Eagles stay undefeated
Both get season highs in points to spark Bethlehem in battle of unbeaten teams
Bethlehem, ranked No. 12 in the state, raised its record to 13-0 with a 75-65 Suburban Council victory over Saratoga on Tuesday.
There was no evidence Tuesday night of a slow start that has often forced the Saratoga Springs boys’ basketball team to rally to win games this season. In fact, the Blue Streaks performed extremely well during the first 16 minutes against Bethlehem.
The second half, however, was not as kind as other games have been. Bethlehem senior guard Pat Ryan and junior reserve forward Eric Signor saw to that.
Ryan, the fifth scoring option in Bethlehem’s all-senior starting five, delivered a game-high 20 points and Signor filled in nicely for senior forward Erik Salo, who has saddled with foul trouble, and contributed 12 points to help propel the Eagles to a 75-65 victory over Saratoga in a Suburban Council Blue Division showdown of Class A A stateranked squads.
“This win feels great,” said Signor, who also added five rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. “The most important game for us is Friday (at Columbia).”
The Eagles, ranked No. 12 in the state, boosted their record to 13-0 overall and 9-0 in the league.
Ryan, who entered the game without a single double-digit scoring game and with only one 3-pointer to his credit, drained six 3-pointers Tuesday as the Eagles buried 11 shots from beyond the arc during the first three quarters.
“I have been trying to find my shot. My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in good positions to shoot,” Ryan said.
“Every night, someone has to step up. Tonight was my night.”
Signor, who also had not registered a double-digit scoring game prior to Tuesday, hit four shots in the first half and delivered a three-point play in the fourth quarter that staked the Eagles to a 67-61 advantage.
“They have been working hard in practice, but I told them they weren’t showing up on the scouting report because they weren’t taking shots,” Bethlehem coach A.G. Irons said of Ryan and Signor. “Our guys are unselfish. Sometimes, maybe too much. This game truly was a total team effort.”
Bethlehem needed everyone that took the court to excel Tuesday. Saratoga (11-1, 8-1) connected on 13 of 22 shots (59.1 percent) in the first half and did a strong job defensively on everyone not named Ryan or Signor.
“Credit to Bethlehem’s role players. They hit some really big shots,” Saratoga coach Matt Usher said. “We came into the game looking to limit the shots from their top guys. We did that.”
The first half featured eight lead changes and seven ties. The Eagles grabbed the lead at intermission when Michael Ortale passed the ball to the corner to Jake Laclair, who drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 37-34 lead.
The Blue Streaks never gained the lead in the second half as Ryan, on assists from Laclair and Ortale, knocked down his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the evening.
The Eagles later used a 14-4 surge capped by Ryan’s final 3-pointer and a drive and conversion
from Laclair (15 points, eight rebounds, five assists) to build a 60-45 advantage.
“We changed some things up on defense,” Ryan said. “We have great trust in everything coach (Irons) says.”
The Blue Streaks refused to fold and, behind solid post work from Will Fox (18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) and Nate Chudy (13 points, eight rebounds), rallied within 64-61 with 4:15 left.
Signor, however, responded with a huge play by grabbing a miss from teammate Justin Barnes and scoring as he was fouled. The 6-foot-2 junior added the foul shot to increase the lead to six points.
“It was important for us to win this game,” Signor said. “All of our attention goes now to the next one.”