Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, March 1, 2012
Guilderland rims out of Class AA sectionals
TROY –– Saturday evening’s Class AA quarterfinal wasn’t an offensive showcase. If Bishop Maginn’s shooting percentage was low, then Guilderland’s was even worse.
An assortment of shots were rimming out for the Dutchmen at Hudson Valley Community College, and it cost Suburban Council’s number-one seed a spot in the semifinals.
Guilderland’s hustle and tight defense was a focal point, but Bishop Maginn made a few more shots. That was the difference.
“We had plenty of shots, but they weren’t falling in,” said Dutch senior Alex Gaines, who scored 10 points. “That will happen sometimes.”
Head Coach Ron Osinski told The Enterprise after the 49-to-40 loss that a streak of bad shooting will get into his players’ heads. “We start missing and that’s how games are lost,” he said.
Guilderland’s leading scorer, senior Cameron Dobbs, was held to 14 points. He averages almost 22 points per game.
“There’s no excuses for a game like this, but it happens to the best of us,” said Dobbs, who has a few college scholarships on the table. “You just have to move on and look ahead.”
Bishop Maginn had a speedy line-up, led by Rushon Young (17 points) and Derrick Thomas (12 points). In the first round, the Griffins beat Columbia, a team Guilderland lost to twice this season, but Osinski said that didn’t matter because Columbia lost to Mohonasen twice.
“I was bothered by Maginn’s quickness,” said Osinski. “We’re not used to that type of quickness and jumping ability, so we had to adjust.”
With the Red Sea in full force in the stands, the Dutchmen got off to a favorable start. Dobbs and sophomore Matt Cerutti (12 points) helped Guilderland build a 9-to-4 lead, but the Dutch went cold over the next five minutes, unable to make a shot as the Griffins developed a 16-to-9 lead in the second quarter.
Overall, the second quarter was a defensive struggle. Guilderland and Bishop Maginn combined for only 14 points over eight minutes.
“They (Maginn) got a lot of offensive rebounds,” Gaines said. At one point in the second quarter, the Griffins pulled down three straight boards on a single possession. “They’re going to keep winning if they play like that,” said Gaines.
At the outset of the third quarter, Gaines made a free throw to tie the contest at 18 to 18, but Guilderland could score only four more points before the quarter ended. Meanwhile, Bishop Maginn was starting to find easier shots. A steal by Young and the following lay-up put the Griffins ahead, 32 to 22.
The Dutchmen are a run-and-gun team like the Griffins, but Maginn was just a little quicker. “I thought we were equally matched,” Dobbs said. “They made more shots. That’s it.”
Bishop Maginn Head Coach Rich Gilooly said that keeping Dobbs in check was a priority for his defense coming into the game. “We made great decisions down the stretch,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for Guilderland. This is a great win.”
“It was one of those games,” Osinski said. “We had bad turnovers and a bad third quarter. Our shot chart must be horrible. I have to give Maginn some credit for altering our shots.”
Even though Guilderland came up short in the Class AA playoffs, it still had an excellent 15-5 season as Suburban Council’s best team. “It’s tough to say that right now, but we won games when we needed to,” said Osinski.
Dobbs, Gaines, and Taylor Dubose will exit the line-up, but Cerutti, Brian Crupi, and Vince Simeone will come back after getting lots of playing time this season.
“We have work to do, but I hope those guys come back as leaders,” Osinski said. “The seniors that are leaving were our nucleus for a while.”
Dobbs scored about 800 points for Guilderland over two seasons. He’ll be playing in college; he’s just not sure where yet.
“I have a lot of faith in this team,” said Dobbs. “We have firepower. It was a great team to be on –– I’ll cherish that.”