POUGHKEEPSIE — The Adirondack scholastic men’s basketball team walked off the floor without a win, but with a bunch of memories of the Empire State Games.
"It was a good experience," said Nicholas Duncan of Voorheesville. "I met a lot of guys from the Capital Region and became friends and we’ll continue to be."

Duncan was one of three Voorheesville players to compete at the Empire State Games at Marist College in Poughkeepsie last weekend.

Andrew Catellier and Greg Klopfer joined Duncan on the Adirondack team.
"It’s fun getting to know each other," Klopfer said. "Knowing Nick and Andy made it easier, but we also made a lot of new friends."
"It was great coming here and staying here," Catellier said. "We were here for three days and played in three games. We got to hang out with a lot of kids from all over. It’s fun."

All three Voorheesville players were members of the team that reached the state semifinals and used the experience of the Empire State Games to get some more playing time to prepare for another strong run at a state title.

Klopfer had tried out for soccer and basketball and had to make a decision.
"When I heard that Andy and Nick were going to be on the team," Klopfer said, "I realized I’d rather be on that team. After the first two tryouts, they also called back Nick and Andy and I decided that I wanted to play with them."

Klopfer said that he is looking to play soccer in college, although he will leave his options open. He helped Voorheesville to a Section II title in soccer as well as basketball.

Catellier and Duncan both play football. Catellier has started at quarterback for the past two years and is looking to play that sport in college. Duncan is looking at either.
"It’s basketball one day and then football another day," Duncan said.

And though Catellier is set on football, just competing at the games is good for getting his name out there.
"It’s good exposure," he said. "It’s been very busy and very good."

Even with the camaraderie between the players on the team, it took awhile to reach the point of playing well together.
"We started in early May," Duncan said. "And we didn’t work as a team; a lot of kids were playing one-on-one. The coaches kept on us and we built a pretty strong team."

The Voorheesville players showed they can compete with players from bigger schools.
"We showed that we can play with an elite group," Catellier said. "Especially coming from a small school, it should give us more confidence next year."

Klopfer tied for leading scorer against New York City with 17 points. Catellier scored five points in the finale against Hudson Valley and six against Western.

Adirondack lost, 76-73, to Western in the first game of the tournament. The team lost to New York City, 86-78, and to Hudson Valley, 86-70.

New York City won the gold medal and Hudson Valley finished with the silver.
"We played against a couple of star players," Klopfer said. "We know we can play well against them and we know we were a good team."