by Ryan Mosher
Hoosick Falls traveled to Waterford-Halfmoon High School on Friday and Sunday, December 2 and 4, to take part in the school’s Second Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Invitational basketball tournament. The Panthers matched up with Duanesburg in the first game and Fort Plain in the second.
The matchup against Duanesburg started off a little slow, with almost three minutes running off the clock before Panther senior Ryan Hyde buried a
three-pointer to get the scoring started. Tanner Williams scored seven points in the first quarter to give Hoosick Falls a 12-5 lead. Williams continued his first game warm up with a personal 8-0 run on the Eagles in the first two minutes of the second quarter, and by the half the Panthers were up 31-14.
The Panther defense was too much for Duanesburg to handle as they continuously turned the ball over, giving up easy points to Hoosick Falls. The final score was 60-35. Williams led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Alex Lilac with 10. Ryan Hyde and Randy Tutunjian each scored 9 points for the Panthers.
On Sunday the Panthers returned to Waterford to take on Fort Plain. In the first quarter, Hoosick Falls showed the Hilltoppers there would be no easy way to defend them. Senior guard Alex Lilac started off the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by a basket on the inside by Matt Gormley. The tandem combined for 15 of the 19 Panther points in the first quarter, as HFCS jumped to a 17-0 lead and ended the first quarter with a 19-2 lead.
In the second quarter Lilac scored ten more points, helping to put the game away. Williams added eight points in the quarter as well. Fort Plain never seemed to show any life until the fourth quarter when they managed to put up ten points. The final score was 53-24. Lilac scored 19 points, Williams had 12 points, and Gormley netted 10 points. The tournament MVP award went to Lilac, and All-Tournament Team honors went to Williams.
Coaches vs. Cancer is a national collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society to increase cancer awareness, promote healthy living and raise funds to support cancer research, education and advocacy. In the nearly two decades that Coaches vs. Cancer has existed, the program has raised $50 million to help support the American Cancer Society. The three day tournament in Waterford raised $6,000 through admission, donations and a Chinese auction. Congratulations and a thanks to Waterford for hosting a great event for such a worthy cause.
