Siena 83, Cornell 77. Brendan Coyle, Justice Shoats, & Gavin Doty had 16 points each to lead 5 Saints in double figures.
Emory 77, Union 71.
Women's basketball:
Cornell 76, Siena 73. Teresa Seppala was virtually a 1-woman show for the Saints, leading all scorers with 31 points.
High schools:
Hockey:
LaSalle 4, CBA 1. The Brothers' 4 game win streak and LaSalle's 2 game losing streak were both snapped.
Saratoga 5, Queensbury 2. The Blue Streaks & Cadets are tied for 3rd, 1/2 point behind Queensbury & Adirondack, and the Spartans visit Frear Park on Friday night.
Men's basketball:
Shenendehowa 58, Niskayuna 45.
Johnstown 58, Scotia-Glenville 53.
Hoosic Valley 61, Rensselaer 42.
Hoosick Falls 57, North Warren 31.
Canajoharie 63, Poland 52.
Watervliet 48, Lansingburgh 47.
Women's basketball:
Argyle 43, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 35.
Hoosic Valley 42, Granville 20.
Coxsackie-Athens 69, Lansingburgh 36.
Guilderland 60, Burnt Hills 38.
Whitehall 44, Waterford 17.
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LaSalle's women's basketball team, at 3-3, are listed as a team to watch per the Albany Times-Union. Quite an upgrade from last season.
The LaSalle men, meanwhile, will get some TV time, as they'll travel to Mechanicville to play Catholic Central on January 10, as that will be the next WNYA game of the week.
More UAlbany: Linebacker Dontae Lunan has entered the transfer portal, choosing to play elsewhere for his final year of eligibility. Lunan is the 3rd Great Dane to enter the portal, following receiver Levi Wentz, who will play for Kansas next year, and offensive lineman Nolan Latulippe, who's headed to Cincinnati, thanks to an NIL deal.
Siena's men's team ends a 10 day layoff today with a twilight game at Cornell (JAMZ 96.3, 4 pm), hoping to end its recent slump, in which they've lost 5 of 7. The game will also stream on ESPN+. WNYA will begin carrying ESPN+'s feed for home games on Friday.
UAlbany's women's basketball team played another tough game against a major conference foe, and fell short.
The Lady Danes fell to LSU today, 83-61. Conference play is right around the corner, so these character building games should help Albany going forward.
Troy High's women's basketball team hadn't played in 10 days, mired in a 3 game losing streak. They still have a game to make up with Ravena after a home game last week was wiped out by inclement weather.
Undermanned, dressing only 8 players, Will Harris' club braved the elements and took part in the Glens Falls Holiday Tournament, playing the host Black Bears in the nightcap, after Stillwater blew away hapless Hudson Falls, 53-38. How it is that there are just 8 varsity players, after Harris had as many as 10-11 last year, is a mystery.
It was defense that kept Troy in the game throughout, leading to an exciting 4th quarter........
Troy is set to play Hudson Falls tomorrow, unless they decide to have Troy play Stillwater under the traditional tournament format.
For what it's worth, Glens Falls won the JV game, 47-46, in another tight game.
CBA star Lucius Anderson has picked his next destination.
A week ago, Anderson committed to Yale to continue his football career. The Ivy League isn't the pristine league it was way back in the day, and some games are aired on the YES Network, but with the talent Anderson has, he could still be NFL bound before it's all said & done.
As the school year resumes next week, WNYA's High School Basketball Game of The Week will be sharing space with the return of Siena basketball to the station. Siena's 1st game on WNYA will be January 3, and the station isn't sharing the rest of the high school slate. Rodger Wyland did say at the end of the Colonie-Shen game last week that there were 6 games left in Season 1.
In addition, the women will get at least one showcase game in February, as my sources tell me Bethlehem will be featured.
For the 2nd straight week, Troy High's men's basketball team is a "team to watch" in Class AA, per the Albany Times-Union, with the meat of the Colonial Council schedule still to come.
Meanwhile, leading scorer Stetson Merritt, who burned Saratoga for 34 points on December 21, was in the T-U's honor roll this week, the first of what figures to be a fair number of appearances this season. If he doesn't make WNYT's All-Star Team, there's definitely something wrong.
On the women's side, Will Harris' club travels to Glens Falls for the Black Bears' holiday tournament tomorrow. Troy meets Glens Falls at approximately 6 pm. Troy is then scheduled to play Foothills Council doormat Hudson Falls on Saturday, after the latter plays Stillwater in Friday's opener. Hudson Falls goes into this tournament with the worst record of the 4 teams at 1-5.
With school in recess until January 2 or 3, Troy High's sports teams are enjoying some momentum heading into the break, with some exceptions.
Men's basketball:
Current record: 4-1 (2-0 Colonial Council).
Troy added another Suburban Council pelt on Saturday, taking down Saratoga, 72-69, on the road, after beating Catholic Central on Tuesday. Friday's postponed road game at Ravena has not yet been rescheduled as of this time.
Next: Jamil Hood's squad is idle until January 3, when they visit the Pat Riley Center to play against Mark Sausville & Schenectady.
Swimming (w/CBA & Columbia):
Current record: 4-0.
It's been a long time since Troy swimming started the season undefeated heading into the holiday break. The Flying Devil Brothers defeated Burnt Hills and Niskayuna this week.
Next: The swim team is on break until the 1st week in January.
Bowling:
Current record: 4-5 (4-4 Colonial Council).
Don Poutre's keglers snapped a 3 match losing streak in beating Voorheesville on Monday, then took down Ravena, before dropping a non-league match vs. Shaker on Thursday, blunting the momentum.
Next: Troy is idle until January 6 at Schalmont.
Women's basketball:
Current record: 2-4 (0-3 Colonial Council):
Troy was blown out by Catholic Central on Tuesday night, as Amaya Harris was held to just 10 points, the lone Lady Horse in double figures. Friday's home game vs. Ravena has not been rescheduled as of this time.
Next: It's off to the North Country for the Glens Falls Holiday Tournament Friday & Saturday. Troy is set to play host Glens Falls on Friday, and Hudson Falls on Saturday, with both games scheduled to be streamed on YouTube.
We all knew we'd get at least 1-3 inches of snow on Friday. It just came earlier than folks expected it to, and, oh, did it wreak havoc with the schedule.
Well, not really.
As of press time, three basketball games and a hockey game were postponed by the weather, with no make-up dates set.
The "lost" games:
Men's basketball: Troy at Ravena. The Flying Horses, on a 3 game winning streak, move on to Saratoga this afternoon for a 1 pm matinee.
Women's basketball: Ravena at Troy. Will Harris' Troy squad now will wait until the Glens Falls Holiday tournament next weekend to try to break a 3 game losing streak.
Women's basketball: Canajoharie at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.
Hockey: Bethlehem at CBA.
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Shenendehowa hosted an unusual men's & women's basketball doubleheader on Friday.
On the last day of classes before the holiday break, which officially begins Monday, students were treated to the women blowing out Saratoga, 62-25. The Lady Streaks have struggled in the post-Carly Wise era.
Later, as the snow was still flying, the men took the court for WNYA's game of the week to face Colonie. Rodger Wyland and Steve Sgambelluri, formerly of the College of St. Rose and currently the principal at LaSalle, are on the call.
Colonie falls to 2-2, as they're not the juggernaut they were last year. Sgambelluri was Greg Davis' boss at LaSalle.
UAlbany's women nearly pulled an upset Friday at Wisconsin, but the Lady Badgers held off the Lady Danes, 69-59, in front of nearly 6,000 fans in Madison. Lilly Phillips (Cambridge) finished with 13 points for Albany.
Mohawk Valley 7, LaSalle 1. Michael Nocera had the lone goal for LaSalle.
Adirondack 5, Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa 2.
Shenendehowa 2, Queensbury 0.
Saratoga 9, Norwood-Norfolk 0.
Cicero-North Syracuse vs. the Hawks was not reported as of press time.
Men's basketball:
Mohonasen 60, Schalmont 36.
Schoharie 38, Dolgeville 35.
LaSalle 96, Voorheesville 53.
Catholic Central 98, Ichabod Crane 64. Crusaders bounce back after losing to Troy on Tuesday.
North Warren 69, Granville 63.
Whitehall 74, Fort Edward 46.
Gloversville 55, Queensbury 54.
Hoosick Falls 56, Tamarac 41.
Corinth 72, Hadley-Luzerne 28.
Amsterdam 68, South Glens Falls 39.
Canajoharie 67, Richfield Springs 56.
And, in case the above video is removed by WNYT:
Shenendehowa 55, Colonie 35.
Women's basketball:
Hartford 64, Argyle 20.
Mayfield 63, Middleburgh 25.
Schalmont 56, Mohonasen 52.
Catholic Central 76, Ichabod Crane 36.
Albany Academy 75, Cohoes 13.
Academy of Holy Names 82, Lansingburgh 17.
Whitehall 59, Berlin-New Lebanon 3. Not a misprint. Whitehall shut out Berlin-New Lebanon in the first half, taking a 31-0 lead into the break.
Lake George 45, Warrensburg 36.
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Holy Cross defeated Siena on Catholic Charities night at MVP Arena, 78-70. Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy/UAlbany) & Justice Shoats led Siena with 17 points each. Despite the weather, nearly 5,000 fans turned out for the game.
Ski season has begun with the Johnsburg Invitational, which took place on Thursday. Queensbury won the men's event, while Saratoga won the women's title..
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Don't forget to tune in to WNYA (Spectrum channel 1215) for the Colonie-Shenendehowa men's basketball game, tonight at 7 pm. Rodger Wyland will be on the call.
Amare Marshall had 16 points to lead 4 UAlbany players in double figures as the Great Danes downed Sacred Heart, 74-66, Wednesday in what amounted to a lunch special. The Danes will be at Fordham on Saturday.
Catholic Central men's basketball coach Guy DiBacco said all the right things after Tuesday's game vs. Troy High, but the one glaring thing he didn't mention was that there might have been a fatigue factor involved in the Crusaders' 71-66 loss to the Flying Horses.
Catholic Central, to remind, was playing for at least the 3rd time in 5 nights. They couldn't close out Troy (3-1, 2-0 Colonial Council) when they needed to, and the Horses made them pay. Stetson Merritt led Troy with a game high 22 points.
On the other hand, the Lady Crusaders sent Troy to its 3rd straight loss in league play, 75-31. We don't have the stats for this one as of press time, but Will Harris' club (2-4, 0-3 Colonial Council) should get a breather at home vs. Ravena on Friday.
Troy's unified swimming team with CBA & Columbia is now 3-0 after beating Burnt Hills on Tuesday, 49-27. They'll see about going into the 2 week holiday break still undefeated if they can beat Niskayuna tomorrow.
Troy also took down Ravena in bowling, 25-7. Anthony Mainello led the way with a 608 triple. Troy (4-3) will travel to Spare Time Latham to face Shaker in a non-league match tomorrow.
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Siena was hoping to regain the Franciscan Cup on Tuesday, but St. Bonaventure had other ideas. The Bonnies embarrassed the Saints in front of 5101 fans at MVP Arena, 65-48. No Siena player finished in double figures, which is rare. Major Freeman led the Saints with 9 points. Brendan Coyle (Niskayuna) had just 6, and Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy) had 1 basket for 2 points. The Saints return to MVP Arena on Friday night to host Holy Cross as part of the Catholic Charities Christmas Series.
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Former UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is on the move again.
After caddying for Heisman Trophy runner-up Cam Ward at Miami, Poffenbarger has re-entered the transfer portal, and will play for North Texas next year. Seems as though Poffenbarger was only used for mop-up duty in blowout games.
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The rest of Tuesday's high school scores:
Men's bowling:
Suburban Council:
Shaker 21, Albany 11.
Columbia 29 1/2, Burnt Hills 2 1/2.
Bethlehem 29, Schenectady 3.
Western Athletic Conference:
Duanesburg 3, Fort Plain 1.
Women's basketball:
LaSalle 65, Mohonasen 27.
Ravena 45, Cohoes 33.
Bethlehem 89, Schenectady 12.
Albany Academy 76, Ichabod Crane 21. The Bears opened a 30 point lead at halftime at 41-11, and cruised from there.
It apparently is a hard & fast rule that varsity games in the Colonial Council have a 6:30 pm starting time. Of course, if a freshman or junior varsity game runs long, then the varsity is delayed anywhere from 10-20 minutes before tip off. I know that from attending a number of Troy High games when they were in the Suburban Council.
Anyway, in another example of the press under-reporting a story, Troy welcomes Sei'Mir Roberson and the Crusaders of Catholic Central to Zotto Memorial Gym tonight for the first time in about 10 years. I can't recall if the teams met when Troy was an independent during the 2014-15 season. The Crusaders will be playing their 3rd game in as many nights, and 4th in 5, while Troy has spent the last four days practicing after thumping Schalmont on Thursday.
To the press, it's just another game. To long time fans of both schools, and alumni, too, it's more than that, and should be. Tonight's game will be streamed on Hudl.
Meanwhile, the Troy women will look to snap a 2 game losing streak in making their first trip to Catholic Central's new home gym, the Riverside Center in Mechanicville. Good luck with that.
Monday's high school scores:
Men's bowling:
Colonial Council:
Troy 17, Voorheesville 15. Troy snaps a 3 match losing streak. Jamari Flowers led Troy with a 671 triple.
Amare Marshall led 4 Great Danes in double figures with 19 points, but it wasn't enough, as UAlbany fell to Drexel, 77-70, Saturday night at Broadview Center in the nightcap of a men's & women's basketball doubleheader. The women had won earlier in the day over St. Bonaventure.
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Broadview Center was also one of three venues hosting Coaches vs. Cancer marathons this weekend, along with the UHY Center at Siena and McDonough Field House at Hudson Valley Community College.
Unfortunately, the media slept on this, as usual. Tamarac High hosted the event, but their public relations department needs a little help.
Digressing. On to the scores:
Women:
Saturday at Hudson Valley:
Cicero-North Syracuse 50, Averill Park 46.
Shenendehowa 50, Bethlehem 38. There was an error in the box score that was published, as Bethlehem's Kaitlyn Robbins had just 6 points, not 4, as reported elsewhere.
Sunday at Hudson Valley:
Columbia 62, Red Hook 43.
Ballston Spa 44, Mohonasen 40.
Men:
Saturday at Hudson Valley:
Greenwich 67, Chatham 43.
Whitehall 54, Mayfield 47.
Averill Park 53, Guilderland 42.
Sunday at Hudson Valley:
Mount Anthony 83, Schalmont 62.
Berne-Knox-Westerlo 60, Maple Hill 44.
Greenville 67, Johnstown 45.
Ichabod Crane 53, Taconic Hills 37.
At Broadview Center:
Albany 62, Tamarac 52.
Shaker 71, Kingston 41.
At UHY Center (Siena):
Amsterdam 69, Catholic Central 60. This was the nightcap after Siena's women had a matinee vs. Binghamton.
Ahniysha Jackson (Albany) had 18 points to lead 3 Siena players in double figures, but the Lady Saints fell to Binghamton, 64-62, in the first half of the Sunday doubleheader at UHY Center. Teresa Seppala added 13 for Siena.
As we close in on the Christmas break, let's take a quick look at how Troy High fared last week.
Bowling:
Current record: 2-3.
Don Poutre's squad has dropped three in a row after getting blown out by Mohonasen & Cohoes. Seems the Colonial Council has seen the challenge thrown down by Troy, and answered.
This week: The road trip continues at Voorheesville on Monday (at Town & Country Lanes), at Ravena on Tuesday, and a non-league match vs. old foe Shaker at Spare Time Latham on Thursday.
Swimming (w/Columbia & CBA):
Current record: 2-0.
Talk about swimming under the radar (pun intended). Results are not appearing in the papers regularly, and it seems Swimcloud has become the destination of choice for coaches. Troy/CBA/Columbia beat Albany on Tuesday.
This week: The Flying Devil Brothers return home to take on Burnt Hills on Tuesday, then it's back on the road vs. Niskayuna on Thursday.
Women's basketball:
Current record: 2-3 (0-2 Colonial Council).
The schedule makers have done Troy no favors, throwing the Lady Horses into the deep end of the Colonial Council pool to start league play. A narrow loss to Holy Names was followed with a 13 point loss to Schalmont. And it's not going to get easier right away.
This week: Troy & Catholic Central will meet for the first time in about 10 years when the Lady Crusaders welcome Will Harris' group to their new playpen at the Riverside Center in Mechanicville on Tuesday. Then, the ladies return home to face Ravena on Friday.
Men's basketball:
Current record: 2-1 (1-0 Colonial Council).
Jamil Hood and the Flying Horses have sent a very loud message to the rest of the Colonial Council with a blowout win over Schalmont on Thursday. Sophomore Stetson Merritt is averaging 37.2 points per game.
This week: Catholic Central visits Zotto Gym for the first time in years on Tuesday. Then, the Horses begin a road trip with games at Ravena on Friday, and a non-league matinee at Saratoga on Saturday before going on break. Expect Zotto Gym to be packed on Tuesday.
For years, I've been advocating for a weekly high school basketball broadcast, and had angled for Spectrum News 1 to follow-up on their Friday Night Matchup football series, which runs September-November.
WNYT and its sister station, WNYA (Spectrum channel 1215), are taking to the hoop, and accepting the challenge, if you will.
Last night, My4 (WNYA) kicked off a weekly slate of high school basketball games, with sports director and UAlbany play-by-play voice Rodger Wyland at the mic. The series opener saw Niskayuna vs. Schnectady at the Pat Riley Center on the Patriots' campus. Next week, it's Colonie vs. Shenendehowa. Tip time is just after 7 pm to accommodate coverage.
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Troy High is happy to have Stetson Merritt back after he was benched vs. Guilderland 10 months ago.
Merritt, a sophomore, scored a career-high 44 points in a win over Schalmont Thursday night. In 3 games, Merritt is averaging 37.2 points per game, as coach Jamil Hood is trusting him to be the team leader going forward. Hood's son, Jordan, added 18 points on Thursday.
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Part of the reason the local papers are scrimping on scores these days is the resurrection of a dormant website, and coaches throughout Section II are favoring High School Sports Stats, although the same problem remains with scores not being reported in a timely manner. The website appeared to have gone dormant about 2-3 years ago, but is active now.
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Friday's high school scoreboard:
Colonial Council:
Ichabod Crane 64, Cohoes 58.
Catholic Central 64, Voorheesville 58.
Foothills Council:
Glens Falls 77, Gloversville 31.
Queensbury 70, Scotia-Glenville 43.
Adirondack League:
Hadley-Luzerne 68, Warrensburg 26.
Fort Ann 46, Fort Edward 38.
North Warren 64, Lake George 40.
Suburban Council:
Averill Park 47, Burnt Hills 36.
Niskayuna 60, Schenectady 37.
Shaker 69, Guilderland 31.
Non-league:
Ballston Spa 67, New Hartford 62.
Wasaren league:
Tamarac 76, Waterford 29.
Hoosic Valley 55, Cambridge-Salem 48.
Mechanicville 62, Hoosick Falls 51.
Greenwich 70, Stillwater 64.
Patroon Conference:
Hudson 81, Taconic Hills 37.
Western Athletic Conference:
Mayfield 49, Galway 35.
Berne-Knox-Westerlo 67, Fonda-Fultonville 33.
Schoharie 44, Johnstown 43.
Cobleskill-Richmondville 60, Northville 38.
Women's basketball:
Adirondack League:
Warrensburg 59, Argyle 19.
Corinth 51, Granville 26.
Colonial Council:
Albany Academy 74, Ravena 15.
Catholic Central 63, Voorheesville 26.
Ichabod Crane 42, Cohoes 38.
Suburban Council:
Ballston Spa 43, Saratoga 30.
Averill Park 64, Burnt Hills 31.
Albany 54, Bethlehem 53.
Columbia 64, Colonie 63.
Niskayuna 72, Schenectady 20.
Guilderland 66, Shaker 59.
Western Athletic Conference:
OESJ 55, Mayfield 35.
Hockey:
Queensbury 6, Salmon River 1.
Shenendehowa 6, Potsdam 2.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa 5, Hawks 4. The Hawks have dropped 3 straight.
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Kennedy as part of a package deal with Cleveland Thursday in order to acquire Spencer Horowitz, who had earlier been acquired by the Guardians from Toronto for ex-Met Andres Giminez during the baseball winter meetings.
We'll be keeping an eye out on Kennedy during the 2025 season.
Earlier this week, we speculated that Troy High's basketball games vs. Schalmont were moved to Thursday due to the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which actually starts Christmas Day this year. No other reason has been discerned for the change, however, but, as usual, the press is the last to know.
Anyway, the Lady Sabres spoiled the home opener for Troy, 57-44, while the men were blown out of their gym by the Horses, 94-60. Stats coming tomorrow.
After 18 years, Chris Culnan is stepping down as Athletic Director at Shenendehowa when the season ends in June. Culnan is leaving to spend more time with his family.
Meanwhile, Jamian Rockhill has taken a leave of absence from his role as AD at Scotia-Glenville, amidst criticism for how he's run the athletic department. Rockhill had been at Scotia for more than a decade, such that a committee has been formed to fill the void until Rockhill returns, if at all.
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Wednesday's high school scoreboard:
Hockey:
Saratoga 9, Storm 0.
Bethlehem 4, Albany Academy 2.
Women's wrestling:
Bethlehem 39, Averill Park 20.
Men's basketball:
Western Athletic Conference:
Duanesburg 87, OESJ 24.
Women's basketball:
Non-league:
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 47, KIPP Tech 18. The Golden Knights held KIPP to 1 point in each of the final two quarters.
Catskill 60, Rhinebeck 26.
Men's bowling:
Colonial Council:
Voorheesville 24, LaSalle 8.
Suburban Council:
Averill Park 27, Burnt Hills 5.
Bethlehem 19, Saratoga 13.
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To illustrate the bias the media has in favor of the Suburban Council, one needs only to take a look at the golf all-star teams selected by the Albany Times-Union.
On the men's side, Tanner LaTorre of Ichabod Crane was the only player from a non-Suburban school to make the 1st team, and he was Player of The Year.
The men's 2nd team had a bit more diversity, with Brady Carrow of Voorheesville, Adam DeGregory of Schuylerville, and Cooper LaBarge of Cobleskill-Richmondville, all seniors, making the team, joined by Sean Roddy of Guilderland and freshamn Jeffrey Fumarola of Ballston Spa.
For the women, as expected, Hayden Knapp of South Glens Falls (Foothills Council) led a more diverse 1st team, named Player of The Year. Because the Bulldogs don't have a women's team, Knapp played with the men.
Troy High's Joey Degnan was ignored on both the 1st & 2nd teams for the men.
UAlbany's women's basketball team rebounded----literally----after a loss to Siena with a resounding 72-36 win over Boston University Tuesday night. Kaci Donovan led Albany with a career best 32 points as coach Colleen Mullen emptied her bench. Lilly Phillips (Cambridge) & Abby Ray (Saratoga) failed to score, while Meghan Huerter chipped in with 6 points. Kayla Cooper added 15.
The Albany men traveled to Syracuse hoping to complete a sweep of the Orange after the women defeated Syracuse last month.
Nope. Not happening.
Albany is now 0-9 all time vs. Syracuse, as the teams met for the first time in 11 years Tuesday in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. The Orange turned what was a close game at halftime into a near blowout, as they prevailed, 102-85.
Queensbury & Adirondack played to a 1-1 draw at Cool Insuring Arena.
LaSalle 6, Hawks 2. No, that is not a misprint. The former Mohawks are now the Hawks, due likely to state mandates regarding Native American names & images applying to hockey as well as other sports. Michael Nocera was almost a 1-man team for the Cadets (1-1-1) with 5 goals.
Last year's leading scorer, Chase Rose, is MIA. LaSalle has their home opener Saturday afternoon vs. Bethlehem.
After missing two free throws that could've won the game on Friday, Niskayuna native Brendan Coyle redeemed himself Sunday afternoon as Siena gained a split of their Western NY trip with a 66-53 win over Canisius.
Coyle finished with 17 points. Justice Shoats led the Saints (5-5) with 18 points, and Major Freeman added 14. Siena returns to MVP Arena tonight to host St. Bonaventure with the Franciscan Cup on the line.
Despite a strong start to the season, Troy High's bowlers are getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment from James Allen of the Albany Times-Union. Seems to me that you need to shoot a 700 triple to get on Allen's Honor Roll, which shifted from Mondays to Tuesdays earlier this year.
Meanwhile Stetson Merritt made the honor roll after lighting up Columbia for 35 points on Saturday. At least Troy basketball is assured of some respect......!
Maple Hill 5, Chatham-Ichabod Crane 0. The fact that the Riders & Panthers are united explains why the Riders are not facing any Colonial Council teams this season.
Our weekly recap is back after a month off. It'll be here every Sunday until the season ends.
Men's swimming & diving (united with CBA & Columbia):
Current record: 1-0.
The Flying Devil Brothers defeated Albany to open the season, and will host Bethlehem on Tuesday.
Bowling:
Current record: 2-1.
Don Poutre's club started off fast, blowing out LaSalle right before Thanksgiving, then destroying Schalmont before reality set in with a loss to Lansingburgh on Thursday. The Knights & Flying Horses meet again, with 'Burgh as the home team, on January 9.
Next: The homestand ends with a match vs. Mohonasen on Tuesday. After that, it's off to Cohoes Bowling Arena, a sister house to Uncle Sam Lanes, for a 1st ever match vs. the Tigers. We should note that the match vs. Mohonasen is the first since 2017-18, when Mohon & Troy were both in the Suburban Council.
Men's basketball:
Current record: 1-1.
One of the first things Jamil Hood did upon signing on as coach was bringing back leading scorer Stetson Merritt, who quit right before sectionals last season after a falling out with Josh Pelletier, Hood's predecessor. The move has paid off. Merritt had a game high 35 points Saturday, as Troy dispatched Curt Sankey & Columbia, 69-65.
Next: The Horses are idle until Thursday, when they open Colonial Council play against Schalmont.
Women's basketball:
Current record: 2-1.
Broadalbin-Perth shut down leading scorer Amaya Harris on Friday, but against a weaker Scotia club, Harris exploded for 20 points, as Troy dispatched the Tartans, 61-49, to take 3rd place in the Burnt Hills tournament.
Next: League play starts Tuesday at the Academy of Holy Names, and the home opener is Thursday vs. Schalmont. They're not playing on Friday the 13th for some reason, and I don't think it has to do with superstitions. Hanukkah, maybe?
Masochists in the 518 are getting ready for the Santa Speedo Sprint along Lark Street in Albany next Saturday, December 14, at 2 pm. The approximately 800 meter race (400 meters down, 400 up) had its genesis in a similar race in Boston a number of years back. However, race director Tom Larson, speaking on Albany Street this morning, affirmed that runners need not actually wear speedos, likely for health reasons.
The race benefits the Albany Damien Center on Madison Avenue, and Albany Medical Center's HIV-AIDS treatment program.
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We referenced this over at The Land of Whatever the other day, but if you're a sports card collector, or just want to buy the cards to save for your kids, you're going to run into hard luck. Again.
Local retailers, such as Walmart, and hobby dealers like Finnegan's in Colonie, can't keep specific items, such as Topps Baseball's 2024 update set, available, because online flippers & box breakers are hoarding them again, not so much to avoid any possible tariffs from president-elect Donald Trump, if he goes through with his threat, but, as was the case during the COVID pandemic in 2020-1, they're getting advice from online touts. Walmart, I'm hearing, is actually considering putting limits on purchases of cards, just to make sure the next generation of collectors gets a fair chance. This I learned from a parent I met at Walmart the last two weeks.
Listen, jabronies. You're not the be all and end all of card collecting, so do the rest of us a favor, and show some respect.
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It was a big day for Troy High on Saturday.
First, Jamil Hood picked up his first win as Troy men's coach, taking down Columbia, 69-65. We should have the stats later when we do a week in review on Troy.
Then, the women picked up their 2nd win on the young season, taking 3rd place in the Burnt Hills Tip-Off Classic by beating Scotia-Glenville, 61-49. Troy (2-1) was led by Amaya Harris' 20 points, one of three Lady Horses in double figures. Kiana Tierman added 14, and Mia Magnetto chipped in with 11.
Troy will open Colonial Council play at the Academy of Holy Names on Tuesday.
In contrast to Troy High, it was not a good day for UAlbany.
The Albany women suffered their first loss of the season, giving up the Albany Cup to Siena, 70-65, at UHY Center. Kayla Cooper led Albany with 18 points, with Kaci Donovan and Lilly Phillips adding 16 each. Meghan Huerter chipped in with 5. For Siena, Ahniysha Jackson had a game high 23 points, while Teresa Seppala added 17.
Meanwhile, in Boston, the men dropped an 80-74 decision to Boston University in overime. DeMarr Langford, Jr. led Albany with 14 points, one of 5 Great Danes in double figures.
Only 1 Section II football team took home a state title on Saturday.
Bob Burns, in his first trip to Syracuse in 7 years, saw his Brothers fall to their counterparts from Syracuse, 41-40, despite 5 touchdown passes from Archie Jones.
Earlier Saturday, Schuylerville claimed the Class C title, beating Salamanca, 26-20.
It's one thing when an opposing team's fans will make waving gestures with their arms in an effort to distract a free throw shooter. It's another when it's augumented with an overhead flatscreen television.
With 0.7 seconds left in regulation Friday, Niagara used the big screen to show various flashing images, which may or may not have distracted Siena's Brendan Coyle to the point where he missed two free throws that would've won the game for the Saints. Instead, the Purple Eagles escaped with a 69-68 win.
The one problem Troy High's women's basketball team has had the last two seasons, regardless of who was coaching, was half-or-full-court trap defenses.
As Will Harris and the Lady Horses discovered Friday, it's still a problem.
Playing in Burnt Hills' tournament, Troy ran into a consistent trap defense that allowed Broadalbin-Perth defenders to double team, sometimes triple team, whomever had the ball. The Lady Patriots pulled away in the 2nd half to defeat Troy, 62-39. Burnt Hills defeated Scotia-Glenville in the nightcap, and will play the Patriots today, while Troy meets Scotia.
A previously scheduled non-league game between Troy & Schenectady has been postponed, though, as usual, the information was not given to the press in time. Troy (1-1) will start Colonial Council play next week.
When Siena's men's basketball team plays Niagara tonight (JAMZ 96.3, 6:30 pm), coach Gerry McNamara will see an old friend on the opposite sideline.
Greg Paulus, a former teammate of McNamara at Syracuse, is the first year coach at Niagara, which will ratchet up the in-state rivalry between Niagara & Siena going forward.
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Football season in the 518, at least at the high school level, ends tomorrow with state finals at Syracuse.
In Class C, it'll be Schuylerville vs. Salamanca at 12 noon. We're sticking with the Black Horses, though we do see a tough matchup.
In Class AA, CBA of Albany will meet their Syracuse counterparts in the nightcap at 6 pm. Bob Burns returns to Syracuse for the first time since 2017, and his Brothers have the same kind of dominant vibe that his Troy teams had back then. The Albany Brothers will take home their first state title.
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Thursday's high school scoreboard:
Men's basketball:
Suburban Council:
Burnt Hills 55, Guilderland 44.
Women's basketball:
Non-league:
Schalmont 75, Watervliet 30.
Men's bowling:
Colonial Council:
Lansingburgh 28, Troy 3. John Lynch, Leo Lynch's grandson, led the undefeated Knights, as they sent Troy to their first loss. The teams meet again next month, with 'Burgh as the home team.
