By Jordan J. Michael

GUILDERLAND –– The Dutchmen basketball team had Tuesday’s game against Columbia circled. It was a must win for a team that dropped its two previous games.

“Columbia beat us pretty good last time so I had my eye on this one,” said Ron Osinski, after the game. “We didn’t run good in that game. We were better prepared this time and we scored more points.”

Guilderland pulled through and beat the Blue Devils at home on Senior Night, 78 to 64. The team came back strong after on-the-road losses to Mohonasen and Shaker last week.

“I’ll remember this night for a while because a lot was on the line,” said senior Kevin Kost. “We couldn’t afford another loss in the league. The defense stepped up and we got some easy buckets.”

Seniors Andre Brown, Isaiah Folds, Kost, Chris Mannarino, Pat Quinn, and Jon Terry were honored before tip-off.

“I wanted to come back and help the team this year,” said Brown, who didn’t play last season. “I wanted to finish strong and bring energy to the lineup.”

Quinn scored the first six points for the Dutchmen, starting off with a three-pointer. Columbia’s Ansu Diggs completed a three-point play and Guilderland had an 8-to-7 lead. Steven King drained a three and the Blue Devils took the lead back, 10-8.

Kost came down the floor and nailed a three of his own to put the Dutch back on top. Terry and Diggs traded some baskets and the tight first quarter came to a close. Guilderland had a 21-to-18 advantage.

Then Brown was on the bench with two fouls and Columbia started to pressure the ball down low, sinking easy shots. Osinski called a timeout after Jacob Douty increased the Blue Devil lead to eight points.

“We had no real size down low after Brown came out,” Osinski said. “We’re not a big team to begin with, but we need Brown for rebounds. I need him to stay out of foul trouble to be successful on the glass.”

The Dutchmen wouldn’t be down for long. Mannarino took control of the offense, setting up plays and making some key baskets in the final minutes of the second quarter. On one play, Mannarino rode the baseline and put it up and under for the score.

Guilderland tied the game at 33 after Mannarino found Quinn under the basket off an inbound pass. The score was knotted at 33 going into halftime. The Dutchmen had a power surge to end the quarter.

Momemtum

“The end of the second quarter is the reason why we won this game,” Kost said. “We found the momentum we needed and never looked back.”

Osinski told The Enterprise that the pace of the game was slow and that’s not how his team likes to play. “We live off a fast-paced game, running up and down the court,” he said. “That was the key for tonight. We took the slow pace and sped it up to our level.”

The Dutchmen continued the intensity in the third with Quinn’s enthusiastic play and Terry’s excellent post skills. Guilderland had a 47-to-40 lead with 2:41 to go in the quarter.

“I’m sure some people think that I play kind of crazy out there, but that’s just my style,” said Quinn, after the game. “I focus on the rim and forget about the defender. We all play solid and it makes this all worth it.”

The Blue Devils were only down four at the end of the third, 52 to 48. Anthony Gallo came in for the fourth quarter and drained two huge threes. That coupled with key plays by Quinn, Kost, and Terry, iced the game for the Dutch. The team won by 14 points.

“We made a lot of close-range shots in the second half and we only missed maybe one shot in the fourth quarter,” said Osinski. “Gallo stepped up big with those threes. One of them put us up by 10.”

Terry led all scorers with 25 points and Quinn dropped in 18. Kost complied 14 hard- earned points and Mannarino added 11 more. Diggs had 21 for Columbia. It was a good night for the Guilderland seniors.

“Terry is almost 100 percent now and Kost was sick, but played anyways,” Osinski said. “Mannarino found a lot of open guys and Quinn’s quickness got everything going in the right direction.”

The Dutchmen move to 10-4 in the Suburban Council and 12-6 overall. The team has two games left, ending with first place Shenedehowa at home next Tuesday.

“Shen will be a real test for my club to see where we’re at for sectional play,” said Osinski. “It won’t be for a title, but it’ll be important nonetheless. A home sectional game would be nice.”