With a five-point lead in the fourth quarter and with the opponents’ point guard in serious foul trouble, the Albany Christian Brothers Academy boys basketball team seemed to be in great shape during last Saturday’s Class AA regional final at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
Yet when the buzzer sounded, it was the Syracuse branch of CBA celebrating a trip to the state final four in Glens Falls and Albany CBA pondering the disappointment of a 50-45 defeat.
Not many expected us to be here,` Albany CBA coach Dave Doemel said. `The kids gave a great showing and we fought hard. It was a battle out there, and I was proud of them.`
Yet for all that fight and fortitude, Albany CBA will forever look at a few moments in time where the dream of a state championship got dashed.
The two CBA teams were tied at 45 after Kameron Ritter sank a free throw with 46.7 seconds left. Syracuse CBA called a time-out.
Following the time-out, Syracuse CBA worked the ball around and worked toward the end of the shot clock. Off a screen, point guard Stefan Thompson flashed open and, from 18 feet out, drained a jumper with 14.5 seconds left to put Syracuse CBA up 47-45.
`A single mistake on defense killed us,` Doemel said. `Great players make great plays.`
Albany CBA still had lots of time for a tying or winning basket, but it never got the chance as Syracuse CBA’s Pat Wiese stole the inbounds pass and got fouled with 9.1 seconds left. When Wiese made both free throws, Albany CBA was finished.
Fresh off stunning Albany Academy in the Section II, Class AA final, Albany CBA came to the Syracuse suburbs with a confidence that belied the youth of its roster. It has just four seniors, two of them starters.
Plus, they got Syracuse CBA off playing the night before, even though that was a 78-42 rout over Massena in the first part of the regional round.
Albany CBA grabbed an 8-0 lead out of the gate, with Ritter twice making steals and turning them into baskets.
Only the work of Thompson ` who had eight of his team’s 11 points in the first quarter ` kept Syracuse CBA close in the early going.
Gradually, both CBA teams began to clamp down on defense. Albany CBA used a match-up zone to force Thompson into mistakes and foul trouble, while Syracuse CBA relied on man-to-man pressure. Inside, center Andrew Stire was held to seven points as his Syracuse CBA counterpart, Mike Goodman, had 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Syracuse CBA used an 11-0 run in the second and third periods to go in front for the first time, and led by as much as six points. But, Albany CBA countered by getting the last seven points of the third quarter to launch a 14-3 run and take 39-34 lead.
Thompson got his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, but Syracuse CBA head coach Buddy Wleklinski never took him out ` a gamble that would pay off later on.
`There was no option,` Wleklinski said. `We were going to go down with what was there.`
Syracuse CBA didn’t go down, though. Instead, it used five straight points from Troy Bullock to regain the lead at 42-41. The teams went back and forth from there until the tense final sequence.
Ritter led with 13 points, while Galal Cancer gained 10 points as Albany CBA finished its season with a 21-4 record.
The fact that Ritter, Cancer and Josh Dennis lead a strong returning cast in 2009-10 can’t erase a bitter disappointment, as Syracuse CBA advanced to face Niagara Falls in this Saturday’s state Class AA semifinal in Glens Falls.“