A lot was revealed on the opening night of the Suburban Council boys basketball season Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Colonie 71, Troy 63
Colonie had several double-digit leads on Troy before pulling out the eight-point road victory. Veterans led the way for the Garnet Raiders, as Will Aybar poured in 18 points and Bryce Waterman contributed 17 points to lead a balanced attack. Isaiah Moll (15 points) and Brendan Mulson (10 points) also reached double figures. Troy star Daniel Buie did his best to keep his team in the game, as he took game-high honors with 22 points.
Guilderland 54, Christian Brothers Academy 52
CBA looked like it was in control at halftime, as it built a 31-20 advantage, but Guilderland used a 16-7 third quarter run to get itself back in the game and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Michael Wine had 17 points to lead the Dutchmen — a team that will be vastly different now that 6-8 center Andrew Sischo has graduated. Nick DeBrino scored 18 points for the Brothers, who are missing two key players from last year’s team, as Mke Wynn and Sloan Seymour transferred.
Shaker 64, Averill Park 60
While Wynn moved on to a prep school in Massachusetts, Seymour landed at Shaker and immediately paid dividends for the Blue Bison in their league openers. Seymour scored 16 points to complement Jake Cook’s 19-point night, as Shaker rallied for the four-point road win. Noah Yearsley had 17 points, and Ryan Long added 16 points for Averill Park.
Schenectady 68, Bethlehem 66
The fact that Bethlehem hung tough against a talented, veteran Schenectady team on the road should speak well of the Eagles, who also return several players from last year. Tyrone Jenkins had 19 points, and John Ryals chipped in with 15 points for Schenectady, while Hayden Thompson led a balanced Bethlehem attack with 16 points.
Ballston Spa 73, Niskayuna 53
Zach Greenwalt netted 20 points for Ballston Spa, which outscored Niskayuna 40-19 over the course of the second and third quarters and didn’t allow a single Silver Warrior to reach double digits in the scoring column. Jack Evans had nine points for Niskayuna.
Saratoga 47, Mohonasen 40
AJ Lawton (14 points), Brian Hart (12 points) and Adam Anderson (10 points) provided much of the offense for Saratoga against Mohonasen. Steven Clemins and Duncan Tallman each had 13 points for the Mighty Warriors, but the rest of the squad managed 14 points.
Shenendehowa 67, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 34
The two-time defending Section 2 Class AA champions didn’t skip a beat, as Shen cruised past its neighbors from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Luke Hicks — who should be the focal point of Shen’s offense following the graduation of New York state’s Mr. Basketball, Kevin Huerter — led the Plainsmen with 19 points. Benjamin Keppler recorded 18 points for BH-BL.
Albany 74, Columbia 46
Things couldn’t have gone better for Albany in its first league game. The Falcons jumped out to a 29-9 lead in the first quarter, and they never looked back. Hamadi Gaddy poured in 18 points, and Jacorey Nixon contributed 16 points for Albany, while Devin Livingston led Columbia with nine points.
