By BOB GOETZ
PLATTSBURGH — The regional spotlight falls on the Plattsburgh State Field House tonight where six teams will look to move one step closer to a berth in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Final Four in boys' and girls' basketball.
The tripleheader gets under way at 4 p.m. with Westport and Harrisville meeting in a girls' Class D first-round contest. Ticonderoga and Brushton-Moira will take center stage at 5:45 in girls' Class C, followed by Crown Point and Chateaugay at 7:30 in a boys' Class D encounter.
The Chateaugay Bulldogs are the most experienced of the six when it comes to state tournament play. They won it all two years and fell in the Class D semis last March.
Chateaugay Coach Ron Boyea acknowledges his team may have an edge in experience. "I'd like to say yes, but you can throw it out the window against a team like Crown Point that's hot and has the edge in size that they have."
Boyea was referring specifically to John Budwick, the six-foot-eight man in the middle of Crown Point's push to its first Section VII championship since 2000.
"Six-eight, that's not a bad start," offered Boyea, when sizing up the Panthers. "I've watched them a couple of times. They're well-balanced and the big kid (Budwick) in the middle is a real nice player."
Crown Point's Randy Mandy doesn't try to play down the Panthers' height advantage. "Their (Chateaugay's) biggest man is 6-2, Budwick is 6-8. We will have an edge there, but they push the up the floor ball really well."
Chateaugay (19-3) is one of the top offensive clubs in the North Country. The Bulldogs prefer an up-tempo style, but they can shoot well from the perimeter. Ian Henderson, their leading scorer averaging 12.2 a game, connected on 65 3-pointers this season while three other players had 13 or more treys.
Budwick's 20.2 scoring norm jumps out for the Panthers, who also have three other players averaging 7.2 points or more while Nate Tabor, the fifth-leading scorer, has 33 3-pointers to date.
Crown Point (16-5) did not have an easy road to the regionals. The Panthers, seeded third, had to go through Westport and Moriah to win the Section VII crown.
"We had a lot of doubters who didn't think we could make it past this team or that team, but we proved them wrong," Mandy added. "It felt good to show everyone we could do it and this is the icing on the cake. It will be exciting if we win, but if we don't, it's been a great season."
Ticonderoga returns
Shelly Young is thankful Ticonderoga (9-11) isn't facing Hoosic Valley, the team that rocked the Sentinels 47-11 last year.
"I feel bad for anybody who has to play them; those Section II teams can be awfully tough," the Ticonderoga coach admitted.
Instead, the Sentinels get to meet Brushton-Moira tonight. However, the Panthers are anything but pushovers. In fact, Brushton-Moira has made it to No. 5 in the state in Class C while reeling off a 20-1 record. The Panthers' only loss was to Ogdensburg (57-45) in the Section X overall tournament.
Young is worried not so much about her defense tonight, but the Sentinels' struggling offense, which has produced just 38 points total in its two postseason outings.
"Definitely our offense has got to score more and get into a good flow," Young stressed. "We need to have a leader out there, someone to step up. Sam Diehl, Jocelyn Barber, Jamie Patchett ... they're all capable. We're due offensively for a good game."
The spacious Field House shouldn't pose a problem, Young feels. "We've played the last two games there, so we should be used to it."
Brushton-Moira has good balance with seven girls averaging 5.6 points or more. Chenice Russell leads the team, averaging 10 a game, while Haylea Gary is the Panthers' primary outside threat with 26 3-pointers.
"If we can stay with them early, it will be a good game," Young said. "I told them at practice that it's March and anything can happen in March."
Westport also back
Westport won't be seeing two-time state champion Hammond today, but the Eagles can expect Harrisville to be every bit as good.
"Hammond was a very talented basketball team with a lot of nice players," Westport Coach Hokey McKinley recalled. "But Section 10 always has some good players across the board, whether it's Class D or A, and Harrisville has one of the best players in the section in Patty Coloney."
Coloney, a six-foot senior forward, averages 16.7 points per game for the Panthers (16-4), who beat Hammond twice during the regular season.
"She can shoot, but her main game is playing the post from the foul line in," McKinley said. "It will be up to us to pressure the guards and keep the ball out of her hands."
Both teams excel at defense. In Harrisville's 44-22 win over Madrid-Waddington for the Section X Class D title, the Pirates, ranked ninth in the state, held the Yellowjackets to three field goals in the first half. Likewise, Westport's defense pulled the Eagles through in the Section VII final with Lake Placid.
"We lost our composure in the second half," McKinley related. "I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but then we stumbled. Luckily, our defense was there to pick us up."
McKinley's daughters — Willa and Martha — lead Westport (20-0), ranked fourth in Class D. Willa, who has recovered from an ankle injury, averages 12.1 while Martha is contributing 11 a game. Christinas Sherman, Kalika Hopkins and Valentina Rodriguez also bear watching on the offensive end.
"They (Harrisville) have some players we will have to contend with, but we have some players, too," McKinley noted.
"We have some experienced players who have been working hard to get to this point and, hopefully, it will pay off for us."
—
Girls Class D (4 p.m.)
Westport (20-0)
Playergpfgfttpave.
Willa McKinley19992123012.1
Martha McKinley20962622011.0
Christina Sherman218771818.6
Kalika Hopkins2065261567.8
Valntna Rodriguez2050141145.7
3-point goals
W. McKinley11M. McKinley2
Harrisville (16-4)
Playergpfgfttpave.
Patty Coloney201237033316.7
Katlyn Hart205091256.3
Kthleen Coloney2044141025.1
Desiree Hall203625974.9
Katie French203127904.5
3-point goals
P. Coloney17Katlyn Hart16
Taylor Wood3
Girls Class C (5:45)
Ticonderoga (9-11)
Playergpfgfttpave.
Sam Diehl1762201549.1
Jamie Patchett1952311477.7
Jocelyn Barber1937461206.3
Taylor Denno162913815.1
Kaylene Ross18272573.2
3-point goals
Patchett12Denno10
Diehl10
Brushton-Moira (20-1)
Playergpfgfttpave.
Chenice Russell21853520910.0
Shayna Russell2180271878.9
Taylor Keck2169411798.5
Emily Lepage2172171617.7
Haylea Gary2144191336.3
3-point goals
Haylea Gary26C. Russell4
Kristyn Trimm3
Boys Class D (7:30)
Crown Point (16-5)
Playergpfgfttpave.
John Budwick211816242420.2
Will Glebus2171231818.7
Juan Mosquera2162341667.9
Tony Rodriguez2058251447.2
Nate Tabor2134101014.8
3-point goals
Tabor33Glebus16
Mosquera8
Chateaugay (19-3)
Playergpfgfttpave.
Ian Henderson22882726812.2
Alex Stalter2268521908.6
Eli Franze2260341747.9
Eric Dwyer2247221295.9
Jacob Layton2231291004.6
3-point goals
Henderson65Franze16
Dwyer13Layton13
