Arlina Anderson, one of two seniors on the Loudonville Christian team, leaps for a kill in front of Voorheesville's Anna Feller during Thursday's Section II Class CC/C playoff game at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

BURNT HILLS — The Loudonville Christian School’s girls volleyball team expected the fastball from Voorheesville’s hitters in Thursday’s Section II Class CC/C playoff match, but the Blackbirds, time and time again, fooled the Eagles with the changeup.

As the Loudonville defense crept back to defend the powerful kill shots from Voorheesville’s hitters, the Blackbirds adjusted and started softly tipping the ball into open space in the frontcourt, piling up the points in a 3-0 victory at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School by scores of 25-11, 25-23 and 25-18.

“Voorheesville completely deserved to win that match,” said Loudonville head coach Rosemary Burgher. “They’re a well-balanced team, defensively and offensively. They have a great setter and they have a smart attack. They knew where our holes were and they controlled the tempo of the game.”

The Blackbirds watched Loudonville score the first point of the match, but Voorheesville charged back on an 8-0 run that forced the Eagles to call timeout. Voorheesville poured it on offensively late as well, closing out the first game on a 9-1 run.

Loudonville Christian (16-3, Section II’s Class CC champion) led for much of the second game, but Voorheesville closed that game with an 11-5 run, to steal a 25-23 victory.

In the third game, the Blackbirds also finished strong on a 9-2 run to capture their first trip to regionals since 2007.

“Like I said to my team, it’s the ultimate team sport,” Burgher said. “Who remembers the third mistake on the third point? No one does. We win together, we lose together.”

Voorheesville senior libero Ellie Wagner paced the team with 34 digs and five service points, while senior outside hitter Morgan Vandervort added 11 kills and 10 digs. Libby Bjork, a freshman setter, added 34 assists and eight service points. Rebecca Bablin (eight service points, six kills) and Mariel McGinnis (seven kills, seven digs) also chipped in for the Blackbirds.

Loudonville Christian's Sam Parry leaps for a block during Thursday's Section II Class CC/C playoff game at Burnt Hills.

“That was a big adjustment for us,” Voorheesville head coach Sandra Vorse said. “Usually, we like to hit the ball hard. We’re a power team. The first game, we were hitting well and then they pulled their defense way deep. When that happens, you have to adjust, so we starting going offspeed and doing some tips.”

Loudonville Christian posted a 3-0 victory over Voorheesville in the 2009 Section II Class C championship game (there was just one bracket) and the memory of that loss certainly inspired Voorheesville Thursday afternoon.

“When we walked in here, I remembered coming out in the hall and feeling pretty lousy and I didn’t want to do that again,” Vorse said. “They went to a strength trainer this summer and they did ‘Loudonville Christian’ push-ups. They’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

Voorheesville (20-0, Section II’s Class C champion) advances to face Section VII champion AuSable Valley (9-9) in a regional final match Saturday at 4 p.m. at Niskayuna High School.

AuSable Valley had knocked off Section X champion Potsdam (13-8) in a regional semifinal Wednesday night. This is the first year Section VII teams are a part of the New York State tournament, as girls volleyball in the Plattsburgh area had been played as a winter sport in the past.

The New York State Final Four begins Saturday, Nov. 20 and continues through Sunday at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Junior outside hitter Hattie Burgher paced the Eagles with 10 digs and eight kills. Senior middle hitter Arlina Anderson added five kills.

Following the match, the Most Valuable Players from the leagues with teams in Class C were honored at center court. Burgher, the Central Hudson Valley League MVP, and Wagner, the Colonial Council’s top individual player, were joined by Nancy Vickerson (Sr., Tamarac, Wasaren League), Katie Roth (Sr., Maple Hill, Patroon Conference), and Katy Munzenmaier (Sr., Lake George, Adirondack League).

Loudonville will lose Anderson and senior captain Chelsea Brown to graduation in June, but the rest of the team will return in 2011.

“We’ll be back. We’ll be back next year,” coach Burgher said. “This isn’t too shabby, but they forget it. They don’t put it into perspective. How many high school programs get to come to sectionals? I’m proud of them. I love them so much.”

Members of the Voorheesville High School girls volleyball team pose with the Section II trophy after defeating Loudonville Christian in the Section II Class CC/C playoff Thursday afternoon at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. (Photo by Will Montgomery - The Record).

Other Section II championship scores from Thursday:

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake head coach Gary Bynon hugs one of his players after the Spartans captured their ninth straight Section II championship Thursday evening at Niskayuna High School. (BH-BL photos courtsey The Saratogian).

BURNT HILLS — The Shenendehowa High School girls volleyball team won its first Section II title in 20 years, defeating Bethlehem, 3-1 in the Section II Class AA championship match Thursday morning at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School.

The Lady Plainsmen (16-4), the No. 2 seed, upset No. 1 Bethlehem (17-3) in the finals.
Shen will play Section III champion Baldwinsville on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Union College.

Class A

Burnt Hills 3, Queensbury 0: The No. 1 seeded Spartans (18-0) cruised to victory in the Section II Class A championship match at Niskayuna High School.

It was the ninth straight Section II title for Burnt Hills.
Burnt Hills will next play Section III champion Oswego on Saturday at Union College at 1 p.m.

Class B

Ravena 3, Johnstown 2: The No. 1 seeded Indians (18-1) held off the No. 3 Lady Bills (13-5) in the Section II Class B championship match at Burnt Hills.
Ravena will next play Section VII champion Beekmantown Saturday at 6 p.m. at Niskayuna.

Class D

Argyle 3, Hartford 1: The No. 3 seeded Scots (18-3) topped No. 4 Hartford (14-4) in an all-Adirondack League Section II Class C championship match at Burnt Hills.
Argyle will next play Section VII champion Northern Adirondack on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Union College.

The 2010 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake girls volleyball team celebrates its ninth consecutive Section II title Thursday evening at Niskayuna High School.

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Hattie Burgher tips the ball over the net for the Loudonville Christian School during Tuesday's Section II Class CC championship match against Tamarac at Hudson Falls High School. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record). 

HUDSON FALLS — Hattie Burgher saved her biggest kill for last Tuesday evening in the Section II Class CC girls volleyball championship match against Tamarac.

Burgher, a junior outside hitter at the Loudonville Christian School, put an exclamation point on the Eagles’ 3-1 victory over the Bengals with her 19th kill of the match. Her teammates stormed the court to hop up and down and hoist the Section II trophy together following a topsy-turvy battle against Tamarac at Hudson Falls High School.

Loudonville (16-2), the No. 1 seed and the Central Hudson Valley League’s regular season champion, won the first game 26-24 and posted a 25-15 triumph over the Bengals in game two. Tamarac, however, rallied to win game three, 26-24 and was two points away from sealing a victory in game four. Loudonville won six of the final seven points in the fourth game, clinching the fourth Section II title for the program in the past five years with a 26-24 victory.

Tamarac's Roni Weeks (11) and Loudonville Christian's Sam Parry battle for the ball over the net during Tuesday's Section II Class CC championship match at Hudson Falls.

“We have a great coach and we have great talent,” said Burgher, at right, who added 17 digs. “As small as our school is, we all work hard. Everyone is willing to work hard and push themselves because they want to keep up the winning tradition.”

Chelsea Brown, at left, a senior captain, who like Burgher, is in her fourth year as an outside hitter on the varsity squad, recorded 19 service points and 10 kills, claimed Tuesday’s match was one of the toughest the team had played in all season.

“We’ve had a few matches that were pretty tough, but the girls pulled through every time,” she said.


Julia Brown added 46 assists, 22 digs and 11 service points for the Eagles, while Arlina Anderson chipped in with 14 kills. Sam Parry bolstered Loudonville’s offensive attack with 11 kills.

Tamarac's Alyssa Bonesteel and Loudonville Christian's Arlina Anderson collide at the net during Tuesday's Section II Class CC championship match at Hudson Falls.

Loudonville had defeated Tamarac 3-0 in a non-conference matchup during the regular season.

“Every time we pass the ball and put it to the setter’s hands, we have a kill. So that’s my secret,” said Loudonville head coach Rosemary Burgher. “It’s not a big secret. Everybody wants to be the glory hitter, the killer, the attacker. You can’t get there unless you have good, effective passing.”

Tamarac (14-5), the No. 2 seed, was making its first appearance in a Section II championship match. The Bengals, who won a Wasaren League championship for the first time in school history in 2009, repeated that feat in 2010.

Head coach Judy Burton will miss a number of her seniors next season, including three-time reigning Wasaren League MVP Nancy Vickerson, but she hopes the path blazed by the team in the last two seasons inspires future generations of Tamarac players.

“This is as far as anybody’s ever gotten,” Burton said. “We have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to cry about. This is as good as we’ve ever done.”

Loudonville advances to the Section II Class CC/C playoff Thursday at 3 p.m. at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School against Class C’s No. 1 seed Voorheesville (19-0), which defeated Galway 3-0.

Loudonville Christian's Arlina Anderson leaps to block a Tamarac shot during Tuesday's Section II Class CC championship match at Hudson Falls.

A season ago, when there was just one Class C bracket, Loudonville defeated Voorheesville in the championship match, 3-0.

The Eagles know it won’t be easy defending their title, but they’re hoping that the strong team chemistry that has served them well so far carries over into the playoff match.

“We haven’t had a leader in terms of one person to get them all into gear,” said coach Burgher. “They play very emphatically. It’s like a wave. If one is down, they all come down. If one is up, honestly, they’re really unstoppable. They really, really are.”

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In Clifton Park, the Catholic Central girls team was defeated by No. 2 seed Queensbury (17-0), three games to one in a Section II Class A semifinal at Shenendehowa High School. CCHS, the No. 3 seed and Big 10 Conference regular season champion, finished the season with a 16-3 record. Our Ed Weaver was there, so look for his account of the game in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

Catholic Central's Gena Russo (8) and Caitlin Whelan (16) leap to block a shot during Tuesday's Section II Class A semifinal at Shenendehowa.

Catholic Central's Hannah Kutny leaps for a kill shot during Tuesday's Section II Class A semifinal against Queensbury at Shenendehowa.

Catholic Central's Maddie Coneys leaps to block a shot during Tuesday's Section II Class A semifinal at Shenendehowa.

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Heatly senior guard Dominic Patalino floats through the lane as he attempts a shot over Loudonville Christian's Koury Deeb during Tuesday's CHVL game at Loudonville Christian School. Heatly scored the game's first eight points and won, 66-53. (All photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

The Hornets weren't able to play the type of game they like to play in Loudonville's cramped gym, as the small court dimensions prevented them from running and squeezed the Heatly perimeter game.

Alex Heffern, however, managed to hit four three-point buckets en route to 22 total points and J.R. Gleason, Heatly's 6-foot-3 senior center, added 14 points and seven rebounds in the paint for the Hornets.

Four teams entered play on Tuesday tied at 5-1 for first place in the Central Hudson Valley League standings: Heatly, Loudonville, New Lebanon and Germantown.

The stage is set for a classic pennant race as the second half of the season winds down and the Hornets took a big step forward Tuesday, especially considering the 20-point loss at home to Germantown that happened just last Thursday.

The Hornets were pumped-up from the get-go Tuesday night, but their head coach wanted to assure them that they need to play like this every night if they wish to repeat as CHVL regular season champions.

"It’s fun, it really is," said Heatly head coach Peter Heffern. "They know that they have to show up every night. It’s not just the top four teams. Hawthorne is playing well and you have to go and play against the other teams too. You have to show up. I think our league is a lot better than it was a few years ago. The coaches are doing well, the kids are responding and I think everybody is seeing the results of it: good basketball."

--
The crowd at Loudonville was big and they were loud, especially as the Eagles drew to within 10 points late in the fourth quarter. Cullen Overholt scored a game-high 23 points, but the Eagles threw up too many bricks throughout the game to make a legitimate run at a comeback.

Read more about the game and how Alex Heffern and J.R. Gleason work together on the court in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

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Watervliet's Tierney McGlynn looks to pass as Holy Names' Leah Arduini defends during Tuesday's Colonial Council game at Holy Names. Holy Names won, 52-23, extending its winning streak in league play to 28 games.

Holy Names' Sarah Agan looks to take a shot over a pair of Watervliet defenders during Tuesday's game. Holy Names, 10-0 this season, was ranked No. 4 in the latest NYS Class A poll.

Watervliet freshman guard Ailayia Demand (1) elevates toward the hoop during Tuesday's game at Holy Names as Fallon Witte (22) defends and Leah Arduini looks on.

"Holy Names played terrific," Watervliet head coach Gordie Johnson told our Ryan Kircher. "They played great and they killed us on the offensive boards. They took us out of everything we do, we couldn't get open looks and when we did we didn't finish them."

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

Catholic Central's Colleen Dignum (4) looks to move the ball past Saratoga Springs' Kayla Crawford in Wednesday's Section II Class AA opening round game at Monsignor Burns Gymnasium in Troy. Dignum scored the Crusaders' only points of the third quarter and bloodied her nose on the play, but the drive inspired a fourth quarter rally by the rest of her senior teammates. Catholic Central held on for a 42-39 victory. (All photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Carly LaBombard (10) aims a shot as Saratoga's Kathleen Hannan defends in Wednesday's game. LaBombard scored eight of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Crusaders rallied from three down to claim a vicory in what was the final game on the home floor for the CCHS seniors. Dignum also finished with 11 points.

Catholic Central's Olivia DeMarco (center) fights for the ball between Saratoga's Marie Davison (l) and Staci McElroy (r). DeMarco did not play in the first meeting between these teams, a 42-40 victory for the Blue Streaks on Nov. 29. The New Haven University-bound senior center grabbed 10 rebounds, scored eight points and made three blocks.

Technical difficulties prevented the CCHS staff from playing a recorded version of the national anthem, so Davison stepped up to the microphone to give her rendition. It was a great display of sportsmanship and the CCHS fans gave her a great round of applause.

Saratoga's Staci McElroy (10) goes to the hole as Catholic Central's Taliah Pounds gets a hand on the ball. Pounds, a sophomore, grabbed five rebounds and scored three points in limited minutes, but provided valuable backup in the post for DeMarco.

After losing their first three games this season, the Lady Crusaders have won 14 of their past 17 and ride a six-game winning streak into the Section II Class AA quarterfinals.
Big 10 No. 3 Catholic Central advances to face Bethlehem (15-6), the Suburban Council No. 2 seed. The teams will play at Schenectady High School on Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is $3.

Look for the full game recap in Thursday's edition of The Record, as well as the juicy details about the Bethlehem-CCHS rivalry.

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Loudonville's Christian's Cullen Overholt (11) smooshes the ball into the floor at Shaker High School during a Section II Class D opening round game on Wednesday night. The No., 6 seeded Eagles used 17 points from Overholt, the 2008-09 Central Hudson Valley League Co-MVP, to defeat a CHVL foe, No. 11 seed New Lebanon, 46-41.

Loudonville Christian's Jared Rebeor (33), a second team All-CHVL selection, scored eight points in the victory. The Eagles advace to take on No. 3 Sharon Springs in a Class D quarterfinal game Saturday at Saratoga Springs High School. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. and admission is $6.

Updated girls basketball brackets

Updated boys basketball brackets

Great game today in Loudonville. Waterford slugged three home runs against Loudonville Christian- two came from third baseman Jamie VanBramer, who also made a great over-the-shoulder diving catch to end the game.
The Lady Fordians held on for a 13-9 Central Hudson Valley League victory, leaving Waterford alone atop the CHVL standings.

But it wasn't a cakewalk for Waterford. They jumped out to an early 7-2 lead after two innings, but allowed the Eagles back in the game when Loudonville scored five runs on a string of singles (one batter was hit by a pitch in that sequence). This tied the game at seven.
Other than Jillian Thomton's RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles did not have an extra base hit -but they still put nine runs on the board.

Waterford fell behind in the bottom of the sixth when the Eagles pushed across the go-ahead run. But Waterford's Emily Giroux got things rolling with an RBI fielder's choice, Katie McGreevy followed with a two-run single and VanBramer crushed a huge home run over the short porch in right field.
(Loudonville coach Carrie Hagwell, an admitted Red Sox fan, calls the fence "our Green Monster." - By my guess, the fence is about 125 feet from home plate and 15 feet high. I would've been aiming for it too. But Hagwell said she's seen very few balls go over it, so toady's power display was out of the ordinary.)

Anyway, it was a very entertaining game and VanBramer summed it up with what she called the Lady Fordians' motto after the game.
"The motto at Waterford is that we never give up," VanBramer said. "Never give up. Even when we're down, we just have to keep going."


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Below are the most recent section II softball standings that we have been able to put together.
If you have any corrections or updates, feel free to send them along.
The latest state rankings should be released tomorrow - check back for those. I expect Shen and Mechanicville to move up and Troy could crack the top 20 after their recent hot streak.

School	League		Overall
	Wins	Losses	Wins	Losses
Big 10
Troy	5	1	10	6
Amsterdam	3	1	5	4
CCHS	3	1	6	5
Schenectady	3	2	3	8
Bishop Gibbons	2	4	2	7
Albany	1	4	3	12
Bishop Maginn	0	4	0	4
Suburban Council
Blue Division
Shenendehowa	7	0	11	1
Colonie	5	2	13	2
Shaker	4	3	5	4
Saratoga	4	4	7	4
Gold Division
Columbia	6	2	12	2
Bethlehem	4	3	8	4
Guilderland	4	4	10	5
Ballston Spa	1	6	5	7
White Division
Niskayuna	5	2	10	2
Burnt Hills	3	5	8	7
Mohonasen	1	7	5	9
Averill Park	0	5	2	6
Colonial Council
Lansingburgh	10	0	13	1
Mechanicville	7	2	9	6
Holy Names	7	3	9	6
Cobleskill	7	5	10	5
Cohoes	6	3	6	6
Ravena	3	6	7	9
Voorheesville	3	6	4	9
Schalmont	2	8	5	9
Watervliet	2	9	2	9
Wasaren League
Hoosic Valley	9	0	10	0
Schuylerville	6	2	7	5
Granville	5	3	7	3
Hoosick Falls	4	3	7	8
Greenwich	4	4	9	5
Tamarac	2	5	5	10
Stillwater	1	6	2	9
Cambridge	0	7	0	8
Patroon Conference
Ichabod Crane	11	0	13	2
Chatham	9	3	11	3
Taconic Hills	7	4	10	4
Maple Hill	6	6	6	6
Coxsackie-Athens	5	7	5	7
Greenville	2	1	2	1
Rensselaer	2	13	2	14
Hudson	1	3	1	4
Catskill	0	2	0	2
Cairo-Durham	0	3	0	3
CHVL
Waterford	6	1	9	2
L’ville Christian	7	3	7	3
New Lebanon	5	4	5	7
Germantown	3	2	4	4
Berlin	3	4	4	6
Albany Academy	2	3	2	3
Emma Willard	2	4	2	4
Heatly	1	4	1	4
Doane Stuart	0	2	0	2