News & notes

 Bethlehem grad Claire Hutton, whose Kansas City Current was eliminated in the NWSL semi-finals, is up for consideration for the US Soccer Young Female Player of The Year Award. Hutton had also been a finalist for NWSL Rookie of The Year, but didn't earn the honor. This latest award will be announced later this month.

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Justin Neely led 6 UAlbany players in double figures with 18 points, as the Great Danes upset previously undefeated Columbia, out of the Ivy League, 88-73 Wednesday night at Broadview Center in front of just over 2,000 fans.

UAlbany hits the road to play Boston University Saturday afternoon.

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Anthony Mainello rolled a 579 triple to lead Troy, but it was enough to help the Flying Horses go to 2-0 on the young season in beating Schalmont, 22-10, Wednesday.

Troy hosts Lansingburgh in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the lanes this afternoon at 4:30.

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The rest of Wednesday's high school action:

Men's basketball:

Western Athletic Conference:

Canajoharie 67, Galway 32.

Women's basketball:

Western Athletic Conference:

Cobleskill-Richmondville 62, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 12. The Bulldogs held the Golden Knights scoreless in the 4th quarter to pull away.

Duanesburg 51, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 42.

Men's bowling:

Suburban Council:

Averill Park 23, CBA 9.

Saratoga 30, Schenectady 2.

Women's bowling:

Suburban Council:

Saratoga 17, Schenectady 15.

Columbia 28, Ballston Spa 4.

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This just in: Troy High's men's home opener will not be against Bethlehem.

Instead, the Troy men (0-1) will travel to Columbia for the first half of a home & home series with Curt Sankey's Blue Devils on Saturday. Due to a scheduling conflict, Bethlehem will begin Suburban Council play Friday at Shaker. The non-league game at Troy has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 30, at 7 pm.

News & notes

 Troy High opened basketball & men's swimming season on Tuesday, with mixed results.

The united Troy/CBA/Columbia squad thrashed Albany, 98-60, to get off to a fast start for coach Jeff Maxwell. For whatever reason, results are not being submitted to the local papers in a timely manner.

On the hardwood, Shenendehowa spoiled Jamil Hood's debut as Troy's men's basketball coach, 87-62, despite a game high 34 points from returning sophomore Stetson Merritt, who had a falling out with Josh Pelletier at the end of last season, which had to have led to Pelletier's departure after the season.

Meanwhile, 2nd year women's coach Will Harris saw his daughter, Amaya, an 8th grader, lead Troy with 14 points in a 47-33 win over Saratoga. 

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After transferring from Siena, Mason Courtney has landed with St. Edwards in Texas, where he averages 10.8 points a game for the Hilltoppers, coached by Watervliet native Andre Cook.

After the College of St. Rose closed this spring, Payton Graber (Schalmont) transferred to Nova Southeastern in Florida. She's averagin 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She leads the team in assists and shares the team lead in steals for the 6-1 Sharks.

Jonathan Beagle (Hudson Falls/UAlbany) has found a new home with Richmond, averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Richmond dropped a double overtime game to Bucknell, 82-80, on November 16. As we know, Bucknell lost to Siena last week. Go figure.

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Tuesday's scoreboard:

High schools:

Men's bowling:

Patroon Conference:

Taconic Hills 3, Chatham 2.

Suburban Council:

Shaker 30, Niskayuna 2.

Burnt Hills 30, Schenectady 2.

Colonie 21, Guilderland 11.

Wasaren League:

Stillwater 3, Hoosick Falls 2.

Women's bowling:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 24, Cohoes 4.

Colleges:

Women's basketball:

Union 77, Mount Holyoke 27.

Cobleskill 100, Delhi 30.

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The NY Racing Association (NYRA) has added some extra dates to Saratoga's calendar for the summer of 2025.

The 2nd Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be a 5 day affair this time, running June 4-8. After that, the track reopens for four days surrounding Independence Day, from July 3-6. The regular 40 day meet starts the following week, on July 10.

News & notes

 The matchups have been announced for Saturday's state football finals at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.

CBA of Syracuse will face their undefeated counterparts from Albany in the main event at 6 pm. In Class C, Schuylerville will tangle with Salamanca at 12 noon. Both games will be streamed on the NFHS Network.

Monday's bowling scores:

Men:

Colonial Council:

Lansingburgh 18 1/2, Cohoes 13 1/2. The Knights will be the visitors when they play Troy for the first time on Thursday after visiting Ravena today.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 26, Averill Park 6.

Women:

Colonial Council:

Cohoes 21, Lansingburgh 7.

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 4, Schuylerville 0.

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 22, Saratoga 10.

Colonie 31, Saratoga 1. One of the matches had to have taken place last week.

Women's basketball:

Western Athletic Conference:

OESJ 49, Middleburgh 8. OESJ led, 25-2, at halftime.

Non-league:

Coxsackie-Athens 65, Cobleskill-Richmondville 32.

News & notes

 Siena's women's basketball team, still undermanned due to injuries, only used 6 players in a 57-53 win today over UMass at UHY Center. Teresa Seppala led the Lady Saints (2-4) with 21 points. Aniya Hooker, who played the entire game, added 14, while Ahniysha Jackson (Albany) had 11.

The Lady Saints have nearly a week off before their next game, as they'll host the Women's Albany Cup on Saturday vs. undefeated UAlbany.

Speaking of the Lady Danes, their record is now 7-0 after blowing away Stonehill, 80-59. Lily Phillips (Cambridge) led Albany with a season high 24 points. Kayla Cooper, the team's leading scorer, added 13, and Meghan Huerter (Shen) added 8. Abby Ray (Saratoga) didn't score in 6 minutes.

I am begging Spectrum News 1 to carry Saturday's game. Seriously.

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On the men's side, UAlbany ended up getting embarrassed on national television again, this time in a 100-68 demolition at the hands of Georgetown. Kheni Briggs & Amare Marshall led Albany with 17 points each.

In contrast, it was a happy homecoming for Siena's Justice Shoats & coach Gerry McNamara, as the Saints snapped a 4 game losing streak in dispatching Bucknell, 71-58. Shoats had 19 points to lead Siena (4-4), which is idle until Friday, when they open MAAC play vs. Niagara.

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And, then, there were two.

Section II will have two teams in Syracuse at the JMA Wireless dome next weekend for the state finals in football.

It was nearly three, but Glens Falls dropped a wild but tight 47-41 decision to Port Jervis. Have to believe all the scoring delayed the start of the CBA-Corning game that was to follow. All that did was postpone the inevitable.

Bob Burns' undefeated Brothers destroyed Corning, 56-7, to advance to the first state title game in school history, and for Burns, it's his first trip to Syracuse in 7 years.

The Class AA champs will be joined by Schuylerville, as the Class C champions defeated Valhalla, 24-7 in the opener of Saturday's tripleheader.

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The Albany Firewolves opened their 2024-25 season with a loss.

The 'Wolves fell, 10-9, in overtime, to Saskatchewan at MVP Arena on Saturday night. Glenn Clark's club heads north of the border on Friday to face Toronto.

News & notes

 Siena's men's basketball team has dropped four straight, but maybe things can change tonight when the Saints visit Bucknell (6 pm, ESPN+, JAMZ 96.3). It's a homecoming for coach Gerry McNamara and for guard Justice Shoats, both of whom grew up in the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area in Pennsylvania.

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Now, we're down to 3 in state football regional play.

Section II Class D champ Greenwich fell in overtime to Burke Catholic, 25-18, on Friday in Middletown. Burke used a halfback option pass on the first play in the extra session, then their defense did the rest to end the Witches' season.

Meanwhile, basketball season has begun, but scores are coming in drips & drabs due to newspaper deadlines.

Friday's roundup:

Men:

Queensbury 41, Averill Park 38. The Spartans outscored AP, 29-16, in the second half to erase a 10 point halftime deficit.

Women:

Western Athletic Conference:

Duanesburg 42, Schoharie 19.

Non-league:

Colonie 70, Cardinal O'Hare 57.

Catholic Central 55, Shaker 46.

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Union took down Niagara in a non-league hockey match, 4-2, on Friday. The Garnet Chargers are currently 5th in the ECAC men's standings. RPI, on the other hand, is near the basement.

News & notes

 They ran through the elements in a total of 9 cities on Thanksgiving morning. The Turkey Trots in Amsterdam, Cambridge, & Greenville flew under the radar. We were remiss in mentioning that Glens Falls' Gobble Wobble was for the benefit of the Open Door Mission in the city, as stated in pre-race advertising.

And there were some Section II alumni sprinkled all over the place, starting with Schenectady's Cardiac Classic.

Julian Franjieh (Niskayuna) outdueled fellow Nisky alum Louis Serafini, snapping the latter's 15 year winning streak in the event, with the margin of victory in terms of time being just 13 seconds. Franjieh is a redshirt sophomore at Syracuse. Siena graduate Maddy Hesler won the women's race.

Damian Hackett won the men's Turkey Trot in Troy with a winning time of just under 15 minutes. Hackett told reporters he has another race next week, and the Troy Trot was a warm-up. Some warm-up. Gwen Parks, out of Ithaca, won the women's event.

Elsewhere:

Virginia racer Alexander Knecht won the men's race at Cambridge, while hometowner Jessica Bashaw won the women's race.

Joseph Santiago won his hometown race in Amsterdam, while Gloversville's April Hannah won the women's race.

Max Hoffman of Clifton Park won the Cohoes Turkey Trot. Parker Dupuis of West Sand Lake (Averill Park student, maybe?), a 16 year old, won the women's race.

The Greenville American Legion Post hosted a Turkey Trot, with local runner Clarence Corcoran winning the men's race, while, Mariola Moeysert of Albany won the women's event.

Matt Dowling of Syracuse won the Gobble Wobble, while Glens Falls' own Megan Doster won the women's race.

Finally, in Saratoga, Darren Pasek won the men's edition of the Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot, while former Blue Streaks star Emily Bush took home the women's title.

They also raced in Bethlehem, but the results were not reported as of press time.

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4 Section II teams remain in play for state titles in football. Five games in two days at Middletown, starting today.

Today:

Greenwich vs. Burke Catholic: The Witches are looking for their first state finals berth since 2015. Burke Catholic has played one fewer game (9-1), which suggests they drew a bye into the semi-finals. Not that it'll help them.

Pick: Greenwich.

Saturday:

Schuylerville vs. Valhalla: The Black Horses last made it to Syracuse in 2021. The Vikings were on the undercard in 2016, when Troy won it all in Class AA. Both teams are hungry, and Valhalla is undefeated at 11-0. We think it's Schuylerville's year.

Pick: Schuylerville.

CBA vs. Corning-Painted Post: The Hawks earned an at-large bid, but otherwise are 7-3. Like Schuylerville, CBA is on a veritable mission from God. Bob Burns has more weapons at his disposal than most coaches know what to do with. Enough said.

Pick: CBA.

Glens Falls vs. Port Jervis: Port Jervis has won 5 straight sectional titles, but hasn't made it to Syracuse yet. This year will be no different. Glens Falls looks unstoppable.

Pick: Glens Falls.

Of course, I could be wrong.

News & notes

 If Siena men's basketball coach Gerry McNamara was disgusted with his team's performance Monday in a loss, he had to be bouncing off the walls Tuesday after Siena ended a 0-2 trip to Fort Myers, losing to Jacksonville.

The Saints, now 3-4 after a 3-0 start, will look to regroup after Thanksgiving.

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Rain is in the forecast for the Turkey Trots in Troy, Cohoes, and Saratoga, and maybe snow in Glens Falls for the Gobble Wobble on Thursday. Umbrellas, rain slickers, and other appropriate gear will be needed for safety reasons. Not just for fans, but the competitors as well. Just sayin'.

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Troy High got off to a fast start in bowling on Tuesday, blowing away LaSalle, 26-5, in the first meeting between the two schools on the lanes since the 2013-14 season. Jacob Hepp led the way with a 684 triple, powered by a 299 high game. Anthony Mainello rolled a 664, and Jamarie Flowers was right behind with a 663.

The LaSalle men start the season 0-2, after losing to Ravena on Monday prior to Tuesday's match.

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The Colonial Council has not posted links to their winter sports standings as yet, and probably won't until next week, when basketball tips off.