The Guilderland boys basketball team took another step toward an undefeated Suburban Council season with a 67-52 victory over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Friday.
The Dutchmen (11-0 league, 13-2 overall) scored 16 of the first 20 points of the game and never looked back in solidifying their hold on first place in the Gold Division with three games left before the Suburban Council Tournament.
I thought we started out quickly, and that was good to get them down, said Guilderland coach Ron Osinski. `They had a good run in the third quarter and got (the lead) down to five (points), but we weathered the storm and came back to push it up to around 20.`
`I thought we played well at times and did some good things,` said BH-BL coach Bill Martin. `We just didn’t do enough of them.`
The Spartans (5-6, 7-8) contained Guilderland’s leading scorer, Brett Marfurt, especially in the second half. The Colgate-bound senior finished with 15 points, but only managed three in the final 16 minutes thanks to the defensive efforts of David Fischer, who blocked three of Marfurt’s shots.
`I thought ‘Fish’ did a pretty good job of controlling Marfurt,` said Martin. `You don’t stop him ` you control him.`
Senior guard Andrew Smith picked up the Dutchmen with a 21-point night, his best performance of the season.
`Whenever he’s healthy, he goes at it,` Osinski said of Smith. `I think this is one of the better games he’s played this year ` not that he’s played poorly, but on both ends of the court he did a nice job.`
Kevin Kost jump started Guilderland’s offense with two quick baskets as part of an opening 6-0 run. The junior guard later hit a three-pointer to put the Dutchmen ahead 16-4 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
BH-BL made a charge and cut the deficit to five points in the closing second of the first quarter, but Smith drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Guilderland a 20-12 lead. That sparked another Dutchmen run early in the second quarter before the Spartans cut the deficit to five points again. This time, Kost drained a clutch three-pointer, and Marfurt hit a fast break layup off a Smith steal to give Guilderland a 37-25 halftime lead.
`I thought the last minute of the first half hurt us,` said Martin. `We were down six and got a little anxious, and they ended up scoring six more (to end the half).`
Guilderland put the game away in the third quarter with one sequence. John DellaPia was called for an intentional foul on Smith, and Smith responded by making both of his free throws. On the next play, Marfurt took the inbounds pass and hit a shot in the paint to give the Dutchmen a 47-35 advantage. The sequence sparked an 8-0 Guilderland run that put the Dutchmen up by 16 points.
`We were on the move, and then we got that flagrant foul called,` said Martin. `I think that was the turning point of the game.`
Kost contributed 13 points, and Jonathan Terry added eight points for Guilderland, which played Shenendehowa Tuesday. Paul Layton had 14 points, and Jaret Falkowitz chipped in 11 points for BH-BL.
`As much as I hate to admit it, I think the best team won tonight,` said Martin. `They played for 32 minutes, and we played good basketball for 18 to 20 minutes.`
Following Tuesday’s game against Shen, Guilderland concludes the regular season with games against Columbia Friday and Bethlehem next Tuesday.
`We’ve got Shen next, and we’re going to prepare for them,` said Osinski. `That’s what we’ve done all year ` prepare for the team that’s next. That’s all we’ve been worried about. We’re trying to finish out the schedule and win our league.“
