by Ryan Mosher
The Hoosick Falls boys basketball team had an excellent weekend, playing back to back Friday night and Saturday night games against Tamarac and Mt. Anthony. The Panthers recorded lopsided victories in both games.
On Friday, playing host to the Bengals, the Panther defense held Tamarac to single digit scoring totals in every single quarter. Hoosick Falls did not have any trouble finding the hoop though, having nine different players score in the game en route to the 66-24 win. Senior Alex Lilac led the scoring with 12 points while Ryan Hyde added 11 points.
On Saturday night, the Panthers did not start out fast, trailing 11-9 after one quarter but turned that around in the second quarter. Matt Gormley scored 7 of his game high 18 in the second quarter to lead the charge for Hoosick Falls. Gormley also grabbed 12 rebounds in the 49-26 win. Lilac scored 12 points and had 8 assists for the Panthers.
On Tuesday night, Hoosick Falls faced its toughest test of the week. With sole possession of first place in the Wasaren League on the line, the Panthers hosted Schuylerville, who had just knocked off Stillwater on Friday night. The Black Horses’ defense did not allow Alex Lilac to get off many shots, but that didn’t seem to matter for the Panthers. Senior Ryan Hyde showed Schuylerville that Lilac is not the only one who can shoot three-pointers. Hyde knocked down three in the first half, including two of them in an 11-1 spurt in the second quarter that pushed the lead from two points to twelve points.
The double digit halftime lead was not enough to let the Panthers feel comfortable though, and it was a good thing. The Black Horses held the home team scoreless for over three minutes as they fought back to cut the lead to seven points. A Schuylerville three-pointer and some costly Hoosick Falls turnovers cut the lead to six at the end of the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter started, it appeared that a battle until the last second was imminent. But the Panthers’ duo of Gormley and Hyde would have none of that. On the first possession of the quarter Gormley grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to make the score 34-26. On the next trip down the court it was Hyde who excited the crowd with a basket, bringing back the double digit lead. That excitement seemed small in comparison though as within the next minute and a half Hyde drained two more three-pointers, taking the wind out of the Black Horses’ sails and forcing the Schuylerville coach to call timeout which sent the crowd into a real frenzy. Schuylerville scored four more points, bringing the score to 42-30, but the damage was done, and the defenses did their job in the last four minutes, as neither team scored.
Hyde’s five three-pointers were part of his career high 18 points. Gormley added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers.
The team now holds on to first place with their 7-1 Wasaren League record, leading Stillwater by a half game. Hoosick Falls plays at Greenwich, currently in third place and the only team to beat the Panthers this year, on Friday at 7:30 pm.