News & notes

With more winter weather on the way, a number of games have already been postponed that were scheduled for tonight.

Hockey:

"Guilderville" @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa.
CBA @ "Niskerdam" (Niskayuna-Schenectady-Albany-Amsterdam) Mohawks.

Basketball:

Troy vs. Averill Park.
Berne Knox-Westerlo vs. Northville.
Canajoharie vs. Mekeel Christian.
Duanesburg vs. OESJ (Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville).
Bethlehem vs. Niskayuna.
Lansingburgh vs. Schalmont.
Cohoes vs. Watervliet.

Troy & Averill Park have already rescheduled the women's game for February 13, meaning the girls will play back-to-back nights on the road. The guys will play on February 18 on what may end up being Senior Night if they choose to move it off Valentine's Day (vs. Saratoga). The others will be played between February 10-13.

Please check with your schools' websites and/or league websites for the Colonial Council, Western Athletic Conference, etc., or Schedule Galaxy for Suburban Council teams.

Also, the Class A bowling sectionals at Boulevard Bowl have been postponed, and they'll try again on Tuesday.
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In a surprising, shocking decision with three regular season games remaining, LaSalle has cut loose 2nd year varsity basketball coach Jon Desso, despite the fact that the Cadets sit atop the Liberty Division in the Colonial Council. Assistant coach Josh House takes over for the rest of the regular season.

Desso had only been hired in 2018 to succeed former College of St. Rose star Steve Sgambelluri, and led the Cadets to a 12-4 ledger going into the final two weeks of the regular season. First year athletic director Craig Ward would not divulge any reason for why the change was made, nor was Desso willing to talk to reporters as of Wednesday.

I'd be willing to guess there was a difference of opinion between Ward & Desso over something not related to the team, at the very least. As we know, high school personnel changes are often kept in house, and away from the press, unlike in college. After a loss to Schalmont last Friday, Desso did his best to be philosophical and diplomatic about the loss.

As for Ward? All he did was promote the abrupt promotion of House thus:

"Mr. House is a positive influence on our student-athletes and impart the Lasallian values that are a cornerstone of our educational philosophy."

(culled from the Albany Times-Union)

Oh? And Desso didn't? As of right now, tonight's home game vs. Mohonasen is still on, so it'll be interesting to see how the fans react to House in his debut as head coach.

This bears watching.

Update, 1:29 pm: The LaSalle-Mohonasen game has been postponed due to weather.