Sports Sports Ballston Spa Boys Basketball Rallies from 19-point Deficit, but Falls Short in AA Semifinals

by Dylan McGlynn Saratoga TODAY

GLENS FALLS — The Ballston Spa varsity boys basketball team was unable to finish a 19-point comeback on Thursday, but the game was yet another example of the Scotties doing what they did all season: fight.

“As was the case all year,” said head coach Ben Eldridge. “Just so proud of them. Trusted each other, worked hard, and they just never were going to give up.”

Ballston Spa fell 59-58 to Green Tech in the Section 2 Class AA Semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena. But the game seemed like it might be over early, with the Eagles soaring to a 31-12 lead midway through the second quarter.

Green Tech dominated the opening frame and the first minutes of the second, led by an 11-point first quarter from sophomore Haisi Mayben. The Scotties, on the other hand, couldn’t get many shots to fall despite having some quality chances.

“We’re used to a couple more of those going in,” Eldridge said of his team’s start. “I was proud, we didn’t start forcing them. Sometimes, when they’re not going in, you start forcing up a couple you shouldn’t. But I think we did a good job of still hunting for the right shots, and we were getting them.”

Eldridge said he “knew at some point” the Scotties would settle in, and settle in they did. The Ballston Spa offense started to come to life in the latter half of the second quarter, with seniors Nick Verdile and Mike Miller combining for 15 points in the frame.

Green Tech took a 37-27 lead into halftime, but Eldridge said he “felt great” entering the break.

“We knew we were starting to play the way we can,” said Eldridge. “We’re used to playing 32 minutes all season long. So we felt really good, and it showed in the third quarter.”

Verdile, the Scotties’ leading scorer, heated up in the third, scoring nine points in the frame. A three by Nico Savini cut the Eagles’ lead to six, and free throws by Ben Phillips trimmed Green Tech’s lead to 45-41 after the third quarter.

Ballston Spa took the lead for the first time with 6:41 remaining after a three-pointer from Phillips. But Green Tech seemed to always have a response, with a quick bucket by Mayben giving the Eagles the lead right back.

With 3:29 remaining, a threepointer by Mayben extended the lead to five and sparked a short run for Green Tech, who got consecutive buckets from sophomore U’Mier Graham to extend the lead to 59-50 with 2:25 to play.

And just like they did in the first half, the Scotties simply kept fighting.

“Just a couple possessions didn’t go our way after we took the lead,” Eldridge said. “Got down by nine again, and again, didn’t give up.”

Miller stopped the Eagles’ run with a pair of free throws, and a three-point play by Savini made it a four-point game with 1:31 left. Ballston Spa pressed on the ensuing inbounds, and Savini stole the ball before finding Verdile for a quick three, making it 59-58 with 1:16 left.

The Scotties had several chances to take the lead in the final minutes, and ultimately had one last opportunity in the final seconds. Coming out of a timeout, a three-pointer from Verdile missed, and Graham pounced on the rebound for Green Tech, sealing the Eagles’ spot in the Class AA Championship.

Eldridge said despite the ending, he was “so proud” of his players. The Scotties finished 19-2 on the season.

Saratoga Boys Basketball Falls to CBA in AA Semifinals

by Dylan McGlynn Saratoga TODAY

GLENS FALLS — Stifled by a strong Brothers defense, the Saratoga Springs varsity boys basketball team fell 56-43 to CBA in the Section 2 Class AA semifinals on Thursday.

The Blue Streaks got off to a slow start, with CBA jumping to an eleven-point lead late in the first quarter. Saratoga was held to just 19 points in the first half, and the Brothers used a strong inside game to keep the Blue Streaks at bay in the second half.

Saratoga head coach Matt Usher was complimentary of the CBA defense, while acknowledging the Blue Streaks “missed some shots that we were capable of making.”

“The ball bounces the wrong way sometimes,” said Eldridge. “Just goes to show what kinds of players and kids they are. They’re fantastic young men.”

Verdile had 27 points for Ballston Spa, leading all scorers. Miller had 15 points, while Savini added eight. Phillips had five points, and Mike Pritchard added three points. Mayben led Green Tech with 16 points, while Henry Perkins had 11 and Olivan Owens added 10 points.

Verdile said his teammates are “like family,” saying it meant a lot to have the season the Scotties had.

“Obviously, this loss hurts,” said Verdile. “But in a few days, we’ll understand, like, we won the league and we did a lot of stuff that no other basketball team from Ballston Spa has done. It means a lot, and I’m going to miss playing with all these guys. They’re brothers to me now. I’ve just had such a good time playing with them, and I’m just thankful that they made the season so good for me.”

Eldridge was complimentary of the team’s seniors, saying they have put “everything” into the program.

“Our message was, ‘If an end like this negates all of that work since they were in fourth grade, then they’re losing out on some of the stuff that they can gain from and learn,” said Eldridge. “It’s bigger than that. It’s not the way you want to end, but the journey, the process along the way, that’s the stuff they’ll remember for the rest of their life.”

“Definitely got some shots that we are happy with, but their length obviously bothered us,” said Usher. “It’s one of those nights where the shots that you need to make aren’t dropping.”

Five points each from CBA’s Jayden Osinski and Oreoluwapo Odutayo helped the Brothers to an early double-digit lead. After being held to just four points in the first five minutes, Saratoga began finding more of a rhythm offensively, with a late three-pointer by junior Ryan Farr cutting the deficit to 15-7 after one quarter.

The trio of Farr, Hutton Snyder, and Andrew Stallmer combined to score all 19 of the Blue Streaks’ firsthalf points, with Usher saying the trio “have been phenomenal leaders” for the squad.

Consecutive buckets by Snyder and Stallmer cut CBA’s lead to three with 1:33 left in the first half, but a three-point play by CBA junior Aiden Wine extended the Brothers’ lead to 25-19 at the break. Usher said the Blue Streaks emphasized utilizing their speed to generate looks in the paint in the second half.

CBA, however, extended the lead in the third quarter, opening the second half with a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 35-21. The duo of Osinski and Odutayo shined in the quarter, combining to score 12 of the Brothers’ 15 points. The Brothers held Saratoga to just two made field goals in the quarter, and a pair of free throws by Odutayo in the final seconds sent CBA to the fourth with a 40-25 lead.

“Their defense was locked in. They altered some shots inside,” said Usher of the Brothers’ defense.

“They definitely bothered us with some of their physicality on the perimeter. Credit to CBA and their players. They’re a good team.”

The Blue Streaks cut the lead to 10 points on a pair of free throws by Farr with 6:51 remaining, but were unable to get any closer in the fourth quarter. Odutayo led CBA with seven points in the final frame, helping close out a 56-43 victory.

Stallmer led Saratoga with 14 points in the loss. Farr had nine points, while Snyder added eight points. Caleb Casey scored six points, with Antone Robbens and Noah Friedman each adding three points.

Odutayo led CBA with 21 points in the win. Osinski had 15 points, with Matt Sgambati adding nine points. Wine had six points, while Kaelan Leak added three points. Matt Picard and Leonard LaVigne each had one point for the Brothers.

Usher said that, despite the loss, he is “so proud of these kids for their effort all season.”

“17 wins, a trip up here to Glens Falls. I think if you would’ve asked a lot of people in the league and the community, they might not have expected that before the season,” Usher said. “Our kids believed, they kept getting better.”

Usher said it is “always special” to earn a trip to Glens Falls, and said it was great to see for his current group of players.

“I just couldn’t be happier for this group of kids to get up here,” said Usher. “They’re a fun bunch of guys to be around. They enjoy each other, they work hard in practice. They’re a coach’s dream. They remind me why it is I like to coach.”