Argyle

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

The boys basketball teams of the Adirondack League have had great seasons, but starting tonight they all have the same goal. A trip to the Glens Falls Civic Center for the Section II Final Four. Here is my preview of how I think the ADK boys teams will do.

Class D

Argyle-The Scots,  17-1, are the champions of the Adirondack League and the #1 seed. They have the best pair of guards in the tournament in Joey Lufkin(Section II’s leading scorer) and Josh Horton. They have not lost since a league loss to Lake George back in December.  I expect the Scots to ease their way to the Civic Center and win the Class D title.

Fort Ann-Fort Ann is 14-4 and the #3 seed. The Cards have two big time scorers in Robert Sprague and Derek Durkee and a solid supporting cast. Fort Ann is well coached as Kevin Nassivera is one of the best in the business. I see them reaching the Civic Center to meet Sharon Springs in the semi-finals. Sharon Springs will be the favorite, but I think Fort Ann could pull the upset and meet Argyle in the title game.

Hartford-The Tanagers have been bit of a surprise this year. Ethan Farley, Phil Cassella and Tad Jones provide a good core. The Tanagers should beat St. Johnsville at home in their opener, but after that may face a rematch with For Ann, and the Cards have dominated the Tanagers in two meetings this season. Kudos to Hartford for a nice season, but their run should end in the quarterfinals.

Salem-Some key injuries hurt the Generals right out of the gate this season, and the Adirondack League season has been a struggle for them. The Generals open at Loudonville Christian, who seems to be a team peaking at the right time. Getting out of the first round will be tough for Salem.

Bolton-Bolton is the 12 seed and opens play at 5th seeded Hawthorne Valley. The Eagles have had some ups and downs this season, but Mitchell Jordon can play with anyone.  He is a nice scorer and rebounder. I feel that the tough ADK schedule gives Bolton a chance to pull the upset in this one, but a meeting with #4 Loudonville Christian in the quarterfinals may be the end of the road.

North Warren-The Cougars looked to be contenders for the ADK  West title, but they fell on tough times the second half of the season. Nick  Sapienza is a very good guard,  and Benn Frasier provides the post game. The Cougars open at home against Doane Stuart,  a game I think they will win. Then though they must take on #2 Sharon Springs, a team many people think can win it all. That will be a tough one for North Warren to get by.

Fort Edward-The Flying Forts are the #9 seed and open up at #8 Germantown. As I have mentioned before, I like the Adirondack League teams against the CHVL squads so Fort Edward may have a shot at this one. The Clippers have been very successful over the past few years,  but are rebuilding this season. Still, they have a lot of big game experience and might be a tough out. The Forts are led by Mike Taft, Sean Morency, Jonah Taylor and Kevin McCarthy. Should they advance, they would meet #1 Argyle, a team that has handled them twice in league play.

Class C

Lake George-The Warriors went unbeaten in ADK play during the regular season, but fell to Argyle in the league title game. Lake George is 16-2 and earned the #4 seed in Class C, but could face a fierce field. Lake George opens against #13 Mayfield at home and should advance. A potential matchup with #5 Voorheesville in the quarterfinals could be a difficult one to get through. Even if they beat the Blackbirds, top seeded Hoosick Falls could be waiting in Glens Falls. The Warriors have a strong backcourt combo with Aaron Chambers and Joel Wincowski. Ethan Wincowski has enjoyed a nice season down low.

Hadley-Luzerne-The Eagles were one of the favorites to win the ADK West, but things just did not come together the way they were hoping. Devin Waite and Joe Marciano can both score. Hadley-Luzerne is the 14 seed and will have a hard time getting by the first round when they travel to Mechanicville to tangle the #3 Red Raiders and Jordan McBride. Mechanicville is a team many pundents thinks can surprise Greenwich and Hoosick Falls to win it all.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

As I sit here watching the Knicks play Dallas, all the “Linsanity” hype has me pumped up for the Section II Class D girl’s basketball tournament. It has been a great winter for the Class D teams in the ADK. Fort Edward, the defending Class D champs won the league title, North Warren won the west, and Argyle, Fort Ann and Hartford all had nice seasons. The Adirondack Legaue has been dominant over the years in Class D, and I don’t expect 2011-2012 to be any different. I would be stunned if it was not another “All ADK” final. It is just a matter of what two teams it will be. Will it be Argyle vs. Fort Edward round four, or will Fort Ann,  North Warren or Hartford crash the party?

Fort Edward-The Flying Forts are the #1 seed and are the defending champions of Class D. This year is a bit different however. Last year the Flying Forts surprised some people, rallying to win the crown after a slow start. This year as the Adirondack  League champs,  they will have a target on their backs. Fort Edward plays solid defense and has three excellent scorers in Sam Godfrey, Rae Heym and Taylor Boucher.

Prediction: The Forts should have no problem getting by the Germantown/Hawthorne Valley winner, but things will get more challenging in the semi-finals where they could face Fort Ann or Hartford. The Cards and the Tanagers have not been able to show that they can handle Fort Edward this season,  but this is the playoffs where anything can happen. That being said, I expect the Flying Forts to make another trip to the Class D final.

Argyle-The Scots played in Class C last year, falling to Berne-Knox. They are an experienced team with five veteran starters, and are looking forward to being back in Class D. Argyle would love another shot at their rival, Fort Edward which they have lost to, two out of the last three. The Scots are led by point guard Jax Miller and forward Shelby Graham. Megan McWhorter, Ashley Ellis and Hannah Kennedy are all capable of providing points as well. This is a very balanced team.

Prediction: Argyle as the #2 seed may actually have an easier road to the final than Fort Edward. That is because should they reach the final four, they will most likely meet either North Warren who they handled easily during league play, or #3 Heatly. I personally give very little respect to te CHVL champions. I think the Scots cruise into the Class D finals. and will be motivated for another shot at Fort Edward.

Fort Ann-The Cardinals are the #4 seed and await the Hartford/New Lebanon winner. Even though they have had a very good season, the Cardinals probably started the year with much higher expectations. They were a Class D finalist a year ago before being upset by Fort Edward at HVCC, and had all five starters back. However, they have not been able to solve Argyle or Fort Edward this winter, and only managed a split with Hartford. This team has the talent to get back to the finals if they put it together at the right time. Jordan Aubin has had another solid year, but the question is can this veteran team step up in the playoffs?

Prediction: I think the Cards will meet Hartford in the quarterfinals, and if they play well should get by the Tanagers. I think from top to bottom they have more talent. That would set up another game with Fort Edward with a trip to the championship game at stake. Although Fort Edward will be the favorite, and I think the Forts will win, I want to go on the record as saying that I love this Fort Ann team, and would not be stunned if they pull off the upset. Remember, it is the playoffs.

Hartford-The Tanagers have been led all year by Brittany Brayman and Morgan Mercure, both seniors and two of the top players in the ADK.  For the Tanagers to make a deep run, the supporting cast of Katie Frye, Morgan Wicks, and Molly Spear must contribute. When someone other than Brayman or Mercure scores, Hartford is a much more dangerous team. This may actually be coach Jason Harrington’s best coaching job as this team with only eight kids, but with two outstanding players has jelled into a double digit win team.

Prediction: Hartford will cruise past New Lebanon at home Tuesday night, and advance to play Fort Ann. Although the Tanagers split with Fort Ann, I think it will be difficult for them to beat the Cards in the playoffs. Fort Ann is just much deeper, and the Tanagers have not played as well down the stretch, and may be a little tired. That being said, Harrington will have his kids ready to play and I have learned never to count them out.

North Warren-I take my hat off to coach P.J. Hogan and the North Warren Cougars. They beat Lake  George twice and claimed the ADK West title. They deserve all of the credit in the world for this. It was nice to see a new face in the league championship game. Kiera Warner and Cassie Maday lead the Cougars on offense. North Warren opens the playoffs at home against Sharon Springs.

Prediction: I think the Cougars will defeat Sharon Springs in their opener, and advance to play Heatly. The Hornets, 17-1 will be a big favorite in this game, which will be played at Argyle. However,  I always like the ADK teams in games against teams from other Class D leagues. If the Cougars play well, and can shut down high scoring Melissa Heffern, they could pull off the win and advance to take on Argyle in the semi-finals. That is where the Cougar’s great season will most likely end,  but what a memorable season for the Cougars. I congratulate them on their accomplishments.

Salem-The Generals have struggled this year in the ADK East. I look forward to the day when this once powerful program returns to contention. They open sectional play as the 10th seed at Northville. The Falcons are 8-10, but have struggled to score, putting up scores in the 20′s several times, and in the teens a couple. Their high scoring game of the season is just 46 points, so if Salem plays a big game, they may have a shot. Dana Kupiec and Katelyn McKeighan lead the Generals.

Prediction: This will be a low scoring game that could go either way. The tough Adirondack League schedule is what Salem has on their side. Even if Salem is able to beat the Falcons, they will face Argyle and their season will come to an end.

Final Prediction: I feel that it will be round four between Argyle and Fort Edward in the final. The only thing that could change that is if the Fort Ann/Hartford winner were to upset the Flying Forts. Argyle, as I have already stated has the easier path and will be there waiting for the Fort Edward vs. Fort Ann/Hartford winner. As far as who will win if indeed it does end up being Fort Edward vs. Agyle  in the final, I couldn’t predict it. These teams are so evenly matched. Argyle won the first meeting by seven. Fort Edward has won the last two by 19 and four. The huge court at HVCC leads me to think that Fort Edward will have an edge because of their speed, but who can forget Argyle knocking off unbeaten Whitehall on that very court a couple of years ago. The Scots seem to rise up in these type of games. So I guess we will just have to wait until the first weekend in Match to find out.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Wow. It is hard to believe that the high school basketball season is over.  It seems like just yesterday that we were making our pre-season predictions. The season went by in the blink of an eye. Congratulations to the league champions. Hoosic Valley of the Wasaren League, and Fort Edward from the Adirondack. Also our hats go off to North Warren on their ADK West title. As we head into sectional play, I feel that there is a lot to look forward to, with many local teams making long runs. I can’t wait until the “second season” gets started. This will be my last edition of the ADSN Power Rankings for the season. Thanks for your support,  and for your comments this winter.

ADSN Girls Power Rankings

1. Hoosic Valley (17-1)-The Indians wrap up the regular season unbeaten in the Wasaren, and claim the league title once again. Watch for this team to make a deep sectional run. Coach Walt Dorman’s squad can defend like usual, and have a great 1-2 scoring punch in Whitney Kugler and Cassidy Chapko. 

2. Fort Edward (15-1)-The Flying Forts were picked third in the ADK East behind Argyle and Fort Ann, but swept the Cards and beat the Scots two out of three to claim the title. I would be shocked if they don’t meet Argyle again in the Class D final. Taylor Boucher, Sam Godfrey and Rae Heym form a solid nucleus for coach Jason Thomas.

3. Greenwich (13-5)-The Witches struggled against Tamarac and Hoosic Valley, but dominated everyone else. Dani DeGregory and Alexis Case are a dangerous backcourt, and Mariah Linnett and Anissa Anuszewski provide balance. Look for this team to have a great run in Class C, but the field will be tough with the likes of Hoosic Valley, Voorheesville and Cambridge waiting in the brackets.

4. Tamarac (14-4)-The Bengals have had a solid year lead by Jenna Erickson and Briana Matazinsky. They had the number of the Greenwich Witches, but could not get by Cambridge or Hoosic Valley. This team played a tough non-league schedule and grabbed some impressive wins. They may have their hands full though in Class B.

5. Argyle (15-3)-The Scots had all five starters back and were primed for another ADK  title run, but Fort Edward beat them twice late in the season to derail  their title run. Now they set their sites on a Class D crown. Last year Argyle played in the C’s and lost to Berne-Knox. I look for the Scots to to use their experience to make it to the finals to get another shot at the  Flying Forts. Shelby Graham and Jax Miller lead the Argyle  attack, but Hannah Kennedy, Ashley Ellis, and Megan McWhorter can all beat you on any given night.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. I know it is an over used cliche in sports, but never was it more true than it was Saturday night as the Fort Edward Flying Fort turned up the wick on defense in the third quarter,  and rallied to edge the Argyle Scots 38-34. The win at Hudson Falls High School in a winner take all playoff game gives Fort Edward the Adirondack League East division crown and a spot in Tuesday night’s league championship game against west champ North Warren at SUNY Adironack.

Fort Edward has scored as high as 82 points in a game this season. They have scored in the 60′s multiple times, and normally score in at least the 50′s. As a matter of fact,  they just scored 64 against this same Argyle squad last Tuesday night. On this night however, the points were harder for the Flying Forts to come by,  but in the end,  “D” was what carried this team that coaches picked third behind Argyle and Fort Ann to the division title.

Argyle jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the first quarter. The Flying Forts outscored Argyle by the slimmest of margins in the second quarter, 8-7, to make it 17-14 at the half.

It was a physical, low scoring, defensive struggle that saw both teams grinding it out and trying to find ways to put points on the board. No quarter demonstrated that more than the third, which turned out to be the quarter that decided it. Fort Edward came out extending their defense in the stanza, moving to full court man to man pressure. This change in defensive strategy led Fort Edward to a 10-4 advantage in the quarter as they came from behind to lead 23-21 heading to the fourth.

In the final frame the teams finally opened it up a little on offense, but Fort Edward outscored Argyle 14-13 to hold on for the win, taking two out of three meetings with the Scots this season, and the division crown. It remains to be scene whether meeting number four between these two teams will come in the Section II Class D tournament.

Sam Godfrey led Fort Edward, 16-1, with 17 points. Taylor Boucher added 7.

Shelby Graham paced Argyle with 14 points. Jax Miller had eight.

Argyle will play a crossover game against Lake George on Monday.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

The Argyle  Scots and Flying Forts of Fort Edward both did what they has to do Friday night,  coming up with wins to finish tied for first in the Adirondack League East division. The teams will now meet in a one game playoff tonight at Hudson Falls at 7:00  pm. The winner will meet North Warren on Tuesday in the Adirondack  League title tilt. The teams split  in the regular season, with Fort Eddward beating the Scots in the most recent meeting.

Fort Edward 61 Whitehall 41

The Fort Edward Flying took care of things on their end, knocking off Whitehall 61-41 to set up a meeting tonight with Argyle for the Adirondack League East title. Fort Edward led 31-19 at the half,  and cruised the rest of the way.

Fort Edward jumped out to a 16-9 lead after one quarter, and then increased their lead with 15-10 a second quarter to open the game up. Fort Edward outscored the Railroaders 30-21 in the second half to out it away.

Taylor Boucher led Fort Edward with 20 points. Brittany Sardina added 11 and Erica Brockway chipped in 10.

Brittany Putorti led Whitehall with 16 points.

Fort Edward is 15-1, 16-1. Whitehall  is 6-10,  6-11.

Argyle 70 Hartford 39

Argyle did their part to keep pace with Fort Edward as they disposed of rival  Hartford 70-39. The Tanagers hung tough for a quarter, but Argyle was not to be denied as they used a 44-14 advantage in the middle quarters to pull away for the victory.

Argyle jumped to a slim 21-16 lead in a faced paced,  high scoring opening stanza. In the second the Scots turned up the pressure on defense, outscoring the Tannagers 22-9 to lead 43-25 at te half. A 20-5 third quarter put the game in the pocket of the Scots.

Shelby Graham led Argyle with 21 points. Jax Miller dropped in 18, and Ashley Ellis 10.

Brittany Brayman led Hartford with 12 points.

Argyle is 15-1, 15-2. Hartford is 11-6, 11-6.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

In the first meeting between the Fort Edward and Argyle girl’s basketball  teams, the Flying Forts had a nine point lead in the fourth quarter. Argyle however, came storming back to  grab the victory. In round two last night, Fort Edward made no doubt about it as they defeated the Scots 64-45.

In this game both teams came out with their offenses in high gear in the first quarter, as they combined for 34 points in the stanza. The teams were knotted at 17-17 after the period, but Fort Edward appeared to take charge in the second, outscoring Argyle 16-8, using their aggressive in your face defense to shut down the Scots, and taking advantage of Argyle’s foul problems.  Argyle’s Shelby Graham, the teams number two scorer and as fierce a rebounder as their is anywhere around, had three first half fouls and saw her minutes on the floor limited. It was 33-25 at the half.

In the third Argyle fought back, and it looked for awhile as though they would  rally again to beat the Forts. They outscored Fort Edward 11-6 in the third to pull within 39-36, and then took a 43-41 in the fourth and seemd to be on their way. Then the wheels came off. Fort Edward went on a 10-0 run to go up 51-43, and things snowballed from there as the Flying Forts went on for the win, thanks to a 25-9 fourth quarter advantage.

The teams are now tied at 14-1 on top of the Adirondack League East standings. If they both win on Friday, they will play  a one game tiebreaker on Saturday at Hudson Falls, with the winner of that game meeting North Warren February 14th in the ADK title game.

Samantha Godfrey led Fort Edward with 17 points. Erica Brockway added 15 and Taylor Boucher 10.

Graham had 11 for Argyle.  Jax Miller added nine.

Argyle 64 Fort Ann 49

The Scots did their part to  set up the showdown with Fort Edward on Tuesday night by knocking off Fort Ann 64-49. Argyle  used a 21-16 second quarter to go up 32-26 at the half, and gradually pulled away in the third and fourth quarters.

Jax Miller led three Scots in double figures with 19 points. Ashley Ellis added 14 points and Megan McWhorter 11.

Jordan Aubin had an outstanding game for the Cardinals with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Argyle is 14-0, 14-1. Fort Ann is 9-5, 10-5.

Fort Edward 63 Salem 30

Fort Edward stayed within striking distance of Argyle with an easy 63-30 win over Salem. The Flying Forts led 28-15 at halftime and used a 17-2 third quarter to pull away.

Taylor Boucher had the hot hand for Fort Edward, scoring 15 points, 12 of them from behind the three point arc.

Dana Kupiec led Salem with 13 points.

Fort Edward is 13-1, 14-1.

Salem is 3-11, 3-11.

Hartford 44 Whitehall 38

Hartford survived a Whitehall upset bid,  rallying from a 32-29 fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Railroaders 44-38. Hartford outscored the Railroaders 15-6 in the final stanza.

Morgan Mercure led the Tanagers, 11-3, 11-4, with 21 points.

Kelsey Farley led 5-9, 5-10 Whitehall with 12 points.

Lake George 49 Warrensburg 31

Lake  George kept pace with North Warren in the ADK West race with a 49-31 victory over Warrensburg.

Amanda Chambers led Lake George with 13 points. Chelsea Sipowicz chipped in 11 for 9-5, 10-5 Lake George.

Mika Morehouse led Warrensburg, 3-10, 4-10 with 13 points.

Hadley-Luzerne 34 Bolton 3o

Hadley-Luzerne picked up win number two on the season, while keeping Bolton winless, 34-30.

Laura LaPlanche had 12 points and 16 rebounds for Hadley-Luzerne.

Olivia Clesceri paced Bolton with 11 points.

Hadley-Luzerne is 2-11, 2-12.

Bolton is 0-14, 0-15.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

The Argyle Scots jumped out to a big first quarter lead, and senior Josh Horton became the third Argyle athlete to reach the 1,000 career point mark this season, as the Scots defeated Fort Ann 83-60. The win wraps up the Adirondack League East Division crown. The Scots will now finish up the regular season, then move on to a rematch with Lake George in the ADK title tilt on February 14th.

It was senior night as it was Argyle’s last home game of the regular season, and Horton made it memorable. He needed 15 points to reach the 1,000 mark entering the game, and knocked down 25 in the contest to join teammate Joey Lufkin, and girl’s point guard Jax Miller in reaching the mark this winter.

Argyle jumped to a 25-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, and extended the lead to 44-28 at the half. Fort Ann made a run in the third to pull within 53-48, but the Scots responded with run of their own and led 65-51 heading to the final stanza.

Section II’s leading scorer Joey Lufkin led Argyle with 33 points. Senior Tyler Tuttle was rewarded for his years of service to the Scots program with a start in his final home game, and made it pay off as he scored a career high 12 points.

Robert Sprague led Fort  Ann with 20 points. George Lehoisky chipped in 13.

Argyle is now 13-1, 14-1. Fort Ann drops to 11-3, 11-4.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer

The first time that I saw Argyle’s Joey Lufkin play, I braved a snowy night to drive to the SUNY Adirondack gym to watch him play against Corinth in the Adirondack League championship game. I had read about the big scoring numbers that Lufkin was putting up as a ninth grader. When I saw him warming up I said to myself, “He is not very big. How does he do it?” Then the game started and I saw Lufkin flashing his skills, and it all became very clear.

“I haven’t been blessed with much size and strength,” Lufkin told me in a recent interview. “I have worked everyday on my game, whether it is in the weight room or the gym.”

Lufkin’s hard work has obviously paid off. He recently went over the 1,000 career point mark during a home game against North Warren. Lufkin achieved the milestone just halfway through his junior season, which is even more impressive. He entered the North Warren game needing 24 points, and scored 22 in the first half, before getting the basket that he needed to reach the mark less than a minute into the third quarter. The bucket was a layup with an assist from his cousin and backcourt partner Josh Horton. Lufkin finished with 36 points in the game.

Lufkin, a 5’9″ guard is currently the leading scorer in Section II,  averaging 31.2 ppg. The 36 points against the Cougars tied his season high. Lufkin also scored 36 against Bolton, and has only been held under 30 points three times this season. So how does he do it?

“The key to my success has been dedication day in and day out. I started playing for the Albany City Rocks when I was 10 years old. Before that, my dad had me playing in a Saratoga City Rec. league when I was as young as 7.”

Speaking of his dad Joe, also a standout player for Argyle in high school,  Joey makes it no secret who has been the biggest influence in his career.

“My dad has been the biggest influence in my life since a young age, and has constantly reminded me of what I need to do to become a better player.”

Lufkin also credits his coach at Argyle, Jack Sherwin as being an influence on and off the court.

“Coach Sherwin has helped me to become a better team player and a role model in school,” Lufkin stated.

Despite his landmark personal season, and high scoring stats, Lufkin seems to be very grounded, and has his eye on the goals that his team has set, instead of individual accomplishments.

“Obviously my next goal is to win the Adirondack League, followed by a sectional title, and hopefully play in the state tournament. If I continue to work hard I can one day recieve a scholarship to play college basketball.”

Until then though, Lufkin can for now enjoy the success that he has accomplished in his career to this point. He is really enjoying reaping the fruits of his labor.

“It feels good to know that all of the hard work and time has paid off.”

If you have not seen Joey Lufkin play yet, the Scots host long time rival Hartford Wednesday night. Like the first time I saw him play on that snowy night two years ago, you won’t go away disappointed.