News & notes

Thanks in part to the Berkshire Eagle, we finally have the result of Friday's women's basketball game between Troy & Pittsfield. The Lady Horses blew away the Lady Generals, 88-57. Jenalyse Alarcon scored 22 points, as Troy placed five players in double figures. Unfortunately, the game result still hasn't been submitted to local outlets such as the Albany Times-Union. Being on vacation is no excuse for dereliction of duty.

However, last night, Troy fell to Hanover, 53-51. No box score on this one, either. Game result was provided by the NYS Public High School Athletic Association's website. Troy is now 3-4 overall on the young season, and will return to action with a rematch vs. Schenectady at Zotto Gym Friday afternoon at 1 pm.
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Similarly, the result of Saturday's game between Saranac & LaSalle in the Mohawks tournament was late in being reported. For the 2nd straight season, the Cadets go 0-2 in the event, dropping a 4-2 decision to Saranac. Tim Flanigan's club is now idle until Friday, when they visit Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa, hoping to snap another two game losing streak. Forest Ward & Hunter Caola scored for Lasalle in the loss.
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Looking back at the Uncle Sam Holiday Classic, there's something to be said about Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, which now represents the Western Athletic Conference, going 0-2 in their first visit to Troy in a year. Both losses were to Colonial Council teams (Lansingburgh, LaSalle), which suggests that the level of play in the WAC, comprised mostly of Class B & C schools, isn't up to par with the Colonial, where LaSalle is one of two teams above Class B (Class AA in basketball, Class A in almost everything else). Last year, the Golden Knights spoiled Catholic Central's Rich Gilooly Memorial by beating the Crusaders. This year? Different story.

And as for host Troy High, losing to Lansingburgh, a B school? We've seen this scenario before, as Troy lost to Schalmont back in February, and that was with a better squad than the one they currently have. In the field of play, classifications don't really matter.

Troy had good attendance both nights for the tournament, although the bleachers weren't exactly full, unlike the old Uncle Sam tournaments from 1976-81, which packed the gym every year. It was that sardine can, standing room only scenario that prompted Troy to move Homecoming to football season in 1982.

Looking ahead for Troy, they have a revenge game at Guilderland on January 7 before coming home to play Albany. They'll play a rare Monday game on Martin Luther King Day (January 20) as part of a boys-girls doubleheader vs. Kingston, which needs better promotion when you think about it, because if they don't promote the doubleheader outside of campus, the attendance will be sparse. Just sayin'.

A Knight to Forget (Lansingburgh @ Troy, 12/28/19)

For Troy High fans, the performance of their mens' basketball team Saturday, in contrast to Friday, was like, well, Knight and day.

Bad puns aside, the Flying Horses came out flatter than day old pancakes at the Greasy Spoon 24 hour diner. The Knights of Lansingburgh came out running and gunning, and even made the cheeky move of entering the court diagonally from Troy for warmups before the game, instead of using the entrance opposite of Troy in the gym, as would be customary.

Whatever the reason for this tactic, it worked like a charm. Isaiah Knight and Ken Allison did most of the damage in the first quarter, as 'Burgh ran out to a 19-11 lead at the end of the frame, and were never headed. The Knights' defense shut down Troy's rising star, sophomore Marquis Hamby, limiting him to just four points, and held Deondre Butler to just two.

However, that allowed Nasir Dawud-Soto & Alex Wolfe to have career nights for Troy.

Wolfe scored fifteen points, and Soto led Troy with eighteen, doing most of his damage in the second half, and this was despite being in foul trouble the entire night. Wolfe also had foul trouble, but stayed in the game with three fouls until a couple of minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Troy's defense, however, couldn't slow down Knight for too long, as he finished with a game high twenty-six points. Allison finished with eight, and Vinny Tario added fourteen, as Lansingburgh held off Troy, 60-50.

Troy (3-5 overall) is now idle until Guilderland comes to town on January 7. Lansingburgh returns home to host Schenectady on Friday, hoping to collect another Suburban Council pelt, this one of the Class AA variety.
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Earlier, Gabe Lucarelli rebounded from a poor night Friday to lead LaSalle with eighteen points, as the Cadets handed Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons its second straight loss, 59-57. Rodney Parker, wearing #25 instead of his customary #22, likely because the jersey went missing overnight, led all scorers with twenty-eight points, while Noah Foster added twenty in a losing effort.

Parker wasn't the only one wearing a different number, as Adi Quinones, normally #50, wore #32 instead.

Bo Catherwood & Drasean Wallace had nine points apiece for LaSalle.
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We are awaiting the result of this morning's LaSalle-Saranac game in the Mohawks tournament at Union College. The host Mohawks played to a 3-3 draw with Brattleboro. We are also still waiting for a report on Friday's women's game between Troy & Pittsfield.

High School Fridays: LaSalle @ Troy (basketball), 12/27/19

Once upon a time, you could plan on seeing LaSalle and Troy High hook up in basketball twice a year.

However, it has been nearly five years since the two schools have met on the hardwood. The classic rivalry has been revived in football, with Troy having won four straight over the Cadets. Would it be any different tonight? Would LaSalle spoil the Uncle Sam Holiday Classic, as Troy billed this year's event?

For a while, it seemed like they could.

For three quarters, the Cadets hung tough with the Flying Horses, matching them on both sides of the ball. Junior forward Owen Kane scored seven points in the first half, but was shut down after halftime. Gabe Lucarelli, arguably one of the Cadets' best players, was held to just six points on the night.

But for every Cadet basket, Troy had an answer. Both teams applied defensive pressure, although Troy began to get sloppy with the fouls in the second half. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the hosts finally began to pull away.

Marquis Hamby, one of three sophomores on the varsity roster, led all scorers with 17 points. Senior Makai Cruel added 15, and Alex Wolfe & Shamdo Caldwell chipped in 9 each, as Troy rebounded from a tough loss to Truman High last weekend with a 70-59 win in front of a raucous crowd at Zotto Gym.

Jimyh Evans led LaSalle with 16 points, while Drashean Wallace added 13 in a losing effort.

Tomorrow, LaSalle will play Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, while Troy hosts Lansingburgh.

Earlier, Lansingburgh ended Gibbons' season opening eight game winning streak, taking the Golden Knights to overtime before emerging with a 73-72 victory. Gibbons had a chance to actually win on the last possession, but Omari Carmon's three pointer was blocked as time expired.
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Other stuff:

It was not a good day for LaSalle, as the skating Cadets dropped a 5-3 decision to Brattleboro at Union College. Owen Scannell, Spencer Carpenter, & Hunter Caola scored for the Cadets, while Caleb Ellis made 19 saves in goal. LaSalle will play Saranac tomorrow morning. Saranac defeated the Niskayuna-Schenectady-Albany-Amsterdam Mohawks in today's nightcap, 3-2.

The Troy women's basketball game vs. Pittsfield at Amsterdam High was not reported as of press time.

Albany Academy finally won a hockey game in Section II. Dave Rider's Cadets defeated "Guilderville", 3-2, snapping a four game losing streak.

News & notes

Former LaSalle star Elijah Burns hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to lift Siena past Canisius, 73-72, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both teams at Times-Union Center on Monday. Burns finished with 16 points, while Jalen Pickett led Siena with 21. The Saints return to the TUC on Sunday to play Holy Cross.

Monday's game was the first broadcast this season on WNYA (Spectrum Cable channel 1215), with Robert Lee and ex-WRGB sports anchor Kelly O'Donnell at the microphones. O'Donnell has also done some work for Spectrum on high school football during their aborted live streaming project a couple of years back.

While I cannot confirm this, it appears the game was being live streamed on ESPN3, hence the trade dress graphics that the network uses for their college broadcasts. Nice!
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While Troy High has gotten off to a 2-4 start, with the Holiday Classic coming up on Friday, we noted that Zaveon Little wasn't on the varsity roster after being called up near the end of last season from junior varsity. There's a good reason for that.

Turns out Little transferred from Troy to Voorheesville after last season, as his family moved out of the Collar City. Little scored 24 points, a career best, in his last game, per the Albany Times-Union. Granted, Troy could use him now, as their offense has had struggles early on,  but Little has made the best of the situation.
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That same Times-Union article, their weekly boys' hoops rankings, may have fudged the Holiday Classic schedule.

James Allen, who may or may not be covering the event, has Troy playing LaSalle on Saturday instead of Friday, and Troy would be ticketed to play undefeated Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons on Friday. Schedule Galaxy has Troy-LaSalle on Friday, and assuming Troy will play Lansingburgh on Saturday, but figure if Gibbons beats 'Burgh, they'll play Troy, if they hold to the traditional tournament format.
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A deeper look at Albany Academy's early hockey struggles in the Capital District High School Hockey League (CDHSHL) reveals that junior goaltender Emma McIntyre has started all four games this season, but has not finished. Her longest stint this season was 39 minutes, playing deep into the 3rd period. She didn't get out of the 2nd period on Saturday vs. LaSalle. I get that coach Dave Rider is trying to protect her from injury, but maybe a change in starting goalies is in order, as the Cadets will play "Guilderville" and, possibly, a rematch with Bethlehem, at home this weekend. Stay tuned.

Something to fight for (Albany Academy @ LaSalle, 12/21/19)

To be fair to the participants, neither Albany Academy nor LaSalle had assumed they would be struggling just to win heading into the Christmas break.

Part 1 of hockey's Battle of The Cadets took place tonight at Conway Arena at Hudson Valley Community College in front of a nearly full house. Both teams were coming off bad losses in their previous games, LaSalle losing to CBA on Wednesday, while Academy was wrecked by Bethlehem. Something had to give.

After experimenting with pro style penalty minutes and added game time last year, the Capital District High School Hockey League reverted to the old system, with 15 minutes per period, and minor penalties scaled back to 90 seconds for each infraction. Major penalties would be 3-4 minutes. Apparently, the experiment didn't go over well around the league after all.

Digression over. Hoping to spark his offense, Academy coach Dave Rider started Emma McIntyre in goal. The junior looked solid for much of the first period, giving up only a late goal by LaSalle sophomore Forest Ward, who may or may not be related to first year athletic director Craig Ward. LaSalle, then, led, 1-0, at the first intermission.

Perhaps fittingly, the first song on the loudspeaker at intermission was Foreigner's "Cold as Ice".

In the second period, LaSalle turned up the heat, and knocked McIntyre from the game. With McIntyre sprawled on the ice, Shaun Branon popped one into the net to up the lead to 2-0. Just a minute or two later, there was a scrum around the crease. Down went McIntyre, again, and this time, Reid Murray took advantage to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. It took the officials about three minutes to decide whether or not the goal should stand, and, rightfully, it shouldn't have, not with all the traffic and interference in the crease. No wonder the Academy faithful were irate going into intermission,  but not before LaSalle tacked on one more, as Pauley redirected a Jack Brown shot past Jackson Bissell, who'd relieved McIntyre.

Spencer Carpenter scored in the third to close things for LaSalle, but after Tim Carlson snapped Academy's scoring draught, LaSalle coach Tim Flanigan lifted starting goalie Leo Paul for Kyle McGee. McGee only allowed a goal by Sam Koenig the rest of the way, while Bissell finally got the vacuum going in net for Academy, shutting down LaSalle the rest of the way.

Just the same, LaSalle snaps a 2 game losing streak with the 5-2 win.

Up next for LaSalle is the annual Mohawks tournament on Friday at Union College. They'll play Brattleboro on Friday afternoon, and Saranac on Saturday morning.
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Other stuff: I had thought Troy High was going to Kingston for today's road game, which was still listed as "TBD", per Schedule Galaxy. Nope. They went to SUNY Cobleskill instead to play in a tournament, and dropped a 55-51 decision to Harry Truman High. Nasir Dawud-Soto, one of the heroes of the football team, led Troy with 13 points, while Marquis Hamby added 11 in a losing effort for Troy (2-4 overall).

News & notes

Troy High two-sport star Maddie Rifenerick has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball at Columbia University beginning in 2021. Maddie was also an all-star goalkeeper at Troy in soccer, and was named to the Suburban Council All-Star Team 1st team this season. Congratulations!!
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Meant to get this in yesterday's report. Shenendehowa alum Kevin Huerter scored 14 points in a losing effort as Atlanta fell to the Knicks on Tuesday. The game was shown on MSG for one of the few times local fans will see the Hawks this season.
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Troy High's boys basketball team snapped a three game losing streak in beating Colonie, 54-49, last night. Marquis Hamby led Troy with 13 points. Colonie's Marcus Shelton matched Hamby with 13 of his own to lead the Garnet Raiders. The team concludes a four game road trip tomorrow, but as of press time, the game site remains a mystery. Still think it's Kingston.
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In contrast, the Troy women saw their two game winning streak end at the hands of Colonie, 48-44. Scoring was so hard to come by that no one on either team reached double figures. Jenalyse Alarcon was held to just 6 points. Amalia Mulinio led Troy with 9 points, and Alaina Holmes & Nadia Brown added 8 apiece. Macie Trimarchi & Sareena DiCerbo led Colonie with 9 points each.

Both Troy teams are now 2-3 overall, and the women will have a week's rest before playing a tournament in Amsterdam next week.
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It's still the first month of the season, but we're noticing that a fair number of games have not been reported to all media outlets. Parents, you may need to help the coaches and athletic directors at your schools submit game results to the local papers and television stations. We'd like to post the current league standings for basketball, but so far, they're incomplete as of press time.
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Colonie also defeated Troy in bowling, 27-5, the Flying Horses' 2nd straight loss to even their record at 3-3.

News & notes

UAlbany's mens' basketball team closes out 2019 on the road in the tri-state area, and the trip has already gotten off to a bad start.

The Great Danes fell to St. John's on Wednesday night, 85-57. Will Brown's club is off until Saturday, when they play Monmouth, then return downstate to play Columbia on December 30.
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Joe Germinerio, Jr. finished his collegiate career at Ithaca by being named to the All-Liberty League 1st team at quarterback. The LaSalle graduate had initially committed to UAlbany, but transferred to Brockport for his sophomore season after redshirting as a freshman due to not getting any playing time in Albany.

Former Shaker QB Wahid Nabi will likely be the starting quarterback when he begins his senior season in 2020.
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When Albany Academy visits LaSalle in hockey on Saturday night, both sets of Cadets will be looking for their first win of the league season.

LaSalle dropped a 6-1 decision to CBA on Wednesday night in front of the faithful at Conway Arena, and now have dropped two straight, and three of their first five overall games.

Academy was greeted rudely at home by defending Delvecchio Cup champion Bethlehem, 10-0, also on Wednesday, and are 0-2 in league play.

Speaking of LaSalle, the date's been set for Cadets For Vets III. It'll be Saturday, January 18, in the rematch vs. the Capital District Jets, who are anything but patsies this season. The Jets beat LaSalle last Saturday night, 6-3, so Tim Flanigan's Cadets are looking for revenge.
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Quick reminder that there's no basketball at Troy High tomorrow. Instead, the women's team finishes a 3 game homestand tonight vs. Colonie, while the guys will try to snap a 3 game losing streak at Colonie. Given the frigid temperatures, maybe they should spring for space heaters in the bleachers.......
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Troy-CBA's swimming & diving meet vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Tuesday has not been reported as of press time. We're hoping to rectify that issue soon.

As the snow flies.....

For the 2nd time in 3 weeks, Section II has seen a number of basketball games postponed, most moving to tomorrow, due to weather. At least a couple of games were moved forward to last night, but these games are slated now for tomorrow or later. Mostly girls' games, except where noted.

Colonial Council:

Catholic Central @ Mohonasen.
Academy of Holy Names @ Lansingburgh.
Voorheesville @ Cohoes (boys' game at Voorheesville also postponed)
Ichabod Crane @ Schalmont (boys game at Ichabod Crane also postponed)
Lansingburgh @ LaSalle (boys basketball).

Western Athletic Conference:

Ravena @ Watervliet (boys).
Canajoharie @ Schoharie.
Duanesburg @ Mayfield.
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons @ Middleburgh.

Also a Colonial Council wrestling meet, set for Lansingburgh, has been postponed, and a bowling match between Lansingburgh and Mohonasen, set for Towne Bowling Academy, has been pushed back, likely to tomorrow.

Please check with your schools to see if your games or meets are still on.

And, verily, the worm hath turneth

It's only a small sample size, but, to borrow from Bob Dylan, the times are a'changin' at Troy High in the young winter sports season.

The December 3 boys & girls doubleheader at Bethlehem didn't count in Suburban Council league standings, as the league openers came three nights later. For Troy's boys' basketball team, that's bad news, because any momentum generated from beating Bethlehem that night has dissipated into a morass of misfortune.

Greg Davis' club has since lost three in a row for the first time since the latter days of the Rich Hurley era, the latest a 64-61 defeat to Schenectady on Friday at Pat Riley Center. Marquis Hamby ended a two game scoring slump by leading Troy with 21 points, and Jadon Cummings added 13. Troy (1-3 overall) may not be entirely together as a team just yet, but they do have less than a week before their next game, as they'll continue their road trip in Colonie on Thursday. Per Schedule Galaxy, they'll then travel to a "undetermined" site----I'm guessing Kingston----next Saturday.

Meanwhile, at Zotto Memorial Gym, the women dispatched Schenectady with ease, 54-39. The Lady Patriots have been one of Troy's favorite patsies in recent years, and just didn't have the talent to keep up. Troy led, 28-10, at halftime, and that pretty much told the tale. Alaina Holmes led Troy with 18 points and 6 rebounds, followed by Jenalyse Alarcon with 13 and 5, respectively. Troy finishes the current homestand with Colonie on Thursday night.

So where does the problem lie with the boys? Part of it might be a slower than expected transition from football season to basketball season, and a majority of the roster were also on the football team (i.e. Alex Wolfe, Tyrell Penalba, Makai Cruel). Starting with Thursday's game at Colonie, the boys will play four games over a ten day period, including the Holiday Classic in two weeks. Practices will be harder, to be sure.

In contrast, the women's team has been together for a couple of years now, with only two seniors graduating last year, and are poised to make a run at perennial Gray division leaders Averill Park and Albany this season, having erased the bitter taste of getting blown out by Shenendehowa eight days ago with dominating wins over Guilderland and Schenectady. Like the boys, Ryan Meikle's club will play a tournament in two weeks, on the road, in Amsterdam, where they're scheduled to play Pittsfield on the 27th. The real litmus test will come starting January 10 when they begin a run of games against some of the Suburban Council's powers, including Albany, Saratoga, and Shaker. Once again, Senior Night comes too early for the ladies, January 28 vs. Columbia, leading to a season ending five game road trip, including a stop in Averill Park on February 7.

As previously noted, Troy will host a boys & girls doubleheader vs. Kingston, on Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King Day). The Lady Horses swept Kingston last season, so maybe they can show the boys how it's done.

To borrow a line from Howard Jones, things can only get better. They'd have to.

News & notes

Yes, they're still playing soccer in the northeast in December.

The College of St. Rose reached the national semi-finals in women's soccer in NCAA Division II, only to lose, 3-2, to Grand Valley State on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

The Golden Knights finish 21-3-1 on the season.
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Maybe the worm really has turned for Troy High winter sports.

Troy's men's swimming & diving team, a unified unit with Christian Brothers Academy, won their initial meet of the season on Wednesday, defeating Guilderland-Voorheesville, 49-43. This is the 2nd year of Troy & CBA's combined team, and, just like the improving bowling team, they're off to a fast start in the Troy pool.

Meanwhile, the Troy bowling team saw their two match winning streak come to an end Thursday at Boulevard Bowl with a 23-9 loss to Schenectady. Still, 3-2 after five matches is better than it has been since Troy entered the Suburban Council four years ago, and they haven't had this kind of talent on the lanes since they were still in the Big 10 in the 90's, when the likes of Jeremy Yando & Steve Horton were the team leaders.
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Courtesy of Section 2 Hockey's web page, here's the current standings.

Team	GP	Record	Pts	GP	Record	GF	GA	Last 6	Streak	Win %
CDHSHL
Queensbury (D2)	3	2-1	3	3	2-1	9	6	2-1	Won 2	.667
Saratoga	1	1-0	1	3	1-2	9	10	1-2	Won 1	.333
G/M/S/S/V	1	1-0	1	1	1-0	3	2	1-0	Won 1	1.000
Adirondack	2	1-1	1	4	2-2	11	10	2-2	Lost 1	.500
Bethlehem	-	0-0	-	4	4-0	18	6	4-0	Won 4	1.000
CBA	-	0-0	-	4	2-1-1	7	5	2-1-1	Won 1	.625
BHBL/BS	-	0-0	-	3	2-1	15	10	2-1	Won 2	.667
La Salle	-	0-0	-	3	2-1	8	8	2-1	Won 1	.667
N/S/A	-	0-0	-	3	0-3	6	15	0-3	Lost 3	.000
CD Jets	1	0-1	-	1	0-1	2	3	0-1	Lost 1	.000
Shenendehowa	1	0-1	-	3	1-2	9	10	1-2	Lost 2	.333
Albany Academy	1	0-1	-	2	0-2	4	10	0-2	Lost 2	.000

At this early stage, it looks like Queensbury, which had a late surge last season, could challenge Bethlehem for the Delvecchio Cup, which goes to the regular season champion. Pity the Capital District Jets (formerly Shaker-Colonie), which has to play tonight at Oswego before coming home to face LaSalle tomorrow. I would not count on Shen and/or Albany Academy remaining league doormats for long, though, as it is still early, and Academy had the misfortune of playing their first league game against Queensbury. They're idle until Wednesday, when they play Bethlehem before visiting LaSalle for part 1 of the Battle of The Cadets.

Troy High sports update, 12/10

I stand corrected on the Troy High bowling team.

While the result was never reported to the press, the Flying Horses upset Shenendehowa last Thursday, and Troy continued its hot start by beating CBA, 25-6, on Tuesday at Towne Bowling Academy. Olivia DeCitise led Troy with a 632 triple, and a high game of 252. Troy continues its road trip at Boulevard Bowl to play Schenectady tomorrow, then has a week's rest before contending against Colonie at Spare Time-Latham (formerly Latham Bowl) on December 19, their last match before the Christmas break. Troy is now 3-1 on the young season.
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On the other hand, the school's basketball teams aren't so hot.

The Troy boys dropped their second in a row, 57-47, to Guilderland on Tuesday. Jadon Cummings led the team with 13 points in a losing effort, as the Dutchmen avenged a loss last year at Zotto Gym. The two teams will meet in Troy on January 7. Billy Lia left the showroom at one of his auto dealerships long enough to score 21 points, while Ryan Teaney added 19 to lead the Dutchmen.

Meanwhile, the women's team picked up its first win of the season, knocking off the Lady Dutch for the first time since entering the Suburban Council, 68-54. Jenalyse Alarcon led all scorers with 30 points, and Nadia Brown added 11 for the winners. Valencia Fontenelle-Posson led Guilderland with 28 points. The rematch will be in Guilderland on January 7.

Both basketball teams are 1-2 heading into play against Schenectady on Friday (women at home, men on the road). In a scheduling quirk, both games will start at 6 pm, approximately.

High School Fridays: Shenendehowa leaves Troy snowblind

Inclement weather kept ye scribe from attending Troy High's boys basketball home opener. Shenendehowa, at least, is doing online broadcasts at home and away for the boys, not so sure about the girls. I'd like to see Troy take the initiative and do the same.

Anyway, the Plainsmen picked up their first win of the season, spoiling the home opener for Troy, 57-42. Jake Reinisch, with 14 points, was one of three Plainsmen in double figures. Jadon Cummings led Troy with 10 points as both teams are now 1-1 on the season. Troy plays Guilderland next.

Over in Clifton Park, the Huerter sisters, Jillian & Meghan, combined for 23 points, leading four Lady Plainsmen in double figures, as Shen routed Troy, 79-36. Jenalyse Alarcon led winless Troy (0-2) with 12 points. It was the league opener for Shen (1-0).

The Lady Horses close their road trip in Guilderland on Tuesday before the home opener vs. Schenectady next Friday. Troy will play Schenectady twice, both at home, in the next four weeks.
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Other Troy High news: Troy's bowling match vs. Averill Park at Uncle Sam Lanes, postponed on Tuesday, was contested on Wednesday, with the Warriors picking up the win, 18 1/2-13 1/2. Troy is now 1-2 after losing to Shen on Thursday.

News & notes

UAlbany dropped at 61-52 decision to Yale at SEFCU Arena on Wednesday, but lost amidst it all, until a feature piece in today's Albany Times-Union, was that this was also a sort of homecoming for Albany Academy grad August Mahoney, a freshman reserve for the Bulldogs. Mahoney played 5 minutes, but did not register a point. That will change soon enough.
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Joseph Girard III is finding out very quickly that college basketball isn't as easy as high school.

Girard scored six points in a Syracuse loss to Iowa earlier this week. Coach Jim Boeheim has enough faith in Girard to keep him in the starting lineup, at least for now. Figure any time Syracuse is on ESPN or the ACC Network, it'll be a must watch for local fans. For what it's worth, the ACC Network, we must remind, is a premium channel in contrast to the rest of the ESPN family of channels.
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With Shen grad Kevin Huerter sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a 10 game losing streak. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, Huerter winds up elsewhere. Just sayin'.
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Troy High's bowling match vs. Shenendehowa on Thursday was not reported to the local papers. For Shen, that is rather unusual, and it makes no sense. We'll try to obtain information on the match as soon as possible.
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Update, 1:19 pm: The weather has forced postponement of the following, scheduled for tonight:

Girls' basketball:

Catholic Central @ Lansingburgh.
Schoharie @ Mayfield.

Boys' basketball:

Mayfield @ Schoharie.
Cohoes @ Catholic Central.

We will keep you posted if any more postponements come in.

Troy High hoops update, 12/3

Going into Tuesday, Bethlehem owned both Troy High basketball teams. The Flying Horses, dating back to 2014, were a combined 0-11 vs. the Eagles.

The season opener for both schools was a boys & girls doubleheader at Bethlehem, the first of two visits the Lady Horses will make this season, unless the schedules issued pre-season are in error.

Bethlehem extended the Lady Horses' losing streak to 7 in a row in the opener, 58-45. Jenalyse Alarcon led Troy with 17 points in a losing effort, and, predictably, was the only Troy player in double figures. Second year coach Ryan Meikle returns most of last year's team, a year older, and, for the fans' sake, wiser. The season opening road trip continues at Shenendehowa on Friday.

Troy boys coach Greg Davis simply reloaded after losing star players Latyce Faison, Nazaire Merritt, & Lateef Johnson to graduation. After Marquis Hamby, Zaveon Little, & Deondre Butler were called up from the junior varsity last season, it appears for now that Little was sent back to JV to start the season, but Davis brought up Shamdo Caldwell, Kenyon Oriol, Jadon Cummings, and football star Tyrell Penalba from the JV to join returnees Nasir Dawud-Soto, Alex "Hungry Like The" Wolfe, and Makai "Don't Be" Cruel.

Hamby led all scorers with 22 points, and Cruel added 13, as Troy upset Bethlehem in the boys' matchup, 68-57, in a battle of last year's division champions. The boys will have their home opener vs. Shen (0-1) on Friday. Based on this small sample, Troy looks ready to defend, if not also retain, the Gray division title.

News & notes

Per Schedule Galaxy, Troy High's home bowling match vs. Averill Park, set for today at Uncle Sam Lanes, has been postponed due to the weather. Second straight day a high school match was postponed at Uncle Sam Lanes, as a Colonial Council match between Lansingburgh and LaSalle was postponed.

Speaking of the Cadets, their basketball game vs. Ichabod Crane has also been postponed, as has a wrestling meet vs. Lansingburgh.

We'll have more updates as the day progresses. Meanwhile, please check with your schools to see if any after school events, including basketball games, wrestling meets, etc., are either on or off for today.
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Going into the Class B state football title game on Sunday, I thought the x factor was on Schuylerville's side via defensive assistant Jack Burger.

Wrong.

Chenango Forks junior tailback Lucas Scott shredded the Black Horses' defense, leading Chenango Forks to the state title, 38-14, at the Carrier Dome. The key word here is junior, as Scott will return next season, making Chenango Forks the favorite to repeat.
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Update, 2:00 pm: Tonight's boys' basketball game between Catholic Central and Fonda-Fultonville has been postponed, and rescheduled for Saturday, February 15.

News & notes

Capital Region Bowling may have been off the air the last few years, but any hope of the show returning with newsman John Craig as play-by-play announcer evaporated the other day with news that Craig was leaving WNYT for parts unknown.

Having watched the show on occasion, I can tell you that listening to Craig and analyst Ken Hall was easier on the ears than hyperactive Fox (and before that, ESPN) announcer Rob Stone's over the top antics.
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Hockey season has started in Section II.

2-time defending sectional champion Bethlehem opened their season by beating Mamaroneck, 4-2.

LaSalle opened with a 3-2 win over Franklin Academy at Hudson Valley Community College.

Adirondack defeated Canton, 3-0.

CBA shut out Clinton, 2-0.
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Pre-season basketball tournaments wrapped up on Saturday in Section II.

In the Lions Armory Tip-Off Classic, to finally use the full title:

Host Mekeel Christian upset Abraham Lincoln, 71-59, sending the Railsplitters home with a 1-1 record.

Lansingburgh defeated Bishop Maginn for the 2nd straight season, 69-59, a closer game than it was a year ago.

Watervliet dominated Catholic Central, 88-53. Jackson Brown, son of UAlbany mens' basketball coach Will Brown, had 22 points, and was the only player in double figures for the Crusaders.

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons upset Shaker, 68-63. Then again, the Bison didn't have a great year last year...!

In the Mike Beson Memorial:

Argyle won the boys' tournament, defeating Saratoga Central Catholic, 74-73.

In the girls' tournament, Warrensburg defeated Galway, 67-43, to win the tournament. SCCHS won the consolation game over Loudonville Christian, 42-35.

Schoharie lost their own women's tournament, dropping a 55-38 decision to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.

In non-league boys' action:

Albany Academy blew out Schalmont, 75-46.
Colonie defeated Mohonasen, 46-41.
Schenectady defeated Guilderland, 86-82.

In the Burnt Hills women's tournament, the host Lady Spartans finished third, defeating Ballston Spa, 61-45. Marcellus, out of New York City, defeated Lansingburgh to win the tournament, 54-24.

Other womens' action:

Mekeel Christian Academy 64, Cohoes 23.
Hoosick Falls 63, Lake George 42.
Averill Park 37, Shaker 28.

Scores courtesy of the Daily Gazette.
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Union College's football season came to an end in Salisbury, Maryland on Saturday, losing to Salisbury University in a shootout, 62-41. QB Will Bellamy set a single game school record with 456 yards passing and 5 touchdowns in a losing effort.

Meanwhile, UAlbany, with a rare basketball-football doubleheader on campus, gave the faithful much to celebrate Saturday.

First, the mens' basketball team downed American, 68-64, coming from behind to pick up the win. This would allow coach Will Brown time to head downtown to the Armory to see his son play later in the day (see above). Then, the football team advanced in the FCS playoffs by routing Central Connecticut State, 42-14. Freshman QB Jeff Undercuffler threw 6 touchdown passes for all of the Albany scoring. The Great Danes hit the road next week to play Montana State.
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With Jalen Pickett out of the lineup due to a violation of team rules, Siena lost their 3rd straight basketball game, this one to Colgate, 62-42, on Saturday. Manny Camper led Siena with Siena with 17 points.
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Win or lose, the Black Horses of Schuylerville will have a pre-season winter storm waiting for them upon their return from Syracuse, where they'll play Chenango Forks for the Class B state title this afternoon. Kickoff is set for noon.

The storm hasn't touched down yet as I write, but in anticipation of the storm, schools throughout the area have already decided to extend their Thanksgiving break by an extra day tomorrow. We will know by Tuesday if this affects the sports schedule this week.