High School Fridays: A belated birthday present (Burnt Hills @ Troy, 1/31/20)

Earlier this week, two Troy High players celebrated birthdays. Senior Makai Cruel turned 18, and junior Jadon Cummings turned 17. With Troy on a three game losing streak, what better way to celebrate than with a win on the hardwood to end the week.

Winless Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake provided the opposition, as Troy sought to bounce back after losing to Columbia on Tuesday. The junior varsity set the tone for the night, as Troy's JV's crushed Burnt Hills, 66-33.

The varsity game was more closely contested early. After all, the Spartans would like nothing better than to just win. Early in the first quarter, it looked like they could pull the upset. Ashtun Thomas and Aiden Giaquinto each hit three pointers, but the Spartans couldn't hold the lead. Once Troy took the lead to end the first quarter, they never trailed again.

Unfortunately for Burnt Hills, they lost Thomas to a facial injury in the first half. He took a shot to the jaw, and still had an ice pack on the jaw while in street clothes as the team returned to the court for the third quarter. Thomas was excused, and went home with his father about two minutes into the period.

Meanwhile, Troy gradually began to pull away. Jadon Cummings finished with 13 points. Makai Cruel added 8. Marquis Hamby led Troy with 15, and Alex Wolfe added 8 of his own. Giaquinto led all scorers with 21 points, but no other Spartan reached double figures, as Troy snapped its losing streak, 62-50.
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Troy moves back into first place in the Suburban Council Gray division as Columbia lost to Saratoga. The Blue Devils are now tied for second with Averill Park, which beat Guilderland. Troy continues its homestand on Tuesday, hosting Bethlehem, and looking for a season sweep after upsetting the defending Blue division champs on December 3.
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Unfortunately, the Troy women lost to Burnt Hills, 48-45, extending their Friday night losing streak to four in a row. Alaina Holmes led Troy with 15, while Jenalyse Alarcon added 10. Callie Chevalier led all scorers with 20 points for the Spartans, who snapped a five game losing streak against Troy.

Meanwhile, Schalmont ended LaSalle's Colonial Council winning streak, nipping the Cadets, 62-61, to gain a season split, with each team winning at the other's court.
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We're still waiting for confirmation on Thursday's Troy-Burnt Hills bowling match, as the result was not submitted to the local press as of press time. That doesn't sound good if you're a Troy supporter.

News & notes

Balanced scoring was the order of the night on Wednesday, as UAlbany defeated UMBC (University of Maryland-Baltimore County), 67-63. The Great Danes placed five players in double figures, led by Ahmad Clark & Trey Hucheson with 13 points each.
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LaSalle's hockey team will have to wait to try to end its 9 game losing streak. Wednesday's home game vs. Adirondack was postponed due to a flu bug that has hit the campus. No make-up date has been set as yet.

Unfortunately for LaSalle, they start a killer three game road trip tomorrow at Shenendehowa. The Plainsmen are coming off a 5-4 loss to Albany Academy on Wednesday. After Shen, LaSalle visits Academy, and finishes the road trip at CBA.

Tuesday sports roundup, 1/28

The Tri-City Valleycats are turning to their past to help shape their future.

Former player Wladimir Sutil, who was drafted by Houston 15 years ago, returns to Troy as the new manager of the 'Cats, replacing Ozney Guillen. Sutil is the 5th manager in as many years since Ed Romero departed following the 2015 season. Sutil had cut his teeth managing elsewhere in the Astros chain the last few years.
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The Troy High-CBA swim team ran its record to 6-1 Tuesday with a win over Albany. The Flying Brothers smashed a Troy school record in the 200 meter relay dating back to 1993 en route to the win. Troy had suspended its swimming program some years earlier but it was revived as a united team with CBA two years ago.

The success of the Flying Brothers has led to a feature piece in today's Albany Times-Union. Troy-CBA closes the season next Tuesday with a rematch vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, whom they beat last Thursday.
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We stress this all the time. Everything runs in cycles in high school sports.

For example, Shaker's boys basketball team sits at the bottom of the Suburban Council Blue division, yet to pick up a win this season.

For another, former Troy star Curtis Sankey had yet to beat his former team as a coach in four tries heading into Tuesday's game in East Greenbush. However, the Blue Devils caught the Flying Horses at just the right time, and moved into first place in the Gray division with a 60-53 win. Joey Amparese led all scorers with 23 points.

Alex Wolfe led Troy, which has now lost three straight, with 14 points. Troy saw a halftime lead disappear as Columbia outscored the guests, 23-7, in the third quarter.

Luckily for Troy, four of their final five games are at home, starting with winless Burnt Hills on Friday.
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On the women's side, it was Senior Night at Zotto Gym, as Alaina Holmes and Amalia Mulinio were honored before Tuesday's game vs. Columbia. Soccer star Abby Burns apparently isn't playing basketball this season. Anyway, Jenalyse Alarcon led Troy with 9 points as no Troy player cracked double figures. Troy beat Columbia, 43-35, remaining in third place in the Gray division behind Averill Park and Albany, although the Lady Falcons' recent surge was blunted with a loss on Tuesday to Niskayuna.
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In other action: Gabe Lucarelli had 17 points, one of four Cadets in double figures, as LaSalle beat Ichabod Crane, 73-45. Zaveon Little had 24 points, as Voorheesville blew away winless Cobleskill-Richmondville, 75-52. Watervliet beat Catholic Central, 61-47.

Averill Park, fresh off coach Dave Pugilese earning his 200th career win last week, beat Ballston Spa, 73-63. Lansingburgh defeated Mohonasen, 78-59, keeping pace with LaSalle.
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Troy's bowling team appears to have peaked.

The Flying Horses have now dropped three straight matches after falling to Columbia, 27-5, on Tuesday.

News & notes

For the 2nd time in a week, Troy High's bowling match at Niskayuna (at Boulevard Bowl) was postponed on Monday. No make-up date has been set, and the Suburban Council tournament is next week. Have not been able to discern a reason for the postponement this time. Troy's on the road today vs. Columbia at the East Greenbush Bowling Center (formerly Bowling Green Lanes).
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Voorheesville High's women's varsity basketball game vs. Cobleskill-Richmondville, originally a home game for the Lady Blackbirds, has been changed to a road game for tonight, with a 5:30 tip-off. Voorheesville High has been closed since the weekend due to water damage from some burst pipes. The water's been cleared out, but there is no heat or fresh water supply, and the district is now checking the building for mold, giving students an unexpected vacation.

The women's junior varsity game has been postponed. The schedule today at Cobleskill-Richmondville:

4:00-men's junior varsity game.
5:30 (time approximate)-women's varsity.
7:00-men's varsity.

Information obtained from the school's page on the Colonial Council website.

Saturday sports roundup, 1/25

The 2nd annual SLAM North-South basketball classic took place Saturday at the Washington Avenue Armory. Section II was well represented on the seven game card, spanning 11 hours.

Results:

Albany 85, Cohoes 64.
Catskill 77, Mount St. Joseph 52.
Mohonasen 53, Watervliet 47.
Newburgh Free Academy 63, Shenendehowa 46.
Mekeel Christian Academy 76, Shaker 37.
Colonie 60, LaSalle 53.
Albany Academy 68, Park School 47.

Park School was a last minute replacement for Romeoville, with the change being announced a couple of days before the game. No word as to why Romeoville pulled out, whether it was weather or lack of funds or what.

LaSalle remains undefeated in the Colonial Council, but all three of their losses this season have been to Suburban Council teams (Saratoga, Troy, Colonie). You'll recall Shen dropped a close one to Lincoln in the Mekeel Lions Classic back in November. Shaker is in one of those down periods, and are in last place in the Suburban Council blue division.
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RPI & Union squared off for the Mayor's Cup on Saturday at Times Union Center.

The women, playing their second game in less than 24 hours, went on first, and the Lady Dutchmen made it two in a row over winless RPI, 2-0, after a 5-1 verdict on Friday at home.

But it was a happy bus ride back to Troy after all, as the RPI men salvaged the nightcap, and the season series, vs. Union. The teams skated to a 1-1 tie in overtime, but RPI won the shootout, 2-0, to win the game, and run their record to 11-12-1. Now, maybe if they could teach the ladies some fundamentals.........
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Turns out we left a home game off LaSalle's hockey schedule.

The Cadets, two days after getting blanked by Queensbury, began a 2 game homestand Friday at Hudson Valley Community College. Unfortunately, their losing streak is now at 9 after falling, 8-5, to Saratoga. Hunter Caola had two goals for the Cadets. LaSalle plays next Wednesday at home vs. Adirondack.

News & notes

In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Marist is just below Siena in the standings, and a win on Friday would've gotten the Red Foxes closer to moving past the Saints.

Nope, didn't happen.

Elijah Burns led four players in double figures, and Siena ran its home winning streak to 8 in a row, with a 70-57 victory. Now, if only the Saints could win on the road...!

Marist sophomore Ryan Carmello, a Troy High graduate, didn't play, per a coach's decision, but would he have made a difference? We'll never know.
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Speaking of Troy, it wasn't a good night for the Flying Horses on Friday.

After entering the week with a four game winning streak, the boys finish with a 2 game losing streak, after falling to Niskayuna, 63-46. Marquis Hamby led Troy with 12 points, and Alex Wolfe added 10 in a losing effort. Troy is clinging to first place in the Suburban Council's Gray division.

In fact, here's the standings as of press time:

Conference: Suburban Council

	Conference				Overall
Team	W	L	PCT		W	L	PCT
Blue Division
Shenendehowa	6	0	1.000		6	1	0.857
Bethlehem	8	1	0.889		9	4	0.692
Niskayuna	7	1	0.875		10	4	0.714
Saratoga Springs	5	2	0.714		8	5	0.615
Colonie	5	4	0.556		9	5	0.643
Guilderland	5	5	0.500		8	7	0.533
CBA	3	4	0.429		5	7	0.417
Shaker	0	12	0.000		0	13	0.000
Gray Division
Troy	5	3	0.625		7	7	0.500
Columbia	6	4	0.600		10	4	0.714
Schenectady	6	5	0.545		8	6	0.571
Averill Park	5	5	0.500		9	5	0.643
Albany	3	5	0.375		5	7	0.417
Ballston Spa	2	6	0.250		3	10	0.231
Burnt Hills	0	9	0.000		2	13	0.133

Second place Columbia hosts Troy on Tuesday with first place on the line. As we've documented, Blue Devils coach Curt Sankey, a Troy graduate himself, is looking for his first win against his former team. With three weeks left in the season, Troy will play four of their final six at home.

Unfortunately, the women will have Senior Night early again this year, as Tuesday's game vs. Columbia will be their home finale. After losing to Nisky on Friday, Troy will finish with a five game road trip:

January 31: @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

February 4: @ Bethlehem. Troy beat the Lady Eagles in a non-league game last month.

February 7: @ Averill Park.

February 8: @ Whitesboro (non-league).

February 14: @ Saratoga.

Troy beat Whitesboro last year, and while Burnt Hills has improved this year, they haven't beaten Troy in five tries since Troy entered the Suburban Council. If I'm coach Ryan Meikle, I'd make sure the ladies are prepared.

News & notes

UAlbany's Cameron Healy rewrote the Great Danes' record book for most points in a single game Wednesday night.

Healy torched UMass-Lowell for 41 points as Albany routed Lowell, 101-75. The Great Danes (11-9 overall) sit in first place in the America East conference.
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We'll talk more about this over at The Land of Whatever, but those of you who got to see Eli Manning train at UAlbany in his early years with the Giants shouldn't be surprised to read of his decision to retire after 16 seasons in the NFL on Wednesday.

Unlike brother Peyton, who went out a Super Bowl champion with Denver upon his retirement, Eli lingered a wee bit too long in New York. The Giants, no matter what they did, couldn't get enough offensive line help to cover for Manning's diminishing skill set at quarterback. The offensive line has been beset with injuries the last few years, and hasn't been a cohesive unit in what seems like forever.

Manning had been in decline the last 3-4 years of his career, but Giants management, out of loyalty, stuck by him until week 3 of the 2019 season, when they finally pulled the plug and inserted rookie Daniel Jones at QB. It is that same stubborn loyalty that ultimately led to Syracuse alum Ryan Nassib being run out of town (went to New Orleans, and now is out of the NFL). Kyle Lauletta, after 2 seasons, is now Jones' caddy.

But watch. To appease the always impatient fan base, the Giants will draft another quarterback. The cycle never ends.
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Another night, another loss for LaSalle's hockey team.

The losing streak has reached eight games with a 6-0 loss to Queensbury Wednesday night. The upside is that the Cadets have a full week before their next game, next Wednesday at home vs. Adirondack.

However, if I were coach Tim Flanigan, I'd seriously consider declining the play-in game on February 22, and cut my losses. But, knowing the competitor Tim is, he'll take the play-in game, with the thought that it would lead to a Cinderella playoff run. The Cadets are three years removed from a sectional title, and nearly pulled off a Cinderella run four years ago. Anything can happen.
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Troy High's bowling match vs. Niskayuna at Boulevard Bowl has been pushed back to Monday. Being that it's Regents mid-term week, the Silver Warriors may have made the decision to postpone, but we have no other information at this time.

News & notes

Tonight's Queensbury-LaSalle hockey game is Pink The Rink night at Queensbury, as the Spartans are raising funds for breast cancer research. Game time is 6:15. LaSalle will try to snap a seven game losing streak that has landed them in the cellar of the CDHSHL.
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Troy High's combined swimming & diving team with CBA had a make-up meet vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Tuesday, with the Flying Brothers winning, 50-39, to run their record to 4-1 on the season. The two teams will meet again in the regular season finale February 4 at Burnt Hills.
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However, Troy's bowling team lost at home, 27 1/2-4 1/2, to Saratoga. While we still don't have the result of last Thursday's match vs. Shaker, the loss might not be enough to blunt Troy's momentum, with the Suburban Council tournament two weeks away.
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Everyone was hoping Derek Jeter would be a unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame, like Mariano Rivera last year.

Didn't happen. Jeter finished one vote shy of unanimous election to the Hall, as he becomes the second straight Yankee with 518 ties (he began his career with the Albany-Colonie Yankees, as Rivera did) to gain induction in his first year of eligibility.

A third member of the "Core Four", Andy Pettitte, failed to earn enough votes in his first year of eligibility.

Congratulations to Jeter. Yankee fans will be causing traffic issues in Cooperstown come July. Again.

News & notes

Former Saratoga football star Anthony Weaver was named the new defensive coordinator of the NFL's Houston Texans on Monday, replacing Romeo Crennell, whose contract expired.

Weaver was drafted by Baltimore out of Notre Dame, and has coached for other NFL teams, including the Jets after a collegiate coaching stint at North Texas. Congratulations to Anthony, and we'll see him on the Houston sideline this fall.
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After Saturday's Cadets For Vets game at Conway Arena, SEFCU decided to donate the maximum $5,000 to the Albany Housing Coalition. Only five goals were scored between LaSalle and the Capital District Jets in the game, won by the Jets in overtime.
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Going into Monday's Martin Luther King Day double header at Zotto Gym, Troy High was working on two different streaks vs. Kingston.

The boys had lost three straight to the Tigers, and, unfortunately, the streak was extended to four, as Kingston won again, 51-48. The Tigers are ranked #6 in Class A in New York. Marquis Hamby led Troy with 10 points, but no other Troy player finished in double figures.

In the opener, the Troy women ran out to a 34-17 halftime lead, and never looked back, routing Kingston, 65-35, their third straight win over the Lady Tigers in the last year and change. Jenalyse Alarcon led the way with 26 points, and Alaina Holmes had 14 for the winners.

The Troy hoopsters are off until Friday when they play Niskayuna (girls at home, guys on the road).
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It may be Regents mid-term week, but Section II isn't staying idle this year.

In Troy's case, they're making up a swim meet vs. Burnt Hills that was postponed last month this afternoon. Meanwhile, Troy's bowling team will be in action at Uncle Sam Lanes vs. Saratoga.

In search of the missing defense (Capital District Jets @ LaSalle, 1/18/20)

This was the night that everyone had marked on their LaSalle hockey calendars in red ink. Cadets For Vets III, with the Capital District Jets (Shaker, Colonie, Tamarac, Averill Park, Columbia) in town, having already beaten homestanding LaSalle in a non-league match last month.

Tim Flanigan's Cadets, however, were trying to right the ship after losing six in a row. The weather may have kept a few folks away, but there were plenty of fans of both teams in attendance at Conway Arena.

However, Flanigan might want to file a missing persons report on his defense. One of the reasons LaSalle has struggled this season was clearly evident in this game. While this night was about the veterans, LaSalle's players were behaving more like they stepped out of the pages of a certain Jimmy Breslin novel, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.

Late in the first period, Kyle Millington gave the Jets an early lead when he whistled one past Leo Paul. Capital District went into intermission with a 1-0 lead.

This would last until the 3rd period, when LaSalle's (Moves Like) Jagger Sessa put the hosts on the board with a one-timer past Michael LaCouture to even the score. Just a couple of minutes later, however, David Clemenzi put the Jets back on top by going top shelf on Paul, and it was 2-1 in favor of the Jets. With under two minutes to go in regulation, Mike Baker, making a rare start, tied the game when he beat LaCouture to send the game into overtime.

Less than two minutes into the extra session, however, Cameron See sent everyone home, whistling one past Paul, as the Jets sent LaSalle to their 7th straight loss, 3-2. The loss bumps the Cadets into the CDHSHL basement with one lone point on the season. The seven straight losses represent the worst stretch of futility in recent memory, and, unfortunately for the Cadets, it's only going to get worse as they travel to Queensbury on Wednesday, already assured of a play-in game on February 22 in order to qualify for the playoffs.

As part of the event, SEFCU donated $500 for each goal scored, for a total of $2500, to the Albany Housing Coalition, the real winners of the evening.

The ineptitude on defense for LaSalle is in sharp contrast to their performance vs. Albany Academy last month, and the two teams of Cadets will meet again next month. 

The snow's not here yet, but........

The Capital District High School Hockey League (CDHSHL) announced overnight that two games scheduled for today have been postponed due to an impending winter storm.

Queensbury @ CBA and Saratoga at the Niskayuna-Schenectady-Albany-Amsterdam Mohawks are the games affected. No make-up dates have been set as of press time. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Capital Region from 1 pm to 1 am Sunday morning, which led to the decision to postpone these games.

Also, Albany Academy has agreed to move the start time of their game vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa to 11 am, also due to the pending weather.

LaSalle has their annual alumni game scheduled for 1 pm, followed at 7:15 by Cadets For Vets III vs. the Capital District Jets. As of now, both games are still on, but check with either LaSalle or Hudson Valley Community College to find out if that's still the case before venturing out this afternoon.

High School Fridays: Hoops roundup

Ye scribe is saving his energy for tomorrow's Cadets For Vets III at HVCC, and thus remained home, safe from the deep freeze tonight.

Troy High's boys' basketball team has played three fewer league games than Schenectady, and lost to the Patriots earlier this season. However, per the Albany Times-Union, Greg Davis' Flying Horses now sit atop the Suburban Council's Gray division, and tied in the overall standings with Schenectady, after play tonight.

Troy got a team high 14 points from Shamdo Caldwell, Nasir Soto & Makai Cruel added 11 points each, and the Flying Horses dispatched Shaker, 60-51, to run their winning streak to four in a row heading into a non-league game Monday vs. Kingston.

Conversely, Jenalyse Alarcon had a team high 20 points, and Alaina Holmes had 11, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit, as Shaker beat Troy, 51-42. The Lady Bison have now won five in a row against Troy dating back to the 2016-17 season. Troy falls into a virtual tie with Albany for 2nd place in the Gray division, despite playing two more league games than Albany (3-3) and front running Averill Park (5-1). Troy falls to 4-4 in the league, 6-6 overall.

However, Troy beat the Lady Tigers of Kingston twice last season, and will look to make it three in a row on Monday, while the boys are looking for their first win over the Tigers, who've beaten them three times.

Elsewhere, Isaiah Knight led all scorers with 31 points, while Scott Teta added 20, as Lansingburgh routed Cohoes, 91-68, to keep pace with LaSalle in the Colonial Council. Drasean Wallace had a team high 18 points, while Bo Catherwood added 11, as The Cadets blew out Watervliet, 71-45, despite JJ Chestnut's game high 26 points. Lansingburgh (11-2 overall) has played one more game.

LaSalle remains undefeated in league play at 8-0, 10-2 overall.
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Other stuff: Former Troy star Dev Holmes has agreed to return to UAlbany as a walk-on for the 2020 season after quitting the Great Danes back in October. Holmes played five games before a violation of team rules resulted in his suspension for the Lafayette game, and Holmes left the team soon after. He entered the transfer portal, but didn't leave school after all.

Turning to college hockey, RPI's women still haven't won a game this season. Yale scored four unanswered goals to beat the Lady Engineers, 4-1, in front of a sparse crowd at Houston Field House, as seen on RPI TV, available on YouTube.

Troy High notes

Troy's combined swimming/diving team with CBA won again Thursday, defeating Niskayuna to run their record to 3-1. They'll have their rescheduled meet vs. Burnt Hills on Tuesday, with the rematch at Burnt Hills two weeks later to close the season. No reason was ever given for the postponement last month.
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Per Schedule Galaxy, we have the 2020 baseball/softball schedule for Troy. Varsity teams will travel together, with the junior varsity teams at the opposite site. In other words, when the varsity is home, the JV's are on the road.

April 1: @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
April 3: Shenendehowa.
April 6: Baseball @ Shaker, Softball is home vs. Niskayuna.
April 7: Softball vs. Lansingburgh.
April 8: @ Schenectady.
April 13: Softball @ Whitesboro.
April 16: @ Colonie.
April 18: @ Guilderland.
April 22: Albany.
April 24: @ Ballston Spa.
April 29: Baseball vs. Shaker.
May 1: Softball @ Niskayuna.
May 4: @ Columbia.
May 6: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
May 8: Bethlehem.
May 9: Softball @ a site to be announced.
May 13 Averill Park.
May 15: Baseball @ CBA.
May 18: Senior day vs. Saratoga.

Schedule is, of course, subject to change due to weather.
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As of press time, Thursday's bowling match vs. Shaker had not yet been reported to the press.

News & notes

UAlbany's men's basketball team ran their winning streak to four in a row (five of their last six) with a 77-73 win over New Hampshire on the road last night. Ahmad Clark led the Great Danes with 27 points. UAlbany will next play at Stony Brook on Saturday.
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Former Troy High star Ryan Carmello will be coming home next week as Marist comes to town on January 24 to play Siena at Times Union Center. That might just put a few extra people in the bleachers......
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Turning to high school hockey, Bethlehem completed a home & home sweep of LaSalle Wednesday night, 5-3, sending the Cadets to their 6th straight loss. While the Eagles are making a run toward their 3rd straight Delvecchio Cup, the only thing keeping LaSalle out of the CDHSHL cellar is their opponent for Cadets For Vets III on Saturday, the Capital District Jets, who won a non-league game over LaSalle last month.

Going into Cadets For Vets the last couple of years, LaSalle had something resembling momentum. Not so this year. Tim Flanigan's club has seven games left, four of them on the road, and a ton of ground to make up if they want to avoid a play-in game on February 22. They're in 11th place, 9 points behind surprising "Guilderville", whom they'll play on Senior Night, February 15.

Tuesday sports roundup, 1/14

All Troy High needs now is to win an indoor track meet, and they'd really have something to crow about.

The school's other winter sports teams are all over .500 for the first time in what seems like an eternity

Troy & CBA's combined swimming & diving team defeated Ballston Spa on Tuesday, to bring the Flying Brothers' record to 2-1. An earlier meet vs. Burnt Hills apparently was postponed in December, and has been rescheduled to Tuesday.

Troy's co-ed bowling team has now won three in a row after thrashing Ballston Spa. The keglers' record is now 7-3. They could very well be a threat in the Suburban Council tournament when that comes up next month.

In basketball, the boys have now won three in a row as well, and four of their last five, with a 75-61 win over Ballston Spa. Keegan Zoller led all scorers with 34 points in a losing effort. Shamdo Caldwell led Troy with 21, as Greg Davis' club had four players in double figures.

The girls have also won four of their last five, shaking off a loss to Albany last Friday in blowing out the Lady Scotties, 87-33, at Zotto Gym. Jenalyse Alarcon led all scorers with 26 points, as Troy placed four players in double figures. Ballston Spa didn't have anyone crack double figures.

Both Troy teams are now 6-5 overall.
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As noted in The Land of Whatever yesterday, LSU defensive back Derek Stingley, Jr. has ties to the 518, as his father, Derek, Sr., spent four seasons at the end of the 90's, with the Albany Firebirds, culminating in an ArenaBowl title in 1999. Congratulations to Derek, Jr. and the Bayou Bengals on winning the College Football Playoff national title.
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Back to basketball. LaSalle remains undefeated in the Colonial Council after beating Cobleskill-Richmondville, 89-34. Bo Catherwood led the Cadets with 22 points. Owen Kane had 21, and Jimyh Evans added 16.

Lansingburgh kept pace and beat Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, 67-56. Isaiah Knight led all scorers with 27 points.
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The 2nd annual SLAM North-South Classic takes place Saturday at the Washington Avenue Armory. Tickets are $6 for students, $10 for adults, but courtside seats are $30, which is too expensive for high school hoops. The organizers apparently weren't paying attention to the fluctuating attendance at the Armory for Mekeel Christian Academy's tournament a few weeks back. The Lions will be participating, as per the schedule:

11 am: Cohoes vs. Albany.
12:30 pm (time approximate going forward): Catskill vs. Mount St. Joseph.
2 pm: Watervliet vs. Mohonasen.
3:30: Shenendehowa vs. Newburgh Free Academy.
5: LaSalle vs. Colonie.
6:30: Mekeel Christian vs. Shaker.
8: Albany Academy vs. Romeoville.

You'll recall that last year's event was a victim of inclement weather, and snow is in the forecast for late Saturday as of now. But the weather patterns change on a daily basis, so we'll have to watch that leading into Saturday.

College news & notes

UAlbany's men's basketball team erased the stigma of a loss to Maine last season by beating the Black Bears, 76-70, earlier today at SEFCU Arena. Ahmad Clark led the Great Danes with 29 points. UAlbany is now 9-8 on the season, and will begin a road trip Wednesday at New Hampshire.
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Siena sophomore Jalen Pickett is on the watch list for the Lou Henson Player of The Year award, named for the former Illinois coach. All Pickett is doing is proving last year wasn't a fluke, and that he's on the watch list means he'll also get the attention of pro scouts, meaning we'll have to wait after the season to find out if he'll return for his junior season.
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Former RPI standout Jacob Hayhurst transferred to Michigan this season as a graduate transfer (think Elijah Burns at Siena), but didn't register a point in the Wolverines' 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Friday night. It doesn't surprise that there was little or no mention of Hayhurst's transfer after he graduated from RPI last May.
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Speaking of the Engineers, their modest winning streak ended Friday with a 3-0 loss to Cornell. RPI hosts Colgate later tonight, while Cornell visits Union, which lost to Colgate, 3-2, last night.

The RPI women have yet to win a game this season, and earlier today, the losing streak went to 23 in a row (0-22-1) with a 2-0 loss to Cornell.

It doesn't help that they haven't been able to draw at Houston Field House for any of RPI's hockey teams this season. The addition of RPI TV, available on YouTube, and using the audio feed from WRPI-FM, may be contributing to the decline in attendance.

Then again, RPI doesn't spend money on advertising. Instead, they'd rather spend money on buying up property around the city. Priorities, you know.

High School Fridays: local sports roundup

Let's just get the bad news out of the way first.

The Skating Cadets of LaSalle have now dropped five in a row after getting slammed, 7-2, by Bethlehem tonight in Delmar. Justin Chenaille scored a hat trick to lead the Eagles, who will play LaSalle at Hudson Valley Community College on Wednesday night. LaSalle's chart was unavailable as of press time. However, getting outscored 17-5 in their last three doesn't bode well for the rematch. Ouch!

To be fair, LaSalle has had to deal with injuries, per an article in El Cheapo Media today, and that has had an effect on the Cadets.
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On to the hardwood.

Lansingburgh saw their five game winning streak snapped in a 67-56 loss to Watervliet. Isaiah Knight had 23 points to lead the Knights. Watervliet now has drawn even in the Patriot division standings with division leader Voorheesville apparently idle, per the Albany Times-Union.

LaSalle blew away Catholic Central, 83-49. Bo Catherwood led five Cadets in double figures with 17 points, and gained a game on the 2nd place Knights in the Reinfurt division.

In the Suburban Council, Troy dispatched Albany, 62-55. Nasir Dawud-Soto led Troy with 16 points. Alex Wolfe, after back-to-back career nights vs. Lansingburgh & Guilderland, had just four points.

Conversely, the Troy women still can't beat Albany. Alaina Holmes led Troy with 23 points, but the Lady Horses saw their winning streak snapped at three, 62-51.

Seems Troy's game vs. Pittsfield in the Amsterdam Holiday Classic, originally set for December 27, was moved to the 28th. No explanation given, and the Lady Horses played twice on the 28th. Both Troy teams are now 5-5 overall, and will play Ballston Spa (girls at home, guys on the road) and Shaker (guys at home, girls on the road) next week before a Martin Luther King day doubleheader at home vs. Kingston on January 20.
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Troy's bowling team is now 6-3 in the Suburban Council after blowing away Albany, 22-10, on Thursday. Alex Hepp led the way again with a 603 triple. Troy will bowl Ballston Spa & Shaker next week.

Sports roundup, 1/7

Zaveon Little returned to Troy Tuesday night, now playing for Voorheesville. The Blackbirds gave LaSalle all they could handle, and Little led all scorers with 33 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Cadets won, 81-74. Bo Catherwood led LaSalle with 25 points, hitting 8 3-pointers, and leading 4 Cadets in double figures. LaSalle remains unbeaten in league play in the Colonial Council.

Little & the Blackbirds return to Troy to visit Catholic Central on February 7. The schedule provided to the Albany Times-Union does not indicate if Voorheesville will also play Lansingburgh this season.

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Troy High's bowling team snapped a recent losing streak in beating Guilderland, 20-12, on Tuesday. Alex Hepp led the way with a 666 triple, and Olivia DeCitise nearly matched it with a 661. The bowlers are so hot, Troy is crowing about them in morning announcements.

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For unknown reasons, both Troy-Guilderland basketball games were contested at Guilderland on Tuesday night, as the girls were originally scheduled to play at Troy.

The Troy women completed a season sweep of the Lady Dutch with a 71-65 win. Jenalyse Alarcon had 25 points to lead four Troy players in double figures. Valencia Fontenelle-Posson matched Alarcon with 25 points of her own to lead Guilderland. Ava Lia, sister of Billy & Vinny, had just six points, so there's likely no test driving after school for a while.

Speaking of Billy Lia, he led all scorers with 20 points, and Ryan Teaney had 14, but Alex Wolfe continued his red hot play with another season high of 18 points, and Jadon Cummings, who missed the Holiday Classic, matched Teaney with 14, as the Troy men avenged an earlier loss to Guilderland with a 56-50 verdict.

The women are now 5-4 overall, while the boys have the reverse record at 4-5. The men return home to play Albany on Friday, while the ladies travel to the hostile Falcon's Nest on Washington Avenue. The Lady Falcons have fallen on hard times, but can Troy's women snap their recent losing streak vs. Albany?

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The Times-Union Center announced Tuesday that tickets are all sold out for the NCAA men's basketball tournament games taking place in March. I think it's the lure of television cameras, more so than the hope of either Siena or UAlbany being in the tournament, that drives ticket sales in this market. The games will be played March 19 & 21, with broadcasts on CBS and/or TBS, TNT, & TruTV. Siena & the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) are co-hosting the event.

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Troy & Christian Brothers Academy's combined swimming & diving teams fell, 114-69, to Bethlehem on Tuesday. Last month's meet vs. Burnt Hills still hasn't been reported, so for now the Flying Brothers are 1-1.

News & notes

It was a productive weekend on the road for RPI hockey.

The Engineers upset Clarkson, 4-1, on Friday, then completed a season sweep of St. Lawrence, 3-0, on Saturday. Clarkson came back to beat Union, 2-1, on Saturday. The Dutchmen are having a rough go of it so far this season, but have they peaked?
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As seen Friday night on WNYA, Siena took down Monmouth, 75-72, placing four players in double figures. All the talk before the game was how the Hawks had owned the Saints in recent times, but Siena remains unbeaten at home this season at Times-Union Center. Hmmmm. A harbinger of things to come? We'll see.
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Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa thumped LaSalle, 7-1, in hockey action on Saturday night. The Spartan Scotties have shown some improvement this season, but the Cadets have regressed to 2015 levels. Meanwhile, Albany Academy skated to a 2-2 draw with CBA, meaning Dave Rider's club has gone unbeaten in their last three games.
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Given that Siena has their TV deal with WNYA, now fortified with the station picking up a feed from ESPN for home games, where does that leave UAlbany? I wouldn't mind seeing another local channel pick up the Great Danes, unless Spectrum is willing to take up the gauntlet again. Shoot, WNYA, a sister station to WNYT, could take a chance, given that sports director Rodger Wyland also calls football and some basketball for UAlbany. It's not like anyone flocks to the station for MyNetworkTV's rerun-loaded lineup, anyway.......

High School Fridays: Hoops roundup, 1/3/2020

It was not a good start to 2020 for Schenectady High on Friday.

The Patriots' men's & women's squads both traveled to Troy, the women for a matinee rematch vs. Troy, while the men went to Lansingburgh to pay a call on former coach Eric Loudis, who now is the head coach of the Knights.

The Lady Patriots sought to avenge a 54-39 loss to Troy just three weeks ago, but for some reason Section II scheduled both matchups at Zotto Gym. Jenalyse Alarcon had 19 points as Troy placed three players in double figures, routing Schenectady for the second time in a month, 66-30. Troy improves to 4-4 overall, and will travel to Guilderland on Tuesday.

Across town, in the nightcap, if you will, the Patriots ran into a red hot Lansingburgh club, which won its fourth straight game. Schenectady, which fell from the unbeaten ranks in a loss to Bethlehem a couple of weeks back, has now dropped two of its last three.

In another matchup between the Colonial & Suburban Councils, Kaylon Dickson led all scorers with 24 points, and Gabe Lucarelli added 20, as LaSalle knocked off CBA, 63-52.

I wrote before that Lansingburgh was a Class B school. Not in basketball, where they're in Class A. The Knights are chasing LaSalle for a division title in the Colonial Council.