COHOES — Reeling from a frustrating 22-point loss to Watervliet last Friday, Voorheesville set the tone against Cohoes on Tuesday and came away with a huge win on the road.

The Blackbirds’ lively defense forced the Tigers into some tough shots, and 31 defensive rebounds by the Birds kept the Tigers from second chances. On offense, the Voorheesville players passed more than they dribbled as senior Alex Minnick solidified his presence on the inside.

A 9-to-0 scoring run in the second quarter, a 9-to-2 run in the third quarter, and an 10-to-0 run in the fourth quarter helped Voorheesville to a 51-to-34 win.

Head Coach Dave Burch said that his Voorheesville players were a little down after the loss to Watervliet. “It was eye-opening for everybody,” he said. “To their credit, they got right back into the gym on Sunday and had a great practice. They push each other to the point where they get mad with each other, but, in the end, it makes us tougher for games like tonight where we had to fight and grab and claw for every rebound.”

No Blackbird player was more fired up than Minnick, who led all scorers on Tuesday with 15 points and eight rebounds. With the game well in hand for Voorheesville in the fourth quarter, Minnick made a lay-up while being fouled, and he pumped his fist in elation.

“We played better defense, turned the ball over less, and executed a little better,” Minnick said after the game. “We couldn’t give up easy lay-ups or fast breaks; we had to hunker down and play good defense and move the ball whenever we had it on offense.”

^{_{Fierce competitor: Alex Minnick grabs an offensive rebound for Voorheesville in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game at Cohoes and heads towards the hoop; he made a basket while being fouled. The Birds won by 17 points, and Minnick had 15 points and eight rebounds. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

Since Cohoes was focused on guarding tight on Voorheesville’s shooters, some space was available on the inside. The Birds shot 53 percent from the interior.

“That’s where we won the game,” Burch said. “We had some big offensive rebounds at crucial times. There was no letdown [in our play].”

Voorheesville had 12 offensive rebounds. When Cohoes was within three points, 27 to 24, in the third quarter, Minnick grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for points with an added foul.

“It seemed like he had 100 rebounds,” Burch said of Minnick.

After Shelton Alston got the Tigers within four points, 36 to 32, in the fourth quarter off of a steal and a breakaway finish, Sean Nolan and Zach Childs went to work for the Blackbirds. Nolan scored in the post, then Childs finished on a break with a generous assist from Nolan. And then Nolan scored on a sweet base-line drive after Childs had stolen the ball at the other end.

But, really, it was Voorheesville’s defensive intensity that wore Cohoes down. At some point in the fourth quarter, it felt like the Tigers had realized that it wouldn’t be winning Tuesday’s game.

“I think we showed how tough we are on defense, and the type of defense we want to and can play,” said Burch. “We’ve struggled with consistency so far, but tonight was pretty good.”

^{_{Finding focus: Voorheesville’s Scott Glasheen takes a deep breath before shooting a foul shot in the fourth quarter of the Blackbirds’ 51-to-34 win at Cohoes on Tuesday night. Voorheesville, the defending Class B champions, are 2-1 in the Colonial Council. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}