by Gary Danforth
Well, one night you lose an overtime game and the next night out you win an overtime game. That is right where Mike Lilac Jr.’s Hoosick Falls Central School boys basketball team found themselves last Friday night, December 18, when they faced the home standing Schuylerville Central School Black Horses hoop team. Three nights earlier the Panthers had lost a tough non-league encounter with Class A size Mt. Anthony. But this time around, against the Class B size Horses, the Class CC HFCS squad won their third straight WASAREN League game with a 59-52 overtime win. The win was Lilac’s 196th as Hoosick Falls hoop mentor over the past fourteen seasons.
Both teams were deadlocked at 7-7 after one period. The Panthers got untracked in period two and took a 24-13 lead at the break. But Schuylerville came roaring back in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 34-32 entering the final stanza. Then the Black Horses forced the overtime session by outscoring the Panthers 18-16 in the fourth quarter to knot matters at 50-50.
In the extra session Hoosick Falls outscored the hosts 9-2 to eke out the hard earned win. Sophomore point guard Alex Lilac led all scorers with 23 points, including five three-pointers. Two other Panther sophomores, Tanner Williams and John Hayden, scored ten and eight points, respectively, while 6’6” senior center Kevin McMahon also fired in eight markers. Sean Dingman with 6 points, Hutton Rasmus, 3, and Mike Brewster with 1 point rounded out the Panther scoring. For the Black Horses, Austin Bateman with 11, Luke Foote, 10, and Shawn Lloyd with 10 led the way.
Rebounding From Afar: This was a big league win for HFCS as it came on the Horses’ court. Next up for HFCS is the Hoosier Holiday Basketball Tournament this coming Monday and Tuesday, December 28 and 29, when the Panthers host Berlin Central School in an opening night 7 pm start and a very good Colonial Council Watervliet team takes on Waterford of the Central Hudson Valley League in a 6 pm game. Berlin also plays in the CHVL girls tournament games taking place at 3 pm and 4 pm on opening day. The HFCS girls will take on Berlin at 4:30 pm. It should be a great tournament.