GUILDERLAND — The up-and-down season for the Guilderland boys’ basketball team ended on the downside.

The Dutchmen took a 12-point lead with just over five minutes left in Wednesday’s first-round Class AA Section II game against LaSalle Institute. Then came the downfall.

The Cadets went on a 13-1 run over the next few minutes and tied the game, 52-52, when Khaliq Gross made a three-point basket.

Gross gave his team the lead when he made a steal and scored on a fast-break lay-up 20 seconds later.

The key moment of the run was when a technical foul was called against Guilderland’s Drew Smith after blocking a shot.

The Dutchmen were leading, 51-39, with 5:05 left in the contest. A few seconds later, LaSalle’s Guy Robichaud scored after grabbing a rebound to cut the lead to 10 points.

On the Cadets’ next possession, Robichaud went to take a shot and Smith blocked the ball and sent it sailing out of bounds. During the celebration of the play, Smith was given a technical foul and Gross knocked down both shots for the Cadets. LaSalle scored on the ensuing possession to cut the lead to six points and the momentum was in the Cadets’ favor.
Though Guilderland Coach Ron Oskinski declined to comment — saying "I don’t have much to say," — after the game, he did say that the technical foul was the turning point in the contest.

"We had a shot"

On Monday, Osinski was a little more talkative.
"I’m not certain that Drew’s technical changed the game," the coach said. "It led to four quick points. They were down 12 points and one minute or so later, they go ahead. We tried to come back but Brett got stripped. We had a shot at the end."

LaSalle would tie the game with 1:27 left in the contest and Gross broke the tie with his lay-up with 1:07 to go.

Evan Ryan gave LaSalle a four-point lead, scoring on a lay-up with 54 seconds remaining in the contest.

Smith came back for the Dutch with an inside basket to cut the lead back to two points, 56-54, with 41 seconds left.

Guilderland couldn’t catch the Cadets on their next possession and junior Brett Marfurt missed a shot then senior Mark Domaracki missed a tip-in attempt.

The Dutch were forced to foul and Gross made one foul shot with eight seconds left.

On the rebound attempt, Domaracki was fouled and he made both ends of the one-and-one to pull the Dutch within one point, 57-56.

Gross was fouled again and made the first of the one-and-one attempts. He missed the second and Smith grabbed the rebound for Guilderland and pushed the ball up the court.

He passed the ball to Domaracki who couldn’t get a shot off because he was double covered and passed the ball but time expired and so did the Dutch’s season.

Marfurt led all scorers with 22 points. Smith added 14 points for the Dutchmen and Domaracki chipped in with eight points. Taylor Walden scored seven points in his final game for the Dutchmen.

Gross scored 19 points for LaSalle. Robichaud added 17 points and Ryan scored nine for the Cadets.

Lacking leadership

Osinski was not sure of the reason the technical fouls were called on his team.
"The referee didn’t say anything," Osinski said. "I’m investigating them. The video I have is inconclusive. It showed the ball being tipped out of bounds. Each time a technical was called, I said, ‘Oh, they got a T.’ And they were on us. You can count on one hand the techincals we’ve had in the seven years I’ve coached at Guilderland."

Osinski credited Gross for taking over the game and leading his team in the final quarter. Having a leader might be the one thing that the Dutchmen lacked this season.
"I think having someone at the end is something we haven’t had in the last few years,," Osinski said. "Ever since Steve Dagostino [who graduated in 2004], we haven’t had a leader that would take over and be a coach on the floor. We had a good group of juniors and seniors this year. But I don’t know if they have it in them to make a play on defense and then step up and say, ‘Give me the ball.’"

Of course the Dutch were also missing key players for large parts of the season. Starters Smith, Marfurt, and Domaracki missed time during the season, so the starting five didn’t get a lot of opportunities to mesh during the season. Smith missed most of the season because he broke a bone in his hand after he punched a pad on the wall of the Guilderland gym after missing a lay-up during a scrimmage in November after the first two games of the season. Marfurt had mononucleosis and Domaracki missed a game while he was sick.
"I haven’t had a season that had as many things that has happened as this one," Osinski said. "I couldn’t have scripted it. This is my 30th year of coaching and the previous 29 I couldn’t tell you everything that happened this year. "

The seniors did a good job of chipping in when they needed to. Osinski credited the play of Uwane Okure, Jimmy Munsie, Taylor Walden, and Steve Doak. Those four along with Domaracki will be graduating.

Returning for the Dutchmen will be Marfurt, who is being recruited by Division I schools, and Smith, who is also an outstanding football player. He will be joined by a group of players that had success on the junior-varsity team, including Nick Kost, who played in last Wednesday’s game.
"The j.v. group has been playing together for a long time and has had success," Osinski said. "They are some good players that will contribute next year."