The parking lot behind Siena College's Alumni Recreation Center told the story of the sixth annual GymRat Challenge girls AAU basketball tournament Saturday afternoon. Cars with license plates from around the country packed the spaces, as some of the best players in the country hoped to catch the eye of the many coaches on hand.

Women's college basketball coaches were out in force at the first day of competition in the sixth annual GymRat Challenge held at Siena College and the University at Albany Saturday afternoon. Action continues Sunday at both locations. (First three photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

It was a beautiful day to be outside Saturday, but 1,750 girls decided to spend the day indoors, competing against each other in the sixth annual GymRat Challenge at Siena College and the University at Albany.

Pool play wraps up Sunday morning and championship round action begins early Sunday afternoon. Tickets are still available. Admission is $10 at the door.

Greenwich native Dani DeGregory, of the Albany City Rocks, looks to make a pass during Saturday's game against the Central Jersey Cardinals. Albany won, 60-41.

A number of local teams were in action Saturday, including the Albany Capitals and the Saratoga Sparks. I decided, however, to catch up with two local small-school stars, Dani DeGregory and Katie Roth, who play for the Albany City Rocks.

Playing in the Wasaren League and Patroon Conference, respectively, they don't get the caliber of competition day-in and day-out during their high school regular seasons that they need to prove their worth to Division I college coaches.

AAU tournaments provide them that opportunity.

"It’s good to play here (with the City Rocks) because it’s really where you’re going to get better over the summer and take things back to high school," Roth said. "I wouldn’t say one is more important than the other, though. Here, you’re getting looked at by college coaches. But high school is representing where you go to school and where you come from. I enjoy playing with both and I like everyone on both teams."

Spectators were scattered among the seven courts seeing action Saturday at Siena College, but unlike most high school basketball games, the atmosphere was subdued.

"The Wasaren League is really competitive and the game Katie and I played against each other in was really intense," DeGregory said. "Everything we play here is equally intense. I like playing with both teams. Both teams are awesome to play with. Getting looks from college is great, but high school is really important, too."

The Saratoga Sparks' 16-and-under team, featuring Cohoes High School star Bailei Tetrault (right, with ball) was among the 156 squads in action Saturday. 1,750 players are involved in the event.

Although DeGregory and Roth both list basketball as their favorite sport, they're both three-sport athletes in high school.

Roth plays volleyball and throws the shot put and discus for the Maple Hill track and field team.

DeGregory plays field hockey and softball for the Witches.

We'll have more on the supposed decline of the three-sport athlete ( I think these two athletes are a great example of how that trend is not going out of style, even with their basketball specialization) when our Ben Franklin Project is published on July 4th.

Greenwich High School sophomore Dani DeGregory is hoping that a stint with the Albany City Rocks this summer will increase her exposure among college coaches.

DeGergory and Roth squared off when their teams met on March 8 in the Section II Class CC/C playoff. (Click here to read about that game in the archive).

The gym at Adirondack Community College was packed that day with fans and fellow students, who carried signs and banners and screamed at the top of their lungs. The action at Siena on Saturday was much more subdued...a bit of polite applause here and there...but the intensity on the court was just the same for the players.

"I guess the intensity is always pretty high," DeGregory said. "Out here, you’re looking for college coaches, but in high school, it’s the same thing. Here, you get more exposed so you definitely want to play as hard as you can every day."

And for small-school players like Roth and DeGregory, AAU basketball offers them an opportunity they just could not get playing for their high school teams.

Maple Hill High School junior Katie Roth recently made a verbal commitment to the University of Hartford, an opportunity she attributed to her time with the City Rocks the past two years.

For some video highlights and more quotes, click on the video below.

The Albany Capitals' 16-and-under team, featuring Holy Names' Sarah Agan (right, with ball), won the 15-and-under title a season ago. Over 100 local players will be competing in the two-day event.

For the full story, be sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

We'll also have a big story on former Catholic Central High School boys basketball coach Don Bassett and more on this year's class in the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

Greenwich senior pitcher Neil Fryer has committed to Siena College along with CBA senior Dennis Buckley. (Photo courtesy Stan Hudy, The Saratogian).

According to a press release just sent out by Siena College, Greenwich High School senior Neil Fryer will be playing his college ball in Loudonville.

From the release:

He comes from the strong Greenwich High School program and played his summer ball for the renowned Saratoga Stampede. Fryer helped Greenwich reach the New York High School State finals this past season.

“Neil is coming off an outstanding high school season where his team finished runner-up in the New York State Tournament,” Siena head coach Tony Rossi said. “He should see quality innings out of the bullpen initially and spot start. He has an outstanding fastball and curve and is an outstanding student as well.”

Dennis Buckley, another local product, just finished his senior season with the strong Christian Brothers Academy team. He started and relieved for the team this year, and with a fastball in the upper-80’s, he will be counted on to come out of the bullpen and provide quality innings.

“Dennis transferred from Colonie Central High School to Christian Brothers Academy where he played football as well as baseball,” Rossi said. “He will be a welcome addition to the bullpen where the hope is he will provide mid to late inning help. He should get quality time immediately.”

Five athletes recently made late signing period commitments to Siena. The group raises the incoming freshman class to 11 – the largest recruited class in the history of the program.

Adam Guinn (Norris, Tenn.), Neil Fryer (Greenwich, N.Y.), Richard Baerga (Pomona, N.Y.), Dennis Buckley (Albany, N.Y.) and Greg Wilson (Medford, Mass.) all committed to the program. They join: Matt O'Kipney (Liverpool, N.Y.), Jimmy Meindl (Old Bridge, N.J.), John Rooney (Syracuse, N.Y.), Tyler Bell (Cornwall, N.Y.), Vinnie Citro (Montclair, N.J.) and Kenny Kirshner (Cornwall, N.Y.) who committed to the program during the early signing period.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

Greenwich ace Neil Fryer throws a pitch during Tuesday's Section II Class C championship game against Fort Plain. Fryer went seven strong, scattering five hits and adding three RBI and a home run at the plate in a 9-1 victory for the Witches. (Photo courtesy - The Saratogian).

Greenwich earned the first Section II baseball title Tuesday night after a rain delay at Joe Bruno Stadium. For the full story, check out Wednesday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian.

The Witches will play Class CC champion Canajoharie in the Section II Class CC/C playoff Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Veterans Field on Geyser Road in Saratoga Springs.

--
Stan Hudy covered the game for us and uncovered a great story on this Greenwich team. Here is an excerpt from his story:

It was also special for the players who wore a shamrock with M.A.C embroidered on it in memory of former assistant coach and former mayor of Greenwich, Christopher McCormick, who died in May from complications due to Type I diabetes.

It was during the wake and a few conversations about Mac (McCormick’s nickname) and his love of the Boston Red Sox that a secret was revealed to the adults. Just as a construction worker has buried a Red Sox baseball jersey in concrete during the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, the favor was returned to McCormick and his former stomping grounds, near third base.

His friends purchased a New York Yankee jersey and buried it underneath the Witches baseball field, they did it quietly, secretly and left little evidence … all except some of the dirt from Yankee Stadium they also left for him.

It was a joke between friends, a snicker at the expense of their Boston-loving friend, but they never had the time or the heart to tell him of the prank. When word got out, along with the tears, speeches and memories about Mac, Beck vowed to dig it up … when the curse was broken.

It’s official, the curse is broken, but there is still a moratorium on any shovels being put to use around the Greenwich baseball field.

"We’ll just wait until the season is finally over," Greenwich head coach Duke Beck said. "We still have some games to play."

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Chase Godfrey attempts to defend a sprawling Matt Sexton in Tuesday's Section II Class B boys lacrosse title game at the University at Albany. Niskayuna won its sixth straight Section II title by a score of 14-4. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Guy Waltman scored four goals for Niskayuna in the victory. For more on how Waltman was inspired to win this game for his younger teammates, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record for the full story.

Nisky has won six Section II titles in a row and ten in total. The Silver Warriors showed why they are the class of Capital Region lacrosse Tuesday night in a sharply-played game.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake goalie Connor Nash prepares to make one of the 17 saves he made in Tuesday's game. He played well considering that the Silver Warriors took 44 shots in the game.

It was also a highly successful season for Burnt Hills, which advanced to a Section II title game for the second time in its four-year varsity history.

First-year head coach Tom Schwan has helped his team improve its lacrosse IQ and he hopes the Spartans can be Suburban Council and Section II competitors again in 2011.

"I can’t speak highly enough about Jason LaPietro, our assistant varsity coach," Schwan said. "He is just a tremendous man in regards to working with young people. He asks them to do things physically they don’t think they can do, and he also got them to mentally do things they’ve never done before.

"We’re really psyched about the future," Schwan continued. "There are a lot of positives, but we understand that they’re better than us and I think 14-4 was exactly how much better they were than us.

Averill Park's Andrew Fasoldt makes a play during a regular season game against Columbia. The Warriors, the No. 7 seed in the Section II Class A playoffs, will face No. 1 Ichabod Crane in Wednesday's title game at Joe Bruno Stadium. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

For an preview story on how Suburban Council teams Averill Park, Mohonasen and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake compete in the Section II Class A tournament with losing records year-in and year-out, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
iTunes video podcast
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published

The Maple Hill High School girls basketball team rejoices as the final buzzer sounds in Monday's Section II Class CC/C playoff victory over Greenwich.

(For Watervliet/Mechanicville video, please scroll down to the middle of this post)

If there was an MVP for the Section II Class CC/C girls basketball playoff game, Maple Hill junior center Katie Roth would certainly have earned the award. Roth scored 26 points and snared 21 rebounds for the Wildcats in a nailbiter, a 56-50 victory over Greenwich. (All photos by Erica Miller - The Saratogian).

Roth, who plays a bit at the guard position during the AAU season, certainly put those ball-handling skills to good use in Monday's Section II Class CC/C playoff game against Greenwich.

The Witches applied full-court pressure for most of the game, meaning Roth was often receiving long passes at midcourt. Unafraid to dribble with the ball, Roth got the Wildcats out of a number of sticky situations in transition. She finished with 26 points and 21 rebounds and also made the game-winning assist, setting up Jessica Dailey's three-point shot with one minute to play.

Greenwich's sophomore sensation, Dani DeGregory, seen here driving around Maple Hill's Erin Mosher, scored 13 points for the Witches. DeGregory, however, was limited to a 1-of-5 performance from the free throw stripe.

Jessica Dailey finished the game with nine points on a trio of three-point buckets, but none was bigger than her basket late in the fourth quarter. Much like Chris Despart's game-winning three-point bucket for the Maple Hill boys in overtime against Hoosick Falls in the Section II Class C title game, Dailey inbounded the ball from the sideline. She found Roth inside, but Roth kicked it back out - just as Sean Danaher did in the boys game - to a wide-open Dailey, who buried the shot that put Maple Hill ahead for good.

Maple Hill made five of its six free throws in the final minutes, withstood a DeGregory steal of a Dailey inbound - DeGregory was called for traveling under the basket - as the Wildcats won, 56-50.

Maple Hill receives a bye into the regional final and will face the winner of Wednesday's regional semifinal between Section VII champion Ticonderoga (9-11) and Section X champion Brushton-Moira (20-1). Saturday's regional final will be played at Adirondack Community College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:45 p.m.

Maple Hill's Anna Racz scored the game's first four points and finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

One of the unsung heroes in the game for Maple Hill was sophomore point guard Erin Mosher, who was called for a hard foul on DeGregory early in the fourth quarter. Maple Hill pulled an obviously distraught Mosher out of the game, but told her to relax because she was going right back in.

With 4:20 to play, Mosher buried a three-point bucket from the top of the key that put the Wildcats ahead by two. In the final minute, she watched as her two foul shots both bounced high off the back of the rim but swished in for big-time insurance points.

"She gets down on herself sometimes, but we have to remember sometimes that she is only a sophomore," said Maple Hill head coach Mark Bubniak. "She wasn't expecting to be the varsity starting point guard this year. We told her, 'Just relax. The coaches just want to talk to you for a second. We'll put you right back in.
"She had that big three. I didn't know if she had that in her to step up and hit that at that time. At that time, that was a clutch shot."

For The Record's story on the game, click here.

For The Saratogian's Greenwich-angle perspective, click here.

Watervliet head coach Gordie Johnson lifts the Section II Class B title trophy as his team cheers after Monday's victory over Mechanicville.

Watervliet High freshman Ailayia Demand drives around a Mechanicville player during Monday's Section II Class B final. The Cannoneers topped the Red Raiders for the second time this season, winning a fourth consecutive Section II title.

Demand was named Tournament MVP, scoring a game-high 16 points in the low-scoring defensive slugfest, a 38-27 victory for Watervliet.

Mechanicville committed 10 personal fouls in the first half and in front of a full house at Adirondack Community College, staying calm was a big factor for a mostly young Watervliet team.

“We definitely kept our composure,” Demand said. “That was one of our game keys.”

"She's not bad. But don't tell her that," Watervliet head coach Gordie Johnson said of his freshman MVP. "We want to make sure she keeps working hard and getting better. She's going to be a heck of a player. Her best basketball is still to come."

Mechanicville's Abby Maiello leaps over Watervliet's Kaitlyn Murray during Monday's game. Maiello, who did not score any points, grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for the Red Raiders.

Another Watervliet freshman, Lashona Tolliver, stepped up, scoring seven points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior Nae White, Watervliet's defensive leader, had a huge second half. She scored all of her eight points after the break and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Cannoneers.

"There are four seniors on this team that have been with me for about eight years," Johnson said. "We just don't want to say goodbye. We want to prolong this as long as we can and they showed a lot of heart."

Mechanicville's Alysa Russell leaps for a shot attempt over Watervliet's Julie Keegan.

Watervliet receives a bye into the regional final and will face the winner of today's regional semifinal game at SUNY-Potsdam between Section VII champion Saranac (17-4) and Section X champion Ogdensburg Free Academy (14-8). Saturday's regional final will be played at Hudson Valley Community College. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.

"I'm hoping we'll play for two more weeks," Johnson said. "I want to go to Hudson Valley, win the regional and go to the state Final Four."

2009-10 Section II Class B girls basketball All-Tournament Team:

Ashley Buonviaggio, Sr., Hudson Falls

Sam Randio, Soph., Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk

Nicole Manupella, Sr., Mechanicville

Shannon McBride, Sr., Mechanicville

Tierney McGlynn, Sr., Watervliet

MVP - Ailayia Demand, Frosh., Watervliet

--
For The Record's story on the game, click here.

For The Saratogian's Mechanicville-angle story, click here.

Members of the Maple Hill High School girls basketball team celebrate after winning the 2009-10 Section II Class CC title. (Photo by Tom Killips - The Record).

Aretha Franklin's hit single 'Respect' blared from the public address system prior to the fourth quarter of Friday's Section II Class CC girls basketball championship game between Maple Hill and Hoosic Valley.

In a rematch of last season's Section II Class CC-C playoff, that was exactly what Maple Hill earned in the final four minutes of the game.

Maple Hill defeated the four-time defending Section II champions by giving them a taste of their own medicine, using a pressing man-to-man defense to limit the Indians to one field goal in the final 5:13 of the game, capping it off with a 41-35 victory in front of a spirited crowd at Hudson Valley Community College.

Maple Hill, (21-0), the No. 1 ranked team in the state, still felt like it had something to prove until it could beat Hoosic Valley, which had been the premiere small-school girls basketball program in Section II for the past four years.

Maple Hill's junior center Katie Roth battles against Hoosic Valley's Jessica Lanoue during Friday's game at Hudson Valley Community College. Roth, the Class CC tournament MVP, scored 21 points and snared 143 rebounds in Friday's game.

Roth was dominant at times, but the Indians hung two or three defenders over her all night. Kristen DerGurahian made the most of her opportunities outside, sinking a trio of three-point shots en route to nine total points. Her trey with 4:20 remaining put the Wildcats ahead by two, which was a lead they never relinquished.

Maple Hill's Erin Mosher looks to make a move around Hoosic Valley's Whiteny Kugler during Friday's game. Mosher made a key steal and layup late in the game to help seal the deal for the Wildcats.

Next up for Maple Hill is Class C champion Greenwich, the 2009-10 Wasaren League regular season champion. The Witches can score tons of points and sophomore guard Dani DeGregory will be hard to stop.

Do the Wildcats try to use a 2-3 zone and play aggressive on the perimeter, letting Roth clean up the mess if DeGregory drives? Or do they just stick with the man-to-man and hope Jessica Dailey or Kristen DerGurahian plays the game of their life defensively?

Either way, the Class CC/C playoff - set for 6 p.m. Monday at Adirondack Community College in Queensbury - will be an interesting game.

2010 Section II Class CC All-Tournament Team:
J'Vanay Santos, Jr., Albany Academy for Girls
Monica Compton, Soph., Schenectady Christian
Rachel Moore, Soph., Hoosic Valley
Whitney Kugler, Soph., Hoosic Valley
Anna Racz, Sr., Maple Hill
MVP - Katie Roth, Jr., Maple Hill

2010 Section II Class C All-Tournament Team:
Sara Anderson, Sr., Lake George
Allison Palludi, Sr., Duanesburg
Marian Bates, Jr., Berne-Knox-Westerlo
Maddy Fitzgerald, Sr., Greenwich
Emily Eddy, Sr., Greenwich
MVP - Dani DeGregory, Soph., Greenwich

For the full story on these games, check out Saturday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian. I also took some video and will try to edit that up as soon as I can.

--
Friday also featured a pair of Class B semifinals, and Watervliet and Mechanicville will continue their bitter rivalry in the title game Monday.

Watervliet turned away No. 13 Ravena and Mechanicville topped No. 7 Hudson Falls as the Cinderella seeds were weeded out of the postseason.

"It is what it is. Colonial Council basketball," said Watervliet head coach Gordie Johnson. "Physical. Aggressive. Whoever makes the least amount of mistakes wins. I guess tonight that was us, in the first half, at least."

--
For more on these games, see Saturday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian.

If you can't make it to the girls title games Saturday, tune in here as I will be bringing you updates. Since I won't have to file a story right away, I will try to keep the updates coming as quick as possible.

In one of the season's early battles for Wasaren League supremacy, Hoosic Valley's girls basketball team can thank Taylor Sullivan for doing all the little things.

Sullivan grabbed 16 rebounds and scored five points, leading the Indians (2-0, 3-0) to a 44-35 victory over Greenwich (0-1, 3-1).

Hoosic Valley junior forward Jessica Lanoue (25), defended here by Greenwich's Emily Eddy, grabbed seven rebounds and made four steals and four assists for the Indians. She scored six points. (Photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Hoosic Valley head coach Walter Dorman is starting two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman this season, but thanks to their defense, the Indians look just as good as ever early in the year.

Greenwich's Jasmine Woodard attempts to get a shot off while being smothered by a pair of Hoosic Valley defenders. The Indians also won the battle on the glass, 36-24.

Greenwich sophomore guard Dani DeGregory (23), an All-State selection as a freshman, makes a move to the hoop while being guarded by Hoosic Valley's Whitney Kugler (15). The Indians held DeGregory to 17 points, basically half her team's total.

For more on Sullivan's performance and how Kugler has adapted to the starting five, check out Saturday's edition of The Record for the full story.

Midway through the second quarter of what was a scoreless game, Rensselaer scored four times in a 6:50 span en route to a 42-24 victory over Greenwich in Saturday's Section II Class D Super Bowl at Brent T. Steuerwald Stadium at Shenendehowa Central Schools.

It was Rensselaer's second consecutive Super Bowl title and it seals the Rams (9-1) a rematch with Moriah in the New York State regional round next weekend in the North Country.

"That stretch, we really needed that in the second quarter," Mico De Los Santos said. "If we didn't come out with that it would have been a more difficult game."

De Los Santos was named Section II Class D's Most Valuable Player for his regular season exploits on offense, defense and special teams.

Tyler Pruiksma rushed for 113 yards for Greenwich (7-3).

"These guys have been here before," Rensselaer head coach Joel Preston said of his veteran players. "I just keep reminding them how it felt last year walking off the field after losing to Moriah in a game where we didn't play very well. We just want another shot at them and I keep telling them keep your eyes on the prize."

(A big thank you goes to our Ryan Kircher for covering this game).

Rensselaer players celebrate their second consecutive Section II Class D Super Bowl title Saturday afternoon at Shenendehowa. (Photos by Erica Miller - for The Record).

Greenwich's Tyler Pruiksma gives the old stiff arm to Rensselaer's Marquee James during Saturday's Super Bowl.

Rensselaer's Nate Butler is wrapped up by a Greenwich defender.

RENSSELAER 42, GREENWICH 24

Greenwich (7-3) 0 0 8 16-24
Rensselaer (9-1) 0 28 14 0-42

First Quarter

No Scoring

Second Quarter

R-De Los Santos 54 run (Foust kick)
R-Hamilton 11 run (Hamilton run)
R-De Los Santos 7 run (Foust kick)
R-Foust 1 run (kick failed)

Third Quarter

R-De Los Santos 8 run (Foust kick)
R-Wilkinson 24 yard pass from Foust (Foust kick)
G-James 8 yard pass from Giroux (Pruiksma run)

Fourth Quarter

G-Pruiksma 1 run (Pruiksma run)
G-Pruiksma 33 run (McCormick from Giroux)

Individual Statistics

Rushing
G-Pruiksma 27-113, Molisky 5-47, Giroux 4-(-23), McFee1-10. R-De Los Santos 7-87, Dominy 4-4, Hamilton 12-55, Sayers 5-8, Munguia 1-2, Foust 5015, Butler 5-34.
Passing
G-Giroux 4-10-54-2-1. R-De Los Santos 0-3-0, Foust 6-11-117.
Receiving
G-Jones 2-19, Pruiksma 1-7, McFee 1-28. R-De Los Santos 4-90, Wilkinson 1-24, Munguia 1-3.