Check the bottom of this post for videos from the Hoosick Falls and Maple Hill games.

Lansingburgh senior center Tyler Hammett attempts a putback over a sea of Ichabod Crane defenders during Thursday's Section II Class A semifinal. Lansingburgh won, 56-38. (Photo by Will Montgomery - The Record).

Remember the scene in Hoosiers when the Hickory High coach, played by Gene Hackman, brings his team into Hinkel Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and he measures the rim and the distance to the foul line, telling his team that it's just like the one they play in at home?

Well, that was Guy DiBacco Thursday afternoon.

Lansingburgh High hadn't played in a postseason game at the Glens Falls Civic Center since 1976, so DiBacco made sure his group was ready to go, getting them there super early, even before the Gloversville team arrived for it's 6 p.m. game. The players scoped out the arena, saw the court - DiBacco said about 10 of them stopped in midstride when they turned the bend in the hallways beneath the building and saw the huge floor - and they got warmed up. With the ice underneath the floor, it's chilly in the Civic Center, always.

Their opponent Thursday night, Ichabod Crane, got stuck in rush hour traffic on the way north. The Riders sat on the bus for three hours and caused the opening tipoff to be pushed back from 7:30 to 8 p.m.

Well, one team was ready to go and the other wasn't. Lansingburgh outscored Ichabod 17-1 in the first quarter en route to the 56-38 victory. According to Lansingburgh Athletic Director Michael Harkin, it will be the Knights' first-ever trip to a sectional championship game in school history.

Sajae Pryor scored a game-high 17 points for Lansingburgh, grabbing 10 of his 11 rebounds on the defensive end. He, especially, appreciated DiBacco's insistence on getting to Glens Falls early.

Lansingburgh vs. Ichabod highlights and a clip from an interview with Sajae Pryor.



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It's been quite the journey for the Lansingburgh team this year. They started the season with limited expectations, losing seven of the top nine players from last season to graduation. That equates to 59 of the 65 points they averaged per game and the 36 of the 40 rebounds they snared per contest during the 2008-09 season.

"You know guys mature and other guys step up, but when you look at the stat sheet and you're returning six points and four rebounds a game, what do you do?," asked DiBacco.

"They surprised me right from the get-to," he continued. "We got a big lead over Catholic Central and managed to hang on. We started slowly against Albany Academy, but we rallied and had a chance late in that game. The guys kept grinding and they kept listening."

The Knights split a pair of games in Catholic Central's season-opening tournament over the Thanksgiving Weekend, beating CCHS in the opener and losing to Academy the next day. A regular season loss to a then-winless Ravena team in early February, however, opened the team's eyes.

"It told us we could be beat. We're not God," Pryor said. "We're not better than everybody. We could be beat by anybody."

They'll take that lesson to heart Sunday, when they face No. 7 seed Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in the Section II Class A championship game. The Spartans have shut down No. 2 South Glens Falls and No. 6 Gloversville in consecutive games, playing some inspired defense.

How will the Lansingburgh defense respond? Check back for capsules previewing the upcoming Section II championship games in the coming days. And to read the full story on the Lansingburgh vs. Ichabod Crane game, check out Friday's edition of The Record.

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Here are some video highlights from Hoosick Falls' victory over Voorheesville from Wednesday night:

Here are some video highlights from Maple Hill's victory over Schoharie from Wednesday night: