Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, December 20, 2007
Lady Bulldogs ferocious on defense
By Tim Matteson
BERNE — For the past couple of years, Berne-Knox-Westerlo girls’ basketball Coach Tom Galvin saw his team get stronger at the end of each season.
This year, the Lady Bulldogs have gotten off to a strong start.
BKW improved to 3-0 in the Southern Division of the Western Athletic Conference and improved to 5-2 overall after winning its fifth straight game, 46-34, against Schoharie on Friday night.
"We’ve gotten some momentum early," Galvin said. "That overtime win at Fonda was big. The kids are believing what we are selling. Everybody is."
The Lady Bulldogs beat Fonda on Dec. 7 in an overtime thriller. BKW picked up its sixth win of the season by beating Sharon Springs, 48-32, on Tuesday night.
"Defensive intensity"
After a sloppy start to Friday’s game, the Bulldogs used what has become their trademark — a ferocious defense.
Pressuring the Schoharie guards, BKW held a 13-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and never trailed again.
Neither team scored until Schoharie’s Kaitlyn Johnson made an inside basket with 5:53 left in the opening frame.
Schoharie led, 4-1, before BKW went on a 12-2 run to end the first stanza.
Andrea Van Dyke made a shot in the lane. That was followed by a three-point basket and a drive to the hoop by Lauren Ford.
A three-pointer by Amber Pitcher and a fast-break lay-up after a steal by Van Dyke finished out the run for the Lady Bulldogs.
BKW built on its lead in the second quarter. After two foul shots by Schoharie, Katrina Yakel hit a jump shot and Pitcher connected on back-to-back three-pointers to make the score 21-8.
BKW led, 27-17, at halftime.
Things didn’t change much in the third frame except that BKW added one point to its lead and made the score, 38-27, at the end of the third frame.
The Lady Bulldogs kept their double-figure advantage despite the best efforts of Schoharie junior Sarah Lamoureux.
Lamoureux led the Indians with 14 points but they were hard-earned and didn’t come from her usual spot inside. She was forced to handle the ball up the court against the BKW pressure defense.
"We knew they lacked a point guard," Galvin said. "We wanted to make it 94 feet of heck. We made it difficult for them to bring the ball up the floor all the time. The pace was chaotic and that was good for us.
"Their best post player had to bring the ball up the floor," Galvin added. "She can’t set up in the post. She is one of the best post players in the league. We pressured them and you can’t replicate that kind of defensive intensity."
"Coming together"
Baskets by Katrina Yakel on a jump shot, Anna Kusler inside, and Pitcher on a fast-break lay-up were big in keeping the Bulldogs ahead by more than 10 points during the final stanza.
Ford led the Bulldogs with 16 points, mixing up drives to the hoop with some deft outside shooting.
"Lauren can go to the rim," Galvin said. "She is bigger for a lot of guards. She gets to the rim like no one else I’ve coached."
Pitcher scored 13 points mostly on three-pointers. Yakel and Van Dyke each scored six points, making some timely baskets.
"Amber Pitcher is close to leading Section II with three-pointers," Galvin said after Friday’s game. "She came up from JV, and she was young and inexperienced and small. I decided to start her and she is making me look like a genius. She had four three-pointers tonight and she had five the other night."
"Katrina Yakel had a good game," Galvin added. "She hit big shots when they started to make a run. She also did a nice job on Lamourex."
Galvin also had praise for other players on Friday night.
"Anna Kusler did a nice job on the boards," the coach said. "She is a small kid and she has double-digit rebounds every game. And I told Andrea [VanDyke] that she might not have gotten a lot of points, but she ran the team well and played great defense. Everything is coming together. We hit shots and we defended well."
BKW wraps up the pre-holiday portion of its schedule with a contest against league rival Schenectady Christian on Friday. After the holidays, the Lady Bulldogs hit the road to play Galway at Fonda-Fultonville High School on Friday Jan. 4 and then travel to Canajoharie on Jan. 8.
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — The Dutchmen will get a little break to enjoy their holidays.
Guilderland boys’ basketball coach, Ron Osinski, gave his team Wednesday off from practice and the Dutchmen deserved it as they head into the Christmas break on a high note beating Niskayuna, 62-42, on Tuesday night to stay unbeaten in the Suburban Council and improve their overall record to 6-1.
"We have nine days off," Osinski said. "I think it’s something we need a little bit. We’ve been going since the beginning of November. The rest will help many of us even though we’re healthy."
Guilderland does not play again until it plays Big 10 power Christian Brothers Academy on Dec. 27 in the Columbia Tournament.
"We rest for the holidays and get ready for CBA," Osinski said. "In practice, we’ll work on ourselves instead of having to prepare for someone else."
Facing sharp-shooters
The Dutch did not look like they were prepared for Niskayuna in the early stages of Tuesday’s game. After Jon Terry scored the first points of the game for Guilderland, the Silver Warriors scored the next 12 points by some sharp-shooting.
Garrett Bush made three three-pointers and Joe Privitera made one as Niskayua jumped out to a 12-2 lead and forced Osinski to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Dutch got back to work, mostly due to senior star Brett Marfurt.
Terry scored on a move near the hoop and Marfurt made a three-pointer of his own to cut the lead to five points, 12-7.
Marfurt then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a put back and later knocked down a jump shot to cut the Niskayuna lead to one point.
Guy Waltman scored inside for the Silver Warriors, but Marfurt answered, scoring off a rebound.
Drew Smith gave the Dutch the lead on a steal and a fast-break lay-up with 1:47 left in the opening frame.
The Dutchmen led, 15-14, at the end of the first quarter.
"They shot well to start," Osinski said of Niskayuna. "They were getting open off of screens. We had to make them have to put the ball on the floor and we did a good job of that. When it got to 12-2, I called a timeout and talked about it. Drew went out and covered the Bush kid. After Drew covered him, he only had five points. Not that Kevin Kost did a bad job, but Drew was able to get over the screens because he is quicker and longer."
Guilderland added to the one-point lead by outscoring Niskayuna, 18-7, in the second quarter.
The Dutch were able to work the ball inside where they had the advantage. They also used their athleticism to get some transition points off of Niskayuna turnovers.
Paul Booker opened the stanza with an inside basket and Marfurt scored after grabbing a rebound off his own missed shot. Terry scored inside, Marfurt made a free throw, and Smith connected on a three-point shot — and the Dutch built a comfortable lead.
The Dutch went into the locker room for the intermission holding a 33-21 lead.
"We stepped up"
Guilderland built the lead to 20 points by holding Niskayuna to five points in the third quarter and putting up 13 of their own.
The score was 62-42 and Osinski was able to clear his bench and get everybody into the game.
"We were able to get the ball inside to Steve, and Jon, and Paul and we got scoring out of all of them," Osinski said. "Drew did a good job of finding them. I think they hit the tank, too. We rebounded their misses and moved the ball up the court. But they played well. They are well coached and they executed well. I thought Brett did a good job on Alex Olbrych. He only scored two points and those came at the end."
Marfurt also led the Dutchmen in scoring with 22 points. Smith scored 14 points and Terry added 10. Six other Guilderland players scored, including reserves Pat Quinn for three points and Ethan Doak for two points.
After making three three-pointers to begin the game, Bush finished the contest with just 15 points for Niskayuna.
Osinski was pleased with other things his players did on the court on Tuesday night.
"We stepped up and got some loose balls tonight," the coach said. "Drew is the leader in that category, but Brett gets down on the court, too, in all of our games. We just have to stay consistent and focused in every game.
"It didn’t look like that when we were down 12-2," Osinski said. "But it wasn’t like the guys were saying, ‘Oh, my God.’ What happened was we slowed down...Actually we got back quickly but we did it with poise. Some of the teams I’ve had would’ve tried to come back by shooting threes. But we executed to our strengths. We hit the boards and ran."
"Tough road ahead"
The Dutchmen are now 6-1 overall with their lone loss coming to Bishop Maginn in the championship game of the Golden Griffins tournament. Guilderland is 5-0 in the Suburban Council.
But another pair of tough non-league games await the Dutch as they play CBA and Queensbury in the Columbia Tournament Thursday and Friday after Christmas.
Osinski will take some rest with ease, especially with the way his team has played.
"I was hoping for this," Osinski said. "Going into the Maginn tournament made us better. The loss made us not want to lose again...But we have a tough road ahead. Eight out of our next 11 games are away. It’s a tough stretch. It’s one of the toughest schedules. We’ll have to play extra hard in the second half. Hopefully, the tournament prepares us for that."
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland ice hockey team split its two games this past weekend. But most importantly, the Dutchmen stayed unbeaten in league play.
The Skating Dutchmen improved their record to 3-0 in the Suburban Council of the Capital District High School Hockey League.
Guilderland beat South Glens Falls, 4-0, on Friday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Guilderland lost the next day to Mamaroneck of Section I, 6-0, on its home rink at Union College.
Mamoraneck scored one goal in the first period, two in the second, and three in the third to beat the Dutchmen.
Brendan Glennon made 21 saves in goal for the Dutch and Mike Alsante made five stops in relief.
The Dutchmen picked up their fifth and sixth points in the league after beating South Glens Falls on Friday.
Senior Aaron Cahill scored two goals and Greg Warnken and Collin Burg each scored one for the Dutch. Warnken and Burg each assisted on Dutchmen tallies as did Joe Romano and Dan Dickenson.
Glennon made 12 saves in goal for the Dutch.
On Dec. 7 and 8, the Dutchmen competed in the Potsdam Tournament. Guilderland lost to Canton, 2-0, and tied Potsdam, 4-4.
Guilderland also owns league wins over Shaker-Colonie, 3-1, and Niskayuna-Schenectady, 6-5.
Guilderland is now 3-4-1 overall and 3-0 in the league. The Dutch play this weekend in the Clinton Holiday Tournament in central New York on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the Dutch will play McQuaid High School of the Rochester area.
The Dutchmen return to league play on Dec. 28 against Bethlehem at the Bethlehem Area YMCA.
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland wrestling team has gotten off to a good start this season.
The grappling Dutchmen lost their first match of the season last Wednesday to Saratoga after winning their first four dual matches of the year.
Guilderland beat Colonie on Dec. 5 in Head Coach Korey Rogotzke’s first match at the helm of the Dutchmen. Guilderland then swept all three matches at the Niskayuna Duals on Dec. 8.
"I’m happy with the progress," Rogotzke said last Wednesday. "It’s been a total team effort. Everyone has done a great job. Colonie and Suffern are strong quality teams."
Tough win
Guilderland beat Colonie, 41-39, in a match where Rogotzke’s wrestlers stepped up.
"We don’t beat them that often," the coach said. "And, at Colonie, it’s tough to beat them. The difference was in the upper weights. Brendan Ruddy’s 14-2 win started the momentum and that was a deciding factor."
The Dutchmen got pins from freshmen Dan Bennison and Kevin Bates in the 96-pound and 103-pound weight classes.
"That wasn’t expected," Rogotzke said. "That was a big 12 points and that was the difference right there."
Junior Devan Van Auken won by pin at 285 pounds and Robert Romeo and Matt Hart won back-to-back pins in the 130 and 135 classes.
Travis Wolanski and Josh Sawyer won by decision in the 112-pound and 171-pound weight classes.
Another big part of the match was actually a loss, Rogotzke said. Eugene Sellie earned the season’s first Dutchmen Award, for being the Guilderland wrestler of the match, after losing a 7-4 decision to J.J. Anderson in the 140-pound class.
"He lost to the second-ranked wrestler in the section," Rogotzke said. "He gets pinned, we lose. The match was tied with 30 seconds left."
The match would not have been that close if Matt Cubillos had not been disqualified for an illegal throw in his 125-pound match.
"He led the whole match and then gets disqualified on a throw," Rogotzke said. "That would have been another six points. And we would’ve won, 47-37. But I will take the 41-39.
"They are an awesome team," Rogotzke added about Colonie. "They don’t only beat you physically, but they also beat you technically. That’s what we want to do. There are two things that win matches — technical skills and heart. The guys wrestled with a lot of heart."
Three wins and a loss
The Dutchmen followed up the Colonie win with three wins at the Niskayuna duals.
Guilderland beat Warrensburg, 55-21; Suffern of Section I, 47-19; and South Glens Falls, 46-31.
Cubillos overcame his disqualification in the Colonie match to win all three of his matches by pin. Romeo and Van Auken also won all three of their matches by pin.
Sawyer also went 3-0 in the dual meet and Sellie also went unbeaten on the day.
Romeo was given the Dutchman Award for wrestler of the meet.
Hart, Ruddy, and Bennison each went 2-1 in their matches at the dual meet.
Guilderland lost last Wednesday to Saratoga, 35-34.
The difference in the very even match was a Guilderland forfeit in the 189-pound weight class.
Van Auken and Romeo each won by pin and Cubillos won by technical fall for the Dutchmen.
On Saturday, Guilderland finished third in the Van Slyke Memorial Tournament in Burnt Hills. The Dutchmen finished behind the host school and Corinth in the team standings.
Sawyer was the lone first-place winner for the Dutch. Van Auken, Bates, Wolanski, Cubillos, Romeo, and Ruddy had second-place finishes.
Guilderland hosted Burnt Hills on Wednesday. The Dutchmen travel for a dual match against Ballston Spa on Friday then have a week off before competing in the Queensbury Tournament on Dec. 29.
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — Guilderland High School senior Andrew Simpson signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball at The College of Saint Rose next year.
Simpson made his decision earlier this month after a long decision-making process.
"It’s great," Simpson said. "I feel 100 percent behind my decision. I’m going to a great school with a baseball program and the guys there are great. Overall it’s the best fit."
Simpson was a key member of last spring’s Section II championship team from Guilderland. He was a first-team Section II all-star and a two-time member of the Adriondack Region team that competed at the Empire State Games.
Staying in the Capital District was another plus of Saint Rose.
"It’s local and has a great business program," Simpson said. "And the baseball program stood out to me."
Simpson is relieved the college decision is complete.
"One of my goals was to sign early," Simpson said. "The pressure is off. I feel like a million bucks, I made the decision."
Simpson, who got some scholarship money from Saint Rose, also had looked at Marist College, Binghamton University, and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
"I feel like I can come in and do the job right away," Simpson said of choosing Saint Rose. "I’ve known the assistant coach [Nick Davey] for awhile. It’s a good school, I get to stay local, and they gave me a good package.
"They gave me a good slice," he said. "It helped me make the decision better. But it just wasn’t about the money. It’s where I felt I fit in the best."
Coach Casey O’Connor and his assistants are building the Saint Rose program and are doing it with a lot of area players. Simpson will be joining two former Guilderland teammates at Saint Rose — junior Brendon Malkowski and freshman Nick Polsinelli.
"It will feel good to play with them next year," Simpson said.
Simpson can now focus on his senior season for the Dutchmen this spring.
"I have been lifting four days a week and hitting two to three times a week," he said. "I’ve done a lot of hard work. I want to be in shape for some good things this spring."
Simpson will be playing right field and some first base for Saint Rose as he hopes to be a big part of future success for the Golden Knights.
"The program was strong last year," Simpson said. "And they’ll be good this year and next year. They have a lot of returning players this year and next year. They have a strong line-up and great pitching."