by Gary Danforth
Well, maybe Hoosick Falls Central School boys basketball Coach Mike Lilac Jr. borrowed a phrase from comedian Larry the Cable Guy because night, Wednesday night, March 1, Lilac’s Panther five “got ’er done” in their Section II, Class C semi-final game against Voorheesville Central School at the Glens Falls Civic Center and looked pretty fine in the process. The now 18-3 Panthers, two time defending WASAREN League champions, led from start to finish in an impressive 59-42 win over the Colonial Council Blackbirds. HFCS saw nine players hit the scorebook as they carved up Voorheesville like a precision surgeon. Hoosick Falls just looked like a well oiled machine on offense, and as good as they looked trying to put the ball in the basket, they may have played even better at the defensive end of the floor. I’m not going to say it was carnage, but the Blackbirds may have known the feeling Daniel had when he entered the Lion’s Den. When junior guard David Ciuk dropped a three-pointer on Voorheesville with less than a minute to play it gave Hoosick Falls their largest lead of the evening at 57-37. It is rare to get that kind of a lead in a sectional semi-final game. I said 57-37. It was a total team effort. The kind of basketball which Lilac preaches from the first day of practice until the final horn of the last game.
Six foot, six inch Panther center/forward Kevin McMahon staked the second seeded Hoosick Falls quintet to a 3-0 lead when he buried a three-pointer. Next, sophomore John Hayden feathered in a jumper for HFCS from the right baseline. But the tell-tale sign that it might be the Panthers’ night came when sophomore Alex Lilac hit a spinning, one-handed shot as the 35 second shot clock was about to go off, good for a 7-4 HFCS lead. That was a good sign for Hoosick Falls. The Blackbirds crawled back to 7-6, but HFCS hit two more buckets, one a drive by sophomore Tanner Williams and the other a Hayden inside score. After McMahon scored on a Panther drive, the Blackbirds got a bucket. But HFCS went on a 6-0 run to end the first eight minutes. Senior Hutton Rasmus hit two free throws; junior Quinn Rasmus scored in close, and Hayden ended the run with another inside bucket. HFCS led 19-10 after period one.
Hayden, playing well all evening, tipped in a Panther bucket to begin the second quarter. Williams drove the right baseline for a score, and McMahon, holding the Blackbirds’ 6’7” Ethan Mackey to thirteen points, with lots of help from his teammates, hit a jumper. Lilac hit a jumper and then knocked down a trey to give HFCS a 30-19 lead with 3:18 left in the opening half. The Panthers were playing very well and making Voorheesville, 16-4 coming into the game, look bad. Hutton Rasmus scored on a drive, and Sean Dingman scored on a reverse layup. HFCS led 34-19. After Voorheesville answered, Lilac drained a three-pointer with a couple ticks left before the first half horn sounded. The Panthers led 37-22 at the halftime break.
Mackey had been held to four first half points. Seven different Panthers had hit the scorebook in the first half. The Hoosick Falls Pep Band, sounding good again, sounded, well, as good as the Panthers had played.
Both teams scored nine points in an evenly played third quarter. Mackey scored seven of the Blackbirds’ points, but HFCS countered with McMahon and Hayden getting five and four points, respectively. HFCS led 46-31 entering period four. Voorheesville was trying to go to Mackey, but McMahon and his teammates were well up to the task at the defensive end of the floor. Both teams pretty much exchanged scores in the quarter.
A Voorheesville press got them to 46-35 with 6:58 to play. But McMahon hit a jumper, and Hayden scored twice more in close, good for a 52-37 Panther lead with 1:41 left. Lilac hit two free throws before the elder Lilac called a timeout to make sure the Panther reserves got on the Civic Center court. Ciuk canned his trey, and senior Andy DiDonato hit a jumper from the left baseline to close out the Panthers’ 59-42 semi-final win.
Hayden with 16 points, McMahon, 14, Lilac, 12, Williams, 4, Hutton Rasmus, 4, Quinn Rasmus, 2, Dingman, 2, Ciuk, 3, and DiDonato with 2 points scored for HFCS. For Voorheesville, Mackey led the way with 13 points.
Rebounding From Afar: On Sunday afternoon, March 7, at 2:30 pm the Panthers will play the winner of the Maple Hill – Schoharie semi-final for the Class C crown. HFCS hasn’t won a Class C title since 1984, losing twice under Lilac in 2000 and 2002. I have always felt that just getting to a sectional final merited a banner in the gym, as this year HFCS is one of 19 Class C teams vying for the title. How many of the other seventeen teams would like to be in the Panthers sneakers? Good Luck, HFCS, on Sunday, no matter who your opponent is. You’ve had a magnificent year.