by Ryan Mosher
Despite a slow start in Greenwich on Friday night, the Hoosick Falls boys basketball team avenged its only loss of the season thus far in convincing fashion, with a 62-48 win.
The game’s final score was actually closer than the game actually was, as the Witches’ Joe Estramonte went on a tear in the fourth quarter, trying to single-handedly bring his team back into the game. Estramonte scored 14 points, including a pair of long three-pointers in the final quarter.
The effort did not work though, as the Panthers were able to silence, predominantly, the entire rest of the Greenwich team, allowing them to score only 14 points.
Greenwich’s Jason Flynn scored 5 of his 10 points in the opening three minutes of the game, helping the Witches take a 7-2 lead. The Panthers took the lead at 9-7 with 1:53 to go but saw Estramonte tie it up with just under a minute to play in the first quarter. Randy Tutunjian scored with :08 left to give the Panthers the lead for the final time.
In the second quarter the Panthers turned up the heat, and Greenwich could not handle it. Hoosick Falls saw four straight possessions result in three-point scoring situations for them. Alex Lilac and Tanner Williams completed three-point plays first, and then Lilac buried back-to-back three-pointers for the Panthers’ 12-0 run. Lilac and Williams each connected on three-pointers later in the quarter as well as Hoosick Falls took a commanding 35-21 lead at halftime.
Estramonte started to heat up in the third quarter for Greenwich, scoring 9 points. The rest of the Witches didn’t rise to the occasion, and the Panther offense kept its fast pace, scoring 18 more points. After three quarters, it was 53-32.
The fourth quarter started with a 9-0 Greenwich run, fueled by Estramonte, and a new resurgence within his team. The Panthers were unable to score a single field goal in the fourth quarter, instead just scoring from the free throw line, going 9-13 in the 4th. The last quarter was a flash of what the Witches used to beat the Panthers earlier in the season, but it was just not enough this night as Hoosick Falls held onto first place in the Wasaren League.
The battle for the Wasaren League is really heating up as the four top teams each have five games remaining. Hoosick Falls has just one game remaining against a top team; they play at Stillwater on Tuesday. Stillwater, Greenwich and Schuylerville each have a game against each other remaining.