Mohonasen, Gloversville win
Mighty Warriors beat Averill Park; Ballston Spa falls
The climb back to even Sunday afternoon for the Averill Park boys’ basketball team proved to be a frustrating proposition. Although the Warriors raised their level of play late, Mohonasen refused to further ignite a comeback bid by missing foul shots.
Mohonasen found itself in the bonus and proceeded to drain 16 of 18 free throws during the fourth quarter to secure a 62-57 triumph in the Section II Class A quarterfinals at Hudson Valley Community College.
“We have been practicing free throws every day,” said Mohonasen senior center Chase Monroe, who converted all eight of his fourth-quarter foul shots. “Everyone just had to focus and make those shots.”
The Mighty Warriors (16-6) converted 24 of 28 foul shots against Averill Park (13-8).
“That was really big. It helped us a lot,” said Tallman, who earned the 2018 Class A Tournament Most Valuable Player award. “Everyone outside our team was not expecting this (result), but we knew what we needed to do and how to get there.”
“They made every free throw the stretch,” Averill Park coach Dave Pugliese said. “They definitely made plays and deserved to win.”
The Mighty Warriors, seeded No. 6, will next face second-seeded Gloversville (19-2) in Thursday’s semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena. The Dragons overcame a frigid shooting performance Sunday to post a 52-44 quarterfinal win against No. 10 seed Ballston Spa.
“We all wanted to get past here,” Monroe said, referring to the quarterfinal stage at HVCC. “We had a big season last year and we want to get back to that.”
Mohonasen won the Class A title in 2018 and two of the main returning elements from that squad are Tallman and Monroe. Both seniors excelled when it mattered most Sunday to help ensure the Mighty Warriors’ season continued.
“We are definitely senior-heavy,” said Tallman, who scored 12 points. “(Averill Park) managed to hold me down in the first half, but I was able to get a little hot in the third quarter and I think that boosted everyone up.”
After trailing 26-22 at halftime, Mohonasen quickly opened the third quarter with a flourish that featured a three-point play from Shawn Gillisslee (14 points, seven rebounds) and a 3-pointer by Tallman.
The biggest play of all for Mohonasen came when Tallman drained a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled. The senior guard completed the fourpoint play to make it 41-33.
“I love my group. We’ve got six seniors that helped us have a great year in the Suburban (Council),” Pugliese said. “Unfortunately, we made mistakes we don’t usually make and Mohonasen took advantage.”
Fueled by seniors Zach Price (22 points), Thomas Hacker (16 points) and Avery Pascucci, Averill Park closed to 57-55 with 58.7 seconds left.
Mohonasen turned the ball over and Hacker was fouled with 44.5 seconds remaining, but he missed on the front end of a oneand-one situation. Averill Park would get no closer.
In addition to his foulshooting prowess, the 6-foot-8 Monroe made 7 of 13 shots from the field to finish with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Gloversville advanced despite shooting 36.1 percent overall.
Ballston Spa (8-14), a squad that defeated Class AA semifinalist Christian Brothers Academy 67-61 during Suburban Council play, scored just 24 points through three quarters and shot 2-for-20 from 3-point range.