by Steve Bradley
In the beginning it looked as though the Panther boys were going to cruise to an easy win over Lake George late Saturday afternoon. But as the game went on, it became closer and more exciting by the quarter. By the end of the overtime period, everyone in the gym was on the edge of their seat.
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The Panthers started out hot. Halfway through the first quarter, the Panthers led 16 – 2 and were running away. In the first quarter, Rem Hickey couldn’t miss a three-pointer, hitting on three of them, and Connor McCart dropped in 11 points. LG outscored HF 10 – 4 with the remaining first quarter time to put the home team Panthers up 20 – 12 by the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, points were much tougher to come by for the Panthers and they only tallied 11. With 5:47 left until the half LG pulled into a tie at 23 – 23, then pulled away. Lake George racked up 24 second quarter points, with number 42, Scott McLaughlin, getting 12 of them. The teams went into the halftime break with LG leading by five, 36 – 31.
After the break, the Panthers clawed their way back into a tie, 42 all, with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter. The Panthers outscored LG in the third quarter by five. When the quarter ended, both teams had 46 points.
The fourth quarter was one tie score after another. Halfway though the final quarter, both teams had 52 points, when there was one minute remaining, both teams had 55 points. When regulation time expired, both teams had 57 points and the game went into overtime.
The four minute overtime was more of the same. Neither team could get more than one score ahead of the other. When McCart fouled out early in the OT, things didn’t look good for the Panthers. But when McLaughlin, LG’s high scorer who ended the game with 22 points, fouled out moments later, it leveled the playing field. The overtime went the same way as the fourth quarter had, the teams traded baskets and neither could get a two score lead. When LG’s Alex Jones, the smallest player on the court, hit a three-pointer with 12.1 seconds on the clock to put LG up by one, 66 – 65, it looked like the Panthers might end up on the short end of the score.
The Panthers got the ball quickly down the court. Rem Hickey dribbled along the baseline and got himself under the basket and put the ball up towards the hoop. The ball dropped through the net at the same time the referee’s whistle blew. The referee indicated the basket was good and Hickey was fouled on the play. The crowd erupted with a big cheer.
The Panthers were up 67 – 66 with 2.3 seconds left in the overtime. Hickey missed the foul shot, leaving LG with no time to do anything. The Panthers won the game. It was the second year in a row Hoosick Falls has beaten Lake George by a single point.
Connor McCart ended with 27 points, with his cousin Rem Hickey netting 20.
The undefeated Panther JV team (L, 7-0 / O 10-0) crushed Lake George.
This week the Panthers travel to Hoosic Valley on Friday, January 15. Tuesday, January 19, will find the Cambridge Indians visiting the Panther Den. Both games have a 7:30 start time.WASAREN League Standings: Stillwater (7-0), Mechanicville (6-1), Hoosick Falls (5-2), Granville (4-3), Tamarac (2-5), Hoosic Valley (3-4), Greenwich (1-6) and Cambridge (0-7).
HF 59 – Tamarac 37
Tamarac, 1/8, Hoosick Falls scored 35 points and held Tamarac to nine total points, six coming on foul shots, in the second and third quarters, to put an end to any hopes the Bengals had of going home with a win. Connor McCart had 26 points and Rem Hickey added 18, including 4 three-pointers.
HF 49 – Mt. Anthony 64
HFCS, 1/6, After the Panthers took a 20 – 13 first quarter lead, the Patriots held HF to 11 total second and third quarter points to grab a 47 – 31 lead. The Panthers couldn’t catch up. Connor McCart scored 15, with Alex Mendez chipping in 12 in the loss.
HF 63 – Greenwich 35
HFCS, 1/5, The Panthers had no trouble beating a season-long-struggling Greenwich on this night. Connor McCart had 27 points and Alex Mendez scored 22.[/private]