There was a glimmer of hope for the Ballston Spa boys basketball team when it tied Shenendehowa at 20 late in the second quarter.
The Plainsmen quickly extinguished that light with a 37-21 second half run to pull away for a 64-43 victory over their Saratoga County neighbors last Friday in Clifton Park.
We told them [at halftime] it starts at the defensive end, said Shen coach Tony Dzikas. `In the second half, I thought we did a good job of tightening the bolts and not giving them any easy shots.`
Ballston Spa (3-11 league, 5-11 overall) did what it could to make it tough on first-place Shen (13-0, 14-1). The Scotties challenged for every shot and rebound in the first half, which helped keep the score close.
The problem for Ballston Spa was that it couldn’t sustain that level of play ` not when the Scotties only had eight players to Shen’s 12 players, and not when those eight players weren’t in the same physical condition as the Plainsmen.
`They all played hard, but they’re all really young,` said Ballston Spa coach Tim Moseman. `The off-season will be big for us. We’ve got to hit the weight room, and we have to get these kids into AAU [summer league teams].`
Fouls were also a critical part of Shen’s second-half surge. As the Plainsmen pushed the tempo faster, it was harder for Ballston Spa to avoid fouling Shen’s players. By early in the fourth quarter, one Scottie starter ` Mark Seager ` was on the bench with five fouls, and another starter ` Ryan McVeigh ` had four fouls.
`When we got into foul trouble, that’s what hurt us,` said Moseman. `When you have to pull a guy like Ryan McVeigh out of there, that allows them to gain more confidence and start hitting some inside shots.`
Seager did his best to slow down Shen guard Matt Miner, but the senior wouldn’t be denied. Miner led three Plainsmen in double figures with 17 points, with more than half of those points coming in the second half.
`We definitely didn’t come out the way we wanted to [in the first half],` said Miner. `We had some defensive breakdowns, and they hit some shots. But, we definitely calmed down in the second half.`
`Mark did a great job of shutting down Miner in the first half. That’s what kept us in the game,` said Moseman.
Manny Hernandez and Dan Lee also had big nights for Shen on Senior Night. Hernandez contributed 14 points, and Lee added 11 points.
`It’s their year to shine,` Dzikas said of Miner, Hernandez and Lee. `They’ve worked hard to get where they are, and it’s nice to see them step up.`
Seager and Austin Stenglein each scored 12 points for Ballston Spa, which lost to Shen for the second time this season.
`Give Shen and their players a lot of credit. They kept their composure,` said Moseman.
The victory kept Shen’s hopes for an undefeated Suburban Council season intact, though the players aren’t obsessed with the possibility.
`We’ll definitely try to go undefeated in the Suburban Council, but we’re definitely taking it one game at a time,` said Miner. `Our goal isn’t to go undefeated in the league. The bigger picture is to win the Section II title.`
Both teams returned to action Tuesday. Ballston Spa visited Shaker, while Shen met Niskayuna at the Times Union Center as part of a Suburban Council doubleheader at the downtown Albany arena.“
