The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosier Holiday Basketball Tourney – Panthers Defeat Mountaineers In Opening Round

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by Gary Danforth
Well, Coach Mike Lilac Jr.’s 197th career basketball win at Hoosick Falls Central School last Monday evening, December 28, in the opening round of the Hoosier Holiday Basketball Tournament, was a little easier than some of the others. Hoosick Falls crushed visiting Berlin Central School 64-16 to advance to the championship game with Watervliet High School. HFCS ran their overall record to 4-1 on the year, 3-0 in WASAREN League play. Coach Al Webster’s Berlin five played hard to the end, but on this night Hoosick Falls just had too much offense and defense.
Hoosick Falls broke out to a 10-0 lead and was up 21-3 after one quarter. It was 37-4 at the half and 50-10 at the three quarter mark. It was 56-12 before BCS closed to the final tally of 64-16. Kevin McMahon with 11 points, Mike Brewster, 8, Sean Dingman, 8, Hutton Rasmus, 7, Will Luke, 6, Alex Lilac, 5, Ryan Hand, 4, Quinn Rasmus, 4, John Hayden, 4, Tanner Williams, 4, and David Ciuk with 3 points scored for HFCS. For Berlin, Shawn Willis with 9, Bacon, 4, and Cody Blain with 3 points scored.
Rebounding from Afar: Hoosick Falls just had too much of everything for Berlin. That is not a knock on Berlin, but it is a statement to the quality and depth of team which Hoosick Falls has put on the hardwood this season. To date, only Class A size Mt. Anthony has beaten HFCS. To give one an idea of how 200 career high school basketball coaching wins stacks up in Section II history, there have only been about 40 coaches who have accomplished the feat. Most don’t stay in coaching long enough to do it, and competition is fierce. Maybe forty coaches have accomplished what Lilac is about to do in maybe 100 years of Section II basketball history, and few have done it quicker than Lilac. Of course, former Hoosick Falls Coach Howard Dewey racked up 332 wins over a twenty four year span from 1969-1993. But, Lilac is quickly climbing the list of Section II coaching career wins. Lilac is in his fourteenth season.