by Steve Bradley
HF 52 – Tamarac 56
Wednesday, January 17 at Tamarac HS – This was a big game. So big that rumors swirled for two days around Hoosick that the game would be a sell-out before any Panther fans had a chance to buy tickets.[private] The game, originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday but delayed one day due to weather, was for first place in the Wasaren League. Hoosick Falls had one loss, to Hoosic Valley, and the Tamarac Bengals had one loss, to the HF Panthers. A Panthers loss would put the teams in a tie. In the end, tickets were available for all who attended.
The game started with each team getting a small lead then losing it and falling behind by a few points. The entire game ended up being that way. The Panthers would grab a five point lead only to give it up and have the Bengals go up by four, then the Panthers would grab the lead back with a seven point run. At the end of the first quarter, the Bengals had the upper hand, a four point 14-10 lead.
The Panthers never held the lead at the end of any quarter.
By the end of the third quarter, things were getting tense. Tamarac held a razor thin 46-45 lead. The Panthers put 18 points on the board in the third quarter and were still trailing. The fourth quarter was more of the same, but in the middle of the quarter, HF was able to grab the lead at 52-50 with three and one-half minutes to play. Both teams struggled to score for the next two minutes and the score remained the same with 1:24 left in the game. Over the last 84 seconds the Bengals shut down the Panthers and scored six points of their own to grab the exciting win.
Kelly Pine scored 17 points, going 12 of 16 from the charity stripe. Pine also hauled in 11 rebounds. Eliza Whitman added 13, including three 3’s.
HF 78 – Waterford 15
Friday, January 20 at HFCS – The score at the end of the first quarter was 30-0, at the end of the first half it stood at 47-4. That’s really all you need to know about the game, with the possible exception that Lillian Hickey scored her first varsity points. Kelly Pine had 19 points, Logan Thayne added 13, Liz Ryan 12 and Eliza Whitman 11.
HF 54 – Adirondack 50
Saturday, January 21 at Adirondack HS. Adirondack O 6-5, L 1-2.
The Ladies hopped on the bus early Saturday morning for a 1 pm game in Boonville, NY, just north of Utica. Boonville is head coach Eamonn DeGraaf’s hometown and he (with some help from Leo Surdam, who drove the bus) brought his team out to play the hometown gals. After being postponed from an earlier date because of a lake effect snowstorm, Liz Ryan was unable to make the trip due to a prior commitment. It was a good game, the Panthers won, laying claim to the first Thruway Award game between the teams (if there ever is such an award). The Panthers held a 30-21 halftime advantage but the Wildcats outscored the Panthers in the third to get within five at 41-36. The Wildcats did everything they could to overtake the Panthers but came up just short at the end. Kelly Pine scored a season high 35 points. She was 12 of 22, included three 3’s, and eight of twelve from the free throw line. Camille Roberts was high scorer for Adirondack with 15 points.
Friday, January 27, the Ladies make the trip to Cambridge for a 7:30 varsity tip-off.
Hoosick Falls Boys Basketball
HF 67 – Waterford 44
Friday, January 20 at Waterford HS HF 11-3, L 10-0.
Evan McCart scored 24 points, including 10 of the team’s 26 in the third quarter, to lead the Panthers to an easy win. All McCart’s points were two-pointers. After three quarters the Panthers had a 29 point lead and then they cruised through the fourth quarter. Guy Milliman added 17. Only 18 foul shots were attempted in the game, with the Panthers making five of seven.
The boys host Cambridge Friday, January 27 at HFCS. Varsity start is scheduled for 7:30 pm. [/private]