After suffering its second Suburban Council loss of the season, the Saratoga boys basketball team rebounded with a 70-67 victory at Columbia Tuesday.
The Blue Streaks (10-2 league, 12-4 overall) built a 37-25 halftime lead, only to see most of that erode as Columbia went on a 17-10 third quarter run. Some clutch free throws late helped Saratoga pull out the win.
Garrett Bishop scored 18 points, Jordan Stevens contributed 16 points and Vonzel Legall added 13 points for the Blue Streaks, who maintained a two-game lead over Shenendehowa in the Blue Division standings.
Saratoga’s victory at Columbia came on the heels of a 55-45 loss to Blue Division rival Colonie last Friday. Stevens was the lone Blue Streak to reach double figures against the Garnet Raiders, as he finished with 11 points.
The loss to Colonie didn’t prove costly to Saratoga, as Shen knocked off Shaker 63-52 Friday to end the Blue Bison’s six-game winning streak and prevent them from gaining a game on the Blue Streaks. Todd Degnan had 19 points, Mike Hammond chipped in 17 points and Michael Schauffert added 12 points to lead the Plainsmen (8-4, 11-5).
Shen moved into sole posses-sion of second place Tuesday after edging Guilderland 49-46, while Bethlehem upset Shaker 52-48.
Degnan had another big game for the Plainsmen against Guilderland. The guard nailed three shots from behind the three-point arc on his way to a 17-point night. Schauffert added 15 points for Shen.
Shen and Saratoga meet Friday to determine the Blue Division title. A Saratoga victory clinches first place, while a Shen win pulls the Plainsmen within a game of first place with one game left.
In other Suburban Council action Tuesday, Colonie defeated Ballston Spa 52-42, while Mohonasen knocked off Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 55-41.
Ballston Spa (0-12, 1-15) rallied from a 10-point deficit to take a 22-21 halftime lead on Colonie, but the Garnet Raiders (7-5, 10-6) went on a 17-6 run in the third quarter to regain control.
Tashaun Newsome led Colonie with 32 points, and Herb Tedford contributed 10 points. Dom Monaco and Mike Gibson each scored 16 points for Ballston Spa.
Mohonasen (7-5, 10-6) had lit-tle trouble with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (3-8, 5-10) in its White Division game. The Mighty Warriors built a 31-19 halftime lead and never looked back in earning their third win in their last four league games.
Pat Barnes had 21 points, and Cameron Couball contributed 18 points for Mohonasen, which remains tied with Averill Park for the White Division lead. Paul Layton’s 17 points paced Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
The Spartans return to action Thursday when they visit Bethlehem in a make-up game from last month. They then travel to Niskayuna Friday, while Ballston Spa makes the trip to Bethlehem.
In the Western Athletic Conference, Saratoga Central Catholic’s undefeated run ended with a 57-43 loss to Fonda-Fultonville Tuesday. The Saints (10-1, 13-4) trimmed a nine-point halftime deficit to two points in the third quarter, but the Braves (9-2, 10-6) scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Zack Carlson had 14 points, and Pat O’Rourke added 13 points for Saratoga Catholic.
Plainswomen pull out win
In girls basketball action Tuesday, Shen needed a late three-pointer from Lindsey Paulsen to defeat Guilderland 51-47.
The Plainswomen (12-0, 14-1) trailed for much of the game until Paulsen sank her three-pointer with 13 seconds left. She added two free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
Paulsen finished with nine points, while Barb Shea made seven of her 10 free throws on her way to a 10-point night for Shen. Kristin Pezze’s 18 points led Guilderland (9-3, 12-4), which had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
Elsewhere in the Suburban Council, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake knocked off Mohonasen 46-40, while Columbia defeated Saratoga 55-46.
Georgina Farrow scored 17 points, and Katie Simpson added 15 points to lead Burnt Hills-Ball-ston Lake (3-9, 6-10), which swept the season series from Mohonasen (0-12, 2-14). Nicole Adach had 17 points for Mohonasen.
Saratoga (3-9, 4-9) had a promising start against Columbia, taking a 12-11 lead after the first quarter. But the Blue Devils (9-3, 12-4) outscored the Blue Streaks 25-12 over the next two quarters to take control.
Kim Shorb netted 20 points, and Tina Seahorn added 10 points for Saratoga, which hosts Shen Friday. Kaleigh Lussier had 17 points for Columbia.
Ballston Spa couldn’t get its of-fense going early on in a 52-24 loss to Colonie Tuesday. The Scotties (5-7. 7-9) were held scoreless through the first quarter and never scored more than nine points in the other three quarters.`