News & notes

 Unified Sports has been a thing in Section 2 the last few years, as more & more schools are getting involved, such as Troy & Albany, whose unified bowling teams won divisional titles this season, while Troy captured a tournament a few days ago to complete a perfect season.

But, there's probably a few of you wondering what exactly unified bowling or basketball is. Well, it turns out, that Unified Sports is an organization working with the Special Olympics. The unified bowlers are prospective Special Olympians playing alongside varsity partners in bowling. What exactly entails unified basketball, I don't really know, but what I do know is that Troy is fielding a unified team in basketball, starting either later this month or next month.

Unfortunately, unified sports in Section 2 don't get much love from the media, but they should, given the success of Troy's & Albany's teams in bowling. 

Now, we have to hope Troy posts their unified basketball schedule on the Colonial Council website.......!

Friday's state basketball action:

Women's Class C semi-finals:

Greenwich 56, Tuckahoe 54. The Witches play for the title tonight vs. Frewsburg at 6 pm.

Women's Class B semi-finals:

Yonkers Montessori 67, Mechanicville 38.

Men's Class AAA semi-finals:

CBA 68, Mamaroneck 48. The Brothers will play Fairport for the title tonight at 7:45 pm.

Men's Class A finals:

Westhill 54, Hudson 42.

Men's Class B finals:

Marcellus 62, KIPP Capital 47. Marcellus wins its 2nd straight state title.

Men's Class AA semi-finals:

Amsterdam 63, Rye 54. Amsterdam will play Penfield for the title tonight at 6 pm.

Colleges:

Baseball:

UAlbany 10, NJIT 5. Austin Francis (Troy) had a sacrifice fly in a losing cause, and was otherwise 0-3.

RPI 9, Vassar 5.

Niagara 3, Siena 2. Tyler Sausville (Colonie), transferring from Xavier, got the start for the Saints, went 7 innings, but got a no-decision with 5 strikeouts. The bullpen cost the Saints the game. The series is being played at Central Park in Schenectady due to Siena's field being unplayable.

Softball:

Siena swept a doubleheader from Iona, 3-2 & 1-0. The Lady Saints have won five in a row.

News & notes

 It wasn't the tomato can squash most people assumed it would be. Not even close.

Siena, in fact, led by 11 at halftime, only for top seeded Duke to whittle away the lead in the 2nd half before taking the lead with 6 minutes left in regulation time, and holding on to eliminate the Saints, 71-65.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who won a national title as a player 16 years ago, admitted that Siena's Gerry McNamara outcoached him in the first half. Siena placed three players in double figures, led by Gavin Doty with 21 points.

The Duke women's team will face the College of Charleston, with Glens Falls grad Sophia Tougas, today. The Lady Devils are favored by 30, or more than double the spread of the men's game.

Siena finishes 23-12.

In a game for bragging rights in the city, Russell Sage defeated RPI, 10-4, in softball Thursday. The two teams are close in terms of records, even though they play in different leagues.

Playing their 4th game on the same court in the last two weeks, you'd think Shaker would've had more of an advantage on defending state champion Albertus Magnus heading into Thursday's Class AAA semi-final at Hudson Valley Community College.

Nope.

Coach Jaimee Shipley had to get the kleenex out in overtime, as the Lady Bison's season came to an end, 64-60, losing to Albertus Magnus. Shaker finishes 21-3.

In men's state semi-final action, KIPP Capital moved a step closer to history in beating Carle Place, 52-43, on Thursday in Binghamton. Indavier Barnes, who came to KIPP with coach DJ Jones from Green Tech, led the Trailblazers with 25 points. Next up is Marcellus, tonight at 6 pm.

Class A's Hudson moved a step closer to a state crown as well, defeating Tappan Zee, 57-45. They'll play Westhill for the title tonight at 7:45 pm.

News & notes

 We've talked about how the revived United States Basketball League (USBL) has flown under the radar, even while adding the NY Phoenix to the league, with play to start soon. They're not the only league.

The American Basketball Association (ABA) is best known for introducing the red, white, & blue basketballs back in the day, and their most famous players included Rick Barry and Julius Erving, both in the Hall of Fame.

Today's ABA, however, ain't what the original was. Not even close.

We have a team from the 518 in the new ABA, the Saratoga Racers, but you haven't heard about them because the ABA doesn't generate enough media attention. They're winding down their season, but, as Chuck Miller explains, there's something screwy going on, or so it'd seem.

The American Basketball Association screwed over the Saratoga Racers. – Chuck The Writer

As Chuck notes, the Racers have filed a protest. Pray it succeeds, as it'd expose the ABA as not only a shell of its former self, but should be put out of its misery, and if that happens, I'm sure the USBL or The Basketball League, home to the Albany Patroons, would welcome the Racers.

James Allen is reporting today in the Albany Times-Union that Albany High is looking for a new varsity men's basketball coach.

Sean Brown was notified over the weekend that he will not return for the 2026-27 season, ending a 13 year run in Albany. Prior to that, he'd spent 4 years at LaSalle (2004-8), with a stint as an assistant at Russell Sage in between high school jobs.

Speaking of Albany, they're touting the fact that they, too, fielded a championship team in unified bowling, but not in the same division as Troy. Let's get the media involved, guys!!

Curling is a sport most often associated with the Winter Olympics, which took place last month in Italy, or as a national sport in Canada. However, there are club leagues here in the 518.

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara spends his off time playing in the Schenectady Curling Club, for example. RPI has a club of their own, featured in today's Albany Times-Union. This represents a rare case of the sport getting coverage outside the Olympics. Too bad the media ignores this in season, too.

News & notes

 The prospects are there for an embarrassment of riches for Section II at the state basketball tournaments. 10 teams remain after Saturday's play, and if all 10 win, it will be the largest bounty in Section II history.

The lineup:

Women:

Class AAA: Shaker vs. Albertus Magnus, Thursday at 4:15 pm at HVCC.

Class AA: Bethlehem vs. Nyack, Saturday at 3:15 pm.

Class A: Albany Academy vs. Tappan Zee, Saturday at 11:45 am.

Class B: Mechanicville vs. Yonkers Montessori Academy, Friday at 3:15 pm.

Class C: Greenwich vs. Tuckahoe, Friday at 11:45 am.

Men:

Class AAA: CBA vs. Mamaroneck, Friday at 3:15 pm at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.

Class AA: Amsterdam vs. Rye, Friday at 11:45 am.

Class A: Hudson vs. Tappan Zee, Thursday at 7:45 pm.

Class B: KIPP Capital vs. Carle Place, Thursday at 4:15 pm.

Class C: Berne-Knox-Westerlo vs. North Salem, Saturday at 3:15 pm.

College hockey season officially ended in the 518 on Saturday when Union was eliminated by Princeton, 5-2. The Garnet Chargers were ranked 20th, according to recent polls.

Siena hosted a watch party for the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night. They might as well have had smelling salts, Maalox, or Pepto-Bismol on hand, because, as usual, Siena, being a mid-major school, was dealt a bad hand.

That's because Siena is the #16 seed in the East Regional, which begins Thursday afternoon. Their opponent? Overall #1 seed Duke. Now, it's been 37 years since Siena upset a power conference team (Stanford) in the 1st round, but Duke, a perennial contender from the Atlantic Coast Conference, is NCAA royalty in basketball.

The NCAA does this to mid-major colleges every year, and are unwilling to change. They let the Power 4 (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12) fill as many slots as possible, because the bloated field is meant to attract television ratings. Thursday's game can be heard on WJMZ, and seen on WRGB in the 518, at approximately 2:50 pm.

We recommend Siena consider the patron saint of mid-majors everywhere:

The late Rodney Dangerfield's whole schtick was about lacking respect. Siena University can feel his pain.

Shaker grad Jeff Hoffman didn't see the mound last night for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic semi-finals, but there's always a chance he might pitch in the championship game tomorrow vs. the winner of tonight's Italy-Venezuela matchup (FS1, 8 pm). Hoffman was added to the roster Friday to replace Clayton Kershaw, who didn't see action in the previous 5 games for Team USA.

Sunday's college scores:

Baseball:

NY University 16, Russell Sage 2 (7 innings).

Rider 12, Siena 7.

Yale 15, UAlbany 7.

RPI split a doubleheader with Keane State, losing the opener, 11-7, before winning the nightcap, 10-3.

Water polo:

Siena 19, Iona 16.

Softball:

UAlbany swept Mount St. Mary's, 12-8 & 13-1. The 2nd game ended via mercy rule after 5 innings.

News & notes

 Growing up in the 70's, I can remember when WTEN carried Mets games, using the WOR feed from New York. At one point, the station also had the rights to the Yankees.

Fast forward to now. WTEN & WXXA are both owned by Nexstar Media, which has a two year contract with the Mets to have their WPIX games air on Nexstar owned stations. With Fox carrying the USA-Canada game in the World Baseball Classic Friday, WTEN aired the last 90 minutes of Mets-Marlins. Why? 

Because the station was unwilling to break up its news block leading to ABC's World News Tonight, and so the game was picked up in progress at 7 pm. Miami won, 1-0, and the broadcast signed off just after 8:30 pm. A rerun of Judge Judy or its follow-up, Judy Justice, filled the remaining time alotted. Celebrity Jeopardy! was shunted over to Cozi (Spectrum channel 1240) for the evening. Figure Fox23 gets the next game tomorrow.

Friday's state regional basketball results:

Women's Class A:

Albany Academy 60, Peru 32. This was over at halftime.

Women's Class AA:

Bethlehem 64, Oswego 41.

Women's Class AAA:

Shaker 61, Baldwinsville 35.

Thursday at Hudson Valley Community College:

Shaker will play the winner of today's game between Baldwin & Albertus Magnus. Tip time is scheduled for 4:15 pm.

Next Saturday:

Nyack vs. Bethlehem, 3:15 pm.

Albany Academy will meet the winner of tomorrow's game between Tappan Zee & Plainedge. Tip time at HVCC is set for 11:45 am.

Men's action resumes today at HVCC. The schedule:

Class AAA:

Bishop Ludden vs. CBA, 6:30 pm.

Class AA:

Nottingham vs. Amsterdam, 5 pm.

Class A:

Peru vs. Hudson, 3:30 pm.

Class B:

Saranac Lake vs. KIPP Capital, 2 pm.

Class C:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo vs. Northern Adirondack @ Clinton Community College, 4 pm.

Union dropped game one of the ECAC quarterfinals to Princeton, 5-2, on Friday night. The Garnet Chargers need to win tonight & tomorrow to advance to the next round.

More college results:

Union:

Baseball: Swept a doubleheader from Stockton, 14-5 & 7-6. The 2nd game went 10 innings.

Siena:

Baseball: Lost to Rider, 4-3.

UAlbany:

Baseball: Defeated Yale, 2-1.

An era is ending: Catholic Central School makes more changes

 Declining enrollment has been the bane of the Roman Catholic Diocese the last few years. It wasn't so long ago that Bishop Maginn in Albany closed its doors, for example.

Now, Catholic Central is moving their high school program out of the Latham campus they've shared with St. Ambrose since 2021-22.

With just 22 students in grades 8-11, meaning no seniors, and no commencement this season, the diocese is moving Catholic Central's high school program to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady, starting in September.

In terms of sports, Catholic Central has been diminishing as a brand the last few years. Women's soccer & softball have been functioning under the Holy Trinity banner the last few years, with Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons the other half of Holy Trinity. ND-BG plays most of its sports in the Western Athletic Conference, which is where Bishop Maginn was a member until their closure. Catholic Central had been a member of the Colonial Council since 2015, following the dissolution of the Big 10. A year removed from a sectional title in women's basketball, Catholic Central sank near the bottom of the standings this season, due largely to transfers and graduation the previous summer.

This season, Catholic Central did not field teams in men's basketball or men's bowling due to the lack of available players.

What's likely to happen next? The Crusaders will become part of Holy Trinity, probably in all sports, save for football, which was discontinued a few years back, meaning a shift from the Colonial Council to the WAC. With the shift to Latham (classes started there in 2022), Catholic Central moved their home basketball games to the Riverside Center in Mechanicville prior to the 2024-5 season, likely taking the court floor dedicated to living legend Don Bassett a few years earlier, with them. Now, they'll move home games to Schenectady, starting in the 2026-7 season.

One chapter is ending. The next one will soon begin. Stay tuned.

News & notes

 Less than 24 hours after Siena defeated Merrimack to claim the MAAC championship and an accompanying bid to the NCAA tournament, coach Gerry McNamara's name has come up in relation to the prospect of returning to his alma mater, Syracuse, as their next head coach.

The Orange dumped another former player, Adrian Autry, on Wednesday after Syracuse had been eliminated from the ACC tournament in a loss to SMU in the 1st round. McNamara had been an assistant under Autry before leaving for Siena in 2024, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if he actually took the opportunity to return to Syracuse.

Stay tuned.

Troy High completed a perfect season in unified bowling by winning a regional tournament on Wednesday. 3 matches won added to the team's total, as they finished 11-0 on the season.

Varsity stars Aiden Couture & Jamari Flowers got in on the fun, as Troy ran away from the field. Congratulations to coach Don Poutre and the Flying Horses.

Wednesday's college scores:

Baseball:

Skidmore 8, Rockford 6.

Skidmore 19, Hiram 6 (8 innings).

Women's lacrosse: 

UAlbany 16, Wagner 4.

Rhode Island 7, Siena 6.

Softball:

Skidmore 10, Suffolk 9 (8 innings).

Rhode Island College 12, Skidmore 9.

Siena 5, UAlbany 4.

News & notes

 Siena won the MAAC men's basketball title Tuesday with a 64-54 decision over top ranked Merrimack to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament in Atlantic City. Gavin Doty led 4 Saints in double figures with 23 points. Riley Mulvey (Albany Academy) added 11, as only 6 players were in the game for 2nd year coach Gerry McNamara. Justice Shoats only had 9 points in playing all but 2 minutes.

On the women's side, Fairfield won the tournament Monday night, taking down Quinnipiac 51-44. Jillian Huerter (Shenendehowa/Rutgers) was named tournament MVP. As a junior, Huerter has a chance to win back-to-back titles next season.

Both the men & women will find out their NCAA opponents on Sunday.

Bill Arsenault is reporting in the Albany Times-Union today on the progress of former Troy High multi-sport athlete Austin Francis. Now a senior at New Jersey Tech, Francis leads the team in batting with a .405 average (17-42). The only question is whether or not Francis will be drafted this summer.

Tuesday's state regional scoreboard:

Women's basketball:

Class C sub-regional:

Greenwich 64, SS Seward 34. The Witches await the winner of today's game between Moriah & Lisbon Central. The game will be played Saturday at either Clinton Community College or SUNY Potsdam.

Class D sub-regional:

Schroon Lake 62, Saratoga Catholic 33.

Men's basketball:

Class C sub-regional:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 67, Mount Academy 28. BKW awaits either Lisbon Central or Northern Adirondack at either Clinton CC or SUNY Potsdam, likely Saturday.

Class D sub-regional:

Chapel Field Christian 44, North Warren 41.

The rest of Tuesday's college action:

Siena placed 8th at the Sacred Heart Spring Break Invitational golf tournament, won by Manhattan.

Men's lacrosse:

Georgetown 16, UAlbany 8.

Softball:

Washington & Jefferson 4, Russell Sage 3.

Russell Sage 4, Dean 1.

News & notes

 It was just a matter of who was hungrier. Troy High, which hasn't had a sectional title in women's basketball in 13 years, or Bethlehem, which hasn't won a women's title in 11.

The Eagles had something to prove in returning to Hudson Valley Community College Monday night, after upsetting Columbia on Saturday. They also were looking for some payback after Troy came to Delmar on January 21, and defeated Bethlehem. Instead of Troy looking to collect a receipt from Columbia, it was now their turn to hand out a receipt.

When the final buzzer sounded, somewhere between 9 & 9:30 pm, the Eagles were champions for the first time since 2015, taking down the Flying Horses, 58-56.

For Troy and coach Will Harris, they have the nucleus for another run next season, their 15 game winning streak coming to an end in heartbreaking fashion. 20-3 represents the team's best record since 2013, when they went all the way to the state title.

In Monday's opener, Mechanicville (Wasaren League) downed Corinth (Adirondack League), 54-41, to claim the Class B title.

Now, it's on to state regional play.

Women:

Class AAA: Shaker vs. Baldwinsville @ HVCC, Friday at 8 pm.

Class AA: Bethlehem vs. Oswego @ HVCC, Friday at 6:30 pm.

Class A: Albany Academy vs. Peru @ HVCC, Friday at 5 pm.

Class B: Mechanicville vs. Saranac @ HVCC, Saturday at 11 am.

Class C: Greenwich vs. SS Seward @ Averill Park, tonight at 7:30 pm.

Class D: Saratoga Catholic vs. Schroon Lake @ Averill Park, tonight at 6 pm.

Men:

Class AAA: CBA vs. Bishop Ludden @ HVCC, Saturday at 6:30 pm.

Class AA: Amsterdam vs. Nottingham @ HVCC, Saturday at 5 pm.

Class A: Hudson vs. Peru @ HVCC, Saturday at 3:30 pm.

Class B: KIPP Capital vs. Saranac Lake @ HVCC, Saturday at 2 pm.

Class C: Berne-Knox-Westerlo vs. Mount Academy @ Shenendehowa, tonight at 7 pm.

Class D: North Warren vs. Chapel Field Christian Academy @ Shen, tonight at 5:30 pm.

Speaking as we were of Bethlehem, two of their distinguished alumni have been proven winners.

While she didn't score during the tournament, Claire Hutton helped Team USA win the SheBelieves Cup in women's soccer over the weekend. Maren Louridas has helped Navy to the Patriot League semi-finals in basketball. Louridas only played 5 minutes in a 76-66 win over Boston University on Monday, and was held scoreless after a feature article appeared in the Albany Times-Union.

News & notes

 Hockey season is over in Section 2.

Division 1 champion Shenendehowa surprisingly went 1-&-done, losing to Suffern, 7-3, on Saturday night at home. Earlier in the day, Division 2 representative Queensbury fell to Byram Hills, 4-1, in Brewster. The state title drought continues unabated.

Sunday's basketball sectional results:

Women's Class AAA:

Shaker 58, Colonie 45. Next up for the Lady Bison will be Baldwinsville, right back at Hudson Valley Community College, Friday at 8 pm.

Women's Class A final:

Albany Academy 58, Academy of Holy Names 45. Da Bears return to HVCC Friday afternoon vs. Peru at 5 pm.

Women's Class C final:

Greenwich 45, Stillwater 38. For the Witches, a sub-regional vs. SS Seward awaits Tuesday at Averill Park.

Men's Class AAA:

CBA 66, Shaker 52. 

Men's Class AA:

Amsterdam 58, Niskayuna 56. The Rams will be at Hudson Valley on Saturday at 5 pm vs. Nottingham.

We should have the rest of the state pairings in the next 24-48 hours.

Colleges:

Baseball:

Skidmore swept Baruch, 6-2 & 2-1.

Russell Sage 11, Thomas 9.

RIT 14, Russell Sage 1 (8 innings).

Stevens 9, Union 8.

St. John's 4, UAlbany 3.

Men's basketball:

MAAC semi-finals:

Siena 76, Fairfield 61. The Saints will play for the title vs. Merrimack Tuesday at 9 pm (ESPN2, WJMZ).

Softball:

Sacred Heart 7, Siena 0.

Haverford 9, Skidmore 4.

North Central 7, Skidmore 3.

Scranton swept Union, 6-5 (8 innings) & 7-6.

Water polo:

Harvard 19, Siena 5.

While we cannot confirm this at the moment, it appears the Mets have switched local affilations from WCWN, a CW affiliate, to Fox affiliate WXXA.

This was because of CW's sports schedule taking precedence on Sunday, but Fox23 had no problem bumping a World Baseball Classic 1st round game and most of a college basketball game to Grit (Spectrum channel 1251), knowing the fan base for the Bombers in the 518.

Unfortunately for Yankee fans, the Mets won, 10-4.

Update, 10:42 am: Due to a newly forged agreement between the Mets and Nexstar, which does own WXXA in addition to the CW & WTEN, Mets games will air on WXXA through the 2028 season.

Troy High sports review, through March 7

 Let's just jump right into it.

Women's basketball:

Current record: 20-2.

The streak is at 15 in a row, after Will Harris' club trampled Burnt Hills, 73-46, Saturday afternoon. 

Next: Bethlehem awaits Monday night, looking to collect a receipt of their own after upsetting top seeded Columbia. That should be a fun game.

Unified bowling:

Final regular season record: 8-0.

Don Poutre, the coach, should be encouraged to include the schedule next season on the Colonial Council calendar, as the unified program can serve as a developmental program for the JV's & Varsity.

Next: A post-season tournament this week to close the season.

Men's basketball:

Final record: 14-8.

The season came to an end for Jamil Hood's club on Thursday with a loss to Amsterdam, an old foe from the Big 10, now representing the Foothills Council. While seniors Jordan Hood & Kayne Behan will graduate in June, there are still some key pieces that will return next season. Congratulations to Coach Hood on another great season.

The sports review returns in 3 weeks.

Sectional results, 3/6-7

 Friday:

Women's Class C semi-finals:

Greenwich 62, Mayfield 35.

Stillwater 53, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 40.

Stillwater & Greenwich played an overtime thriller on TV a few weeks back. Now, they'll play for the 3rd time this season, as the Wasaren League rivals meet again Sunday.

Men's Class AA semi-finals:

Niskayuna 57, Columbia 46.

Men's Class AAA semi-finals:

CBA 43, Green Tech 36.

Shaker 60, Shenendehowa 41.

Sunday at Harding Mazzotti Arena:

Shaker vs. CBA at 2:15. Another rematch of an OT classic.

Niskayuna vs. Amsterdam at 12:30.

Saturday:

Men's Class A finals:

Hudson 51, Lansingburgh 46.

Men's Class B finals:

KIPP Capital 75, Catskill 56. Congratulations to DJ Jones, whose 1st year varsity squad may have made history with the win.

Men's Class C finals:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 54, Stillwater 33.

Men's Class D finals:

North Warren 53, Fort Ann 41.

Women's Class AA semi-finals:

Troy 73, Burnt Hills 46. Make it 15 in a row for Troy, which reaches the finals for the first time since 2013.

Bethlehem 67, Columbia 56. The Eagles avenged a regular season loss, and now will look to collect a receipt from Troy, which beat them back in January.

Women's Class B semi-finals:

Mechanicville 61, LaSalle 42.

Corinth 55, Coxsackie-Athens 49.

Women's Class D finals:

Saratoga Catholic 43, Northville 41.

Sunday at HVCC:

Greenwich vs. Stillwater, 2:45 pm.

Albany Academy vs. Holy Names, 1 pm.

Colonie vs. Shaker, 4:30 pm.

News & notes

 Troy High's unified bowling team completed an undefeated regular season Thursday, defeating Tamarac, 5-4, at Uncle Sam Lanes. According to coach Don Poutre, there will be a tournament next week to close the season. Troy finishes at 8-0.

A few hours later, the season ended for the Troy men's basketball team, as Amsterdam foiled a late rally to advance to the Class AA title game 67-62. Jamil Hood's club finishes 14-8 as the champions of the Colonial Council. The Rams await the winner of tonight's Suburban Council semi-final between Columbia & Niskayuna, which leads off the tripleheader at Harding Mazzotti Arena.

Other scores:

Class A semi-finals:

Hudson 62, Averill Park 49.

Lansingburgh 56, Glens Falls 34. The Black Bears are denied a 3rd straight sectional title. It'll be Colonial Council ('Burgh) vs. Patroon Conference (Hudson) tomorrow at 12:45 at Harding Mazzotti Arena.

The women's Class C semi-finals were postponed, and will be played tonight, beginning at 6 pm, at Hudson Valley Community College.

Patrick Gymnasium at the University of Vermont has long been a house of horrors for UAlbany.

Two days after the men lost their season finale, the women were bounced from the America East tournament in a first round loss to Vermont, 55-40. Delanie Hill was the only Lady Dane to finish in double figures with 17 points. Bella Stuart (Shen/New Hampshire) finished with 6 points in 25 minutes off the bench. UAlbany finishes at 14-16, a promising season undone by injuries and a couple of rough patches as the new year began.

Siena's baseball team will open the home portion of their season, but not at home.

And you're asking, what?

The MAAC opening series vs. Fairfield will be played at RPI's Robison Field starting with a doubleheader at 11 am this morning, followed by a single game tomorrow at 1 pm (weather permitting). Siena won't play at Connors Park, their home field, until 2 weeks from today, when they open a weekend set vs. Niagara.

Troy High 2026 football schedule released

 Earlier this week, Section 2 released a preliminary schedule for football for 2026. Sure, it's the first week in March, and a lot can change between now and September, but let's see what it looks like for Jordan Canzeri and the Flying Horses.

September:

4: Home opener vs. Amsterdam.

11: @ Mohonasen.

18: @ Queensbury.

25: Homecoming vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

October:

2: @ Columbia.

9: @ Shaker.

16: Senior Night vs. Bethlehem.

Schedule subject to change, of course, if there are late changes to classifications. Defending Class A champion Niskayuna is moving back to Class AA, which opens up an avenue to revive the rivalry with the Spartans.

Prediction: At least one game will air on Spectrum News 1, especially if Troy gets off to a fast start again.

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard, 3/4

 Women's basketball:

Class A semi-finals:

Academy of Holy Names 69, Glens Falls 59.

Albany Academy 86, Averill Park 40. The Lady Knights suffered a worse blowout than they did the first time around. 

The results ensure that the Colonial Council will be home to the Class A champion.

Men's basketball:

Class B semi-finals:

Catskill 73, Johnstown 37. The Cats will face KIPP Capital Saturday at 2:30 (time approximate).

Class D semi-finals:

Fort Ann 50, Northville 48.

North Warren 62, Germantown 53.

The Class D final is Saturday at 4:15 pm.

News & notes

 UAlbany's men's basketball team closed the regular season on a down note Tuesday, dropping a 69-56 decision to Vermont. Amir Lindsey led 3 Great Danes in double figures with 25 points. Seeded 5th in the America East tournament, UAlbany will travel to UMass-Lowell for a quarterfinal round game on Saturday, time TBA.

Meanwhile, the Lady Danes will head to Burlington to play Vermont in the women's quarterfinals, tomorrow night. The game will stream on ESPN+ at 6 pm. Colleen Mullen's club has dropped 6 of their last 8 in the regular season, after starting strong.

Siena will open play in the MAAC tournament in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Atlantic City vs. Mount St. Mary's. Gerry McNamara's Saints are the #3 seed, and earned a 1st round bye after defeating Rider in the season finale on Sunday. Conversely, the women will also open on Saturday vs. Iona as the #5 seed (WVCR, ESPN+, Noon).

Siena baseball has won 3 in a row since starting the season 0-7. Maryland-Eastern Shore was the latest victim on Tuesday, as the Saints used a 9 run first inning to take the lead, and never looked back, as they won, 20-11, in 8 innings. The men's lacrosse team defeated LeMoyne, 11-7, on Tuesday. The laxmen have won four of their first six games, and will stay on the road to play Quinnipiac on Saturday.

With the MAAC tournament getting underway, 3 Siena players earned nods for the All-MAAC teams.

Gavin Doty was a unanimous pick for the 1st team, while Justice Shoats was named to the 2nd team, and Francis Folefac to the All-Rookie Team. Congratulations to all 3. On the women's side, Francesca Schiro was named the league's Rookie of The Year, and named to the All-MAAC 2nd team. Kaiya Rain Tucker was also named to the All-Rookie team.

Congratulations to all 5 Saints.

News & notes

 If you're venturing out to either Hudson Valley Community College (Troy) or Harding Mazzotti Arena (Glens Falls) tonight, it might be in your best interest to give yourself some extra time due to what is likely to be a very messy commute at the end of the work day. It's snowing as I write, and the precipitation will change to freezing rain sometime after 5 pm this afternoon.

All of baseball is mourning the passing of Jhon Vargas, a former pitcher with the Tri-City Valleycats who passed away over the weekend. Vargas spent two seasons with the 'Cats before moving on to the American Association last season.

Former sportscaster and 'Cats trivia maven Brian Sinkoff is in the running to be named the Best in The Capital Region in real estate by readers of the Albany Times-Union. Brian left the Valleycats a couple of years back to devote more time to his work as a realtor, and it shows that he's being recognized for his work.

Monday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's basketball:

Class AAA semi-finals:

Colonie 69, Shenendehowa 65 (OT).

Shaker 67, Albany 40. 

A rematch between the Wolf Pack and Lady Bison will take place Saturday, right back at HVCC, at 12:45 pm.

Men's basketball:

Class B semi-finals:

KIPP Capital 79, Tamarac 50.

Class C semi-finals:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 77, Cambridge 63.

Stillwater 50, Saratoga Catholic 33.

B-K-W & Stillwater meet for the title Friday at 6:45 pm.

Update, 3:12 pm: All of tonight's games have been moved to tomorrow due to weather.

Notice how, all of a sudden, Section II remembers to give teams room to breathe between games......!

Despite being eliminated in the first round of the Division 2 hockey tournament, Queensbury still lands a state bid, likely due to the fact they need a team from Section 2 regardless. The Spartans will face Byram Hills on Saturday in Brewster.

Shenendehowa repeated as Division 1 champ Monday, beating Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 5-2. Juan De La Rocha's club moves on to face Suffern on Saturday night at Clifton Park Arena. Yes, Shen gets a home game in the state tournament.

Sunday's high school & college scoreboard, 3/1

 Congratulations going out to Gabe English (Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Middleburgh) and Ryker Cox (Coxsackie-Athens), who won state championships in wrestling on Saturday at MVP Arena. Both were competing in Division 2 (don't ask). Cox captured the 165 pound, and, as shown in today's Albany Times-Union, celebrated by suplexing his coach. English won at 175 pounds.

For Coxsackie-Athens (Patroon Conference) & Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Middleburgh (2 Western Athletic Conference schools competing as 1), these represent the first state titles in the sport.

Women's basketball:

Class D semi-finals:

Saratoga Catholic 54, Hartford 38.

Northville 38, Duanesburg 29.

The Falcons & Saints meet Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College.

Men's basketball:

Class AAA quarterfinals:

Green Tech 67, Colonie 53.

Shenendehowa 65, Albany 62.

CBA 75, Saratoga 53.

Shaker 76, Schenectady 50.

Thursday at Harding Mazzotti Arena:

Green Tech vs. CBA.

Shen vs. Shaker.

Class A quarterfinals:

Hudson 64, Cobleskill-Richmondville 44.

Averill Park 47, Watervliet-Heatly 40.

Glens Falls 63, Greenville 51.

Lansingburgh 60, Hudson Falls 48.

Wednesday in Glens Falls:

Averill Park vs. Hudson, 5 pm.

Lansingburgh vs. Glens Falls, approx. 6:30 pm.

Colleges:

Men's basketball:

Siena 76, Rider 61. Senior Day at MVP Arena, but the Saints apparently will be without Antonio Chandler due to some eligibility issues heading into the MAAC tournament this week.

Vassar 57, RPI 53. Liberty League finals.

Women's basketball:

Union 81, RIT 70. Liberty League finals.

Baseball:

Illinois 14, UAlbany 6.

Softball:

UIC 2, Siena 0. 

UAlbany 10, Bellamine 0 (5 innings).

Troy High sports review, through February 28

 In 2013, Troy's men's & women's basketball teams brought home sectional title, and the women went all the way to the state championship. 13 years later, the school could pull off the daily double again. Emphasize could.

Women's basketball:

Current record: 19-2.

Ballston Spa brought the heat on Friday at Zotto Gym, but once Troy began pulling away in the 4th quarter, the Lady Scotties ended up getting blown out of the building.

Next: Burnt Hills awaits at Hudson Valley Community College on Thursday night.

Unified bowling:

Current record: 5-0.

Coach Don Poutre isn't putting the schedule on the Colonial Council webpage, but he should. Wins last week included Cohoes & Lansingburgh.

Men's basketball:

Current record: 14-7.

As reported yesterday, Troy trailed for most of the game vs. Bethlehem, but their senior leaders, Jordan Hood & Kayne Behan, led the 4th quarter charge to victory, 48-38.

Next: It's off to Glens Falls on Wednesday in the finale of a tripleheader, as Troy faces Amsterdam.

Saturday's sectional scoreboard, 2/28

 Women's basketball:

Class B:

LaSalle 57, Voorheesville 41. LaSalle will play Mechanicville on Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.

Mechanicville 64, Johnstown 38.

Coxsackie-Athens 69, Tamarac 37.

Corinth 55, Catskill 42. Corinth will play Coxsackie-Athens on Friday.

Men's basketball:

Class D:

Germantown 40, Fort Edward 35. Germantown will play North Warren Tuesday at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls.

Fort Ann 45, Hartford 34. The Cardinals advance to face Northville on Tuesday.

Class AA:

Columbia 67, LaSalle 54.

Amsterdam 62, Burnt Hills 61. The Rams are next for Troy on Wednesday night.

Niskayuna 68, Ballston Spa 42. Nisky will play Columbia Wednesday.

Class B:

KIPP Capital 61, Greenville 44.

Tamarac 64, Fonda-Fultonville 41. The Bengals will play KIPP Capital on Monday.

Catskill 69, Schuylerville 53.

Johnstown 49, Voorheesville 48. The Sir Bills & Kats will meet on Monday.