No one is handing the Guilderland boys basketball team the Suburban Council Gold Division title yet, but the Dutchmen made it known last week that they are the team to beat.
After fending off Colonie 57-52 last Tuesday, Guilderland (4-0 league, 5-1 overall) knocked off Columbia 83-54 Friday to remain one of two undefeated Suburban Council teams.
I was really pleased, said Guilderland coach Ron Osinski. `It’s one of our division games, and Columbia always plays hard all the way through.`
A fast start helped the Dutchmen put the game out of Columbia’s reach. Guilderland built a 28-13 lead in the first quarter and stopped a mini Columbia run in the second quarter to extend its advantage to 20 points at halftime.
`We had a good start,` said Osinski. `We got them behind, and they had to catch up. They almost caught up, so I called a timeout and told my guys that they had to start stepping out and contesting their three pointers. After the timeout, we contested their shots, and that ended that run.`
While Columbia limited Guilderland’s usual leading scorer Brett Marfurt to 14 points, the Blue Devils could do nothing to stop Jon Terry in the low post. Terry hit 10 shots, most of which were near the basket, and made four of his five foul shots to finish with a season-high 24 points.
`Jon’s a tough kid around the basket,` said Osinski. `He has some good moves around the basket, and he makes things happen. He plays bigger than his 6-foot, 2-inch height.`
Seven more Dutchmen besides Terry and Marfurt had four or more points, led by Kevin Kost’s 13-point performance. By contrast, Columbia (0-4, 1-5) had only seven players total reach the four-point plateau, led by Barry King’s 10 points.
Osinski said he liked his team’s intensity on the court, even if it was hard for him to gauge his players’ attitudes during warm-ups.
`I was concerned a little bit because I thought we came out a little loose,` said Osinski. `But each team has its own personality, and I’m still learning this one’s personality. We may have been a little loose, but once they stepped on the court, they were ready to go.`
Guilderland was certainly ready for Colonie last Tuesday. The Dutchmen built a 30-19 halftime lead and fended off several Garnet Raider runs in the second half to pull out a 57-52 victory.
`All the preseason (predictions) you heard was about how Colonie and Guilderland were the teams to beat in the Suburban Council,` said Osinski. `I’m not sure about that because there’s some other good teams out there like Shenendehowa and Bethlehem, but I think it was a good win for us because it’s the only time we play (Colonie).`
Marfurt scored 18 points, and Terry contributed 14 points for the Dutchmen. Tashan Newsome led Colonie (3-1, 5-1) with 18 points.
Guilderland had one Suburban Council game left before the Christmas break ` a Tuesday showdown with Niskayuna. The Dutchmen are then off until Dec. 27 when they play Big 10 power Christian Brothers Academy in the first round of the Columbia Tournament in East Greenbush.
`Whether we win or lose that game, it makes us a better team,` said Osinski, whose team’s only loss came against defending Section II, Class AA champion Bishop Maginn last month. `Losing to Maginn made us a better team.“
