by Ryan Mosher
The first week of every high school basketball season can be a tough one as veteran players struggle to get back in the rhythm of things, and new players try to find their niche with their teammates. Calling the first week of this season for the Berlin boys basketball team rough may be an understatement. The young Mountaineers not only are battling early season struggles, but their first three games of the season are against the top three teams in the Central Hudson Valley League, Germantown, Loudonville and defending league champion Heatly.
Coach Al Webster was hit hard by graduation last year, returning just three players from last year’s squad, and only one starter. Seniors Drew Webster, Cody Blain and Shawn Willis, who combined to average 6.8 of the 60 points per game that the Mountaineers scored last season, will be asked to show the younger players the ropes this season. Those three, along with Cole Riddering and Seth Hawk, started off the season in the starting five.
The Mountaineers began the season with a long bus ride to Germantown and probably an even longer ride back. Berlin stayed within 10 points in the first quarter, trailing 25-16 after the first, but beyond that they couldn’t stay close with the Clippers. Germantown had three players in double figures, while the Mountaineers only managed one and fell 92-43.
In Berlin’s second game of the season on Monday night, the always tough Loudonville Christian Eagles traveled to Berlin. The Eagles got off to a hot start, scoring the game’s first seven points before Cody Blain finally got Berlin on the board. Loudonville scored the game’s next eight points, including six of them in a 10 second span.
After one quarter, Berlin trailed the visitors 18-4.
The second quarter was more of the same for Berlin, as the Eagles continued to out rebound them and dominate the game. The Mountaineers had no answer for any of the Loudonville players, as they moved the ball and spread the scoring around. At halftime, the score was Loudonville 36, Berlin 8.
Berlin’s lone bright spot came at the beginning of the third quarter when the Mountaineers scored seven straight points. Last year’s CHVL Co-MVP (with Berlin’s Chris Zema) Cullen Overholt scored a game high 23 points for Loudonville. Junior TJ Duguid was also impressive for the Eagles, scoring 13 points, while collecting numerous rebounds and a couple blocked shots. The Mountaineers didn’t manage to get any player into double digits. Shawn Willis scored 9 points, and Cody Blain netted 8 in the 69-26 loss.