The Saratoga Springs boys basketball team is happy to have Jordan Stevens back, even if the senior forward isn’t all the way back.
Playing on an injured ankle, Stevens scored 15 points to help the Blue Streaks escape Niskayuna with a 60-57 Suburban Council North Division victory last Friday.
It’s good to have him back, said Saratoga coach Mitch Snyder. `We struggled offensively in a couple of games while we were without him.`
The Blue Streaks (7-3 league, 10-4 overall) led most of the way, but Niskayuna (3-8, 4-11) was never too far behind. The Silver Warriors cut into Saratoga’s lead several times in the second half behind the hot shooting of Dan Peters and Kyle Bayly. Peters scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the third quarter, and Bayly drained a pair of three-pointers to keep Niskayuna within striking distance.
`I thought we played well defensively, but we ran into another team who shot the lights out,` said Snyder.
Saratoga received key contri-butions from several players late in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win. Zach Arpey hit a clutch three-pointer to put the Blue Streaks ahead by four points, and Liam Stegman and Brian Doherty added free throws in the final minute.
`We had a lot of guys step up tonight,` said Snyder. `Everybody knows about Jordan (Stevens), but we have some other guys who can step up in their roles.`
Still, Saratoga had to hold its breath in the final four seconds when Bayly collected a long pass alone in the Blue Streaks’ defensive half of the court. Bayly ran in several steps and uncorked a three-pointer that rimmed out as the buzzer sounded.
`I thought it was going in, and I felt like we deserved that break when it didn’t go in,` said Snyder.
Alex King contributed 14 points for Saratoga, which broke a three-game losing streak that dropped them into second place in the Suburban Council North Division behind Shenendehowa.
Saratoga travels to Colonie Friday.“