A balanced attack has its benefits.
Three players reached double figures in scoring to help the Shaker girls basketball team pull away for a 52-33 Suburban Council North Division victory over Saratoga Springs last Friday in Latham.
We need a balanced attack (to win), and we had that tonight, said Shaker coach Emily Caschera.
Lauren Woods led the Blue Bison (5-4 league, 6-6 overall) with 13 points, nine of which came in the first half. But, it was the second-half efforts from Erica Houle (11 points) and Adrianne Devine (10 points) that helped Shaker turn a one-point halftime lead into a 19-point victory.
Saratoga standout Staci McElroy did what she could to keep the Blue Streaks (2-5, 4-7) in the game by scoring a game-high 19 points. But when McElroy wasn’t shooting the ball, Saratoga’s offense suffered.
`Not that we were flat ` Shaker is a very good club ` but we just didn’t get a lot of good guard play,` said Saratoga coach Rich Johns.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point. Shaker went on a 12-2 run, spurred on by a strong defensive effort against McElroy, to build a 34-25 lead. Saratoga didn’t challenge the rest of the game.
`McElroy’s a fantastic player, and we held her to two points in the third quarter. That really helped us a lot,` said Caschera.
`We rebounded well in the first half, which allowed us to get some second-chance shots,` said Johns. `The second half, we couldn’t shoot, and we couldn’t rebound.`
Saratoga’s defense gave Shaker trouble, especially in the first half. But once the Blue Bison figured out how to beat Saratoga’s full-court press, that opened up Shaker’s offense.
`We turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, and that was too much,` said Caschera. `We took better care of the ball in the second half.`
The victory kept Shaker within a half-game of second-place Niskayuna in the North Division standings ` no small feat for a team that has struggled to win league games in recent years.
`We’re taking it one game at a time,` said Caschera, who is in her first year at Shaker. `We are 5-4 right now, but we have tough games ahead.`
Meanwhile, Saratoga is searching for the balance that Shaker has.
`We’re looking for everyone to find their roles, and I think they are finding them,` said Johns. `Some will score, and some will handle the ball.`
Saratoga’s struggles continued last Saturday with a 47-36 loss to Averill Park. The Warriors jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter and kept the defensive pressure up through the next two periods. The Blue Streaks offense didn’t get going until the fourth quarter when they scored 20 of their 36 points.
McElroy did what she could to help Saratoga with a 16-point performance, but no other Blue Streak scored more than five points. Meanwhile, Averill Park used a balanced attack, led by Lauren Nunziato’s 12 points.
In other weekend girls basket-ball action, Shenendehowa remained undefeated in the Suburban Council with a 41-18 victory over Ballston Spa, while Niskayuna handed Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake a 51-47 loss.
Shen’s defense dominated Ballston Spa. The Plainsmen (8-0, 10-2) held the Scotties scoreless in the second quarter as they built a 23-7 halftime lead. Ballston Spa (1-8, 2-10) managed only 11 points after that.
Allie Setter scored nine points, while Roz Alexander and Marissa Ray each added eight points for Shen. Marissa Traver’s eight points paced Ballston Spa.
In Burnt Hills, the Spartans (0-7, 1-10) led 38-32 entering the fourth quarter, but Niskayuna (5-3, 8-3) outscored BH-BL 19-9 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
Lindsay Mayo scored 12 points to lead the Silver Warriors, who made 21 of their 24 foul shots. Lisa Rufer and Ashley McCaughan each contributed 11 points, with nine of McCaughan’s points coming from the free throw line.
Jenna Juron netted 19 points, and Georgina Farrow added 15 points for BH-BL.
In the Western Athletic Con-ference, Saratoga Central Catholic used a 17-5 fourth quarter to pull away for a 42-32 victory over Fort Plain.
The Hilltoppers (3-4, 4-7) out-scored the Saints (2-3, 3-8) 14-5 in the third quarter to take a two-point lead before Saratoga Catholic bounced back.
Kate Mensler scored 20 points to lead the Saints, who had a 20-13 halftime lead. Heather Voght netted 13 points, and Kelsey Logan added 10 points for Fort Plain.“