Ballston Spa boys' basketball pulls away in 4th quarter, defeats Niskayuna 63-53

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stan Hudy

Ballston Spa's Blane Zoeller reaches in on Niskayuna's Rocco Foti in the first half Tuesday

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BALLSTON SPA — After Niskayuna took a lead early in the fourth quarter at Ballston Spa Tuesday night, the Scotties continued to do the things that have elevated them to the top of the Suburban Council boys’ basketball standings.

“They did what we’ve done and talked about all year,” Ballston Spa coach Ben Eldridge said after his team’s 63-53 win. “We responded to the challenge and played as a team.”

Four different Scotties accounted for baskets in an 11-0 run after back-to-back 3s had pushed the Silver Warriors ahead, with Nick Verdile kick-starting that fourth-quarter push and later sinking four free throws to clinch their 17th victory in 18 outings.

Blane Zoller paced the Scotties with 18 points on six 3s, Verdile netted 11 of his 16 points in the second half, Ben Phillips and Nico Savini both contributed nine points and Mike Miller finished with eight in another balanced display by the state’s No. 20-ranked Class AA team.

“We played our kind of basketball,” Zoller said.

Images: Niskayuna boys’ basketball takes on Ballston Spa (9 photos)

Sharing the ball is just one part of the Scotties’ successful mix, and they collectively did a bunch of other things that helped them extend their win streak to five games.

“Move the ball and take good shots,” Verdile said. “Rebound and push the pace. Make it uncomfortable for the other team.”

Ballston Spa (12-1 Suburban, 17-1 overall) collected points as a group and put together its best defensive stretch when it outscored Niskayuna 17-4 to close out the game, after 3s by Gavin Olsen and Ethan Gilson to begin the fourth frame had provided the Silver Warriors with a 49-46 lead.

“All season long, guys have stepped up in big moments,” said Zoller. “We’re always prepared for the moment.”

Verdile and Savini both sank a 3, Phillips scored on a layup, and Zoller nailed a 3 in the 11-0 run that gave Ballston Spa a 57-49 advantage. After Daniel Smalls hit a jumper and Sam Booth delivered on a drive for Niskayuna, Verdile assisted on a Miller layup before going 4-for-4 from the line.

“The last couple of games, we’ve all been shooting well,” said Vedile, a 12th-grader who had a team-leading five assists and two of his teams’ 14 3s. “It shows you the work we put in in practice.”

Savini came off the bench and scored all nine of his points on 3s in the second half.

“He is one of those guys who works every day and is always in the gym,” Zoller said of his fellow junior. “He’s always ready for that big moment.”

“He’s one of those guys who comes off the bench and provides energy,” Verdile said of Savini.

Niskayuna (5-8, 9-10 ) trailed 30-16 late in the second quarter before rallying to make it a close game, and that came as no surprise to Eldridge. The Silver Warriors have been involved in numerous such games this season, including Sunday’s 50-49 win over Newburgh Free Academy that was decided on a late basket by Gilson, and Friday’s 53-52 victory over Troy that was decided on a late hoop by Smalls.

“They’re a deep team. They’re well coached. They can shoot it,” Eldridge said. “They’re not going to get blown out by anyone. They’re a tough team.”

Niskayuna ended the first half with a 7-0 run, outscored Ballston Spa 20-16 in the third quarter, and went ahead early in the fourth to take its first lead since it was 9-6.

“We know we’re going to be in every game. We battle. We showed resilience tonight,” Niskayuna coach Mike Grasso said. “I’m proud of the effort and the way we came back to take the lead.”

Booth scored on a drive to begin Niskayua’s 7-0 run to end the half and notched 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3 from a step inside the halfcourt line that pulled his team within 46-43.

Gilson scored 16 points and Olsen had eight.

“We came back, and it got away from us,” Grasso said. “I thought the difference in the game was a couple of second-chance opportunities for them late in the game, and for us, early in the game letting opportunities for points in the paint get away.”

Niskayuna 9 14 20 10 — 53
Ballston Spa 14 16 16 17 — 63
Niskayuna scoring: Booth 9-1-20, Foti 1-0-3, Gilson 5-3-16, Matia 0-1-1, Olsen 3-1-8, Smalls 1-1-3, Gillooley 0-2-2. Ballston Spa scoring: Kaatz 1-0-3, Phillips 4-0-9, Zoller 6-0-18, Miller 3-1-8, Savini 3-0-9, Verdile 5-4-16. Team totals: Niskayuna 19-9-53; Ballston Spa 22-5-63.

Images: Niskayuna boys’ basketball takes on Ballston Spa (9 photos)