Shen boys hoops falls to Liverpool in AA regional
TROY, N.Y. » The Shenendehowa boys basketball team ventured into the unexpected Saturday night, they weren’t supposed to be there, they were supposed to be spectators, not combatants at Hudson Valley Community College and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA regional.
A team without a Suburban Council all-star last year, a slew of new talent up from the JV ranks, a team that just broke into the New York State Sportswriters rankings less than a week ago, facing the No. 2 team in New York State, unbeaten Liverpool and vying for a chance to return to the New York State Final Four.
The Plainsmen didn’t disappoint, running and running and running with the Warriors for a full 32 minutes before the ghosts of offenses past crept back into Shenendehowa’s game, another sub-double digit quarter and ending its season 69-59.
“The score was where we wanted it to be,” Shenendehowa coach Tony Dzikas said. “A big difference in the game I think was a foul line you know, they scored 18, I think we had six, a 12 point difference.”
The Plainsmen were not intimidated by top-ranked Liverpool, matched their ball intensity swinging the ball around their zone early on and trading early turnover opportunities and entering halftime with a slim, but confident 34-32 lead.
“That’s a team that has a lot of talent loaded with talent,” Dzikas said. “We made them make adjustments. They got out of their zone played us man which they did a really a job with. We kind of struggled against their man. But like I said, terrific season, very proud of the boys and they battled right up until the end.”
The 34 point half was a watershed moment as the Plainsmen captured the Section II title with a 43-40 win over Colonie a week ago and suffered two quarters scoring less than 10 points.
“We had their attention in the first half,” Shenendehowa senior Chris Hulbert said. “Even though you guys were ahead, that you felt like we got their attention.
“I think they kind of underestimated us. At first they saw a record, they saw our state rankings and I think that they thought they had this in the bag from the start,
but then they started playing a lot harder that second half than they did that first.”
Liverpool’s ability to move the ball and their offense up and down the court had the Plainsmen on their heels during the 18-5 third quarter and forces the Section II squad to commit unnecessary fouls and put the Warriors to the line for the 18-6 final advantage.
“They usually average around eighty points a game, so we held them pretty well defensively, but it was just tough to stop what they love doing,” Hulbert said. “I think we went away from our game plan a little bit.
“We got a little flustered, but this team, we always stuck together. I mean even though it wasn’t our best third quarter and they kind of pushed away, I think that this team still like stuck together in a way that we still came going into fourth quarter and giving it or gave it our all.”
As a senior you never know when your final contest will be, but Hulbert made the most of his final appearance for the Plainsmen, finishing with a teamhigh 17 points with three three-pointers and four rebounds, only stopped by cramps in both calves late in the third and final quarter.
“Chris Hulbert is a warrior, Chris has played like that for three years on varsity,” Dzikas said. “Every game he gives it his all, every game he battles.
He came ready to play today and obviously little broken up in the locker room a knowing it’s not going to wear this jersey anymore. He’s had a great career, he should be very proud of himself.”
Hulbert was prepared for the end of his prep career at some point in March.
“I just came in with a mindset that this could be my last game and I have to give my all every single game,” Hulbert said. “I think I led this team that, that believed that type of mindset and we all just fed off each other. I just am so proud of this team the way we responded, faced adversity throughout different games and we really came together.”
Hulbert and three-year varsity player Jake Dzikas will hand off the Plainsmen to the underclassmen, including scorer Abbas Merchant who dropped in 15 points Saturday and Jake Reinish, the only other double-digit scorer for Shenendehowa with 10 who will look to build on this year’s lessons and success.
“They’re disappointed they lost, but what they’re hurt is from the cold reality that they’re no longer going to be teammates and that’s what you want from your program,” Dzikas said. “That you want kids when it’s all said and done, to be emotional, to be broken up and feel like a band of brothers that you know it’s kind of a loss for them.
“They’re going to react accordingly and we’ll get together tomorrow and talk. You know they’ll leave with some smiling faces as opposed to tears and that’s usually the process we go through.”