Boys Sports

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  We ran an article in April about  coach Marc Lambert making the switch from baseball to softball, as he began his maiden spring leading the Lady Horde.  Coach Lambert hoped to sharpen the team’s “decision making”, as well as “improve in the short game both offensively and defensively”.  The Granville mentor also talked about qualifying for sectional play.  Seven weeks later all of these goals and much more have come to fruition for the Wasaren Champion Golden Horde.

Granville’s championship march saw them lead wire to wire.  While not picked in the preseason to contend for a league crown, the Horde won early and often with a big 2-1 decision over Hoosick Falls on April 25th giving them a little breathing room.  A tough 5-4 loss to Greenwich two days later gave Granville their first Wasaren defeat as the league headed for the second half of the slate.

In that second half Granville won six of seven, taking care of business as Hoosick Falls and Greenwich fell back to finish at 9-5 and 7-7 respectively in league play.  Tamarac at 10-4 secured second place two games behind Granville’s mark of 12-2.

Granville, while having their way in some games, more importantly has shown the ability to win close.  Three one run victories this season, the latest a 3-2 come from behind W over Greenwich on Thursday, give the Horde confidence they can get it done in close contests.  Feeling comfortable in those situations is a key component for a long sectional run, something eagerly anticipated in Granville.

They’ve come to this point using a nice mix of solid pitching, good defense and timely hitting.  Emily Fuller pounds the strike zone, fields her position extremely well and allows her defense to make plays. In the infield Lauren Zovistoski, Hunter Bassett, Nicole Hunt and Kayla Daigle going third to first have been solid for the Horde as has sophomore Jordan Harrison behind the plate. Lambert’s comments about his infield being,”a strength of the team”, and”very athletic”, ringing true.

Offensively Fuller, Bassett, Zovistowski and Angela Vladyka lead this group that can score in a variety of ways.

They enter sectional play battle tested coming out of the Wasaren where they’ve seen quality teams and solid pitching throughout the campaign.  I’m sure back in April the thought of a sectional win, maybe two for this group would have been all anyone could have hoped for.  As the second season approaches expectations for the Horde have risen like the May temperatures.  Whether or not Granville can make a deep sectional run remains to be seen, but the potential is there.

What we do know is that the Golden Horde will be a tough out when Class B play commences, and that to date this squad has enjoyed an outstanding year.  Congratulations to Coach Lambert, his staff and most importantly to the players earning the title of Wasaren League Champions.

Keith Harrington-Staff Writer:A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article singing the praises of Spartan Field at Castleton State College as the new home of the Adirondack League baseball and softball championship games. One of the things I liked about Castleton was that if both of a school’s teams qualified for the title tilts, their fans could easily keep an eye on both games at the same time. Yesterday the Lake George Warrior fans were able to do just that,  and I am sure they liked what they saw. Both the Lake George baseball and softball  teams avenged regular season losses to their opponents to grab Adirondack League championships. Here is the story on all of the action.

Adirondack League Baseball Championship Game

Lake George 4 Fort Ann 2

What a difference 24 hours can make. On Thursday the Fort Ann Cardinals baseball team beat Lake George 6-5 in their regular season finale. Yesterday though at Spartan Field, the Warriors were clearly the aggressor and were able to win the ADK crown with a 4-2 win. Lake George rode a sparkling pitching gem from Connor McCoy to grab the title. McCoy was dominant, silencing the powerful Fort Ann bats with a five hit, 14 strikeout performance.

When the two teams played in the regular season a day earlier, both teams played a little vanilla, saving their ace pitcher for the big one instead of using them in a game that meant nothing. McCoy was able to outduel Fort Ann’s main pitcher, George Lehoisky, handing him his first loss of the season. Lake George scored three runs in the first three innings against Lehoisky by slapping out six hits.

Lake George took a 1-0 lead in the second, and then increased it in the third when Willy Blunt smashed an RBI double. Peter Fisher then cranked a triple to drive in Blunt to make  it 3-0 Lake George. That is all of the offense McCoy would need as he kept the Cardinal bats in check the rest of the way. Fort Ann scored single runs in the fifth and sixth but could not manage to get closer.

One  bright spot for Fort Ann is that Robert Sprague, who has pitched very little all year came in to relieve Lehoisky and was solid. Sprague went 3 2/3 innings and struckout six Warriors. If Sprague is healthy enough to pitch like he is capable, Fort Ann could be poised to make another very deep playoff run.

Lake George moves to 14-5 on the season. Fort Ann drops to 16-3.

Adirondack League Softball Championship Game

Lake George 5 Argyle 4

The Lake George Warriors softball team overcame an early 2-0 deficit, and then used a huge fourth inning to grab the lead, and  held on to win the Adirondack League championship over Argyle 5-4. The win turns the table for the Warriors after an earlier season loss to  the Scots.

Lake George jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Amy Sander singled, and then scored on a single by Chelsea Sipowicz. Argyle came back in the bottom of the inning.  Alyssa Salerno reached on an error and scored on a Hannah Kennedy double. Courtesy runner Vicky Genovese later scored when Lake George pitcher Amy Sander was called for an illegal pitch making it 2-1 Scots.

The fourth inning was the key inning for Lake George. The Warriors batted around in the inning and scored four run to go  up 5-2. Emma Feathers knocked in Rebecca Kandora who had singled, and Sander and Brittany Motta added RBI hits.

Argyle came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull within 5-4. Salerno ripped an RBI single and Kennedy doubled again to close the gap, but the Scots rally ended there and they were not able to get the equalizer as Sander closed the door.

Lake George raises their record to 15-5. Argyle drops to 15-3.

Colonie, NY—  The Albany Legends rallied from a 20-point first half deficit to knock off the Chicago Redline 143-137 tonight at Christian Brothers Academy on Lewie Perkinson Night.  Perkinson is a 17 year old local resident who is currently undergoing treatment after having emergency brain surgery at Christmas.  With the win the Legends are now 9-2 on the season while Chicago drops to 7-3. 

Chicago came out on fire scoring 43 first quarter points to take a 14 point lead into the second quarter.  The Redline would take a 20 point lead at 53-33 with 9:52 to go in the first half.  The Legends would then go on a 26-6 run to tie the game at 59.  They would gain the lead at the 3:02 mark and never look back.

Leading the Legends was Lloyd Johnson who took home his second triple-double of the season tonight with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.  Johnson also became the first Albany Legend to surpass 1,000 career points in tonight’s win.  Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben scored a team high 39 points going 6-7 from behind the 3-point arc, while EJ Gallup chipped in 19 points in the win.

For Chicago Tony Bennett led all scorers with a game high 43 points.  Antwan Ware would finish with 27 points and 15 rebounds for the double-double.  

The Legends finish their home schedule tomorrow at CBA with a tip at 1:00pm against the Redline.  

Keith Harrington/Staff Writer: This week is the final week of baseball and softball play in the Adirondack League, and then it is off to Section II tourney play. The boys championship game is all set. It will be the Fort Ann Cardinals vs. the Lake George Warriors. Lake George will also be playing in the softball championship game against a team that is yet to be determined because of the battle in the East. Argyle is in the driver’s seat, but still has not officially clinched. Both ADK title games are scheduled for Friday, May 18th at Castleton State College. With all of Tuesday’s games postponed, it remains to be seen if that schedule will have to be adjusted. Here is what’s happening “Across the ADK Diamond.”

1. Fort Ann baseball became the first ADK team to wrap up a division title and earn a spot in the championship game. The Cards defeated Hartford 3-1 on Friday to clinch. Some people might say, “So what, Fort Ann was expected to win again.” However, the Cardinals had to do things differently this year. Robert Sprague was not able to pitch due to an injury and George Lehoisky had to  become the ace of the staff. Plus, Fort Ann received a stiff challenge from a talented Salem team and couldn’t cruise to the East Division title like they normally do. A job well done by Coach Dane Clark  and his crew.

2. Speaking of Salem, kudos to the Generals baseball team on an outstanding season. They gave Fort Ann all they wanted and should be a serious threat in the sectionals. Nick Burch, Dan Jameson, Chris Payne, Marcus Blanck, Justin Capuano and company will be a very tough out for any opponent.

3. Lake George clinched both the baseball and softball West Division titles on Monday. I had mentioned in an earlier story that Castleton is perfect for fans of a team who has both their girls and boys teams playing in the title games because you can see both fields from one vantage point. I was at Spartan Field a couple of weeks ago, and you may have to search around a bit, but you can find just the right spot to watch both games with a little experimentation.

4. Yesterday the Adirondack League East softball race got a little bit clearer as Argyle beat Fort Ann for the second time this season, 2-0. Ashley Ellis of Argyle fired a two-hitter to outduel Fort Ann’s Molly Bailey who tossed a three-hitter herself. Christina Tucker had a pair of hits for the Scots. Argyle controls their own destiny with a two game lead over Fort Ann and Whitehall. They can grab the crown with a win over Bolton on Wednesday.

5. Hats off to the Hartford Tanagers softball team and coach Duane Flower. Hartford lost some key players to graduation, including ace pitcher Christina Petteys, who is now at SUNY Adirondack. After a slow start the Tanagers stand at 10-5 in league play and 13-5 overall. Junior pitcher Morgan Wicks(11-5) has come into her own this season, and Brittany Brayman has played as well as any player on any team. Hartford has wins late in the season over title contenders Argyle and Whitehall and recently won the Trapper Classic in Warrensburg. Watch out for the Red and Black in sectional play. Many of these girls played on a volleyball team that advanced to the state volleyball tournament.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer:  Another week of Adirondack SportNet’s top five and another shuffling of the deck. The Indians from Schaghticoke for the fifth straight week own the top spot but our other four teams all shifted places from just a week ago.

1. Hoosic Valley 12-0, 18-0:  The Indians had their biggest scare of the year against Granville needing nine innings to turn back the Horde 13-9.  Tamarac fell 7-4, and the Valley scored four times in the bottom of the 6th en route to a 7-2 victory over Hoosick Falls.  Hoosic Valley has secured our number one spot all year and continues to roll through a very special season in Schaghticoke.

2. Greenwich 9-3, 14-4:  Four games, four wins as the Witches gear up for sectional play.  Jason Flynn threw a four-hit complete game in a 5-1 win over Schuylerville.  Greg Scott followed with a one-hitter in a 7-1 victory over Cambridge, and Cori Winch struck out nine and scattered five hits in an 11-1 W over Stillwater. We know this team can score runs, and with their pitching depth look for the Witches to make a deep sectional run.

3. Fort Ann 14-0, 14-2:  The Cardinals mashed Ft. Edward 19-1, and North Warren 17-2 this week.  These are typical scores for many of Fort Ann’s league games as they simply manhandle the majority of the Adirondack squads.  They played a competitive contest against Hartford later in the week prevailing 3-1 over the Tanagers.  Two non-league losses or they would be another undefeated team in the area.

4. Salem 11-2, 13-3:  The Generals had victories over Ft. Edward 19-4, and Argyle 9-0.  Against the Scots Justin Capuano and Ryan Jameson combined for a one-hitter, while in the Fort Edward contest Nick Burch dominated from the hill fanning 19 batters on the afternoon.  Salem has simply been very solid all year and will present problems to opponents come playoff time.

5. Hoosick Falls 7-3, 10-5:  The Panthers drop to number five and some would say that’s too high, but I think they belong.  They have wins over Fort Ann and Greenwich and played the Valley tough this week before falling to the Indians.  They have some games to make up this week and it wouldn’t  surprise me if they put four more in the win column as the Falls tune’s up for the second season.

Rick Lyons Staff Writer: With the final week of the baseball and softball season upon us, the Wasaren League races are all but decided. Two teams that haven’t won championships in a while will do just that and one of them has yet to taste defeat this year.
The Hoosic Valley baseball team clinched the crown this week and has an impressive 12-0,18-0 record this spring. The Indians have coupled a potent offense with quality pitching and defense to lead wire to wire in capturing their first league title since the early 80′s. Congrats to the boys from Schaghticoke on a remarkable regular season.

Almost in the same situation are the girls from Granville. The Horde set’s the pace with an 11-1 league mark and will face Hoosick Falls and Greenwich this week. They are assured a piece of the league title and would win it outright with another victory or a Hoosick Falls loss. They too have led all the way and would secure their first softball title in quite some time. Congratulations to Marc Lambert’s Golden Horde squad on a fine regular season campaign.

Keith Harrington/Staff Writer: As we head into the final week of the regular season, a few of the Adirondack League softball teams prepared themselves for sectional play by participating in tournaments. If you enjoy watching high school softball the Lake George/Warrensburg region was the place to be on Saturday. Lake George hosted Duanesburg and Ticonderoga in a round robin tournament. Warrensburg hosted Corinth, Hartford, and Fort Edward in the Trapper Tournament.

I spent the day in Lake George and was treated to some very good softball.  This tournament was well organized and very entertaining. The Duanesburg Purple Eagles flashed their muscle as they went 4-0 on the day. Both Duanesburg’s varsity and junior varsity swept Lake George and Ticonderoga. Expect to be hearing a lot about the Purple Eagles in Section II softball over the next few years. Their junior varsity club featured a solid pitcher, and an outstanding third basemen with a lightning quick bat. They were both just seventh graders.

Lake George Tournament

The host Lake George Warriors split their two outings in the tournament. The Warriors dropped their opener to a strong Duanesburg team 12-0. Lake George came back to win game two over Ticonderoga 7-3. Duanesburg defeated Ticonderoga 9-4 to go 2-0 in the tournament.

Against Duanesburg, Lake George hung close for three innings as the Purple Eagles led just 3-0. Duanesburg however scored four runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to blow the game open.

In the second game for Lake George, the Warriors held a 2-0 lead early but Ticonderoga tied things up in the bottom of the third. The Warriors though outscored the Sentinels 5-1 over the last three innings to take the victory.

Amy Sander led the Warriors in the circle and the plate. Sander was the winning pitcher, scattering five hits and striking out eight. She was 3-4 at the plate. Jamie Jarrett had a tripled,  singled and had three RBIs for the Warriors. Rebecca Kandora had a pair of hits as well.

Lake George is now 13-4 on the season.

Warrensburg Trapper Classic

The Hartford Tanagers swept a pair of games from Adirondack League foes as they claimed the Warrensburg Trapper Classic crown. The Tanagers defeated Corinth 8-4 in the opening round, and then stopped Fort Edward in the championship tilt 11-6.

In the opener, Hartford beat Corinth for the second time this season. Hartford didn’t waste any time in this one. They scored two runs in the first and five in the second to take a 7-0 lead. Corinth closed the gap by rallying for four runs in the top of the fourth, but Hartford tacked on a run in the bottom of the frame and held on for the win.

Morgan Wicks picked up her 10th win of the season in the circle, yielding five hits and striking out eight. Brittany Brayman was 3 for 4 at the plate with a double and triple.

Fort Edward advanced to the final with a 10-9 win over Warrensburg. This was a wild one as the teams swapped the lead a few times. Fort Edward led 2-0 early, but Warrensburg scored four in the second, three in the third, and two in the fourth to lead 9-2. Fort Edward came back to tie the game 9-9 with two in the fourth and five in the fifth, and then won it with a run in the eight on a Brittini Sardina homerun. Sardina also homered in the third.

In the championship game, Fort Edward scored five runs in the top of the second to go ahead 5-0, but Hartford scored five runs in the bottom of the frame to tie it at five all. The Tanagers then put up a four spot in the fourth and tacked on two more in the fifth to go up 11-5, and went on to win from there.

Brittany Brayman was the winning pitcher for Hartford, striking out five. Brayman had another big game at the plate, with a double, triple and three RBIs. Wicks also had a strong game with a homer, a double and three RBIs.

Hartford is now 12-5. Fort Edward is 8-10. The two clubs meet again Monday in ADK play.

Corinth beat Warrensburg in the consolation game 7-6.

Keith Harrington/Staff Writer: The Adirondack League softball race this spring has been exciting and unpredictable. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another wrench gets thrown in. As the action heads into the final week of the season however, the four top teams in the ADK East battled each other, and things finally started to take a little shape. Yesterday Argyle defeated Whitehall 12-0, and Fort Ann beat Hartford 14-3. The Scots and the Cardinals will meet on Monday in Argyle. Argyle can clinch with a win in two out of three games, if one of the wins is against Fort Ann. Fort Ann can clinch at least a tie if it beats Argyle and Lake George. Whitehall still has a mathematical chance,  but must win all three of their games and hope for help. Here is a look at yesterday’s two big games.

Argyle 12 Whitehall 0

When these two team met a couple of weeks ago Whitehall came away with a 2-1 win. This one though was dominated by Argyle. The Scots came out with fire in their eyes, scoring four runs in the first and one in the second to lead 5-0. That is all Argyle pitcher Ashley Ellis would need as she tossed a four-hit shutout to knotch the win in the circle.

Argyle took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two run single by Shelby Graham. Ellis also nailed a two RBI single to make it 4-0. Argyle put it away in the fourth with a six run inning. Hannah Kennedy and Andrea Richards both had a pair of RBIs in the frame to lead Argyle.

Ellis, who is now 11-2 on the season in the circle had four strikeouts while walking only one. Brittney Putorti struck out six and walked five for the Railroaders.

Argyle is 11-2, 12-2. Whitehall is 9-4, 9-4.

Fort Ann 14 Hartford 3

The Fort Ann Cardinals set up Monday’s Adirondack League showdown with Argyle by keeping the Scots in their sights with a 14-3 win over Hartford. It was the second win for the Cardinals over the Tanagers this season. Fort Ann jumped to a 2-0 lead after two innings, and exploded for seven in the fourth to put this one away.

Kayla Bancroft had the hot bat for Fort Ann. Bancroft went 3 for 5 with a double. Kaleigh Foran and Kara White each tripled and singled.

Brittany Brayman blasted a homer for Hartford.

Molly Bailey got the win in the circle for Fort Ann, firing a five-hitter, while striking out eight.

Fort Ann is 11-3, 11-4. Hartford is 9-5, 10-5.

Keith Harrington/Staff Writer: When I was a young boy growing up, my favorite part of the weekend during the winter was Sunday afternoon. That is when, after polishing off one of my mother’s dinners, my dad,  grandfather,  brother and I would gather around the television to watch the New York Knicks. This was the Willis Reid, Clyde Frasier, Earl Monroe Knicks, coached by Red Holzman. It was what you looked forward to all week. Now we get every Knicks game on cable thanks to the MSG Network, but since the Patrick Ewing era there really has been no reason to watch the team play, until Mike Woodson took  over as the interim head coach this season that is.

Under Mike D’Antoni, this year’s Knicks team was just a bunch of lazy, underachievers. Had it not been for the “Linsanity” winning streak, the television would not have even been worth turning on for a Knick’s gane at all. They were an absolute mess. The Knicks played no defense under D’Antoni and had no flow on offense. They had the potential to be a top three team in the Eastern Conference, right behind Miami and Chicago, but never reached that potential.

When Woodson was named interim head coach, the Knicks finished the regular season 18-6. Woodson was able to help  New York find an identity on offense and a player rotation that clicked. When Woodson got Carmelo Anthony to start playing defense along side of defensive stoppers Iman Shumpert in the backcourt and Tyson Chandler up front, the Knicks started to find success.

Woodson also brought cohesion to the team and got star players like Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to buy into to what he was selling. Both are fully supportive of Woodson being hired full time, and if your star players are happy, clearly things will go smoother.

“We all love his philosophy on both ends of the floor,” Stoudemire said. “It’d be great to build something sooner than later.”

‘There’s no need to cut it off right now,” Anthony echoed. “We’re just getting started.”

Now I realize the Knicks were just eliminated in five games by Miami in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Lets not forget though that in this series New York did not have Jeremy Lin for any of the games, and suffered injuries to Shumpert, Stoudemire, and Baron Davis during the series.  Not to mention that Woodson had to put a team on the court for a big chunk of the regular season without Anthony and Stoudemire. Yet somehow he kept the Knick’s ship from sinking and got them to the playoffs.

So, with it unclear whether the Knicks actually reached out to Phil Jackson or not. With some fans urging the front office to go after someone like John Calipari or Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks finally may actually realize that the coach that is the right man for the job is standing right in front of them. With what Woodson accomplished this season, coming in late in the year with a team that was mentally fragile, doesn’t he deserve a shot? Hasn’t he earned the right to coach the Knicks when he will  have a full training camp to  install his system? Doesn’t he deserve to see what he can do with a healthy roster. The answer is yes he does! So hurry up James Dolan and Glen Grunwald, remove the interim tag and name Mike Woodson your new head coach.