There is no Section II school that can claim what Schenectady Christian can claim.
Both the boys and girls basketball teams at the Scotia-based private school are undefeated as they enter the month of February.
I don’t remember both of us being undefeated this late in the year, said SCS boys coach Chad Bowman.
`It’s great. We’re having a lot of fun,` said girls coach Paul Brosious. `It’s great for the kids.`
Success is nothing new to either team. The boys team (10-0 league, 15-0 overall) is the reigning class C Sectional champion, while the girls team (11-0, 16-0) won a Section II title in 2006 and reached the finals last year. But to be undefeated at the same time is something neither coach expected.
`It’s a great league,` said Brosious. `The Western Athletic Southern Division (where SCS plays) has produced four of the last five Sectional champions (in class C), so they know they have to prepare for each opponent.`
`We just try to have the same approach we had last year, which is to improve with every game,` said Bowman.
Both teams feature dynamic low post players. Senior forward Jake Bowman is one of the top five scorers among all Section II boys basketball players with a 23.4 points per game average, while senior forward Sarah Child is third among all girls basketball players with a 19.5 points per game average.
But both coaches are quick to acknowledge the roles the other starters play in helping Bowman and Child do what they do.
`Last year at Sectionals is when (Jake) emerged into that scorer’s role, and he’s continued that into this season,` coach Bowman said of his son. `But we feel we have players who can step up around Jake as well.`
`(Child is) stronger, and her shooting percentage is much better than last year,` said Brosious. `But the real key that allows her to do what she does is all the other players. We have several players who can shoot three pointers well, so other teams have to respect that. That frees Sarah up to do what she does because other teams can’t double- or triple-team her.`
Jake Bowman’s supporting cast includes senior Bryan Bishop ` one of the top three-point shooters in Section II ` and Macedonian exchange student Petar Serafimovski, who has adjusted to the American high school game well.
`Petar has been a very nice addition and is a really nice kid,` said coach Bowman. `Bryan has spent a lot of time working on other aspects of his game but first and foremost he is a shooter.`
The supporting cast surrounding Childs on the girls team is younger, but that doesn’t mean there’s less experience. Junior guard Ashlyn Slater, sophomore guard Heidi Frazier, senior forward Amanda Brush and junior guard Bethany Goodrich were all starters last year and have been varsity players for several years.
`These kids have been very successful for a long time now, and they’re extremely confident,` said Brosious.
Both teams face strong challenges as they enter the home stretch of the regular season. The girls team travels to Berne Friday night to face Berne-Knox-Westerlo, which sits one-half game behind the Falcons for first place in the WAC Southern Division. Then on Saturday, B-K-W’s boys team visits SCS at its current `home` gym, Scotia-Glenville High School.
`I think all of their starters have scored 18 or more points in a game this season,` Bowman said of B-K-W, which enters Saturday’s game with an 8-1 league record and a 11-4 overall mark. `When you play a team like that, you’d better be prepared to defend.`
Following this weekend’s games, both SCS teams have one league game left before playing in the WAC Tournament. Then, there’s the matter of pursuing Sectional titles ` something both teams have won in the past, but not in the same year.
`That would be great for the school,` Brosious said of the possibility of both teams winning Sectionals. `That’s going to be tough to do.“