by Steve Bradley
When NYS number five ranked Hoosick Falls Panthers took to the floor against the NYS number six ranked Ogdensburg Blue Devils, they had one goal, stop 6 foot 5 inch Kinnon LaRose. LaRose, a senior guard who came in with a 33 points per game scoring average, is headed to Siena on a scholarship. The idea was if you could stop LaRose, you could win the game. The task of stopping LaRose was primarily given to Mark Hackett, with help from his teammates, and this was accomplished. Problem was, LaRose’s teammates came through to make up for the points LaRose didin’t score.
There was a big crowd on hand at Hudson Valley Commuinty College that was all primed for a win. The fans had just watched the HFCS girls win their way into the state semfinals and the crowd was hoping for the same outcome.
The game, held last Saturday, started out well for the Panthers. In a fast paced first quarter the teams went up and down the court matching each others scoring. When the quarter came to an end, the teams were tied at 12. The Panthers’ season-long strategy of limiting the opponent’s biggest threat worked well.
The second quarter, the Blue Devils switched to a zone defense. Against a 3-2 zone, the Panthers struggled to get shots. When they did get a shot, it was a missed shot. Andrew Hoag scored on a breakaway layup for the only basket of the quarter. The Blue Devils on the other hand, started dropping in baskets left and right. Many of them were three-pointers. With seconds left until the half, Ogdensburg dropped in a three from the corner that put the Devils up 13 points, 28 – 15, at the half.
The Panthers came out for the second half determined to get back in the game. They held their own through the third, and early in the fourth quarter the Panthers started chipping at the Devil lead. With just over four minutes to play, the Panthers had whittled the lead to seven points at 46 – 39. But with time running out, the Panthers had to start fouling to stop the clock and the Devils tacked on foul shot points to put the game out of reach. The Panthers had been defeated, but they didn’t go down without giving them a scare.
After the game, John West, an Odgensburg resident with ties to Hoosick Falls, said of the game Ogdensburg played, “I’ve seen them two or three times this year, and that’s the best I’ve seen them play.”
Ogdensburg’s role players came up big, scoring points to make up for the inefficiency of their star. Hackett did a great job holding LaRose to 11 points, seven of those from the free throw line. LaRose scored just two goals from the field, none in the first half. One was a dunk, which, if you can get up there, is a high percentage shot. The other was a rebound put-back. This was mostly against players he had a six inch height advantage on. Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos was in attendance for the game and it would be interesting to hear his opinion of the recruit’s game.
Hoag was high scorer on the day, tallying 17. He was the only Panther in double figures. The Blue Devils had three players in double figures, with the two highest scorers having 12 points each.
It was a great run for these young men. Mark Hackett, Noah Chani, Josh Wood, Andrew Hoag, Jake Nolan, Will Bradley and Austin Pitt have been teammates for years. In 2015 they brought HFCS its first sectional title in 31 years. For the first time in WASAREN League history, with help from Levi Brewster and Connor McCart, a team had two consecutive undefeated seasons, and it was this team. Going 22 – 2 (14 – 0 league) in 2015 and 19 – 2 (14 – 0 league) in 2014, for a combined varsity record of 41 – 4, is a HFCS record that may never be broken. Ironically, no player comes close to breaking any individual records.
In addition, Josh Wood was recently honored as a Section II student-athlete during a ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy. Several of these boys are honor students.
From all the parents, coaches and Panther fans; congratulations to every one of you young men, it’s been a great ride.
