PLATTSBURGH — The Chateaugay Bulldogs are one win away from their fourth straight trip to the boys' basketball Final Four in Glens Falls, but, first, they have to show they can run with the Germantown Clippers.
Chateaugay (20-3) overcame Crown Point and 6-foot-8 John Budwick Wednesday, 49-39, to advance to the Class D regional final at 7 p.m. today at the PSU Field House against Germantown. The Clippers (18-4) drew the first-round bye after beating Argyle 70-61 Sunday in Glens Falls to secure the Section II Class D championship.
Germantown doesn't have the size of a Budwick, but it is a quicker team than Crown Point and excels at the transition game. The Clippers scored 14 points on breakaways in beating Argyle.
Argyle and Sharon Springs both got caught up in a running game with Germantown, but were no match for the Clippers' superb fitness.
Also, Germantown shot extremely well in both games played at the spacious Glens Falls Civic Center. Against Sharon Springs, the Clippers were 25 for 51 from the field and 7 of 13 from 3-point range. They followed that up with a 26-for-44 performance and 7 of 15 against Argyle.
Junior Cody Broast, who tallied 22 points in the section final, earned tourney MVP honors while Larry Niebling (21) and Thomas Griffin (15) weren't far behind. Those three also hit in double figures against Sharon Springs.
Chateaugay has a pretty good arsenal, too. Ian Henderson led the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 a game while nailing 65 3-pointers, yet he managed just six points in the win over Crown Point. Eli Franze (15) and Jacob Layton (12) stepped up to lead the Bulldogs.
Chateaugay did manage to jump out to a 16-6 lead after one on Crown Point, but "didn't play smart offensively for a majority of the game," according to Coach Ron Boyea.
Chateaugay lost to South Kortright, 48-38, in last year's state semifinals, after winning it all in 2008. The Bulldogs beat Greenport, 61-58, and North Star Christian, 52-41.
They also reached the title game in 2007, but fell to C.G. Finney, 46-27. The Bulldogs defeated Charlotte Valley in the semis, 66-59.
