Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, January 5, 2012
Flawless 2nd quarter is Dutch key
GUILDERLAND –– Looking rusty in the first quarter against Shaker on Tuesday, the Dutchmen picked it up in the second quarter. By picking it up, Guilderland completely shut Shaker down.
The Blue Bison were undefeated in the league until coming to Guilderland.
An 18-to-6 disadvantage turned into a 33-to-22 halftime lead for the Dutch after it showed some much needed intensity and urgency in the second quarter. Guilderland was smothering Shaker and taking over the game in quick fashion.
Senior Cameron Dobbs, who finished with a game-high 27 points for the Dutchmen, made a three-pointer, followed by another, and followed by a steal and a lay-up. Sophomore Matt Cerutti made an astonishing spin move that tied the game at 20 to 20.
After Danny Ciaramella shot an air ball for Shaker, Vincent Simeone gave Guilderland the lead with a floater. Mike Doynow made two three-pointers in the quarter, the second one going through right before the halftime buzzer.
Guilderland’s flawless second quarter of basketball was emphasized by Alex Gaines’s monster one-handed slam-dunk that turned more than a few heads. After the game, Gaines said the dunk “felt great,” but he was just glad that his whole team played well.
“A dunk changes the attitude,” Gaines said.
Head Coach Ron Osinki said that the Dutchmen were already on a roll before Gaines’s dunk, which made it 27 to 20. Dobbs believed that it gave Guilderland even more momentum to finish out the game.
“A dunk is a dunk,” said Dobbs.
The Dutch won, 60 to 47, for its fourth victory in a row in the Suburban Council. The team hadn’t played since Dec. 20.
“This is a big win, for sure,” said Osinski. “Shaker is a good team, well coached. They caught fire early but we were able to get ahead.”
Zach Yakle and James Holmes each made a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter for the Bison. But, the Dutch wore the pants in the second quarter and for the rest of the game.
“We’re pretty confident,” Dutch forward Taylor Dubose said. “We can compete with anyone. We’re being unselfish and helping each other out.”
Dobbs, one of the most talented players in Section II, can be automatic at any given moment. He’s always there when his team needs points, and he’s flanked by teammates who know their role.
“I’ll take it on myself if we need points,” said Dobbs. “I’ve been doing that for a while.”
After beating Shaker on Tuesday, Guilderland (4-2, 6-2) has knocked off three top teams in the Suburban Council –– Mohonasen and Shenendehowa being the others. The idea is to take Tuesday’s second quarter and apply it to an entire game.
“We need to work on holding a lead while keeping the intensity up,” Osinski said. “Things seem pretty good right now, but we’ll see as we move along.”