Wildcats hold off Raiders

MAPLE HILL 51, MECHANICVILLE 45 >> Every time Maple Hill needed a bucket or a stop, Garrett Axtmann seemed to be involved in the play.

The Wildcats senior set the tone for the second half with a 3-pointer that somehow found the net for the first points of the third quarter and clinched the game with a steal and layup for his team-high 13th point. It was his team’s final points in Maple Hill’s 51-45 victory over Mechanicville.

“Garrett is the heart and soul of the soccer team, he’s the heart and soul of this team,” Maple Hill coach Scott Hanrahan said. “He shoots a terrible 3 and it goes in. He manages to come up with a big play.”

The win advances the No. 14 seed to the Section II Class C semifinals against No. 2 Stillwater scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

There were times when it looked like Maple Hill was going to turn the contest into a blowout.

A 6-0 run to open the second half, a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter and multiple points in the fourth looked like the death blow for Mechanicville’s season.

The Raiders found ways to get back into the game time and time again. A 7-0 run to end the third quarter, capped by two Keegan McHale free throws, made it 31-28. After trading baskets to start the fourth, substitute Peter Enzien made a 3-pointer on his first field goal attempt to pull the Red Raiders to within 3533. Freshman point guard Kendrick McCann even had a shot to tie the game next time down the court.

The shot was of target, however, and Maple Hill’s Austin Decker made a 3-pointer at the other end to extend the lead.

Decker, Axtmann and Ethan Samarija took turns making big shots down the stretch to keep Mechanicville at bay.

Decker finished with 11 points while Samarija and Nate Mannion contributed nine apiece for Maple Hill.

Zach Hansen led the Raiders with 11 points, McHale added eight while Reggie McCann and Enzien contributed six apiece.

Mechanicville turned the ball over 15 times in the first half and went 8-for-21 from the free throw line. Effort and defense helped coach Rian Richardson’s squad keep things close time and time again.

“It wasn’t our day but we still had a shot,” Richardson said. “We finally turned the corner about five weeks ago and started playing the way we’re expected to play. The heart was there. The determination was there. The results weren’t.”