by Steve Bradley
It was a tough week in the Town of Hoosick. The life of a young man, Stephen Colvin, loved by all who knew him, was lost in a tragic skiing accident. In the midst of all the grief, an evening of great joy was enjoyed by many of the same people who were awash in the sadness. Ironically, the two events combined to create one of the most touching moments to ever occur in the Hoosick Falls Central School gymnasium.
[private]Friday evening the Hoosick Falls Panthers played the Hoosic Valley Indians for all the marbles. A Hoosick Falls win would give the Panthers an undefeated WASAREN league season and sole possession of the WASAREN League championship. A Panther win would result in the first undefeated league season since 1934-35 for Hoosick Falls. Hoosic Valley, whose only league loss had come at the hands of Hoosick Falls, wanted a piece of that league title, and a Hoosic Valley victory would make them co-champions. The first meeting of the two teams was a nail-biter decided by one point, and there was every indication that this game would be the same.
By the time the JV game started, the gym was filling fast. By the third quarter of the JV game, people were texting in from the front door that the doors were locked and “Sold Out” signs were in the door window. The YNN television news crew was locked out.
The JV game started the evening off with a barnburner of a game. The crowd was loud in their support for their team, whichever team that was. The game came down to the wire, and there were near end of game events that got everyone fired up. Firing up a sold out crowd, ready for a tough game, before the main event had even hit the stage was not what the chaperones were hoping for. The Hoosic Valley JV team went on to win the exciting game, 43 – 42.
During the break, everyone did what they usually do. Get a water, go to the bathroom, visit with the people around them. As the break time counted down, fans returned to their seat in anticipation of what was sure to be a great contest between two evenly matched teams.
When everyone was settled in, announcer Ed Wright asked everyone to stand for the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. But first, in memory of Stephen Colvin, Wright asked everyone to observe a moment of silence. As the entire sold out crowd stood in silence, the students held up placards with #21 on them, Colvin’s football jersey number.
After the duration of silence, Wright turned to give the microphone to Elise North-Kirkman, a student who regularly sings the National Anthem. North-Kirkman, a relative of Stephen Colvin, had become so overwhelmed with emotion during the silence that she was unable to begin. After several moments of North-Kirkman trying to compose herself, announcer Ed Wright turned the microphone back to himself and said, “Let’s all just sing it together.”
And everyone did. Students and parents, young and old, Hoosick Falls fan and Hoosic Valley fan, all joined in and sang the Star Spangled Banner together. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the most touching, beautiful version you would ever want to hear. It made you proud to call Hoosick Falls home.
Moments before the anthem came to an end, the students went into vocal support mode and the rest of the crowd joined in. Fans cheered their players at introductions, and the game began.
As advertised, the teams went after each other, swapping baskets. The Panthers struggled with outside shooting, so Austin Pitt and Andrew Hoag took it inside to put points on the board. Levi Brewster took smooth player John Rooney and Austin Pitt matched up with high scorer Mike Pierre on the defensive end. Three-point shooter Will Bradley picked up two first quarter fouls and didn’t return until the second half. Both teams played hard, but clean. At the end of the first, after exchanging the lead several times, the Indians led, 13 – 11.
The second quarter was more of the same. The majority of Panther points were coming in the paint. Noah Chani hit a three-pointer from the corner, the only three-pointer the Panthers made all evening. The lead continued to go back and forth, and neither team could get an edge on the other. The Panther defense was working hard and concentrating on the scoring duo of Pierre and Rooney, continuously dropping off a man to help teammates double team. The Panthers outscored the Indians 13 – 9 for the quarter. The Panther defense held all players to zero points except Rooney, who scored all nine. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Panthers held a slim two point, 24 – 22 lead.
After the break, defense and rebounding remained the key. Points came hard for both teams. Three-pointers were rare. Most Panther points were hard earned, body on body, points in the paint. The Indians fared slightly better from outside two point range but only hit three three-pointers for the game. The Panther rebounding kept the Indians from getting multiple chances at scores. Although it was the highest scoring quarter of the game, with HF getting outscored 14 to 12, neither team gained an advantage. The score at the end of three quarters was tied, 36 all. The fans were certainly getting their money’s worth, admission was free, and they were loving every second of it.
The first half of the fourth quarter was a stalemate. Each team scored, and the other countered with a score of their own. Then, about midway through the fourth, Hoosic Valley missed several chances in a row. The Panthers got inside for a couple of baskets and a five point lead with seconds left on the clock. Hoosic Valley had two chances to score, but the ball just wouldn’t fall for them. Rooney hit a three as time expired to bring the Indians within two. The Panthers had secured the WASAREN League championship all to themselves.
The students came onto the floor to celebrate and congratulate their players. Players and fans were hugging. It was a great game played by two great, classy teams.
Andrew Hoag led the Panther scorers with 17 points. Austin Pitt dropped in 15 hard earned points. Will Bradley, Noah Chani, Levi Brewster and Mark Hackett made big contributions, maybe not in the points department, but their defense and rebounding was the difference in the game. Hoosic Valley’s Rooney and Pierre each ended the evening with 18 points. Hoosick Falls and Hoosic Valley will not meet again this year as they are in different classes. Oh, the YNN news crew did get in.
Tuesday vs. Mt. Anthony
The Mt. Anthony Patriots visited the Panther Den Tuesday evening. The Patriots had dealt the Panthers their only loss of the season, by 14 points, back in early January. The Panthers were looking to even the series and end the regular season with a 17 – 1 record, not to mention impressing the bracket makers for the Sectionals.
The Panthers wasted no time in jumping on the Patriots, putting 15 first quarter points in the books to the Patriots’ eight. Austin Pitt was taking the ball to the hoop, and he dropped in six points. Mark Hackett hit a three-pointer, ending a long dry spell. But what the Panthers did best was play defense. The Patriots could not get the ball inside. Every time a Mt. Anthony player tried to go inside with the ball there were three Panthers standing in the way. As a result the Patriots were taking shots five and ten feet past the three-point line. The misses of long shots results in long, soft rebounds, and this played right into the Panthers’ hands, literally.
The Panthers didn’t let up in the second quarter. Mark Hackett and Will Bradley each made two three-pointers, and Pitt twisted his way to the hoop for six more points.
At the half, the score was 33 – 23, Panthers.
Hoosick Falls came out on a mission after the halftime break. Levi Brewster dropped in 12 third quarter points; Mark Hackett scored eight. The Panthers scored 23 in the quarter and pretty much took away any answer Mt. Anthony thought they may have had. The Patriots were never able to get the ball inside, and rebounds, on either end of the court, were few and far between for them.
At the end of the third quarter, the Panthers had built a 56 – 38 lead and were dominating the game. By the fourth quarter, the starch had come out of the Patriots, and the Panthers cruised to a 65 – 45 win.
Austin Pitt scored 20 hard earned, in your face, points. Mark Hackett dropped in 19 points, 15 of them coming on 5 three-pointers. Levi Brewster ended the evening with 15 points. It’s difficult to rate a defense, but let’s say the Panthers are playing A-plus defense. A total of 11 free throws were attempted by both teams. For some reason, there were three referees.
Sectionals Next
The boys basketball sectionals brackets were drawn Wednesday. The games will begin this weekend. Number 2 seed Hoosick Falls will play the winner of Saturday evening’s play-in game between #15 Coxsackie and #18 Corinth on Tuesday, February 18, in the HFCS gym beginning at 7:30 pm. In the Hoosick Falls bracket, the quarterfinals will be held at Shenendehowa High School on February 21 with the game scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm. Semifinals will be held at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Tuesday, February 25, at 6:30 pm, with the Class B sectional championship game to be held Saturday, March 1, at 5:30 pm, in the Glens Falls Civic Center.[/private]