WEEK IN REVIEW: BOYS' BASKETBALL

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

02-01-10 - 3:40 p.m. - There was a real lack of games this week due to state exams, which meant any games that were played were even more important.  With most teams having a week or more to prepare for their games it gave us a good chance to see how good some teams really were as we move towards the end of the regular season in both the Patroon Conference and Central Hudson Valley League.

TUESDAY

Germantown at Hunter-Tannersville

The Clippers traveled to Hunter to open up their week with a nonleague, nonsection game. Despite not even being Section II compatriots, these two schools are located nearer to each other than a vast majority of CHVL teams the Clippers play.

The two teams fired out of the gate putting up a lot of points, but Germantown took a 5-point lead into the second quarter. In the second stanza, defense reigned supreme as the Clipps outscored Hunter 12-7 and took a 10-point lead into the half. In the second half, Germantown held strong and earned the 73-59 win.

Junior guard Larry Niebling, who was the team’s third leading scorer last year, has been in a bit of funk this season, but he broke out with a season-high 25 points against Hunter, including six shots from beyond the arch. Cody Broast added 21 points, including four from deep, while Thomas Griffin also topped double digits with 10.

Doane Stuart at Hawthorne Valley

The Wildcats snapped their two-game losing streak by defeating the Doane Stuart, who also happened to be the last team Hawthorne Valley beat. The Wildcats used offense and defense in the first quarter as they jumped out to a 19-6 lead. The second quarter was much of the same as Hawthorne Valley outscored Doane Stuart 13-5 and took a commanding 31-11 lead into the half. The two teams played the second half much closer, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Wildcats won 65-43.

Hawthorne Valley got contributions from their two underclassmen forwards as sophomore Christian Peterson led the charge with 22 points while junior Sjaak Smeele chipped in with 18 points including three from deep.  The Wildcats also got solid contributions from a pair of guards as Max Ocean and Allan Gallardo each hit a shot from deep while finishing with 8 and 7 points respectively.

FRIDAY

New Lebanon at Hawthorne Valley

The Tigers looked for a road win on Friday that would help keep their share of the league lead. After a hard-fought battle, New Lebanon pulled away, and combined with Germantown and Heatly victories and a Loudonville Christian loss, the league now has a three-way tie at the top instead of a four-way tie.

New Lebanon started out hot, taking a 13-2 lead over their Columbia County rivals after just one quarter. Once the second quarter started, there was a new tone to the game, and the upstart Wildcats looked primed to pull the major upset. Hawthorne Valley came storming back from their early deficit in the middle quarters and held a shocking 6-point lead going into the fourth. The Tigers pulled together and finished strong to earn a 47-44 win.

Big man Bryan Potter led the Tigers as he has all year long, finishing with 19 points, including seven of ten from the free-throw stripe. Mike Gavrity chipped in 13, while Kyle McHugh added 7. A big key for the Tigers was their ability to get to the free-throw line, taking thirty shots compared to four for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats tried to use their deep shooting to pull the upset, nailing five shots from beyond the arch compared with one for the Tigers, but that was clearly not enough. Christian Peterson and Sjaak Smeele again led Hawthorne Valley scoring 14 and 13. 

Doane Stuart at Germantown

The Clippers got back into league play on Friday when they hosted Doane Stuart, with a share of the league title on the line. The Clippers' win gave them a share of the three-way tie for first in the CHVL.

Germantown built an early 6-point lead but allowed Doane Stuart to cut it to 5 heading to the half. In the second half, however, the Clipps came out strong and blew the game wide open en route to an 84-55 win.

After scoring in double figures in just three of his first ten games, Larry Niebling posted his second consecutive 20-point game after nailing five shots from the floor, two from deep, and four of four from the charity stripe. Niebling was just one of four Clippers to score in double figures. Cody Broast (19), Thomas Griffin (15), and Mike Wyannt (10) each reached that mark. 

Hudson at Taconic Hills

The Bluehawks headed to Craryville looking for a much needed victory. A win would even Hudson’s record at 7-7 and, with the season winding to a close, out them in good shape to make a run toward sectionals.

Hudson used an offensive onslaught early to score 23 first-quarter points and give themselves a comfortable 10-point cushion heading into halftime. In the second half, the Bluehawks topped the 20-point mark in both quarters as they eased to an 83-57 win over the struggling Titans.

Eleven different players got in on the scoring for Hudson as the Bluehawks knocked down three shots from deep and fourteern of twenty-three from the free-throw line in the win. Three players scored in double digits led by Larell Roberts and Lindon Alert, who scored 21 and 20 respectively. Shevar Thomas added 11 in the win, while Jeff Crank chipped in with 9.

The Titans were led by Chris Filli who did his damage on the inside, scoring 14 points on seven made shots from the field. Kyle Preusser, Mike Jacobsen, and Nick Warren each added 11 in the loss.

Catskill at Chatham

The Panthers hosted the Cats and were searching for a much needed late-season victory but couldn’t find the offense and came up short, falling 59-35. The first quarter was even, tied at 12, before the Cats steadily picked up steam, outscoring Chatham in each of the final three quarters.

Will Gauthier was the only Panther to reach double digits, scoring 13, while Ian McGrath hit two shots from deep, finishing with 6 points. 

SATURDAY

Ichabod Crane at Maple Hill

Check out our full coverage of this game, along with the big ICC-MH girls' game. in our ccSCOOP Games of the Week.

POWER RANKINGS

1  ICC (previously 1):  Fell to MH but still in first place tie in the Patroon

2  Germantown (previously 2):  Seem to be hitting their stride as Niebling is scoring

3  New Lebanon (previously 3):  Have played down lately but continue to win

4  Hudson (previously 4):  Starting to play better but need a signature win

5  Chatham (previously 5):  Continue to struggle to defend and find a second scorer

6  Hawthorne Valley (previously 7):  Playing well right now behind Peterson and Smeele

7  Taconic Hills (previously 6):  Found scorers against Hudson but couldn’t get a stop