BEEKMANTOWN — It took 18 minutes and 23 seconds, but was the product of four years of hard work.
After hitting the second of two free throw attempts midway through the third quarter, Keegan Ryan became the 66th player in Section VII to eclipse 1,000 career points in a 62-55 Beekmantown win over Saranac Tuesday in Champlain Valley Athletic Conference boys’ basketball.
Following an inbounds play underneath the Eagles’ (1-1) basket, Ryan performed a power dribble in the paint, which resulted in a foul.
The outcome — two chances from the charity stripe and a shot at history.
“I was shaking to be honest with you,” Ryan said. “I missed the first one in-and-out and the second one, I knew it was good once it left my hands.”
With arms raised and teammates and coaches offering congratulations, the 6-foot-7-inch center said he felt total elation.
“It was kind of like the culmination of all the hard work — the running, the weightlifting, the shooting; it brought back memories, so it was good,” Ryan said. “I knew that if I stayed healthy and I kept working, this is something that I would eventually get.”
Since statistics were first recorded in 1948, Ryan is now recognized as the fourth Eagles boys’ basketball player to reach the milestone. He joins Dan Munson (1999), Nick Fortunatus (1997), and older brother Thomas Ryan (2011), who concluded his career with 1,080 points.
“My brother told me, ‘welcome to the club,’” Ryan chuckled. “It feels good, but just to be named with that select group of players is such an honor.”
Beekmantown head coach Ryan Converse, who has coached Ryan during the entire duration of his varsity career, said the senior’s work ethic is unlike any other.
“He’s got a different engine than most,” Converse said. “I wish I had more guys that had the commitment and dedication he has because basketball isn’t something you can do from November through March and be good at it. He’s been in the weight room in the summer, played for a bunch of different travel teams, and worked on his quickness. He’s doing all the right things and that’s why he is where he is.”
The Eagles were able to overcome a two-point Chiefs (1-1) lead following the first quarter and finished the second stanza on a pivotal 8-2 run.
Michael Conway (15), John Maye (14), and Connor Christopherson (11) combined for 40 of the Chiefs’ 55 points in the loss.
Ryan paced all Beekmantown scorers with 22 points in the contest, while teammate Greg Manney knocked down three 3-point field goals for 14 markers.
“We obviously have to continue improving on some things,” Converse said. “I credit Saranac with their defensive effort, especially toward the end of the second half. We’ve got to continue to have balance, and that’s one of the things that helped us prevail (Tuesday).”
Ryan acknowledged family and friends as essential support figures during his journey to 1,000 career points, but cherished the moment he shared with his coach.
“Everyday during the summer, the weight room was open, the gym was always open when I wanted to get in; I know other coaches aren’t that supportive,” Ryan said. “He was a huge factor in me getting this and my development as a player.”
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Beekmantown 62, Saranac 55
Saranac (55)
C. Christopherson 3-5-11, Medeiros 0-0-0, Conway 6-1-15, Maye 6-0-14, Keysor 0-0-0, D. Christopherson 0-0-0, Bullis 3-1-7, Daniels 4-0-8. Totals: 24-7-55.
Beekmantown (62)
Begore 2-0-6, Manney 5-1-14, Pelkey 4-0-8, Remchuck 0-2-2, Ryan 10-2-22, Stevens 1-0-3, Trombley 2-2-6. Totals: 24-7-62.
Saranac 14 14 8 19 — 55
Beekmantown 12 23 12 15 — 62
3-point goals: Saranac (4): Conway 2, Maye 2. Beekmantown (6): Begore 2, Manney 3, Stevens.
TICONDEROGA 51, NORTHERN ADIRONDACK 44
TICONDEROGA — Mike Graney and Ty Denno combined for 27 points as the Sentinels held off a late surge from the Bobcats.
Ticonderoga held a 39-27 at the conclusion of the third quarter, but Northern Adirondack did its best to crawl back into the game. The Sentinels though held on for the seven-point win.
Graney led the charge with 14 points with Denno adding 13 points, five steals and five assists. Riley Chapman added eight points and 12 rebounds, while Anthony Dushane pulled down 10 boards.
Colby Sayah paced Northern Adirondack with 16 points. Daniel Burger chipped in with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Brady Smart finished with 12 rebounds.—
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Ticonderoga 51, Northern Adirondack 44
Northern Adirondack (44)
Burger 5-2-14, Garrand 1-0-2, Paiser 2-2-7, LaBarge 0-1-1, Smart 2-0-4, Sayah 6-3-16, Kerr 0-0-0, Langlois 0-0-0. Totals: 16-8-44.
Ticonderoga (51)
Hughes 1-0-2, Nielson 0-1-1, Denno 3-7-13, Graney 4-5-14, Dushane 4-0-8, Chapman 4-0-8, Cook 2-1-5, Fuller 0-0-0. Totals: 18-14-51.
N. Adirondack 7 10 10 17 — 44
Ticonderoga 15 14 10 12 — 51
3-point goals: Northern Adirondack (4) Burger 2, Paiser, Sayah. Ticonderoga (1) Graney.
JV: Northern Adirondack won.
Mod: Ticonderoga won.
Plattsburgh 41, Northeastern Clinton 34
CHAMPLAIN — The Hornets hit 9-of-10 free throws and outscored the Cougars 13-5 in the fourth quarter.
Brooks Kelley led Plattsburgh with 13 points, and Nate Harrington added eight.
Northeastern Clinton was up 29-28 heading into the fourth quarter and stretch that lead to six points before Plattsburgh came back. The Cougars went just 7-for-16 from the foul line.
“But most importantly, it wasn’t even just that … Their defensive pressure was very intense and caused our offense to forget to set screens,” Northeastern Clinton coach Robb Garrand said. “We were doing a lot of standing around and trying to go 1-on-1 and make things happen that weren’t there. I give credit to their defense that put us in that situation.”
Northeastern Clinton’s Tom Bedard scored 13, and Jon Filion had 11.
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Plattsburgh 41, Northeastern Clinton 34
Plattsburgh (41)
Bouzidane 0-0-0, Frady 2-2-7, Harrington 3-2-8, Kelley 5-0-13, A. LaBorde 0-0-0, D. LaBorde 0-1-1, Matthews 1-1-3, Maknani 2-3-7, O’Connor 1-0-2. Totals: 14-9-41.
Northeastern Clinton (34)
LaFave 0-0-0, Khater 0-0-0, Tetreault 1-0-3, Begore 0-2-2, Tavernia 2-1-5, Bedard 5-1-13, Filion 4-3-11. Totals: 12-7-34.
Plattsburgh 7 10 11 13 — 41
N. Clinton 5 11 13 5 — 34
3-point goals: Plattsburgh (4), Kelley 3, Frady. Northeastern Clinton (3), Bedard 2, Tetreault.
JV: Plattsburgh won.
PERU 58, SARANAC LAKE 28
PERU — Conor Casey led a balanced scoring effort by the Indians with 11 points in their victory over the Red Storm.
Bret Boyer chipped in with nine points for Peru, while Tim Remillard, Nick Demarais and Hunter Bruno each finished with eight points.
Tyler Lemza had a strong all-around game for the Indians, while Demarais pulled down six rebounds.
Teddy Yanchitis scored a team-high 11 points for Saranac Lake in the loss.
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Peru 58, Saranac Lake 28
Saranac Lake (28)
Lester 0-1-1, Fisher 0-0-0, Morgan 3-2-8, Karp 0-0-0, Curran 0-0-0, Monroe 1-0-2, Munn 2-1-6, Yanchitis 4-3-11. Totals: 10-7-28.
Peru (58)
Bruno 3-0-8, Casey 3-5-11, Remillard 4-0-8, Barrett 1-0-2, Boyer 4-1-9, LaRocque 2-0-4, Demarais 3-1-8, Lemza 2-0-4, Spear 1-0-2, Hendricks 0-0-0, McCarthy 1-0-2. Totals: 24-7-58.
Saranac Lake 8 3 9 8 — 28
Peru 13 13 15 17 — 58
3-point goals: Saranac Lake (1) Munn. Peru (3) Bruno 2, Demarais.
JV: Peru won.
Mod: Peru won.
AuSable Valley 69, Moriah 24
CLINTONVILLE — Shane Douglas tossed in 19 points and Zach Cosgrove had 18 to power the Patriots past the Vikings.
John Goodnough added 10 points, and Austin Facteau had seven.
“We played outstanding team defense,” AuSable Valley coach Jamie Douglass said. “That first quarter it was 11-9, and then we went on an 18-2 tear and started a 26-1 tear in the third quarter. Really stepped up our defense. Collectively it was a great team victory.”
Adam Jaquish had 10 points for Moriah, and Derek Brassard had seven.
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AuSable Valley 69, Moriah 24
Moriah (24)
Petro 0-0-0, Pratt 0-0-0, Graham 0-0-0, Shpur 0-0-0, Mero 0-1-1, Jaquish 3-4-10, Mauran 0-0-0, McKiernan 0-0-0, Belzer 1-0-2, Blaise 1-1-3, Brassard 2-2-7, Marcotte 0-1-1. Totals: 7-9-24.
AuSable Valley (69)
Cosgrove 6-3-18, Casey 1-1-3, Brooks 1-0-2, Kennedy 1-0-2, Peck 0-0-0, Goodnough 5-0-10, Facteau 3-0-7, Depo 2-0-4, Douglas 9-1-19, Coolidge 1-0-2, McDonald 1-0-2. Totals: 30-5-69.
Moriah 9 2 1 12 — 24
AuSable Valley 11 18 26 13 — 69
3-point goals: Moriah (1), Brassard. AuSable Valley (4), Cosgrove 3, Facteau.
JV: AuSable Valley won.
Modified: AuSable Valley won.
NAC
TUESDAY
St. Regis Falls 50, Chateaugay 47
CHATEAUGAY — Caleb Green connected for a game-high 24 points and was accurate from the free throw line down the stretch as the Saints knocked off the Bulldogs.
Cory LaBounty chipped in with nine points for St. Regis Falls.
Noah Bowes led the charge for Chateaugay (1-2) with 21 points, while Devon Barnes added 12 points.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 16-12 lead after the first quarter, but were outscored by nine in the second which proved to be the difference in the back-and-forth game.
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St. Regis Falls 50, Chateaugay 47
St. Regis Falls (50)
Green 8-4-24, Lane 0-0-0, LaBounty 3-2-9, Daggett 1-0-3, Votraw 2-2-6, Godreau 3-0-6, Duquette 1-0-2. Totals: 18-8-50.
Chateaugay (47)
English 2-0-4, Swanston 1-0-2, Young 2-0-5, Lang 0-0-0, Martin 1-0-3, Stalter 0-0-0, Bowes 7-5-21, Barnes 6-0-12. Totals: 19-5-47.
St. Regis Falls 12 15 16 7 — 50
Chateaugay 16 6 18 7 — 47
3-point goals: St. Regis Falls (6) Green 4, LaBounty, Daggett. Chateaugay (4) Young, Martin, Bowes 2.
