Tamarac senior guard/forward Steve Hunt drives to the hole during Friday's game against Catskill. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The Bengals put on a very nice ceremony Friday night prior to their opening round game against Catskill in the Watervliet Tip-Off Tournament. Coach Eric Medved narrated a PowerPoint presentation that outlined the 50 years of basketball history in Brunswick and he announced the top 50 players in school history - 10 players from each decade of the team's existence.

1960-'69
Eddie Dayton
Frank Estabrooks
Al Fox
Bob Groveston
Phil Herrington
Russ Jarem
Bobby Rebuhn
Dwayne Rifenburgh
Bruce Roeck
John Schofield

1970-'79
Matt Behan
Eddie Bornt
Scott Brown
Henry Gagnon
Jimmy Gagnon
Tyrone Harris
Brian Penman
Shane Quackenbush
Don Roeck
Jay Schneider

1980-'89
George Beaudoin
Dave Floyd
Paul Floyd
Dan McDonald
Randy Messemer
Ricky Purcell
Rick Roden
Craig Schaumann
Mike Warmt
John Yetto

1990-'99
Mike Abrams
Ron Beaudoin
Dan Bornt
Chris Corbett
Francis DeLucia
Angelo DiCarlo
Wayne Gendron
Jason Kearney
Eric McCall
Craig O'Brien

2000-'09
Ben Cuprill
Matt Dixon
Kyle Eddy
Ethan Estabrooks
Steven Hunt
Kevin Johnas
Brent Matazinsky
Tyler Shaw
Blake Smith
Kyle Weed

Tamarac's three-year starting point guard Tyler Shaw dives for a loose ball during Friday's victory over Catskill.

All of the players honored in the pregame ceremony took home a small Bengal trophy and a piece of the old floor. Tamarac also renovated the gym completely, adding a new floor, bleachers and scoreboards.

"It was a good night because everyone from the last 50 years was here," Shaw said. "It was tremendous to be a part of it."
"To see all the smiles on everybody’s faces and to get all the decades together, it was a special night," said Rick Roden, Tamarac's Athletic Director and a member of the top 50 team. "I was honored to be part of it as an alumnus."

Tamarac senior guard Jamie McGrath defends Catskill's Omar Wilson during Friday's victory over the Cats at Tamarac High School.

The Bengals went on to win the Watervliet Tournament, defeating Canton 47-43 on George Mardigan Court on Saturday night.
Steve Hunt scored 22 points and was named Tournament MVP for scoring 37 points and grabbing 24 rebounds over the two days of games.

This year's Tamarac team is senior-laden (11 seniors and two juniors) and hopes are high around Clums Corners. The team has not won a Wasaren League title since 1976.

The thing that strikes me most about Tamarac is the team depth. Starting guard Phil Arnold did not score any points on Friday night, but his presence was still felt defensively. Kolby Kanellis scored 13 points off the bench and all the players on the roster have potential to put in a game-saving performance.

Tamarac kicks off its Wasaren League schedule against Cambridge on Friday, Dec. 12.

Albany Academy's Chris Pelcher stuffs a shot by Catholic Central's Kevin Wilkes in the championship game of the Crusader Roundball Classic on Saturday afternoon.

Well, it looks like the Cadets are going to be in good shape in Class AA. Albany Academy dismantled two of Troy's Big 10 teams by a combined score of 153-93 and claimed the CCHS tourney title.
Pelcher earned MVP honors by scoring 45 points and collecting 26 rebounds over the two-day event.

"I just have to credit all my teammates for giving me the ball," he said. "I couldn’t do it without them."

The Cadets, too, have depth. Two freshmen, Hunter McCarthy and Matt LaClair, both impressed in the final against CCHS on Saturday. They both saw extra time because starting guard Nolan Hart is still out because of an injury, but the extra bodies on the bench bode well for Academy.

The school is appealing to the state to be classified as an A school, but Section II has fit them into the AAs and that will stand for now.
The Cadets have a tough schedule because they do not belong to a league and will play some of the best teams from New York City during the year, including a thorough tour through Section II's best. But so far, so good.

"Since we don’t have a league, every game is a big game for us," head coach Brian Fruscio said.

Catholic Central's Denzel Paschal tries to move the ball during Saturday's championship game in the Crusader Roundball Classic against Albany Academy.

It was another tough game for the Crusaders, but Kevin Wilkes had a nice night for Catholic High. The junior scored 20 points - including four buckets from behind the three-point arc. He earned All-Tournament recognition.

La Salle's Mason Horne, Schuylerville's Austin Bateman and Albany Academy's Tyler Foster rounded out the All-Tournament team.

Our boys and girls basketball preview sections will run in The Record this week.

- Will Montgomery