By Doug La Rocque
The Berlin Boys basketball team started out their home opener last week on a great note, but that note was part of a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Cheerleader Christina Reger. [private]From there, the game against the Duanesburg Eagles wasn’t so melodic. The team from the Western Athletic Conference jumped out front early and never looked back, at one point opening up a 40-point lead before Berlin crawled its way back. The final was 88-62 in favor of the Eagles.
Berlin coach Kasson Sauer was impressed with the Duanesburg squad, particularly their sharp passing and penetration. “They almost never put the ball the floor,” he said. Berlin’s Roark Slattery led all scorers with 24 points on the night. Ryan Willis had 19 points, Tyler Kellar 15 points and Henry Ruebel added 4 more.
Coach Sauer told The Eastwick Press after the game he knew Duanesburg would be a real test for his squad, but was confident they would do well in Central Hudson Valley League Play. The Mountaineers opened conference play the following night, and proved the coach’s point. Sauer said his squad came out on fire in a game at Loudonville Christian, describing it as “some of the sharpest basketball the program has seen in years.” Roark Slattery had what his coach called a monster night, with 33 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Ryan Willis also had a great game with 21 points to go along with 17 rebounds and two assists. Seniors Ryan Gosse and Hunter Harrison were also very productive, with 11 and 8 points respectively. The final score saw Berlin post a 78-56 win.
Berlin opened its regular season earlier in the week against former league foe Waterford. The game was close throughout, with the Fordians picking up the 66-64 win with a shot at the buzzer. Roark Slattery again led the Mountaineers in scoring with 28 points, and Ryan Willis added another 16. [/private]