The rubber match and the Section II Class D title went to the Germantown boys basketball team.
The Clippers scored the final five points of overtime to defeat Central Hudson Valley League rival Loudonville Christian 61-58 in Saturday’s championship game at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
T.J. Duguid sent the game into overtime for Loudonville Christian with a last-second layup. The Eagles then built a 58-56 lead in overtime before Germantown went on its final run.
The guys showed heart. They gave it everything they had, said Loudonville Christian coach Brian Johnson.
Germantown led for much of the game thanks to senior guard Thomas Griffin and senior forward Mike Wyant. Griffin scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added four steals to earn tournament most valuable player honors, while Wyant contributed 16 points and 10 boards.
`Tommy is a really good player,` said Johnson. `Griffin really kept his team’s composure when they needed it.`
The fact that Loudonville Christian stayed close throughout was a tribute to its own tenaciousness on the boards. The Eagles outrebounded Germantown 51-38, including a 25-11 edge in offensive boards.
`That’s something we really stressed,` said Johnson. `Especially in the first half, we really succeeded in [rebounding] and putting back shots.`
Duguid and Thomas Fijal were the big forces on the glass for Loudonville Christian. Fijal finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Duguid contributed 15 points and 15 boards.
Another senior, Luke Khachadourian, provided a boost in the second quarter. Khachadourian scored seven of his 13 points during a Loudonville Christian run that gave the Eagles a 24-20 lead late in the period. However, Germantown scored the last six points on three consecutive fast-break layups to gain a 26-24 halftime advantage.
The Clippers — who split their two regular season games with Loudonville Christian — expanded their lead to seven points several times in the second half, only to see the Eagles make a basket or two to stay within striking distance.
`We were pretty evenly matched this season. Each of us won at our own places,` said Johnson. `We knew we had a chance, and they knew that they had a chance.`
Germantown had a 52-46 lead late in the fourth quarter when Loudonville Christian struck for a 7-0 run capped by a three-point play from Duguid that gave the Eagles a 53-52 advantage. Germantown regained the lead before Duguid drove for the tying layup.
`We did a good job getting it into T.J. late, especially once Luke [Khachadourian] went out [with foul trouble],` said Johnson.
Germantown hit a free throw to start overtime, Duguid drove for another layup to put Loudonville Christian ahead 57-56. Matt VanAtten then made one out of two free throws to make the score 58-56 with less than three minutes left.
That was the last basket Loudonville Christian made, as Wyant made two shots near the basket to give Germantown the lead for good.
Loudonville Christian had three chances to tie the game in the final 30 seconds, but none of the Eagles’ three-point shots made it through the basket.
`We had a shot at it. We just didn’t hit the shot,` said Johnson.
Germantown advances to next week’s regional round.“