Cadets face a tall order
Albany Academy, after a nearly 5-week hiatus, to oppose Tappan Zee
ALBANY — Playing a game for the first time during March since 2019 is not the fault of the current roster for the Albany Academy boys’ basketball team or that of its previous squads as the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 Federation Tournament of Champions. Last year, scheduling conflicts prevented the event from returning.
Saturday, the 12th-ranked Cadets (14-6) will play their first game in nearly five weeks when they face New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A champion Tappan Zee (26-2) in semifinal action at Guilderland High School. Game time is 11 a.m.
From 2013-19, Albany Academy competed in six Federation title games and claimed championships in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The Cadets, who last played on Feb. 18, look to maintain their run of success in the event against the third-ranked Flying Dutchmen.
“It is a long layoff,” Albany Academy first-year coach Jim Driggs said. “We’ve had good practices, but this is new for everybody. I think they understand the tradition here.
This is our Super Bowl and the culmination of our season. The scrimmage was good for us to tighten some things up. It is difficult to have four weeks off.”
Tappan Zee is a squad enjoying a major run of success as well. Under the tutelage of coach George Gaine, the Flying Dutchmen have gone 266-46 since 2010. This season’s squad, one that does not feature a starter over 6-foot and is predominately playing only five players, has been a defensive juggernaut during postseason play. Tappan Zee held Somers to 15 points in winning the Section I title and has limited its past five opponents to an average of 35.8 points per
game.
The trio of senior Sean Berrigan (20 points), senior Jack Maloney (18 points) and sophomore Tommy Linehan (11 points) produced all of their team’s points in the state final against Irondequoit. The Flying Dutchmen turned a halftime deficit into a victory by limiting the Eagles for 4-for-22 accuracy after intermission in posting a 49-36 triumph.
“We were hoping to be competitive early on this year and fight for a league title. All of a sudden, we won a section title and one thing happened after the other,” Gaine said after the state title win. “Our defense (against Irondequoit) I think was absurd.”
“They are not big, but they are tough. They really defend,” Driggs said. “They are wellcoached. They’ve had a lot of success with coach Gaine and have gone 26-2. They aren’t big, but so was FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University) and they beat Purdue. We have to utilize our presence down low and play inside out.
“I think they’ve had so much success because they’ve made teams adjust to them, especially on the defensive end. They are very good defensively and play games in the 40s and 50s. We have to speed them up and shoot it well.”
“They are a great team and play well together,” Albany Academy senior point guard Gianni Dicerbo said. “They are under 6-foot, so we are going to utilize our bigs like Cyrus (Matia). We are a great team too. It is going to be a dog fight.”
Driggs will be counting on seniors such as Dicerbo and leading scorer Bobby Chandler to help a trio of ninth-grade standouts in Matia (11.6 points per game), Jack Louridas (9.6 ppg) and Ras Elijah Godbolt (8.4 ppg) to navigate their first playoff experience together.
“We have a great group of seniors. Even though they have not experienced this before, they are great kids and great leaders,” Driggs said. “They have represented the school well and I am really proud of
them. I think it is a great experience for the freshmen, sophomores and juniors that play considerable minutes to take this experience and learn what the past teams have done and use it and make sure we’re in this spot every year moving forward.”
“I know when I was a freshman, I would not have been able to do the things they have done,” Chandler said. “In games where we needed them, they have stepped up.”
“It is awesome for the young guys. It is going to boost and raise their maturity,” Dicerbo said. “These young guys are so talented. I’ve had a lot of fun trying to lead them.”