The Colonie boys basketball team picked the right year to rebuild.
Despite only having one player with significant varsity playing experience in the lineup, the Garnet Raiders have won four of their first five games and are on the hunt for the Suburban Council South Division title.
We don’t have enough guys who can score the ball. We don’t have a lot of experience, said Colonie coach Doug Kilmer. `So, to start off the way we have is phenomenal.`
The Garnet Raiders’ latest victory ` a 55-51 win over Niskayuna last Friday ` illustrated how they’ve been able to get off to a quick start this season. While no one other than veteran forward Mike Branche (21 points) reached double figures, several players contributed points to help Colonie build a double-digit lead on the Silver Warriors before Niskayuna (2-2 league, 3-3 overall) hit a pair of late three-pointers.
`Even though we only won by four [points], we played very well,` said Kilmer. `We didn’t hit our free throws down the stretch, which would have made the score a little bit bigger.`
Both teams played well in the first quarter before Colonie took command by outscoring Niskayuna 14-6 in the second quarter to grab a 29-20 halftime lead. The Garnet Raiders maintained a comfortable distance from the Silver Warriors through much of the second half.
`We had two good quarters in the first half,` said Kilmer. `We moved the ball around and got good shots, and we played very well defensively.`
That type of play has been Colonie’s trademark through the first five games. The Garnet Raiders allowed fewer than 50 points per game in winning their first three Suburban Council contests and limited league-leading Shenendehowa to 50 points in their lone loss last Tuesday.
`It’s a combination of two things,` Kilmer said of his team’s 4-1 start. `It’s a coachable group of kids who don’t care who scores. They have no egos, and they don’t want to take [sole] credit. The other thing is that the Suburban Council is not a high-scoring league this year, with the exception of Shen.`
The Garnet Raiders are off until next week when they play Troy in the opening round of the Girmindl/Sand Tournament at Shaker. The event is a combination of Colonie’s and Shaker’s early-season tournaments ` a move that Kilmer said was made by both schools when New York State Public High School Athletic Association-mandated cuts to basketball schedules threatened their existence.
`The state took away two [non-league] games because of budget cuts, so we would have had to lose one of the two tournaments,` said Kilmer. `It would have been sad if one of the tournaments would have been lost because they pay tribute to two great coaches [Shaker’s Julius Girmindl and Colonie’s Pep Sand]. I think it’s great how we saved the two tournaments and maintained our [crosstown] rivalry.`
Shaker (3-2) enters the tournament off a 43-41 Suburban Council loss to Guilderland last Friday. The Dutchmen (1-4, 2-5) raced out to a 27-15 halftime lead and held on as the Blue Bison made a furious fourth-quarter comeback to get within a possession of the lead.
Scott Seiter scored 24 points for Shaker, which had won three consecutive games entering the Guilderland match. Ryan Ochs led the Dutchmen with 12 points.
Shaker faces LaSalle in the opening round of the Girmindl/Sand Tournament, which begins next Tuesday.
In other boys basketball action last week, Christian Brothers Academy rolled past Amsterdam 72-44 last Friday to set up a first-place showdown with Big 10 rival Schenectady Tuesday in Colonie.
Galal Cancer scored 18 points, and Max Weaver contributed 12 points for the Brothers (5-0), who built a 40-15 halftime lead on Amsterdam.
Loudonville Christian maintained its lead in the Central Hudson Valley League with a pair of home victories. The Eagles (5-0, 6-2) rallied from a big halftime deficit to defeat Germantown 65-60 last Wednesday, and they cruised to an 87-28 win over Doane Stuart last Friday.
Germantown had Loudonville Christian on the ropes when it built a 35-20 halftime lead, but the Eagles responded with a 45-point second half to pull out the five-point win.
T.J. Duguld netted 23 points, Luke Khachadourian contributed 18 points and Cullen Overholt added 16 points for Loudonville Christian. Cody Broast had 15 points to pace a balanced Germantown attack.
There were no such concerns for Loudonville Christian in its game against Doane Stuart. The Eagles outscored the Thunder Chickens 67-16 over the final three quarters to pull away.
Overholt scored 24 points, and Khachadourian added 19 points for Loudonville Christian, which meets Schoharie next Tuesday in the second game of a non-league home-and-home series. Schoharie edged the Eagles 61-60 in their first meeting Dec. 1.“