Plainsmen pressure past Blue Bison

TROY, N.Y. » Playoff basketball. You have to learn to pace yourself. Pressure. Echoing the lyrics of the Billy Joel song, it was all about pacing and adjustments and responding to pressure in a down to the wire battle between the Shenendehowa Plainsmen and Shaker Blue Bison.

After a 6-0 run out staked the Plainsmen to a 14-10 first quarter advantage, the Blue Bison found their bearings and swung the momentum.

“Shaker’s a good team, credit to Shaker, they came ready to play.” Plainsmen head coach Tony Dzikas said. “Shen-Shaker, that’s always a physical game, they did a super job.”

Sharp shooting by the likes of Jake Cook, Devin Mahoney and Connor McHugh, sent the Blue Bison on a 10-0 run and a locker room lead of 23-19.

“Our rotations were pretty sloppy in the first half which allowed them to get easy buckets.” Christopher Hulbert said.

At the 3:55 mark of the third quarter, Shaker’s Anthony Jean Pierre drilled what felt like a dagger three pointer, placing the Plainsmen in a 33-23 hole, prompting coach Dzikas to call a timeout.

It proved to be a wise and timely stoppage, as the Plainsmen regained their focus and intensity.

“The second half we really turned that around, everyone rotated well, we trapped in the right places and it just all worked out for us,” Hulbert said.

The Shenendehowa defensive pressure led to a 13-4 run, capped off by a lay in by Abbas Merchant, which pulled the Plainsmen within one point at 37-36 to end the third quarter.

Yet, Shaker would stabilize and start the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, grabbing a 46-38 advantage with 4:59 to play.

You’ve only had to run so far. So good.

That’s when the composed Plainsmen regrouped and closed out the game with an 11-0 run of their own.

“They kind of panicked and we took advantage of that,” Hulbert said.

A huge three by Hulbert, gave Shenendehowa a 48-46 lead with 2:13 to go and they never looked back.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” coach Dzikas said. “Abbas hit Chris for the three, that was huge. [TJ] Sangare’s free throws were gigantic. We had some big, big plays at the end that guys stepped up, I’m really proud of them.”

The Plainsmen picked up their game and held on for a 51-46 win. No pressure.