By Doug La Rocque
Back in Class C this year, Berlin still drew a home game last Friday night against a school of similar size and geographic makeup in Berne-Knox-Westerlo, a school located in the Albany County hill towns along the Schoharie County border.[private]
Both teams battled evenly through the first half, with some clutch three-point shooting by the Mountaineers giving them a 35-28 lead. A short bench started to tell for Berlin midway through the third quarter, as the Bulldogs began to dominate play on both ends of the court, making up the halftime deficit and going on to lead 53-45.
Berlin gave it everything they had in the final stanza but couldn’t stay with the Bulldogs, dropping the contest by a 77-61 score.
Roark Slattery led Berlin in scoring with 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Ryan Willis added 20 in the loss with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. For Slattery, who is graduating early, this was his final game for Berlin, as it was for seniors Hunter Harrison, Ryan Gosse and Mike Zlotnick. Harrison finished the game with eight points, and Gosse with seven.
Berlin coach Kasson Sauer said, “It was important for us to come out with energy and effort out of the gate, and the team responded extremely well in the second quarter, to give us a 7-point lead at the half.”
He continued, “The kids worked as hard as I have seen them work all year, and fatigue was a factor in the second half. I credit Berne-Knox for their constant physicality on the glass, which allowed them to get multiple opportunities on many of their offensive possessions”
He concluded, “I am very proud of the effort and energy the team played with tonight, and I know that when my Seniors graduate and they work as hard as they did this season, the sky is the limit. I want to thank all of our fans for their support tonight, and throughout the season. It means the world to our program.”
Earlier in the week, Berlin held its annual Senior Night prior to the game against the Loudonville Christian Eagles, a contest where the Mountaineers came out victorious by a 71-56 margin. Berlin jumped out to a 24 to 8 first quarter lead, held on while the Eagles fought back in the second, and used a strong third to post the victory.
Photo by Doug LaRocque
Roark Slattery dominated the game for the Mountaineers with 33 points for the afternoon with 10 field goals, four 3-pointers and a free throw. He also had 12 rebounds and three assists. Ryan Willis had another double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Hunter Harrison also had eight points in the game.
Berlin fell to the Germantown Clippers the night before 75-49. It was a special night for Roark Slattery, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. A jumper with about a minute to play gave Slattery 1001 points in a Berlin uniform. Ryan Willis added another 13 points and Hunter Harrison six.
The New Lebanon Tigers built a five-point lead at the half in their contest against Loudonville Christian, played even in the third but saw the Eagles outscore them 16-8 in the final stanza to post the 51-48 win. Brandon Napoli had 18 points on the night for New Lebanon, with Brandon Caul adding another eight.
Berlin’s Lady Mountaineers wrapped up their league play with a 57-12 loss to the Heatly Hornets. Jewel Pietrzak led Berlin with six points, Haley Maxon added another four. The winter sports are now wrapped up at Berlin, with the exception of the Boys’ Volleyball team, which plays next week at Germantown in a Sectional match-up. [/private]