News & notes

As Geoffrey Chaucer once wrote, all good things must come to an end.

And so it was that RPI's men's basketball team saw their school record-tying 18 game winning streak end Sunday in a 62-60 loss to Ithaca. The Bombers gained a season split vs. RPI, having lost on their own court last month. Sunday's game was a make-up date, as the teams were supposed to play on Friday, another game wiped out by a mid-day storm. RPI (18-3) has four games remaining, and will close their home schedule this weekend.
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LaSalle won its first basketball game under interim coach Josh House, beating Mohonasen, 58-45, on Saturday afternoon. Kaylon Dickson & Gabe Lucarelli each had 16 points to lead the Cadets (11-1 Colonial Council, 13-5 overall), who play at Lansingburgh tomorrow before Senior Night vs. Ichabod Crane on Friday. However, that momentum disappeared 24 hours later in a 73-57 loss to Bishop Ludden. While no player stats are available for LaSalle, the final talley comes from a local website in Bishop Ludden's home base of Syracuse.
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Former RPI kicker Andrew Franks had the only points for Tampa Bay, as the Vipers dropped their XFL opener, despite being favored by a field goal, to the homestanding NY Guardians, 23-3, on Sunday. Guardians coach Kevin Gilbride made a successful return to the Meadowlands, where he was the offensive coordinator for the Giants through the 2013 season.

Have to believe Gilbride was brought in to try to lure in Giants fans......
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Troy High, in their morning announcements today, added some info on Saturday's 55-51 women's basketball victory over Whitesboro. Jenalyse Alarcon led Troy with 13 points. Jakaiya Dewer added 12. Unfortunately, the game still has not been reported to local outlets like the Albany Times-Union, so the team's record (10-8 overall) has not been updated.
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The LaSalle-Adirondack hockey game that was postponed two weeks ago has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19, at Conway Arena. Sectional seedings will be announced the next day, so, depending on what happens Saturday vs. "Guilderville", it may be LaSalle's last chance to make a run for the post-season, assuming they decline a play-in bid......

News & notes

The scores haven't been reported to the Albany Times-Union and other newspapers for whatever reason, but there was plenty of action on Saturday in high school basketball & hockey.

Troy High's women's basketball team went back on the road, and won their 2nd straight overall, beating Whitesboro, 55-51. Unfortunately, no individual scorers are available as of press time. Scorestream has a link on WNYT's web page, and that's where we found the score.

On the boys' side, Zaveon Little had 30 points to lead all scorers, as Voorheesville took down Catholic Central, 88-61. Jackson Brown led the Crusaders with 23 points.

The LaSalle-Mohonasen game has not been reported as of press time. The start of college lacrosse season in the 518 may have had something to do with that.
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Speaking of lacrosse, Siena opened its season with a 14-12 verdict over Long Island University. Siena's women's basketball team notched its first ever win over Quinnipiac in a game that was streamed live on ESPN3.
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Quinnipiac's women's hockey team beat RPI, 3-1. The Lady Engineers remain winless, and have just two home games left, both taking place next weekend. The lack of attendance is not exclusive to RPI, as Quinnipiac had less than 500 fans at their game.

For what it's worth, RPI enjoyed its largest crowd of the season at the Mayor's Cup two weeks ago at the Times-Union Center, with over 1200 fans in attendance, but bank on this. Most of them came for the men's game.
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RPI's men's basketball team has quietly become the hottest team on campus, extending their winning streak to 18, tying a school record, with a win over Vassar on Saturday. They're right back at it today vs. Ithaca.
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Unfortunately, the LaSalle hockey team's struggles continue, as their losing streak is now at 12 games after falling, 2-1, to CBA, on Saturday night. Still no makeup date set for their home match vs. Adirondack, but the regular season is supposed to end next Saturday with Senior Night vs. "Guilderville", which lost, 5-3, to Burnt Hills, on Saturday.

News & notes

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

Hockey:

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

Basketball:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(culled from the Albany Times-Union)

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

This bears watching.

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

News & notes

Inclement weather overnight has forced postponement of the Colonial Council women's bowling sectionals, set for Boulevard Bowl for today, until Wednesday, February 12.

Also, a junior varsity women's basketball game between Schalmont & Albany Academy For Girls was cancelled. Everything else, as of now, is on, but check with your schools before venturing out this evening.
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LaSalle's hockey losing streak reached 11 Wednesday night as Albany Academy collected a receipt with a 4-1 win. Each team won on their own ice in the Battle of The Cadets, winter edition. LaSalle next plays at CBA on Saturday.

I've said this before, knowing what kind of competitor LaSalle coach Tim Flanigan is, but at this rate, it might be prudent to cut losses and skip the play-in game on February 22.
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Back to bowling. The Suburban Council boys' bowling sectionals were held Wednesday at Boulevard Bowl. Columbia won the championship. Troy High finished fourth, their highest finish in sectional play on the lanes since entering the Suburban Council.

Well, at least Troy can say they did make it to Boulevard after all, as their road match vs. Niskayuna was outright cancelled after two postponements.
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Former RPI placekicker Andrew Franks, who spent some time with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, has made the team for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL, and will make his debut this weekend. However, it doesn't appear as though Albany Empire star Malachi Jones will play for Seattle, which drafted him. We'll see  as play starts Saturday.
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Troy High & CBA's combined swimming & diving team completed a 7-1 season, completing a season sweep of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 89-80, on Tuesday. Sectionals are next week.

A good idea might be to have coach Jeff Maxwell coach the Troy women next season. The Lady Horses failed to win this season, and haven't won a meet in years.
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The Basketball League began its season last week, and the defending champion Albany Patroons got out to a fast start, sweeping a home & home series against the Tri-State Admirals. Now, we'll see if they can draw up to 2, 000 fans for home games instead of settling for over 1,000.........

Tuesday hoops roundup, 2/4

The margin of error for Greg Davis' Troy High basketball team has disappeared.

With three games remaining, the Flying Horses are back in second place in the Suburban Council Gray Division after Bethlehem collected a receipt Tuesday night at Zotto Gym, 57-48. Marquis Hamby led Troy with 14 points in a losing effort. Kendrick McCann was the only player in double figures for the Eagles with 10 points.

Columbia moved back into first place in the division by beating Guilderland, 64-57. The Blue Devils have just two games left, at Colonie on Friday (weather permitting) and Senior Night on Valentine's Day vs. luckless Shaker.

The standings posted on the Albany Times-Union's website are incomplete, as per usual. What we found was that Columbia had lost to Shenendehowa on January 17. The schedule, as posted onsite, is a mess.

Averill Park finds itself in a tie for third after losing to Saratoga, 61-45. Dave Pugilese's Warriors will be in Troy on Friday (weather permitting), looking to pick up their first win over Troy since the Flying Horses entered the Suburban Council.

Troy's final week might as well be Hell Week.

They travel to CBA for their final regular season road game next Tuesday. CBA beat Schenectady, 66-57, on Tuesday, knocking the Patriots into a third place tie with Averill Park. Hagen Foley led all scorers with 27 points for the Brothers, who will go into the Troy game looking to play spoiler against their ancient nemesis. Troy closes with Senior Night on Valentine's Day vs. Saratoga, but if they're not careful, Troy could wind up limping into the postseason.
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On the women's side, Averill Park can clinch the Suburban Council Gray Division title for the second time in three years with a win over Troy on Friday (weather permitting). Troy (6-6 league, 9-8 overall) has played two more games than Averill Park (8-2, 13-3), and finally knocked a collective monkey off their backs by beating Bethlehem, 63-46. Jenalyse Alarcon had 17 points to lead Troy, which had three players in double figures. They'll need that same kind of superlative performance this weekend, as they'll play twice in less than 24 hours, at Averill Park, and then, a non-league matinee vs. Whitesboro, if they want a chance to win their first division title.

First place in the Blue Division will be on the line next Tuesday when Saratoga & Shen meet, and that's both in men's & women's play.
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A wintry mix is in the forecast for tomorrow and Friday, which is why we're cautioning about the possibility of games being postponed on Friday night. Check with your schools before venturing out.
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Meanwhile, in the Colonial Council, the race for the Liberty Division title has suddenly become a three team race.

Second place Lansingburgh defeated Ichabod Crane, 73-51, and will play 3rd place Schalmont on Friday (maybe) before a rematch with division leader LaSalle, which was idle last night. Kobi Wallace and Isaiah Knight led 'Burgh with 20 points each in the win. The Sabres, off a win over Mohonasen last night, have just two league games left, or so it'd appear, as they're scheduled for a non-league game vs. Norwich at SUNY-Cobleskill on February 22, which would be in the midst of sectional play, so I don't know the accuracy of that notation. Schalmont closes their league schedule by playing Ichabod Crane next Tuesday.

Watervliet moved into sole possesion of first place in the Patriot Division after beating Voorheesville, 59-54. JJ Chestnut led all scorers with 25 points for the Cannoneers. Zaveon Little had 18 points to lead the Blackbirds. Watervliet is idle until next Tuesday, when they close at Ravena. Voorheesville will have Senior Night Friday (maybe) vs. Catholic Central.

A change in plans

Troy High has announced that tomorrow's women's basketball game vs. Bethlehem will be their actual Senior Night as the front end of a boys-girls doubleheader. The women's varsity will take the court at 5:30, followed by the men's varsity at approximately 7. You'll recall that they had the boys-girls doubleheader back on December 3 in Delmar, which the schools split.

According to Troy's Twitter page, the event is a Coaches vs. Cancer event, hence the change. As noted before, the Troy women are still looking for their first win over Bethlehem, while the boys will be seeking a season sweep.

Winter sports in the stretch run

Two weeks remain in the regular season for Troy High basketball. Both the men's & women's teams sit at 8-8 overall with four games to play before sectionals begin the week of February 17.

Women:

Section II has been exceptionally cruel to the Lady Horses, with Senior Night having come & gone, sending second year coach Ryan Meikle and Troy off on a five game road trip, which started badly with a 48-45 loss to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Friday.

Upcoming: Troy will attempt again to earn their first win vs. Bethlehem on Tuesday. A lot has changed since the December 3 non-league season opening doubleheader (the boys won, the girls lost). Bethlehem's women sit near the bottom of the Blue Division after getting wrecked by Shenendehowa on Tuesday. Troy knows what that's like, having lost to the Lady Plainsmen earlier this season.

In fact, there's only one seemingly winnable game left, and that's another non-league tilt, February 8, at Whitesboro. Troy beat Whitesboro at home last year, and if they somehow can even the score with the Eagles this Tuesday, that momentum could be drained, because in between is the annual meeting with Averill Park. Sean Organ's Warriors have won five straight from Troy, including the 2016 Class A final at Hudson Valley Community College.

The season closes on Valentine's Night with a visit to Catherine "Dolly" Cairns and Saratoga. See what I mean about the schedule makers being cruel?

Projected finish: 10-10. Troy can't seem to win on Fridays anymore, but they can catch the slumping Eagles to even the season series.
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Boys:

Thanks to Columbia's inconsistency, Greg Davis' squad is back in first place in the Gray division after beating Burnt Hills. However, it won't be easy getting to the sectionals.

The guys remain home to play Bethlehem & Averill Park this week. As noted earlier, Troy snapped a five game losing streak to A. G. Irons' Eagles in December, but the Eagles have flipped the switch, and sit in third place in the Blue division behind Shen & Saratoga. If Troy can complete the sweep on Tuesday, first place in the Gray division will be on the line when Dave Pugilese will try for his first win vs. the Flying Horses on Friday. If Troy beats both Bethlehem & AP, they could put themselves in position for their 3rd division title in five years, and second straight.

But, the following week could be a buzzkiller. The Horses go to CBA for their only meeting with the Brothers this season, then return home for Senior Night vs. Saratoga. Troy only has one senior (Makai "Don't Be" Cruel), leading a core of juniors that includes football teammates Alex Wolfe & Nasir Dawud-Soto, who missed the Burnt Hills game with an injury. CBA, though, hasn't been the hazard of past years, as Troy has had the better of the Brothers since entering the Suburban Council, even though they now play just once a year.

Projected finish: 10-10, same as the women. Figuring Bethlehem will collect a receipt, and Saratoga could spoil Senior Night.

I should be used to a .500 record. Troy played .500 ball under Joe Geiger & Jack Moser during my student days.
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LaSalle hockey:

Someone should consider sending coach Tim Flanigan some rosary beads.

The Troy grad, now in his 20th season as LaSalle coach, is experiencing his worst season in recent memory. The Cadets have dropped 10 in a row, heading into a rematch at Albany Academy on Wednesday. LaSalle won the first round of the Battle of The Cadets in December at Conway Arena, and Dave Rider's club has improved since then. LaSalle still has to make up a home game vs. Adirondack, postponed from January 29, but not scheduled as of press time. They'll be at CBA before returning home for Senior Night February 15 vs. "Guilderville", another improved club.

I spoke with a person employed by HVCC the other day, and she shared the feelings of a lot of fans when she suggested that Flanigan might need to consider giving some of his underclassmen, the ones who haven't seen a lot of ice time, a chance to show what they can do, as he'll be looking to fill three roster spots next season after graduation. Injuries and inconsistent defensive play have doomed these Cadets.

Projected finish: I don't even want to think about it. Coach Flanigan and his staff should be in the chapel learning their Novenas, Hail Mary's & Our Father's.