High school scoreboard, 2/27

 Men's basketball:

Saratoga 61, Troy 60. Chris Dufort led all scorers with 25 points for the Blue Streaks. Alex Wolfe led Troy with 17 points, and Josh Rodriguez added 15.

CBA 67, Schenectady 64.

Bethlehem 49, Niskayuna 45.

Shenendehowa 46, Albany 36.

Colonie 51, Averill Park 50.

Ballston Spa 63, Columbia 57.

Shaker 59, Guilderland 46. Stats for this game were not reported.

Also:

LaSalle suffered its first loss under Greg Davis, losing to Green Tech, 69-61. The Eagles, as recently as a couple of weeks ago, had been having problems finding opponents in this pandemic-ravaged season. As an independent, Green Tech had it the toughest. Looking at the game, it's easy to see why schools have been reluctant to schedule the Eagles. LaSalle falls to 4-1 with the loss.

Women's basketball:

Schalmont 58, Ichabod Crane 38. Payton Graber broke the school's career scoring record  for women, and finished with 22 points.

Also:

Guilderland 72, Shaker 64.

Averill Park 63, Colonie 52. Amelia Wood, after being shut down by Troy the night before, led with 22 points.

Shenendehowa 76, Albany 61. The Huerter sisters combined for 38 points (Meghan led all scorers with 24, Jillian added 14).

It appears the Saratoga-Troy game was either postponed or cancelled, the second game in 24 hours for the Blue Streaks to be called off. They were supposed to play Shaker on Friday, and that, too, was postponed. COVID, anyone? The games will likely be made up the week of March 8.

CDHSHL:

Bethlehem won't finish the season undefeated. CBA saw to that with a 2-1 win to split their series.

LaSalle picked up a game on Bethlehem in the standings by sweeping the Capital District Jets, 3-2. The game was moved to the Albany County Hockey Training Facility, which is home to CBA, virtually last minute due to problems with the ice at Frear Park.

David Clemenzi got the hosts on the board first with under 3 minutes left in the first period, but (Moves Like) Jagger Sessa tied the score less than 30 seconds later. After Shaun Branon put LaSalle in front, Cameron (Holy) See knotted the game for the Jets, but it was Nathan Harriman who put the game winner past Phil Ryan in the third period to win it for the Cadets (4-3 overall, 4-2 division). Assuming Frear Park's ice is repaired in time, the Cadets will return Wednesday to play the luckless Mohawks, and then will welcome CBA on Friday before returning to the Albany County Hockey Facility for the finale next Saturday morning.

Also, the CDHSHL has rescheduled their post-season Delvecchio Cup tournament. Instead of spending three days in Glens Falls, the league will revert to a more traditional model, as quarter-final games will start March 10, making it imperative that LaSalle run the table to have at least one home playoff game. According to the schedule on LaSalle's HomeTeamsOnline page, the quarters (& presumably, semi-finals) are set for March 10-11, with the finals in Glens Falls, as scheduled, on March 13.

You could blame it on the rain (Troy @ Saratoga, 2/27/21)

 They say the early bird catches the worm.

Normally, that wouldn't apply in high school sports, but if you're a Troy High fan, you have every reason to believe the Flying Horses were the worms this afternoon, caught by the birds in the form of the Blue Streaks of Saratoga.

Less than 24 hours after dispatching Averill Park, Rich Hurley's Flying Horses arrived at Saratoga, expecting the game to start as scheduled at 12:45 pm. However, due to a weather forecast calling for sleet & freezing rain later this afternoon, the starting times for both the junior varsity & varsity games were moved up. The JV game, advertised for 11 am, tipped off at 10:30 am instead. Thus, the varsity game started at high noon. The Horses never led, and every time they came close, Saratoga's defense shut them down.

It wasn't helping, either, that the officials were calling a lot of ticky-tack fouls on Troy, and the disparity in the first half, with Saratoga whistled for just 1 foul, was offensive in and of itself. The game was called a little more evenly in the second half, which gave Troy a chance to mount a comeback, but a last second shot rimmed out, and the Blue Streaks escaped with a 61-60 victory, snapping Troy's four game winning streak.

There is just no way Troy was looking past the Streaks, and ahead to old nemesis CBA, which comes to Zotto Memorial Gym on Monday night.

Edit, 12/3/21: Saratoga has privatized the video.

Last week, Columbia's YouTube stream never started during the boys' varsity game in East Greenbush. Today, it's Troy's turn to have their stream unavailable. We'll have the result of the women's game tomorrow.

The remaining schedule for the Troy men (6-2):

Monday: CBA.

Wednesday: @ Ballston Spa.

Friday: Shaker.

Next Saturday: @ Bethlehem.

Games vs. Albany & Guilderland will likely be scheduled this week.

High school scoreboard, 2/26

CDHSHL

Bethlehem 2, CBA 1.

Saratoga 5, Burnt Hills 2.

LaSalle 8, CD Jets 6. Brendan Witte & Owen Scannell led the way for the Cadets with 2 goals each.

Shenendehowa @ Adirondack was cancelled due to COVID issues.

Guilderville @ Mohawks has not been reported.

=================================

Men's basketball:

Suburban Council:

Schenectady 71, Albany 57.

Niskayuna 38, CBA 35. The Brothers were held to just 2 points in the first quarter, but a late fourth quarter rally that saw them outscore the Silver Warriors, 12-6, came up just a wee bit short. That doesn't bode well for CBA with a trip to Troy coming on Monday.

Shenendehowa 59, Bethlehem 46.

Troy 55, Averill Park 42. Josh Rodriguez led Troy with 16 points. Shamdo Caldwell added 14. Ben Romer was high scorer for the game, leading Averill Park with 19 points.

Women's basketball:

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 60, Troy 30. Jenalyse Alarcon was the lone Troy player in double figures with 10 points. Anna Jankovic was high scorer for the Lady Warriors with 21.

Colonie 47, Burnt Hills 42.

Shenendehowa 92, Bethlehem 50. Meghan Huerter had 31 points, including 5 3 pointers, to lead the Green Machine.

High School Fridays: Hoops 'n' hockey, 2/26/21

 If you thought that LaSalle would have it easy against the Capital District Jets, one of three winless teams in the CDHSHL, tonight provided a reality check.

The Cadets chased Jets starter Michael LaCouture in the 1st period after scoring 5 goals. They led, 6-1, after the period, but, inexplicably, let the Jets back into the game. The Jets crept closer, trailing 8-4 after two periods, and got within two goals at 8-6 before time expired.

As was the case in the Bethlehem series, the Cadets took too many penalties, which led to the Jets going 2-for-7 on the power play.

LaSalle (3-3) and the Jets (0-3) meet again tomorrow, with the Jets as the home team. Puck drop will be sometime after 8 pm. If you're coach Tim Flanigan, you have to hope the Cadets avoid the stigma of complacency.

======================================

The Troy High women's basketball team has entered the murderer's row portion of their schedule, and if tonight was any indication, they may be in trouble in the season's final 2+ weeks.

With a 3 game winning streak on the line vs. an Averill Park team that has beaten them seven straight times dating back to when Troy entered the Suburban Council, and knowing that Saratoga awaits tomorrow, Ryan Meikle's team had to avoid another flatline performance like the one they had vs. Shenendehowa a week ago.

Unfortunately, the message didn't get through.

The Lady Warriors led all the way, and, in a very rare case, unless you're an AP fan, coach Sean Organ didn't need to burn any of his time outs. The 60-30 final was Troy's 2nd largest margin of defeat, after the 35 point beatdown Shen administered 8 days ago.

With Albany & Guilderland still to be scheduled, Troy's remaining women's schedule looks like this:

Saturday: Saratoga.

Wednesday: Ballston Spa.

Next Friday: @ Shaker.
March 6: Bethlehem.

For Troy (4-3), it'd be nice to go 2-2 in those next four games.

====================================

Meanwhile, at Clem Zotto Memorial Gym, things were going the other way in the men's game.

After jumping out to a 22-5 lead after the 1st quarter, Troy went ice cold in the 2nd quarter, enabling Dave Pugilese's Warriors to get within 7 at the break at 28-21. However, Troy reasserted control in the 3rd quarter. Pugilese, frustrated, used 5 of his 6 time outs through three periods. We've seen this before from Pugilese. Troy avenges a loss to the Warriors with a 55-42 victory:

Rich Hurley's club has one extra game on the schedule, and that is a Monday home game vs. CBA. 

===================================

Other news:

Siena returned to action this afternoon, and dispatched Manhattan, 74-69, in the first game of a 2 game set in Loudonville. The Saints go to 10-3, tied with Monmouth for first place in the MAAC.

After nearly a half century, Hi-Way Recreation owner Art Hoffman announced earlier this week that he was selling the Wynantskill bowling alley. This message, posted on the venue's web & social media pages, tells the whole story:

"After 48 years in my family owned establishment, I have made the difficult decision to retire and sell the business later this spring. This was a very difficult decision for me given the decades spent teaching, coaching and fostering friendships and relationships within the community.

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the impact and timing of the current health and economic considerations that I am confronted with. Those of you who know me understand that bowling and this community have been my life. I am beyond grateful for all the wonderful employees and devoted customers that I have had the pleasure to know.

 

I treasure the friendships, every laugh we shared and very much look forward to a future in retirement that will allow us more time and joy together. My deepest thanks for your continued support and personal friendships over these many years. I will miss you all and wish everyone the very best."

Hi-Way has been the home venue for LaSalle's bowling team. While media reports originally suggested that Hi-Way would close, Hoffman's plan to sell it would enable the venue to remain open. If it closes, the Cadets would play their home matches at another site, such as Hilltop Bowl. Uncle Sam Lanes in downtown is already home to Troy High, and has also been a home site for Catholic Central & Lansingburgh the last couple of seasons after the burning of Alpha Lanes. We'll just have to stay tuned.

High School Scoreboard, 2/24

 Let's update last night's action first.

As you know, Bethlehem completed a sweep of LaSalle at Frear Park, 5-4. Jackson Carroll led the Eagles with 2 goals. Jack Lucey, Dane Jones, & Willem Kotary also scored. I'd say they lit the lamp, but there is no visible goal lamp at Frear Park. After getting shut out, like Lucey, on Tuesday night, LaSalle's leading scorer, Brendan Witte, tallied his 7th goal of the season. Jack Brown, Owen Scannell, & Nathan Harriman also scored for the Cadets (2-3).

Space limitations are preventing the scores from appearing in the Albany Times-Union.

=============================

Basketball:

Suburban Council (men):

We told you Josh Rodriguez led Troy with 17 points in the win over Colonie. Marquis Hamby added 15, as Troy downed the Raiders, 54-48.

Saratoga 57, CBA 54.

Albany 64, Burnt Hills 58.

Bethlehem 83, Ballston Spa 77 (double overtime).

Averill Park picked up its 1st win, beating Columbia, 45-36.

Suburban Council (women):

Troy 44, Colonie 35. Jenalyse Alarcon had a season high 20 points, while Jakaiya Dewer added 11.

Averill Park 64, Columbia 30.

Niskayuna 47, Shaker 44. Olivia Olsen led all scorers with 26 points. Maddelyn Mahoney led Shaker with 15.

Albany 84, Burnt Hills 57.

Bethlehem 73, Ballston Spa 30.

Shenendehowa 85, Guilderland 42. The Plainswomen had 4 players in double figures, led by Meaghan Huerter's 19 points.

==================================

518 Alumni news: Selena Lott (Columbia) had 25 points to lead Marquette past DePaul, 85-71, on Wednesday night in Chicago.

Kevin Huerter (Maryland/Shen) may be looking at losing his starting job with the Atlanta Hawks. Huerter had just 5 points as the Hawks beat Boston,127-112. Huerter's production has dropped in recent days.

Shayne Gostisbehere (Union College) had a power play goal to help the Philadelphia Flyers down the Rangers, 4-3, in a nationally televised game on NBCSN.

Claws for alarm (Bethlehem @ LaSalle, 2/24)

 When you're the top team, it seems, you can do anything you want.

The Eagles of Bethlehem High knew they couldn't blow LaSalle out of the rink in their two game series, which wrapped up today at Frear Park Arena. So they took advantage of the leniency of game officials, as very few penalties were called in today's game, one for each team, it appears, but no power play goals were scored.

Late in the 3rd period, on a rush, a LaSalle player was knocked down by a Bethlehem player, but no penalty was called. The Eagles had a meeting at the goal crease, and pushed home the game winner past Caleb Ellis, giving the defending champions a 5-4 win and a sweep of the series.

We'll have full stats tomorrow. 

Now 2-2 in league play, 2-3 overall, LaSalle will get what amounts to a lay-up this weekend vs. the winless Capital District Jets. With 5 games left overall, the Cadets may need to run the table to get a favorable seeding in the playoff tournament, which begins in 2 weeks in Glens Falls.

===================================

A few clicks down the road at Troy High, the Flying Horses made it three in a row, beating Colonie, 54-47. Josh Rodriguez, the transfer from Green Tech, led Troy with 17 points.

Check the video:

On Friday, Troy welcomes Dave Pugilese and Averill Park. The Warriors are not having a good season, and Troy is seeking a little revenge after AP beat them last season.

As for the women, Troy won its third straight, beating Colonie, 44-35. We will have the full stats on this one tomorrow. Here's the video:

The Lady Horses (4-2) will have a tough weekend, visiting Averill Park on Friday, then turning around to return home to play Saratoga and their sophomore star, Natasha Chudy.

Next week's schedule:

Troy boys:

Monday-CBA.

Next Wednesday-@ Ballston Spa.

March 5-Shaker.

March 6-@ Bethlehem.

The women will have Monday off, and will be at the opposite sites of the boys' games March 3-6. Games vs. Guilderland & Albany are yet to be scheduled, and will likely be played the week of March 8 to close the season.

High school scoreboard, 2/23

 To update our report on last night's Bethlehem-LaSalle game, the Eagles' goals were scored by Jackson Carroll, Nikolas Lifite, Willem Kotary, & Anthony Denison. We must stress that the lack of a PA system at the venue leaves us unable to properly credit or identify players.

And it's not helping that the result was not submitted in time for this morning's papers.

============================================

Basketball results:

LaSalle remains undefeated in the Colonial Council, hammering Ichabod Crane, 73-39. Garrett Myers led all scorers with 20 points, with Owen Kane adding 11. The Cadets are right back in action today against Mohonasen, which defeated Catholic Central, 67-50.

Other scores:

Colonial Council (men):

Voorheesville 70, Cohoes 61. Tanner Tedesco led the Blackbirds with 18 points, while Zaveon Little added 17.

Ravena rebounded from a blowout loss to LaSalle by beating Cobleskill, 55-48.

Albany Academy 66, Schalmont 37. Marcus Jackson had top honors with 29 points.

They are finally playing in Washington & Fulton counties. Cambridge opened their season by hammering Duanesburg, 84-49. The Phillips twins, Sophie & Lily, combined for 50 points (27 & 23, respectively).

Back on the ice, CBA sent Albany Academy to its 3rd straight loss, 8-3, in the Brothers' season opener. Ryan (Family) Dollar & Tommy Vogel tallied 2 goals apiece for CBA, as Anthony Zaccaria made 30 saves. Academy coach Dave Rider decided that goaltender Carter Morton had to take one for the team, giving up all 8 goals, while also recording 30 saves.

The Guilderville-Shenendehowa game was postponed, more likely cancelled with 2 weeks remaining in the season, due to COVID-related issues involving the Storm.

Apparently, the offense stayed at home (LaSalle @ Bethlehem, 2/23/21)

 First place was on the line in the South Division of the Capital District High School Hockey League today, with LaSalle renewing their rivalry with defending champion Bethlehem. Unfortunately, it seems that the Cadets left their offense behind somewhere along 787 en route to Delmar.

We should have the final stats within 24 hours. Enjoy the game:

I'm pretty sure there are LaSalle supporters who will have issues, as will coach Tim Flanigan, about the disparity in penalties, as Bethlehem had 6 power plays to LaSalle's 1. The Eagles' Anthony Denison didn't do a good enough acting job to avoid going to the penalty box, and the Cadets made Bethlehem pay, as Jack Brown cashed in. However, after Nic Pauley was sent to the box with under 2 minutes left, the Eagles got the power play goal right back to put the game away.

We'll see if things are different tomorrow.

News & notes

 Remember the Albany Attack?

That was the last time the National Lacrosse League had placed a franchise in Albany, little more than 20 years ago. Future WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley even did ads for the Attack to promote home games at the then-Pepsi Arena (now Times-Union Center). The Attack lasted three seasons, but they may be the next local sports brand to be revived.

That's because the NLL is moving a pre-existing franchise from Connecticut to Albany for the 2021-22 season, and they could very well revive the Attack name. They're scheduled to start near the end of the calendar year. Stay tuned.

=========================================

The UAlbany women's basketball team dropped the opener of a two game series to Stony Brook Monday afternoon, 58-46, to drop to 6-9 overall. Former Columbia star Grace Heeps was held scoreless.

Meanwhile, the College of St. Rose's men's team dispatched American International, 90-78. Shane O'Dell (Schalmont) contributed 18 points in the win. The two schools' women's teams will meet later today.

==========================================

High school scoreboard:

Recapping Monday's Troy-Burnt Hills women's basketball game, the Lady Horses have now won 2 in a row. Jenalyse Alarcon led all scorers with 18 points, while Nadia Brown added 12 on Senior Night. Another tough stretch begins tomorrow at Colonie, although the Lady Raiders are not having a good season, but after that, Ryan Meikle's club is at Averill Park, then returns home to play Saratoga on Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, school officials at Burnt Hills were so embarrassed by the Spartans' poor showing at home against Troy in boys' action, they didn't bother sending in a report as of press time. For what it's worth, Troy spanked the Spartans to the tune of 80-45.

Other scores:

Suburban Council (women):

Saratoga 87,  Schenectady 33. Natasha Chudy led all scorers with 26 points. She'll see Troy on Saturday.

Albany 65, Colonie 61.

Averill Park 77, Ballston Spa 39.

Guilderland 80, Bethlehem 66. Valencia Fontenelle-Posson was tops with 35 points.

Suburban Council (men):

Saratoga 53, Schenectady 45.

Shenendehowa 67, Columbia 45.

Bethlehem 53, Guilderland 38.

Colonie 52, Albany 43.

Ballston Spa 71, Averill Park 62.

Non-league:

Niskayuna swept a pair from Scotia-Glenville. Olivia Olsen reached 1,000 points for her career as the women thumped the Lady Tartans, 75-14 (OUCH!). Meanwhile, the men's game was a little more competitive, as the Silver Warriors won their 3rd straight, 62-48.

Burning through the Hills (Troy vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 2/22)

 Traditionally, the Spartans of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake have been a basketball patsy for Troy High since the Flying Horses entered the Suburban Council in 2015. For the boys, tonight was no different.

Like some other schools in Section II, the Spartans are not using their PA system, so we'll have the final stats within 24 hours. What we can tell you is just how bad the Spartans are this season.

Apparently, it's school policy at Burnt Hills not to make their videos publicly available outside of YouTube. Coach Richard Hurley began lifting his starters early in the 4th quarter with the game well in hand. This was the fourth game in a week for Troy, with four more in the next week.

Troy also won the JV boys game in a rout, 60-39.

The women were back at Zotto Gym, more than 48 hours after blowing out Columbia on Saturday. It was Senior Night, and five of the six seniors--Jenalyse Alarcon, Genevieve Bertrand, Nadia Brown, Jaylei George, & Jakaiya Dewer, were in the starting lineup. Senior Kayla McNall is a reserve.

Troy had their PA announcer back to MC the Senior Night festivities, which pushed the start of the game back to 6:50 pm, a half hour after the boys' varsity game began at Burnt Hills. The women's JV game, won by Troy, didn't end until almost 6:10 pm, so they were already behind schedule.

The Lady Spartans had their first win over Troy last season, but as badly as they have played this season, getting blown out in virtually every game, Troy let them stay in the game until Alarcon hit a 3 pointer late in the 4th quarter to put Troy ahead to stay. The Lady Horses are now 3-2 after picking up a hard-earned 45-39 win.

Here's the video of the women's game:

Up next for Troy will be Colonie. The men return to Zotto Gym on Wednesday while the women begin a 2 game road trip.

News & notes

 Siena will enter the MAAC women's basketball tournament at 3-6 after beating Quinnipiac, 63-60, on Sunday, gaining a split of the weekend series. Isis Young led the Lady Saints with 19 points. Tournament pairings will be announced this weekend.

======================================

Soccer season has started for local colleges. UAlbany's women's team dropped a 6-1 decision Sunday to St. John's, out of the Big East. The Red Storm scored 3 goals in each half.

=======================================

518 Alumni Alert: Virginia Commonwealth University is 0-3 after being swept this weekend by North Carolina-Wilmington. Danny Watson (Columbia High) absorbed the loss in the opener on Saturday, coming out of the bullpen. Watson went 1 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs while striking out 3, walking 3, and hitting 1 batter. He had the day off yesterday as the Rams lost a doubleheader. Today's game was moved ahead as part of the doubleheader yesterday.

Troy High grad Hunter Levesque's senior season at Pittsburgh hasn't gotten off to a good start, either. The Panthers played 5 games over 3 days vs. ACC rivals Duke & Virginia, going 1-4 over the period, the lone win a 4-2 verdict over the Cavaliers. 

Levesque, the starting center fielder for the Panthers, has a couple of RBI's this season. What was the Panthers' coaching staff thinking? Levesque was a star pitcher for Troy, but couldn't get into the Panther rotation.

If community softball leagues are back in business this summer, I think you might see Hunter back inside the circle. Just sayin'.

========================================

Troy High begins a stretch of 5 games in 8 days for the boys, 4 in 6 for the women, today vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Both varsity games will be accessible on YouTube. Just punch up Troy City School District in the search box for Troy home games. Burnt Hills' page will have the men's varsity game. Tip time for both is 6:15 pm.

Saturday High School Scoreboard, 2/20

 To update our report on yesterday's Troy-Columbia women's game, won by Troy 49-26, the Flying Horses were led by Jakiaya Dewer with a season high 17 points. Genevieve Bertrand added 11 points, including 3 3 pointers. Nadia Brown finished with 10 for Troy (2-2), who'll host Burnt Hills tomorrow night.

The men's game at Columbia has not been reported as of press time.

Other action:

Suburban Council (men):

Schenectady 56, Ballston Spa 55.

CBA 55, Albany 44.

Saratoga 66, Averill Park 31. Luke Britton led the Blue Streaks with 19 points. Dave Pugilese's Warriors have yet to pick up a win this season. And they have to go to Troy on Friday.....!

Colonie 51, Guilderland 47.

Niskayuna 59, Burnt Hills 50. The Silver Warriors have won 2 in a row after getting crushed by Troy last Tuesday.

Suburban Council (women):

Schenectady 64, Ballston Spa 46. The Lady Patriots pick up their 1st win of the season, led by Janessa Jones with 35 points.

Niskayuna 56, Burnt Hills 31. Olivia Olsen led all scorers with 27 points.

Guilderland 64, Colonie 38. Valencia Fontanelle-Posson led with 27 points.

Bethlehem 43, Shaker 38.

Averill Park 44, Saratoga 41.

Colonial Council (men):

Albany Academy 67, Mohonasen 37.

LaSalle 73, Voorheesville 52. Gabe Lucarelli led all scorers with 26 points. Tanner Tedesco led the Blackbirds with 16 points while Zaveon Little added 14. Greg Davis' Cadets are now 3-0.

CDHSHL:

Shenendehowa 3, Mohawks 1. The Mohawks are still looking for their first win this season.

Looking ahead: 1st place will be on the line in the South Division when Bethlehem & LaSalle get together Tuesday & Wednesday nights. Both teams are at 2-0 in the division, though LaSalle, at 2-1 overall, played 1 game outside the division. This series will decide the division. Due to the short season, the Cadets will not see Saratoga or Shen this season.

Keep an eye open for live-streams on YouTube for your favorite schools. Columbia had someone lined up to stream Saturday's men's basketball game vs. Troy, but he no-showed, which partially explains why the game has not been reported.

No PA, no problem (Columbia @ Troy--women's basketball, 2/20/21)

 The trend at some Section II schools this season, and it's certainly prevalent in hockey, as we've already seen, is that public address announcers have been inexplicably in absentia, and that was the case today as Troy High's women's basketball team sought to end a 2 game losing streak, hosting Columbia.

I must acknowledge that I had the schedule backwards, thinking the boys would be home, but it is the ladies who start a 2 game homestand with today's matinee.

Anyway, for the first time, Troy gave their ages old sound system a rest, as their PA announcer had a rare in-season off day. That having been said, we'll let the video tell the story.

48 hours after getting blown off the court at Shenendehowa, Troy does the same to Columbia, taking out their frustrations on a Lady Devils team that is having a bad start to the season. The defense had its best game of the season, although the foul disparity, with a Columbia foul being as rare as an endangered species, is a little questionable. At least the team discipline gives Columbia a hat to hang on to. Considering that Troy's next game is against a traditional patsy in Burnt Hills, we might see more of the same on defense come Monday.

Still, holding an opponent under 30 points is another trend in Section II basketball this season. At least, the final margin of 23 points (49-26) will give Troy something to talk about when classes resume on Monday.

High School Fridays: Albany Academy vs. LaSalle @ Frear Park, 2/19/21

 Bring on Bethlehem!

If they were back at home at Conway Arena, in front of fans, the skating Cadets of LaSalle would've almost certainly heard that chant at the end of today's game vs. Albany Academy. 

Of course, the game was not only played at Frear Park, but it was also the nightcap to a doubleheader, as the ice arena's other tenant this season, the Capital District Jets, hosted the defending Delvecchio Cup champions earlier in the day. More on that later.

It was Academy, however, that drew first blood in the first period, as Mac Frazier found a hole above the shoulder of LaSalle netminder Leo Paul to give the visitors a short-lived 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for LaSalle to answer back, though. Hunter Caola, who'd gone off the ice earlier after a slight leg injury, evened the score by poking one past Academy goaltender Emma McIntyre, and it was all square at 1-1 after one period.

In the second period, LaSalle rang up a pair of goals just a couple of minutes apart, as Brendan Witte & Jagger Sessa beat McIntyre. Late in the frame, Owen Robinson beat Paul to get Academy closer at 3-2. Unfortunately, that was as close as Dave Rider's club would get.

LaSalle put the game away in the third period with four goals, rolling a 7 for the second straight game in completing a season sweep of the Battle of The Cadets, 7-2.

LaSalle will play Bethlehem Tuesday & Wednesday, with puck drop around 4:10 both days. Tuesday's game is at Bethlehem, and then the teams will return to Frear on Wednesday. The Eagles, meanwhile, swept the Capital District Jets with a 9-1 blowout earlier in the day. Jack Lucey led the way for Bethlehem with four goals. It might not be that easy against LaSalle, which will play the Jets in what amounts to a match for rent money next weekend. Bethlehem destroyed the Jets Thursday, 10-3.

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Thursday's basketball scoreboard:

Suburban Council (women):

Shenendehowa 73, Troy 38 (OUCH!). The Green Machine keeps on rolling, as Meghan Huerter led all scorers with 23 points. Jenalyse Alarcon & Jakiya Dewer led Troy with 12 each.

Shaker 51, Colonie 36.

Niskayuna 79, Schenectady 45.

Saratoga 62, Columbia 28.

Albany 63, Bethlehem 53.

Suburban Council (men):

Nisky 65, Schenectady 61.

Saratoga 66, Columbia 57. 

Albany 68, Bethlehem 64.

CBA 60, Guilderland 42.

Mismatches of the day:

Colonial Council (men):

Lasalle 97, Ravena 30.

Western Athletic Conference (women):

Fonda Fultonville 60, OESJ 9. That is not a misprint, folks. OESJ was down 21-4 at the break, and never recovered.

Swept across the Plains(men) (Shenendehowa vs. Troy, 2/18/21)

Today's matinee between Shenendehowa and Troy was not only a battle of the unbeatens, but a litmus test for the Flying Horses, who have rarely gotten the measure of the Plainsmen, especially since entering the Suburban Council in 2015.

A bleak omen, however, came in the 2nd half of the JV game, as Shen's defense held Troy to 8 points total, turning a 2 point halftime lead into a 16 point margin of victory, 52-36. Luckily, the varsity game was a lot more exciting, a close game throughout.

As you'll see in the video, Troy's notoriously ancient PA system needs to be sync'ed to the live-stream, preferably yesterday. The audio mix was worse than usual, and the system has been around since probably the 50's. When ye scribe has been at live games, I've heard more snaps, crackles, & pops than an average bowl of Rice Krispies.

We'll get the stats by this time tomorrow. For now, enjoy the game.

Shen stays undefeated, while Troy dips to 2-1. For Troy, they're right back at Zotto Gym on Saturday, as Curtis Sankey brings Columbia in, hoping to make it two in a row over his alma mater. We will have the result of the women's game tomorrow.

News & notes

 The America East Conference has thrown its member schools a curve by announcing Wednesday that they would end the regular season after games played over the next few days.

That said, UAlbany's teams will close out vs. state rival Stony Brook. The men will host the Seawolves Saturday & Sunday at SEFCU Arena, while the women will travel downstate Monday & Tuesday. All remaining regular season games beyond Tuesday have been cancelled due to COVID-19. The league tournament starts next Friday, February 26.

However, there are going to be just 7 teams in the women's tournament, so the top seed will get a bye. Pairings will be announced Sunday, with the tournament to start the following Sunday, February 28.

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UAlbany's men's lacrosse team was to open its season Sunday at Lehigh, but that game has been cancelled due to COVID concerns. Instead, Scott Marr's club will open at home against Colgate on February 27.

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Isis Young returned after being out with COVID last week, and scored 22 points, but Siena dropped a 84-63 decision to Quinnipiac on Wednesday afternoon. Siena drops to 2-6 in the MAAC women's standings.

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High school hockey: Saratoga gained a split of their home & home series with Shenendehowa, shutting out the Plainsmen, 3-0, on Wednesday night. The Blue Streaks, due to goal differential, have moved into first place in the CDHSHL's North division.

After getting humbled by Burnt Hills on Tuesday afternoon, LaSalle began formal league play Wednesday night by beating Albany Academy, 7-3. Senior Brendan Witte tallied a hat trick to lead the Troy-based Cadets (1-1 overall).

The two teams meet again tomorrow at Frear Park (4 pm puck drop). Albany Academy didn't have a live-stream ready in time for last night's game, but, as with most teams, it is a work in progress, and they should have that capacity soon.

We're hoping LaSalle can secure a PA system for tomorrow's game., but if Saratoga's live-stream last night is any indication, that might not be necessary, as it appeared the PA booth was empty there.

The Capital District Jets open their season against 3-time defending Delvecchio Cup champion Bethlehem today. The Jets are sharing Frear Park with LaSalle this season, as their home opener at Frear is on Friday.

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There will be a mini Albany Academy reunion at Siena during baseball season.

Brooks & Carter Knapek are graduate transfers from Virginia Commonwealth, and now, Brett Young has transferred from VCU to Siena. What isn't certain is whether or not Young will be eligible to play this season under NCAA transfer rules. The trio will join pitcher Ben Seiler on the Saints roster.

That leaves Danny Watson (Columbia) as the lone 518 graduate on the Rams roster. Stay tuned.

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The Tri-City Valleycats have released their schedule for the 2021 Frontier League season:

Games scheduled in the Quebec province in Canada are subject to COVID-related regulations, so there might be some changes. The 'Cats have not yet released ticket information, but figure it might still be the best value in town. 

News & notes

 The margin of error for the skating Cadets of LaSalle Institute just disappeared.

After absorbing a 3-0 loss to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa yesterday, the Cadets, along with the rest of the Capital District High School Hockey League (CDHSHL) learned that the league's annual post-season tournament will be in a bubble this year. Traditionally, Union College hosts the semi-finals & finals, but this year's tournament moves to Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, taking place March 11-13. The Adirondack Rivermen will be the host team.

Beginning with tonight's road match vs. Albany Academy (puck drop is at 6:15), Tim Flanigan's club cannot afford to make the same mistakes that cost them dearly vs. the Spartan Scotties. Every remaining game counts in the standings, and with 9 games to be played in the next 2 1/2 weeks, there is no room for error.

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The CDHSHL is operating with just 11 teams this season as Queensbury, listed in the standings as an independent, is not playing at all, after their school board reaffirmed their decision to cancel high risk winter sports this season, despite protests from student-athletes and their families.

You have to consider that a lot of these kids are looking ahead to college, and the lack of opportunity to play will hurt them in terms of college recruiting. Queensbury is erring on the side of caution due to COVID-19, of course, but it is the frustration of these young athletes that has moved to the forefront.

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Swimming-diving season is just about over in Section II, with the Suburban Council championships set for February 26-27.

The Flying Brothers of Troy/CBA ended the regular season on a down note, losing to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 95-73. Troy/CBA finishes the regular season at 1-6, as a home meet vs. the Spartans was cancelled two weeks ago due to weather.

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We've updated our Troy High basketball report from last night to reflect the top scorers in the women's game between Troy & Niskayuna, won by the Silver Warriors (2-1).

Meanwhile, in the men's game, which Troy won in a 61-40 rout, Marquis Hamby led Troy with 16 points.

Niskayuna swept the JV games, which means the Troy girls' JV team is now 0-2. It's not going to be any easier, not with a road trip starting tomorrow at Shenendehowa, and a rematch vs. Columbia on Saturday.

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As for other scores from last night:

CDHSHL:

Shen 3, Saratoga 2.

Suburban Council boys' basketball:

Schenectady 46, Averill Park 37.

Shen 63, Saratoga 62.

CBA 60, Columbia 26.

Girls:

Averill Park 54, Schenectady 24.

Shen 65, Saratoga 53.

Shen's Meghan Huerter led the Green Machine with 22 points. Saratoga sophomore Natasha Chudy, the daughter of coach Robin Chudy, had a game high 29 points.

A tale of two games (Troy vs. Niskayuna, 2/16/21)

 Troy High's women's basketball team had their home opener tonight vs. Niskayuna, which went 1-1 over the weekend, while Ryan Meikle's Lady Horses obliterated Schenectady.

Unfortunately, Troy was plagued by the same problems that have hurt them in recent years. Poor free throw shooting, untimely fouls, and wild, awkward shots in an effort to get past the defense.

From what we could gather, Nisky's Olivia Olsen led all scorers with 34 points. As before, the sound system at Zotto Memorial Gym is a little difficult, and playing it by ear just isn't the same watching the game on YouTube. Makiya Chapman & Jenalyse Alarcon were the high scorers (14 & 9 points, respectively) for Troy, which didn't carry the momentum over from Friday night. The Silver Warriors go to 2-1 with a 57-39 win.

It's not going to get any easier for Troy going forward, not when they have to travel to Clifton Park to play the Huerter sisters, Meghan & Jillian, and the Plainswomen of Shenendehowa on Thursday, then on to Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

Next week's schedule is a killer, Just added to Monday's game vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the Lady Horses go back on the road to play Colonie on February 24 and Averill Park on February 26 (the guys will be home) before returning to Zotto Gym for a Saturday matinee with Saratoga on February 27.

And speaking of the boys, their trip to Niskayuna meant a meeting with an old friend.

Nisky men's basketball coach Mike Grasso was the offensive coordinator under Bob "The Builder" Burns when Troy won back-to-back state titles in 2016-17. Grasso is a close friend of Troy coach Richard Hurley dating back to their days at Bishop Maginn.

Unfortunately, either Niskayuna's public address announcer had the night off, or they don't have room in the budget for one. We'll just let the video tell the tale:

Troy, now 2-0, returns home to play Shen on Thursday, then Columbia for a Saturday matinee before taking to the road to play Burnt Hills, a traditional patsy. Columbia coach Curtis Sankey will be looking to make it two in a row over his alma mater. Troy will have their annual meeting with CBA on March 1 at Zotto Gym.

A rough start (Burnt Hills vs. LaSalle @ Frear Park, 2/16/21)

 Today's matinee between Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa and homestanding LaSalle was the 4th game in 5 days for the Spartan Scotties, so you'd think the Cadets, playing their first game of the season, would be fresh and ready.

And they say perception is reality.

Scheduled for a 12:20 pm start, the game was delayed by about 15 minutes. One must assume this is because the Spartan Scotties were late arriving due to the inclement weather that hit the 518 this morning. Also, this was the first time that LaSalle was trying out its live-stream for their YouTube channel at a live event, as almost every Section II school will live-stream this season with fans not allowed to attend games. Couple that with this week being winter recess, and there were bound to be some issues with the feed.

And so there were, but we'll talk about that later.

In addition to the lack of fans due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Frear Park Arena, LaSalle's temporary home rink, doesn't have a PA system at present, so LaSalle may be forced to supply their own PA, and they would need it no sooner than their next home game on Friday vs. Albany Academy.

But, we're getting ahead of ourselves just a wee bit.

While game stats for the Cadets are not available at press time, for all the preparation that they underwent over the last few days, there were still the defensive breakdowns that plagued them last season. Kevin Cullen took advantage of that to score two goals. Antonio Rosetti had the other, and Burnt Hills won its second straight game, even though this was billed as a non-league match, 3-0.

Teams in the Capital District High School Hockey League (CDHSHL) are using a model similar to the NHL in that home & home series are being scheduled closer together than in past years. To that end, the Cadets will begin a 2 game series with Albany Academy tomorrow night on the road before returning to Frear Park for the conclusion of the Battle of The Cadets 2021 on Friday. Puck drop on Friday will be at 3:50 pm.

As for LaSalle's YouTube feed, there were a few rough patches here & there, but that's to be expected when you are doing this for the first time.

One odd quirk this season, again likely due to COVID, is that there is only one intermission when the teams return to their locker rooms. The game officials called for intermission with 6:35 left in the 2nd period, even though the game clock remains the same (15 minutes per period). This is bound to confuse some fans tuning into the live-stream, accustomed to two intermissions per game. The teams will meet at their benches between periods for about a minute or two before play resumes. This, we shall assume, is just for this season, or at least until the pandemic has run its course, whichever comes first.

We'll take this opportunity to also note that LaSalle's basketball game at Catholic Central has been postponed for tonight due to weather issues. No make up date has been set as of press time.

Weekend scoreboard

 Siena College's women's basketball team was swept by Marist over the weekend, and, if you go by media reports, it was disheartening on Saturday, as the Red Foxes blew out the Lady Saints, 69-44. Iris Young, the Saints' leading scorer, missed the series due to COVID protocols, and the Saints suffered in her absence. Marist completed the sweep on Sunday, 60-44. Ashley Williamson led Siena on Sunday with 30 points in a losing effort. 

Siena is hoping to get Young back for Wednesday's game at Quinnipiac, assuming they can finally get that game in.

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UAlbany gained a split of its men's basketball series with Lowell, beating the River Hawks, 81-69, on Saturday. With the win, the Great Danes earned a berth in the America East tournament next month.

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Moving out of town, softball season has started for colleges in most of the country. Pittsburgh lost both games in a Friday doubleheader in Florida, getting shelled by Liberty, 10-4, and losing to New Mexico State, 6-3. Hunter Levesque (Troy High) went 1-7 in the two games with a walk and a run scored to begin her senior season.

A doubleheader on Saturday was rained out. The Panthers will be back in action in a ACC pod Thursday. They'll play six games across three days with host Duke (Thursday & Friday) & Virginia (Friday & Saturday).

Friday hoops scoreboard, 2/12

 UAlbany's men's basketball team returned to action Friday night. That was the good news. The bad news was that the Great Danes faded late in the 2nd half, and fell to UMass-Lowell, 79-71. Antonio Rizzuto led the Danes with 25 points in a losing effort. The two teams meet again today.

UAlbany drops to 4-7 on the season.

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The College of St. Rose got their season started Friday, welcoming freshman Shane O'Dell (Schalmont) to the Golden Knights. However, St. Thomas Aquinas got the better of the Knights, 97-92. O'Dell led the Knights with 23 points.

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Updating last night's Troy-Schenectady men's game, Marquis Hamby led Troy with 21 points, followed by Shamdo Caldwell with 17 points, and Alex Wolfe with 14. For some unknown reason, the Albany Times-Union deducted a point from Schenectady's total, but we'll go with what we saw.

Meanwhile, in Schenectady, Nadia Brown was the lone Troy player in double figures with 16, but it was enough as Ryan Meikle's club clobbered the Lady Patriots, 55-24. Troy led, 27-10, at the break, and 44-14 after three quarters. Ouch! Jenalyse Alarcon added 9 points, and Genevieve Bertrand add 6 for the winners.

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Staying with the women, Shenendehowa, playing their 2nd game in as many nights, blew out Ballston Spa, 85-35. Meghan Huerter led four Plainswomen in double figures with 19 points. Sister Jillian added 10 for the winners (2-0).

Amsterdam's Jackie Stanovich led all scorers with 24 points, and Antonia May added 13, as the Lady Rams (2-0) routed Fonda-Fultonville (1-1), 70-22.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake falls to 0-2, blown out for the second straight night, this time by Saratoga, 58-26.

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Back to the men. Gabe Lucarelli had 19 points, and Shantiere Green added 16, as LaSalle began the Greg Davis era with a 75-52 win over Schalmont. The Sabres were led by Rodney Parker, a transfer from Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, with 21 points.

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Today's schedule:

Suburban Council:

Columbia @ Schenectady. After losing to Niskayuna, 53-44, last night, Curtis Sankey's Blue Devils will look to even their record at 1-1, with a showdown with Troy looming next week.

Shen @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. I thought this game would've been played last night, but, instead, the Spartans opened with a loss to Saratoga, 64-54.

Saratoga @ Ballston Spa.

Averill Park @ Nisky.

Women:

Schenectady @ Columbia.

Ballston Spa @ Saratoga.

Columbia's JV's, both the men & the women, are at Troy this morning.

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Other sports: Columbia won the Suburban Council men's bowling championship at Boulevard Bowl in Niskayuna on Friday. Troy finished 8th.

In hockey action, Shen opened by beating Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa, 3-1.

High School Fridays: Schenectady @ Troy (boys' basketball), 2/12/21

 Who were those masked men?

Taking their cues from a college game between Holy Cross and Boston College a few weeks back, Section II is mandating that all players, coaches, & referees will wear protective masks to guard against the spread of coronavirus this season.

Troy High began the 2nd Richard Hurley era in basketball this afternoon, hosting Schenectady High, and it was clear from the beginning that despite a week and a half of practices, there was still some rust on both sides. Hurley, back on the bench after 3 seasons away, was clearly frustrated during the first half, as Troy's zone pressure defense was leaving a lot of Patriots wide open for shots, but, thankfully, Schenectady wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders, either.

Just the same, the visitors had a 7 point lead at halftime, 31-24. Both teams were also having issues at the free throw line, which was a big difference.

Hurley gave his charges a pep talk at the break, and that woke up the Flying Horses, who held Schenectady to just 10 points in the 4th quarter as Troy began to pull away. The Patriots got sloppy on defense in the third quarter, and a disciplinary breakdown ensured Troy would spend a good chunk of the final frame at the charity stripe.

I don't have official numbers as far as individual scorers at present. I have to just guess. What I do know is that Troy placed four players in double figures, led by Shamdo Caldwell, who had, by my count, 17 points. We will update the scores when they become available. Troy used a 23-10 4th quarter to pull away, walking out with a 71-54 victory.

For the first time, Troy has a YouTube channel, operated by teacher Darryl Doty. Most schools are going this route to live-stream games this season, so check the action for yourselves, pilgrims, and mind the early f-bomb in the 1st quarter:

Troy goes on the road Tuesday, visiting Niskayuna, while the women will have their home opener. Both games are scheduled to tip at 6:15 pm.

News & notes

 The Suburban Council will have their bowling championships later today. Troy High enters the competition on a down note after losing, 5-0, to Averill Park in the regular season finale on Thursday, leaving their record at either 5-7, 6-7, or 5-8, depending on the result of their season opener last month at Albany, which was never reported to the press. I'm willing to guess that the Falcons, the host team that day, chose not to report the result due to losing, so we'll go with Troy at 6-7 until we hear otherwise.

Update, 12:49 pm: The Albany Times-Union reports that there was a previously unscheduled match between Troy & Bethlehem, date unknown, won by Troy, 4-1, so the record would be 7-7.

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UAlbany's women's team officially is on pause until next Friday, so this weekend's games have been postponed, likely cancelled, since there are only a couple of weeks left in the regular season.

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Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's women's basketball team showed some signs of improvement last season, such that they finally defeated Troy High.

However, after having to wait 2 months to play a meaningful game this season, the Lady Spartans reverted to previous form Thursday night, as they were steamrolled by Shenendehowa, 68-30. Ouch!

The Huerter sisters, Meghan & Jillian, combined for 28 points (Meghan had 17, Jillian 11) to lead the way for the Plainswomen (1-0).

The men's teams from the two schools meet in Burnt Hills tonight.

News & notes

 The Section II basketball season officially got underway Wednesday in Montgomery County. It might seem as though the short season will benefit Amsterdam, out of the Foothills Council, a Class A school playing a non-conference schedule to start the season, since health officials in the county are not allowing any of the teams to travel outside county borders, at least for now.

Suffice to say, the Rams swept their season opening games for the men & women vs. Fort Plain, out of the Western Athletic Conference. The headline story was Amsterdam senior Antonia May going off for 35 points to lead the Lady Rams over an overmatched Fort Plain team, 78-36. The men's game was a little closer, as Amsterdam toppled Fort Plain, 62-42.

Fonda-Fultonville also swept their games vs. Canajoharie, and, like Amsterdam, the women had an easy time, 68-26, while the men just got by with a 68-66 win.

Suburban Council play starts tonight with Shenendehowa hosting Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

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The Capital District High School Hockey League (CDHSHL) tried using a more pro style system two seasons ago, but that didn't go over so well, such that they reverted back to their more traditional system last season.

This year, taking their cues again from the NHL, the CDHSHL is scheduling home & home series between member schools a little closer together. With Queensbury already out for the season, at least at the moment, the league has now been split into two divisions, North & South, with teams like LaSalle and Albany Academy playing in the South Division.

For LaSalle, it's a chance to return to form after a dismal 2019-20 season. Their schedule as of now look like this:

Tuesday: Home opener vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa (12:20 pm).

Wednesday: @ Albany Academy (6:00 faceoff).

February 19: Albany Academy (3:50 faceoff).

February 23: @ Bethlehem (4 pm).

February 24: Bethlehem (3:50).

February 26-27: Capital District Jets. Please note that LaSalle will be the home team for the game on the 26th, with the Jets taking over as home team on the 27th. The game on the 27th has, according to LaSalle's website, a 8 pm faceoff.

March 3: Mohawks (3:20 pm).

March 5: CBA.

March 6: @ CBA (11:30 am).

Home games this season, including the complete two-set with the Jets, are at Frear Park Ice Arena on Oakwood Avenue, with Conway Arena at Hudson Valley Community College occupied for COVID-19 treatments. Games have yet to be scheduled against Guilderville, Shen, and Saratoga. We will update as more games are added.

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On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that arenas such as the Times-Union Center will reopen at 10% seating capacity. For example, the TUC can seat as many as ten to thirteen thousand, so only 1,000-1,300 fans would be admitted to the arena when the Albany Empire's season begins May 22.

However, Siena College is opting to stay put and play the remaining games on their schedule on their Loudonville campus, and won't return to the TUC until next season.

With this news, expect WWE to book the TUC as soon as they're cleared to resume traveling later this year, if at all.

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Troy High's Olivia DeCitise just missed a 700 series Wednesday (she finished with a 699), as the Flying Horses inched closer to .500 (or are they already there?) with a 4-1 win over Shaker. Troy closes out league play today at Averill Park, with the league championships tomorrow at Boulevard Bowl in Niskayuna.

Troy High basketball schedule 2021

 Troy High has released its initial basketball schedule, with the season starting tomorrow.

The bigger news is the fact that, for the first time, Troy will be live-streaming home games for both the varsity & junior varsity, starting with tomorrow's men's opener vs. Schenectady. The schedule will be updated over the next couple of weeks to add games up through the end of the winter season on March 13.

The schedule. The men's games will be listed, with the women at the opposite site.

Friday: Home opener vs. Schenectady (4:30 tip-off).

Tuesday: @ Niskayuna (women's home opener-both games start at 6:15)

February 18: Shenendehowa (6:15 pm).

February 20: @ Columbia (12:45 pm).

February 22: @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (6:15 pm).

February 24: Colonie

February 26: Averill Park.

February 27: @ Saratoga.

March 1: Christian Brothers Academy (women have the night off).

They are hoping to schedule games vs. Shaker, Albany, Bethlehem, Ballston Spa, and Guilderland to fill out the schedule.

Update, 2/16: 4 games have been added to the above schedule.

Our High School Fridays feature will return following the conclusion of the Troy-Schenectady men's game.

LaSalle basketball schedule 2021

 Per the Colonial Council's team page, LaSalle Institute has released its winter 2021 basketball schedule. If you don't know by now, Greg Davis has moved across town from Troy High to be their new coach. As of now, there are just 8 games on the schedule.

The Cadets will open with a 3 game road trip before they can even play their first home game. It's an all conference schedule, but there are certain teams in the league that the Cadets won't see this season, like, for example, Lansingburgh, which opted out, and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk. No fans will be admitted to any of the games, due to COVID restrictions.

The schedule:

Friday: @ Schalmont.

February 16: @ Catholic Central.

February 20: @ Voorheesville.

February 23: Home opener vs. Ichabod Crane.

February 25: Cohoes.

March 2: @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

March 4: Mohonasen.

March 8: Senior Night vs. Watervliet.

March 13: @ Albany Academy.

While other Albany County schools, such as Cohoes and Voorheesville, are on the schedule, Ravena may be added late. Davis will see one of his former Troy High players, Zaveon Little, now a star with the Blackbirds.

We're hoping to get the full Troy High schedule soon.

News & notes

 After splitting a weekend series vs. Binghamton, UAlbany's women's basketball team finds itself on pause yet again, but it hasn't as yet been confirmed if this weekend's games have been postponed. The Lady Danes (6-8) should know by the end of business today or tomorrow if they'll be able to play their next games.

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Siena men's basketball coach Carmen Maciariello revealed on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19, which explains why the Saints didn't play last weekend.

A quick check of the remaining schedule for Siena shows that they have given up on rescheduling games against Canisius, as we noted previously, meaning the only way the two teams would meet is in the MAAC tournament next month in Atlantic City.

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The National Arena League, the new home of the last ArenaBowl champions, the Albany Empire, have delayed the start of the season, and the Empire will open at home at Times-Union Center vs. Ontario on May 22. Now, if they can just get a TV or radio deal......!

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After being one of the dominant teams in the Suburban Council last season, the CBA-Troy men's swimming & diving team have fallen to the lower half of the standings this season.

The Flying Brothers are now 1-5 after a 120-44 loss to Guilderland/Voorheesville on Tuesday. CBA-Troy will close the regular season at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake next week, with the league championships to follow 10 days later.

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Troy's bowling team, meanwhile, remains red hot. Olivia DeCitise led all scorers with a 678 triple Monday as Troy shut out Schenectady, 5-0. The Flying Horses travel to Spare Time Latham today to play Shaker, then close out the regular season tomorrow at Averill Park.

With 3 matches still unreported, Troy sits at 4-4 by our count. Schedule Galaxy's standings for the Suburban Council have not been updated with any regularity, as they still have Troy at 0-2.

Update, 12:10 pm: Schedule Galaxy has not gotten reports on any of Troy's wins, but they have reported that the Flying Horses lost to Saratoga & Colonie over the last two weeks, so the record, by our count, is now 4-6, not including their match vs. Albany, with two matches left.

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We have to get this in.

Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl, a sort-of Super Bowl for dogs, was taped in Glens Falls this year. The success of the annual special led to a Kitten Bowl being created as well, and we'd not be surprised if it was underwritten by Nestle, which now owns Purina.

News & notes

 You might not have noticed him, but there was a player with a stint in the 518 on his resume at the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

The odd thing, though, is that Zach Triner, who was on special teams for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played lacrosse, not football, at Siena. Go figure.

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As more and more Section II teams are getting ready to play basketball, with the first games scheduled for tomorrow, we will keeping a close eye on the action, even though we will not be reporting live due to COVID restrictions. The first results will be up on Thursday.

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Marshall Cassidy had the task of succeeding Dave Johnson as the voice of the New York Racing Association. While Johnson was calling the Triple Crown races and other major races for ABC, and later, NBC, if memory serves me correctly, Cassidy was hired by NYRA in 1979, and spent a decade in the booth at Saratoga, Belmont, & Aqueduct. He would also do some national work as well.

Cassidy, after retiring, made his home in Saratoga, where he passed away at 75. 

Rest in peace.

Here we go again: Siena pauses men's basketball

 It was not long ago that Canisius College had announced that their women's basketball team was shutting down for the season due to coronavirus.

The Albany Times-Union reported late last week that Siena's women's team wasn't about to do that, saying that they had come too far into the season to cancel the rest of their schedule.

The men's teams at both schools? A not-so-different story.

Canisius was supposed to play Siena in men's action next weekend, their games having been rescheduled twice already this season. Make it three times, as the February 13-14 games have been postponed. Following is the official statement from Siena:

At this point, it'd be a surprise if they actually get to meet this season, with a month left in the regular season. In fact, the only way the two teams could meet at all is in the MAAC tournament next month in Atlantic City.

Stay tuned.

News & notes

 Siena College's women's basketball team, coming off a loss to Monmouth on Wednesday, has had their schedule shuffled again by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) after Canisius decided to opt out for the rest of the season.

Here's the updated schedule. The Lady Saints are idle this weekend:

Saturday, Feb. 13 – vs. Marist

Sunday, Feb. 14 – vs. Marist

Wednesday, Feb. 17 – at Quinnipiac

Saturday, Feb. 20 – at Saint Peter’s

Sunday, Feb. 21 – at Saint Peter’s

Wednesday, Feb. 24 – at Manhattan

Saturday, Feb. 27 – vs. Iona

Sunday, Feb. 28 – vs. Iona

Thursday, Mar. 4 – vs. Niagara

Friday, Mar. 5 vs. Niagara

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What was known as the Alumni Recreation Center is now the UHY Center after a local accounting firm acquired naming rights to the facility. Seems to make sense.

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Break up Troy High's bowling team! The Flying Horses are suddenly hot, as they upset Shenendehowa, 4-1, Thursday at Spare Time Clifton Park. Wednesday's match vs. Colonie still hasn't been reported, and we are hoping to obtain that information soon. But, given the Garnet Raiders' scores shared on their Facebook page, I suspect Troy won that match, too. Funny thing is, Troy isn't exactly trumpeting the triumph on their announcement page.