Schmidt makes most of second chance
Player sinks FTs shortly after miss for winning points
With 16 seconds left in Saturday’s Class B boys’ basketball sectional championship game, Alex Schmidt missed a foul shot that could have ended the Riders’ special season. However, eight seconds later, with his team behind by one point, he got another chance, hitting both free throws to give Ichabod Crane a 51-50 victory over Catholic Central at Cool Insuring Arena.
“When he missed that foul shot, he was really angry with himself. We settled him down and when he got another chance, I knew he’d make them,” Ichabod Crane coach Will Ferguson said.
The championship was Ichabod Crane’s first sectional boys’ basketball title in 59 years. The Riders will next face Canton (22-2) of Section X in the regional semifinals at Saratoga Springs High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of that game will play the Section VII champion (Plattsburgh or Northeastern Clinton) at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh on Saturday for a spot in the Class B state semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena the following weekend.
While it was Schmidt who connected on the free throws to clinch the victory, it was Class B Most Valuable Player Brett Richards who carried most of the load for Ichabod Crane, scoring 27 points, including nine in the fourth period.
For Richards, who scored his 1,000th career point during the Saturday win, it was satisfying beating Catholic Central. “The first time we played we lost to them by 24 but we were missing two starters,” he said.
He admitted looking toward scoring 1,000 points, but he had some doubts he could reach it. “I had COVID earlier this year and didn’t think I’d get it. But when we kept winning in the sectionals, I thought I could,” Richards said.
Ferguson was hardly surprised by Richards’ performance. “He has something like 17 doubledoubles in 18 games. He’s been our go-to guy and deserves a lot credit,” he said.
Ichabod Crane totally dominated the boards, rolling up a 39-17 advantage in rebounds. Catholic
Central stayed in the game largely due to its longrange shooting, as the Crusaders hit 11 3-point shots, including six by Nick Riley.
Catholic Central, which had upset Tamarac, the No. 1-ranked Class B team in the state, was led by Riley, who scored 18 points, all on 3-point shots. Darien Moore added 13 for the Crusaders.