Things are getting more interesting in the Suburban Council North Division.
The Shenendehowa boys basketball team moved into a first-place tie with Saratoga Springs after the Plainsmen edged Colonie 51-47 and the Blue Streaks fell to Guilderland 71-61.
Shen (6-1 league, 10-1 overall) outscored Colonie 23-10 in the second quarter to take a 31-22 halftime lead. The Garnet Raiders (3-3, 5-5) chipped away in the second half, but they couldn’t catch the Plainsmen.
Matt Miner’s 13 points paced Shen, whiel Kyle Mafrici’s 16 points led Colonie.
Playing without leading scorer Jordan Stevens, who was out with an ankle injury, Saratoga Springs (6-1, 9-2) relied on its defense to build a 21-20 halftime lead. But Guilderland (5-1, 7-3) broke the game open by outscoring the Blue Streaks 25-8 in the third quarter.
Saratoga Springs rallied with a 32-point fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to prevent its first league loss of the season.
James Tucker scored 21 points, Zach Arpey chipped in 19 points and Alex King added 12 points for the Blue Streaks. Jon Terry netted 21 points, and Kevin Kost contributed 20 points for Guilderland.
In other Suburban Council action Tuesday, Ballston Spa picked up its first league win of the season with a 64-51 victory over Columbia, while Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake fell to South Division-leading Mohonasen 49-30.
Five Ballston Spa players reached double figures, led by Mark Seager’s 15 points. Cody Robinson contributed 14 points, while Shane LaChance and Ryan Sparks each chipped in 12 points for the Scotties (1-6, 4-7). Dominick Denofio added 10 points.
BH-BL (3-3, 4-4) couldn’t get its offense going against Mohonasen’s defense. The Spartans managed 19 points through the first three quarters before scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Michael Pelletier scored 10 points to lead BH-BL, while Jordan Macejka recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds for Mohonasen.
Saratoga Springs had one-game lead over Shen for first place by escaping Ballston Spa with a 40-38 victory last Friday, while Shen took care of Niskayuna 58-38 in Clifton Park.
Ballston Spa led 14-9 after the first eight minutes, but Saratoga Springs got its defense in gear over the next three periods. The Blue Streaks limited the Scotties to 24 points over the final 24 minutes.
Stevens left the game with three points after spraining his ankle in the first quarter, but the Scotties couldn’t contain Arpey, who finished with 13 points.
Robinson and Seager each scored 14 points for Ballston Spa.
Shen had a dominating performance against Niskayuna. The Plainsmen jumped out to a 17-9 lead in the first quarter and sealed the victory with a 16-8 run in the fourth quarter.
Doug Milvaney scored 13 points to lead Shen.
In other Suburban Council action last Friday, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake rallied from a five-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Shaker 54-52 in overtime.
Paul Layton scored 11 points, and Hayden Skalkski added 10 points for BH-BL (3-2, 4-3).`