High School Fridays: Shenendehowa @ Troy (girls' basketball), 1/4/19

Since entering the Suburban Council three seasons ago, Troy High's women's basketball team has had to overcome a number of hazards. That is to say, there are teams they haven't been able to beat. Albany, for example, has adjusted to the league better than Troy has, and currently leads the Suburban Council's Gray division with an undefeated record at 10-0 overall.

Then, there are established Suburban Council powers such as Bethlehem and Shenendehowa. The Lady Plainsmen came to town tonight leading the Blue division. Nothing new there, and there was a familiar name on the program for the visitors.

Huerter.

Meghan & Jillian Huerter, a sophomore & freshman, respectively, are the sisters of Atlanta rookie Kevin Huerter and Siena's Tom Huerter, Jr.. Proud papa Tom Huerter, Sr. was in attendance, making his first appearance at Zotto Gym since Kevin was a senior just three years ago. You couldn't miss the elder Huerter, not with the white Siena sweatshirt.

However, the Huerter sisters are not the stars of the Lady Plainsmen. Not yet, anyway. Meghan is a starter, while Jillian comes off the bench as a role player. The attention instead has been on seniors Cat Almeida and Anna Milham, but it wasn't offense that was showcased tonight. Instead, it was defense.

Shen's full court pressure smothered Troy from the go, forcing a ton of turnovers. It was so stifling, Shen held Troy to just 11 points at the break.

The partisans, however, had issues with the officials assigned to the game. What appeared to be a pair of offensive fouls, one in each half, went the other way. In the referees' judgement, the Troy defenders weren't set enough to draw the charges. When it appeared that Troy's Jakaiya Dewer appeared to be fouled, but didn't get the call, her father, in the balcony, exploded at the referee, and was subsequently ejected. According to a Troy security monitor, this was the second time this season a parent has been ejected from Zotto Gym.

Milham led all scorers with 18 points. Almeida added 10, and Shen, which led by as much as 21 at one point, sent Troy to its fourth straight league loss, 54-39. Jenalyse Alarcon led Troy with 16 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter, and Dewer added 10. The Huerter sisters combined for 11 points for Shen. Meghan had 8, and Jillian had 3.

Troy continues its current homestand on Tuesday against Columbia, with Schenectady coming in next Friday before a road trip to Kingston.
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The boys' game at Shen had not been reported as of press time. We should have that result within 24 hours.
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Shen also ended Troy's undefeated (far as we know) streak in bowling on Wednesday in a 31-1 rout at Spare Time Clifton Park.
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Former LaSalle star Elijah Burns was hoping for a sweet homecoming after transferring as a graduate student from Notre Dame to Siena last month, with designs on playing for the Saints this season.

The NCAA had other ideas, and denied the Saints' request for a waiver on a rule prohibiting players from competing for two different programs in the same season. Burns had appeared in four games for the Fighting Irish before graduating last month. Siena is appealing the decision, but Burns, per the Albany Times-Union, had an inkling this wasn't going to end well. The T-U website offers this video:



Barring one last appeal, Burns will be eligible to play for the Saints next season, not this season.