If the Scotia-Glenville boys’ basketball team could erase that second quarter and do it all over again, its hopes for a repeat Section II championship might still be alive.
Ichabod Crane blitzed the Tartans after a see-saw first quarter, using a 21-4 run to lay the groundwork for a 57-51 Class A quarterfinal victory Friday night at Hudson Valley Community College.
Scotia-Glenville took a 14-12 lead on Tyler Ackley’s layup before the Riders strung together 14 unanswered points as part of their game-changing, second-quarter spree.
“That was the game. The second quarter. No question about it,” said Scotia-Glenville coach Jim Giammattei. “We couldn’t make shots, and when that happens, it affects your defense.”
Chris Larm scored 10 of his 22 points in the second quarter, and Ichabod Crane got three-point baskets from three different players in building a 31-16 advantage. Ichabod Crane (No. 5 seed, 17-2) was up after three, 47-33, and survived a gallant comeback effort by the Tartans (No. 4, 15-4).
Ackley had nine of his 13 points in the second half to go along with eight assists and five steals, while area scoring leader Tyrell Winney (21.4 ppg.) managed 10 points and eight rebounds in Scotia-Glenville’s second loss in a row after a 13-game win streak.
The Tartans’ previous defeat, against South Glens Falls, cost them the Foothills Council championship, and Friday’s setback ended their bid to become the section’s first back-to-back Class A titlists since Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in 2004 and 2005.
“Our guys gave it their best effort all year long,” said Giammattei. “Without the effort they gave, that’s a 10-9 team. They did everything they could to get to 15-4.”
Larm did everything he could to keep Ichabod Crane’s season going, scoring 12 points in the first half and 10 in the second while snaring nine rebounds.
“He’s done it all year. Before tonight, he had 14 double-doubles in 18 games,” Ichabod Crane coach Will Ferguson said of the 6-foot-3 senior. “He’s the man, and you got to go to him. He’s 6-3, and he plays like he’s 6-6.”
Larm scored on a putback early in the second frame before Ackley gave Scotia-Glenville the lead, and the Riders got it right back on a three-pointer by Josh Ingham. Mitchell Neimeyer and Ricky Pallozzi sandwiched threes around a layup by Larm soon after, and Larm added a putback basket and a foul shot to make it 26-16.
“The first quarter is kind of like a boxing match and you find out what you can do,” said Ferguson.
Ackley ended nearly a five-minute Scotia-Glenville drought with two free throws before Joe Fey answered with a layup, and Larm capped his team’s outburst with a layup and another foul shot.
“They were all big shots,” Giammattei said of Ichabod Crane’s run. “You’ve got to give them credit.”
Scotia-Glenville switched from its trademark 2-3 zone defense to a man-to-man look midway through Ichabod Crane’s run.
“I knew when we got them to go man-to-man, it was out of what they’re comfortable with,” said Ferguson. “We knew we could take advantage of Larm’s mismatch inside.”
“You have to change the pace. At that point, it was why die a slow death,” said Giammattei. “At some point we had to try to make something happen and change the pace of the game.”
Mike Davenport scored 11 points for Scotia-Glenville, including a pair of three-point baskets in its late 15-6 run. Ichabod Crane, the Patroon Conference runner-up, will take on Lansingburgh (No. 1, 16-3) in Thursday night’s semifinal round at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
ICHABOD CRANE
Pallozzi 1-0-3, Niemeyer 1-0-3, Ingham 2-4-10, Horn 4-0-9, Fey 5-0-10, Larm 9-4-22. Totals: 22-8-57.
SCOTIA-GLENVILLE
Renko 4-0-9, Ackley 4-5-13, Davenport 4-0-11, Winney 4-0-10, Norton 3-0-8. Totals: 19-5-51.
Ichabod Crane 10 21 16 10 — 57
Scotia-Glenville 12 4 17 18 — 51
Three-point goals: Pallozzi, Niemeyer, Ingham 2, Horn, Renko, Davenport 3, Winney 2, Norton 2.
Categories: -Sports-, High School Sports
