In a sea of blowouts, there was one crazy overtime thriller that stood out on the first night of the Suburban Council girls basketball season Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Troy 72, Colonie 70 (OT)
This match-up of two contenders lived up to its billing, and then some. Colonie jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter, only to see Troy come back with a 28-11 run in the second quarter to grab a seven-point halftime lead. Colonie rallied to tie the score at 67-67 with a 27-point fourth quarter, but Troy outscored the Lady Raiders 6-4 in the extra period to earn the victory.
Each team had two players light up the scoreboard. Sabrina Wolfe poured in 35 points, and Shalie Frierson added 25 points for Troy. Erin Fouracre netted 38 points, and Aliyah Wright contributed 19 points for Colonie. When you do the math, Troy’s dynamic duo outscored Colonie’s dynamic duo by three points (60-57) — one point larger than Troy’s margin of victory.
Shaker 55, Averill Park 40
The other featured game of the evening wasn’t as close as Troy-Colonie. Shaker built a 24-14 halftime lead and pulled further away in the third quarter before cruising to the 15-point win. Shaker’s Sierra “CeCe” Mayo and Shyla Sanford picked up where they left off last year, as they combined to score 33 of their team’s 55 points. Kat Stackrow led Averill Park with 14 points.
Bethlehem 81, Schenectady 28
No Jenna Giacone? No problem for Bethlehem. In its first game without Giacone, who graduated in June, Bethlehem eased past an overmatched Schenectady squad. Maggie Kirby netted 27 points, and Emily Wander chipped in with 13 points for the Lady Eagles, who led 34-13 at halftime. NaSeyah Dix scored 14 points for Schenectady.
Niskayuna 57, Ballston Spa 28
Olivia Owens made certain Niskayuna started the season right, as the junior scored 27 points in an easy win over Ballston Spa. Jordan Hipwell had 11 points for the Scotties.
Columbia 69, Albany 45
Graduating four starters from last year’s team (which reached the Section 2 Class AA finals) proved to be too much for Albany to overcome against a veteran Columbia squad. Marquette-bound senior Selena Lott dropped in 27 points for Columbia, while Imani Harris led Albany with 17 points.
Shenendehowa 89, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 16
Not much to say about this game. Shen bolted out to a 32-0 lead in the first quarter, and it never looked back. Alex Tudor led three Plainsmen in double figures with 17 points, while no BH-BL player scored more than five points.
