Schenectady boys’ basketball holds off Columbia 62-60

SCHENECTADY — The scoreboard showed Schenectady ahead throughout the second half of its season-opening basketball game with Columbia, but  the victory was by no means a breeze.

Damari Holder put down a slam dunk, and C.J. Gomez and Quy-Maine Haggray both followed with a pair of free throws after Columbia had pulled within one as Schenectady debuted with a 62-60 triumph at the Pat Riley Sports Center.

“There’s no night off in the Suburban Council. Everyone is very well prepared. Well coached,” Schenectady coach John Miller said of the way Wednesday’s game tightened up late after his Patriots had built a double-digit lead. “I almost expect it now. A comfortable win would be nice.”

Holder scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half, when both teams put together their best runs, and Quy-Maine Haggray delivered nine points, while Gomez and Kenyatu Graham both chipped in with eight.

“We played as a team,” Holder said after recording a double-double that included 11 rebounds. “We moved the ball real good. Everybody was hitting shots. As far as our defense, coach told us to put the pressure on them.”

Schenectady pressured often with a fullcourt look that Miller plans to use as a tactical weapon to bother and wear down opponents moreso than cause turnovers.

“I’m looking for disruption. Taking them out of rhythm. Speeding them up,” Miller said. “If the other team in the fourth quarter doesn’t have hands on knees, we’re not doing our job. We want the other team huffing and puffing. That part was effective.”

Columbia did manage to go on a 13-2 run in the last quarter to get within 56-55 before Schenectady received clutch plays from several sources.

Gomez drew a foul and sank two free throws with 35.9 seconds to go to give Schenectady a 60-55 advantage after his teammates had gone a combined 0-for-5 just minutes before.

Gomez’ strong performance also featured  two three-point plays, the second of those coming when the Patriots closed out the third quarter with a 9-2 spurt that made it 46-38.

“He’s our floor general,” Holder said of Gomez, who added three steals and three assists. “In transition, he’s the guy we look for after a rebound. He knows how to attack.”

Kyle Blake made one of two from the line for Columbia, and Haggray answered with two for a 62-56 lead. A successful drive by Blake and a putback basket by Jacob Skarlis at the buzzer created the final margin.

“I’m most happy with the attitude and hustle,” Miller said. “The guys stayed together and supported each other. I’m proud of them. That’s a gutty win.

“It’s early in the season, and there are things we have to improve on. The goal is to be playing better basketball in February than we are in November. There are a lot of things to work on, but at the same time, I saw a lot of positive things.”

Evan Rainville scored 23 points for Columbia, yet was held to six in the second half and none after he dropped in a pair of layups early in the fourth quarter.

“He was hurting us in the first half. He was doing his thing,” Holder said. “In the fourth quarter I wanted him and started to guard him. I had the energy. I felt I had enough stamina to stay with him.”

“He’s tough,” Miller said Rainville, who had three steals and five rebounds. “We tried to slow him down a little bit.”

Blake and Ian Fisher-Layton scored 12 points apiece for Columbia, with Fisher-Layton notching seven in his team’s 13-2 run in the last quarter. Holder’s ensuing slam pointed Schenectady in the winning direction, while earlier in the fourth quarter his putback hoop and layup had given Schenectady its largest lead at 54-42.

“We had to slow it down,” Holder said of the game’s closing minutes. “We tried not to turn it over and foul them.”

After falling behind 7-1, Columbia scrambled back and went up 19-15 in the second quarter. Gomez converted a three-point play and Malakhi Hooks scored on a putback for a 20-19 Pats lead, and although the Blue Devils created three ties later in the second quarter, the hosts never trailed again.

“Our depth helped us out tonight,” Miller said. “We played with energy. We were able to outlast them.”

Columbia 10 17 11 22 — 60

Schenectady 11 18 17 16 — 62

Columbia scoring: Walters 1-1-3, Poissant 1-0-3, Rainville 9-4-23, Skarlis 3-0-6, Fisher-Layton 5-0-12, Thorpe 0-1-1, Blake 4-4-12. Schenectady scoring: Holder 12-0-24, Hooks 1-0-2, Haggray 3-2-9, Gomez 2-4-8, Edge 1-0-3, Ketter 2-0-4, Graham 3-2-8, Mirabal 2-0-4. Scoring totals: Columbia 23-10-60, Schenectady 26-8-62.

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