Thirty-four years of playoff frustration for the Scotia-Glenville boys basketball team came to an end Monday in Glens Falls.
The top-seeded Tartans took off to an 11-2 lead and never looked back in dispatching Foothills Council rival Gloversville 56-47 in the Section II, Class A finals.
We wanted it. Everyone on this team wanted it so bad, said center Jim Janson.
`We knew that once we stepped on the court, we just had to do our jobs,` added senior forward Joe Ferrari.
It was the first Sectional title for Scotia-Glenville since 1975, and the school’s first appearance in the finals since 1976.
`I don’t have an answer,` said Scotia-Glenville coach James Giammattei when asked why it took so long. `I guess it was just our time.`
Janson was a dominant force for the Tartans (21-2) in the low post. The 6-foot, 10-inch senior scored 23 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in garnering tournament most valuable player honors.
But it was Janson’s supporting cast that came up big at times to keep Scotia-Glenville in control. Ferrari scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds including five offensive boards, and sophomore guard Terell Winney contributed 12 points, six rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Nick Alescio added six points, nine boards and four assists.
`Every night, somebody steps up, and it’s a real difference maker,` said Janson.
`Everyone believes it’s Janson (that leads this team), but every kid on this team fights,` said Giammattei.
Scotia-Glenville’s defense also played a big role in stopping Gloversville (20-3) for the third time this season. The Tartans defended the perimeter well, which forced the Dragons into hurrying their three-point attempts. The end result for Gloversville was a 5-for-31 shooting performance from beyond the arc including a 2-for-12 night from three-point specialist Matt Baldwin.
`We got great pressure beyond the arc, and we rebounded well in the first half,` said Ferrari, who was named to the all-tournament team. `We got a little shaky in the second half, but we got through it.`
Despite being down by as many as 17 points in the second half, Gloversville never gave up. The Dragons pressed Scotia-Glenville’s guards into several turnovers in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t take advantage of them as they didn’t cut the deficit down below double digits until the final shot of the game.
`We weathered the storms and played hard,` said Ferrari.
Scotia-Glenville advances to Saturday’s regional final at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The Tartans meet the winner of Friday’s regional semifinal between Section X champion Franklin Academy (Malone) and Section III champ Jamesville-DeWitt, the state’s No. 1 ranked Class A team and the defending state and Federation titlists.
`It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to play really hard,` said Ferrari.
For now, Scotia-Glenville plans to bask in the glow of its first Sectional title since the President Gerald Ford administration.
`This is probably one of the greatest moments of their young lives,` said Giammattei.
`It’s a new experience, and it feels awesome,` said Janson.“