Top-seeded Tartans shake off rust

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jim Schiltz

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Scotia-Glenville’s offense showed the rust of a 15-day layoff, but its defense was good as gold.

The Tartans limited Averill Park to 12 first-half points with their active 2-3 zone defense, and Jim Janson produced 18 points at the other end in a 49-32 Section II Class A quarterfinal win Sunday at Hudson Valley Community College.

“I think our offense was suspect, at best. Credit Averill Park for putting up some resistance, but we looked rusty, and the ball movement wasn’t where it should be,” Scotia-Glenville coach Jim Giammattei said after his team’s first contest since a Feb. 14 win at South Glens Falls. “When you have that kind of night, you’ve got to play defense.”

The Tartans (No. 1 seed, 19-2) certainly did in pinning down the Warriors (No. 9. 4-18), stretching their winning streak to nine games and advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2005. The 6-foot-10 LeMoyne-bound Janson had six blocked shots and 20 rebounds to anchor the defense, while Nick Alescio collected four steals to go along with his eight points and four assists.

“We played as hard as we could, and I thought we played pretty good defense, but we struggled to score,” Averill Park coach Dave Pugliese said. “We struggled to get shots. They put you in tough spots.”

Scotia-Glenville limited Averill Park to five first-quarter points and seven in the second frame en route to a 24-12 advantage, and in the second half, the Warriors were never able to piece together a significant run.

“Averill Park is a physical team, and we knew, offensively, it was going to be tough for us,” said Janson, who managed 13 first-half points. “We wanted to hold them under 40, thinking if we did, our offense would do enough.”

Nick Jerard also scored eight points for the state’s No. 9-ranked team, Terell Winney notched seven and Andy Bissonette added six. Scotia-Glenville came in averaging over 62 points per game.

“It’s been 15 days since we played, and it’s hard to stay sharp,” said Giammattei, whose Tartans missed 11 free throws. “If you defend, you can live with the rust.”

Stingy defense, and Janson’s inside production, have been staples this season for the Foothills Council co-champions. Janson got his 18 despite some physical play from Averill Park.

“Janson did a very good job staying composed. He’s to the point where he knows he’s going to get hit, so why complain?” Giammattei said. “It’s fantastic for a 17-year-old to have that kind of resolve.”

Scotia-Glenville and Mohonasen will meet Friday in a semifinal game at 8:30 in Glens Falls. Mohonasen used Scotia-Glenville as a stepping stone toward the semifinals in 2008.

“They played crisp. Very sharp basketball,” Giammattei said of Mohonasen, a 69-56 winner against Lansingburgh Sunday. “The layoff didn’t seem to affect them like it did us. They looked like a college football team that had extra time to prepare for a bowl game.”