburg 61, Schoharie 40.

Warrensburg 50, Lake George 49.

Northville 71, Mayfield 41.

Middleburgh 56, Worcester 49.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 77, Johnstown 45.

Skiing:

Queensbury swept the men's & women's events at the Johnsburg Invitational.