IT’S PLAYOFF TIME
An inside look at the boy’s and girl’s Suburban Council semifinal matchups on Wednesday
CLIFTON PARK, NY » They may not actually by sectional games, but it sure didn’t feel that way on Monday night during the Suburban Council quarterfinal matchups. The field is now set for the boy’s and girl’s semifinal games, which will take place on Wednesday evening.
On the boy’s side of the bracket Shenendehowa defeated Colonie in their quarterfinal by a score of 67-52. Niskayuna came from behind to defeat CBA, 47-45. Shen and Niskayuna will meet in the semifinals.
Saratoga defeated Bethlehem 49-44, in a game where the Eagles came within two points of tying it up in the final minute. Troy had to most comfortable win of the day, defeated Schenectady 73-39. Saratoga and Troy will face off in their semifinal match.
On the girl’s side, Shenendehowa defeated Bethlehem 6433 and Albany defeated Niskayuna 58-43. Shen and Albany will see each other for the third time on Wednesday night.
The Saratoga girl’s came from behind to defeat Guilderland 51-49. Averill Park com
pleted a 10-point comeback of their own, to defeat Shaker 57-46.
All of the games are available to stream through the home team’s viewing channels.
BOY’S SUBURBAN COUNCIL SEMIFINALS
4) Niskayuna at 1) Shenendwhowa
It’s no secret that Shen (12-0) is a good team and part of their story is just how good they’ve been. The Plainsmen have not lost a game to a Section 2 opponent dating back to the 2018-2019 season. Specifically, February 26, 2019 in the sectional semifinals against Saratoga. They finished the 2021 regular season with 29 consecutive regular season wins against Section 2 opposition.
They are a team with eight seniors, who have all grown in a program that is used to playing big games and had their chance at a state title taken from them last year. If Shen plays the kind of ‘Shen basketball’ that Coach Dzikas demands, they are not going to be beaten, no matter who their opponent is.
Needless to say, Niskayuna (10-4), who has put together a solid season of their own, has their work cut out for them. During their regular season matchup this season, Shen won 55-43.
Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
3) Troy at 2) Saratoga Saratoga (12-1) and Troy (11-2) will be the matchup of the day on the boy’s side. During the 2021 regular season, Saratoga proved they were the clear-cut #2 seed to Shen. Their toughest win of the season though came against Troy, as they escaped 61-60 on February 27.
“They’re going to pressure the ball and play tough, man defense,” said Saratoga coach Matt Usher. “They have a bunch of guys who can hurt you off the dribble. We’re going to have to do a good job taking care of the basketball and being strong on both ends. It’ll be a war for 32 minutes and I don’t expect it to be any different than last time, in terms of coming down to the wire, one was or the other.”
Luke Britton scored 27 for the Blue Streaks on Monday night, but Saratoga will need increased offensive production from players like Chris Dufort or Kaleb Lewis if they’re going to get past Troy again. Josh Rodriguez led the Flying Horses on Monday with 20 points and was a threat from two, from three and from the foul line.
“We know that we’re going to have a battle with Troy on Wednesday night,” Usher said, whose team will host the game at 6:15 p.m.
GIRL’S SUBURBAN COUNCIL SEMIFINALS
4) Albany at 1) Shenendehowa While the Shen (12-0) girl’s team doesn’t have the same streak going as the boys do, their season has been filled with some records of their own. Specifically for Meghan Huerter, who became the schools all-time leader in threepoint field goals and joined the 1,000-point club.
When they see Albany in the Suburban Council semifinals, it will be their third matchup of the season. In their first, Albany came close to being their first loss of the season. Shen made the comeback and then came out with vengeance during their second matchup, looking to prove their dominance.
If Albany (7-2) proved anything though, it’s not to county them out. They will head to Shen to tip-off at 6:15 p.m.
“We’re just happy to be playing and the fact that we get to have a tournament when we didn’t think we’d be able to, we’re just going to make the most of every game and play as hard as we can,” Jillian Huerter said.
Shen had a bit of an unusual quarterfinal game, with their normal leading scorers allowing some of the younger players to take the reigns. Sophomore Kaleigh Montanez hit four threes and scored 14 points. Bri Carey, a junior, also scored 14 points, hitting three from beyond the arc.
3) Saratoga at 2) Averill Park
Saratoga (8-3) and Averill Park (11-2) will be the matchup of the day on the girl’s side. It’s an unusual playoff game to begin with, as it’s a faceoff against last year’s Section 2 AA runnerup and the seven-straight Class A champions.
To make things more interesting, Averill Park upset Saratoga 44-41 on February 20 as they put together a season strong enough to earn the #2 seed. If the chaotic ending to their previous game is any indication, it will surely be a good one. It is set to start at 6:15 p.m.
Averill Park scoring is led by Anna Jankovic and Amelia Wood, though they are able to get contributions up and down their roster with has led to their continued success.
“I think that knowing if you lose a game you’re out, it might give us more energy. Right now we’re playing well and I think we’re doing everything we can to succeed,” Jankovic said. “Whether it’s a regular season game or tournament, we’re going to do our best no matter what.”
For the Blue Streaks, sophomore Natasha Chudy has been one of the most consistent scorers across the Suburban Council this season. She is averaging 27.4 points per game and is shooting 80.6% (54-67) from the line. The wild card for Saratoga could be freshman Carly Wise, who along with Lauren Patnode, make the Blue Streaks an incredibly big and young group. If senior Abby Ray has anything to say about it, she’ll want her Blue Streaks to get another shot at Shen in a championship game.