News & notes

Yes, they're still playing soccer in the northeast in December.

The College of St. Rose reached the national semi-finals in women's soccer in NCAA Division II, only to lose, 3-2, to Grand Valley State on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

The Golden Knights finish 21-3-1 on the season.
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Maybe the worm really has turned for Troy High winter sports.

Troy's men's swimming & diving team, a unified unit with Christian Brothers Academy, won their initial meet of the season on Wednesday, defeating Guilderland-Voorheesville, 49-43. This is the 2nd year of Troy & CBA's combined team, and, just like the improving bowling team, they're off to a fast start in the Troy pool.

Meanwhile, the Troy bowling team saw their two match winning streak come to an end Thursday at Boulevard Bowl with a 23-9 loss to Schenectady. Still, 3-2 after five matches is better than it has been since Troy entered the Suburban Council four years ago, and they haven't had this kind of talent on the lanes since they were still in the Big 10 in the 90's, when the likes of Jeremy Yando & Steve Horton were the team leaders.
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Courtesy of Section 2 Hockey's web page, here's the current standings.

Team	GP	Record	Pts	GP	Record	GF	GA	Last 6	Streak	Win %
CDHSHL
Queensbury (D2)	3	2-1	3	3	2-1	9	6	2-1	Won 2	.667
Saratoga	1	1-0	1	3	1-2	9	10	1-2	Won 1	.333
G/M/S/S/V	1	1-0	1	1	1-0	3	2	1-0	Won 1	1.000
Adirondack	2	1-1	1	4	2-2	11	10	2-2	Lost 1	.500
Bethlehem	-	0-0	-	4	4-0	18	6	4-0	Won 4	1.000
CBA	-	0-0	-	4	2-1-1	7	5	2-1-1	Won 1	.625
BHBL/BS	-	0-0	-	3	2-1	15	10	2-1	Won 2	.667
La Salle	-	0-0	-	3	2-1	8	8	2-1	Won 1	.667
N/S/A	-	0-0	-	3	0-3	6	15	0-3	Lost 3	.000
CD Jets	1	0-1	-	1	0-1	2	3	0-1	Lost 1	.000
Shenendehowa	1	0-1	-	3	1-2	9	10	1-2	Lost 2	.333
Albany Academy	1	0-1	-	2	0-2	4	10	0-2	Lost 2	.000

At this early stage, it looks like Queensbury, which had a late surge last season, could challenge Bethlehem for the Delvecchio Cup, which goes to the regular season champion. Pity the Capital District Jets (formerly Shaker-Colonie), which has to play tonight at Oswego before coming home to face LaSalle tomorrow. I would not count on Shen and/or Albany Academy remaining league doormats for long, though, as it is still early, and Academy had the misfortune of playing their first league game against Queensbury. They're idle until Wednesday, when they play Bethlehem before visiting LaSalle for part 1 of the Battle of The Cadets.

Troy High sports update, 12/10

I stand corrected on the Troy High bowling team.

While the result was never reported to the press, the Flying Horses upset Shenendehowa last Thursday, and Troy continued its hot start by beating CBA, 25-6, on Tuesday at Towne Bowling Academy. Olivia DeCitise led Troy with a 632 triple, and a high game of 252. Troy continues its road trip at Boulevard Bowl to play Schenectady tomorrow, then has a week's rest before contending against Colonie at Spare Time-Latham (formerly Latham Bowl) on December 19, their last match before the Christmas break. Troy is now 3-1 on the young season.
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On the other hand, the school's basketball teams aren't so hot.

The Troy boys dropped their second in a row, 57-47, to Guilderland on Tuesday. Jadon Cummings led the team with 13 points in a losing effort, as the Dutchmen avenged a loss last year at Zotto Gym. The two teams will meet in Troy on January 7. Billy Lia left the showroom at one of his auto dealerships long enough to score 21 points, while Ryan Teaney added 19 to lead the Dutchmen.

Meanwhile, the women's team picked up its first win of the season, knocking off the Lady Dutch for the first time since entering the Suburban Council, 68-54. Jenalyse Alarcon led all scorers with 30 points, and Nadia Brown added 11 for the winners. Valencia Fontenelle-Posson led Guilderland with 28 points. The rematch will be in Guilderland on January 7.

Both basketball teams are 1-2 heading into play against Schenectady on Friday (women at home, men on the road). In a scheduling quirk, both games will start at 6 pm, approximately.

High School Fridays: Shenendehowa leaves Troy snowblind

Inclement weather kept ye scribe from attending Troy High's boys basketball home opener. Shenendehowa, at least, is doing online broadcasts at home and away for the boys, not so sure about the girls. I'd like to see Troy take the initiative and do the same.

Anyway, the Plainsmen picked up their first win of the season, spoiling the home opener for Troy, 57-42. Jake Reinisch, with 14 points, was one of three Plainsmen in double figures. Jadon Cummings led Troy with 10 points as both teams are now 1-1 on the season. Troy plays Guilderland next.

Over in Clifton Park, the Huerter sisters, Jillian & Meghan, combined for 23 points, leading four Lady Plainsmen in double figures, as Shen routed Troy, 79-36. Jenalyse Alarcon led winless Troy (0-2) with 12 points. It was the league opener for Shen (1-0).

The Lady Horses close their road trip in Guilderland on Tuesday before the home opener vs. Schenectady next Friday. Troy will play Schenectady twice, both at home, in the next four weeks.
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Other Troy High news: Troy's bowling match vs. Averill Park at Uncle Sam Lanes, postponed on Tuesday, was contested on Wednesday, with the Warriors picking up the win, 18 1/2-13 1/2. Troy is now 1-2 after losing to Shen on Thursday.

News & notes

UAlbany dropped at 61-52 decision to Yale at SEFCU Arena on Wednesday, but lost amidst it all, until a feature piece in today's Albany Times-Union, was that this was also a sort of homecoming for Albany Academy grad August Mahoney, a freshman reserve for the Bulldogs. Mahoney played 5 minutes, but did not register a point. That will change soon enough.
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Joseph Girard III is finding out very quickly that college basketball isn't as easy as high school.

Girard scored six points in a Syracuse loss to Iowa earlier this week. Coach Jim Boeheim has enough faith in Girard to keep him in the starting lineup, at least for now. Figure any time Syracuse is on ESPN or the ACC Network, it'll be a must watch for local fans. For what it's worth, the ACC Network, we must remind, is a premium channel in contrast to the rest of the ESPN family of channels.
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With Shen grad Kevin Huerter sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a 10 game losing streak. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, Huerter winds up elsewhere. Just sayin'.
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Troy High's bowling match vs. Shenendehowa on Thursday was not reported to the local papers. For Shen, that is rather unusual, and it makes no sense. We'll try to obtain information on the match as soon as possible.
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Update, 1:19 pm: The weather has forced postponement of the following, scheduled for tonight:

Girls' basketball:

Catholic Central @ Lansingburgh.
Schoharie @ Mayfield.

Boys' basketball:

Mayfield @ Schoharie.
Cohoes @ Catholic Central.

We will keep you posted if any more postponements come in.

Troy High hoops update, 12/3

Going into Tuesday, Bethlehem owned both Troy High basketball teams. The Flying Horses, dating back to 2014, were a combined 0-11 vs. the Eagles.

The season opener for both schools was a boys & girls doubleheader at Bethlehem, the first of two visits the Lady Horses will make this season, unless the schedules issued pre-season are in error.

Bethlehem extended the Lady Horses' losing streak to 7 in a row in the opener, 58-45. Jenalyse Alarcon led Troy with 17 points in a losing effort, and, predictably, was the only Troy player in double figures. Second year coach Ryan Meikle returns most of last year's team, a year older, and, for the fans' sake, wiser. The season opening road trip continues at Shenendehowa on Friday.

Troy boys coach Greg Davis simply reloaded after losing star players Latyce Faison, Nazaire Merritt, & Lateef Johnson to graduation. After Marquis Hamby, Zaveon Little, & Deondre Butler were called up from the junior varsity last season, it appears for now that Little was sent back to JV to start the season, but Davis brought up Shamdo Caldwell, Kenyon Oriol, Jadon Cummings, and football star Tyrell Penalba from the JV to join returnees Nasir Dawud-Soto, Alex "Hungry Like The" Wolfe, and Makai "Don't Be" Cruel.

Hamby led all scorers with 22 points, and Cruel added 13, as Troy upset Bethlehem in the boys' matchup, 68-57, in a battle of last year's division champions. The boys will have their home opener vs. Shen (0-1) on Friday. Based on this small sample, Troy looks ready to defend, if not also retain, the Gray division title.

News & notes

Per Schedule Galaxy, Troy High's home bowling match vs. Averill Park, set for today at Uncle Sam Lanes, has been postponed due to the weather. Second straight day a high school match was postponed at Uncle Sam Lanes, as a Colonial Council match between Lansingburgh and LaSalle was postponed.

Speaking of the Cadets, their basketball game vs. Ichabod Crane has also been postponed, as has a wrestling meet vs. Lansingburgh.

We'll have more updates as the day progresses. Meanwhile, please check with your schools to see if any after school events, including basketball games, wrestling meets, etc., are either on or off for today.
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Going into the Class B state football title game on Sunday, I thought the x factor was on Schuylerville's side via defensive assistant Jack Burger.

Wrong.

Chenango Forks junior tailback Lucas Scott shredded the Black Horses' defense, leading Chenango Forks to the state title, 38-14, at the Carrier Dome. The key word here is junior, as Scott will return next season, making Chenango Forks the favorite to repeat.
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Update, 2:00 pm: Tonight's boys' basketball game between Catholic Central and Fonda-Fultonville has been postponed, and rescheduled for Saturday, February 15.

News & notes

Capital Region Bowling may have been off the air the last few years, but any hope of the show returning with newsman John Craig as play-by-play announcer evaporated the other day with news that Craig was leaving WNYT for parts unknown.

Having watched the show on occasion, I can tell you that listening to Craig and analyst Ken Hall was easier on the ears than hyperactive Fox (and before that, ESPN) announcer Rob Stone's over the top antics.
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Hockey season has started in Section II.

2-time defending sectional champion Bethlehem opened their season by beating Mamaroneck, 4-2.

LaSalle opened with a 3-2 win over Franklin Academy at Hudson Valley Community College.

Adirondack defeated Canton, 3-0.

CBA shut out Clinton, 2-0.
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Pre-season basketball tournaments wrapped up on Saturday in Section II.

In the Lions Armory Tip-Off Classic, to finally use the full title:

Host Mekeel Christian upset Abraham Lincoln, 71-59, sending the Railsplitters home with a 1-1 record.

Lansingburgh defeated Bishop Maginn for the 2nd straight season, 69-59, a closer game than it was a year ago.

Watervliet dominated Catholic Central, 88-53. Jackson Brown, son of UAlbany mens' basketball coach Will Brown, had 22 points, and was the only player in double figures for the Crusaders.

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons upset Shaker, 68-63. Then again, the Bison didn't have a great year last year...!

In the Mike Beson Memorial:

Argyle won the boys' tournament, defeating Saratoga Central Catholic, 74-73.

In the girls' tournament, Warrensburg defeated Galway, 67-43, to win the tournament. SCCHS won the consolation game over Loudonville Christian, 42-35.

Schoharie lost their own women's tournament, dropping a 55-38 decision to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.

In non-league boys' action:

Albany Academy blew out Schalmont, 75-46.
Colonie defeated Mohonasen, 46-41.
Schenectady defeated Guilderland, 86-82.

In the Burnt Hills women's tournament, the host Lady Spartans finished third, defeating Ballston Spa, 61-45. Marcellus, out of New York City, defeated Lansingburgh to win the tournament, 54-24.

Other womens' action:

Mekeel Christian Academy 64, Cohoes 23.
Hoosick Falls 63, Lake George 42.
Averill Park 37, Shaker 28.

Scores courtesy of the Daily Gazette.
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Union College's football season came to an end in Salisbury, Maryland on Saturday, losing to Salisbury University in a shootout, 62-41. QB Will Bellamy set a single game school record with 456 yards passing and 5 touchdowns in a losing effort.

Meanwhile, UAlbany, with a rare basketball-football doubleheader on campus, gave the faithful much to celebrate Saturday.

First, the mens' basketball team downed American, 68-64, coming from behind to pick up the win. This would allow coach Will Brown time to head downtown to the Armory to see his son play later in the day (see above). Then, the football team advanced in the FCS playoffs by routing Central Connecticut State, 42-14. Freshman QB Jeff Undercuffler threw 6 touchdown passes for all of the Albany scoring. The Great Danes hit the road next week to play Montana State.
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With Jalen Pickett out of the lineup due to a violation of team rules, Siena lost their 3rd straight basketball game, this one to Colgate, 62-42, on Saturday. Manny Camper led Siena with Siena with 17 points.
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Win or lose, the Black Horses of Schuylerville will have a pre-season winter storm waiting for them upon their return from Syracuse, where they'll play Chenango Forks for the Class B state title this afternoon. Kickoff is set for noon.

The storm hasn't touched down yet as I write, but in anticipation of the storm, schools throughout the area have already decided to extend their Thanksgiving break by an extra day tomorrow. We will know by Tuesday if this affects the sports schedule this week.