Border Country Sports Blog-February 4th
Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
ADK Basketball Tournament Favorites.....Not So Fast!
As the Adirondack League regular season begins to wind down it appears we all know who will play in the championship games. It will be Corinth vs. Hartford in the girls title game and Lake George vs. Argyle on the boys side right? Not so fast my friends! There are a couple of teams on both sides who can upset the apple cart.
First on the girls side. Whitehall is a team to be aware of. The Railroaders recently beat Hartford 47-46 on the Tanagers home court and cooled off red hot Warrensburg earlier this week. Boyd Hunt's team may not be the most explosive offensive team, but they have the key element to win a championship. Defense. Whitehall plays a physical, agrressive style that often frustrates opponents into submission.
When it does come to the offensive end of the court sophomore Samantha Howland has become a steady scorer for the Railroaders, often hitting for around 15 a night. Ashlyn Groesbeck, and Jayden Hughes off the bench are 3-point snipers, while Madison Gould can score in a variety of ways, inside and out. Blake Bird is a force in the post area, while Amelia Lyng serves as the floor general.
Scott Smith's Warrensburg girls should also not be discounted. The Burghers are comng off a loss to Whitehall, but are still tied for second in Division II with the Railroaders. The Burghers get another at Hartford on Monday night. One thing we know for sure, Smith will have his team prepared and ready to play.
Warrensburg has one of the top scorers in the league in Hope Sherman. Olivia Frasier is a double-double machine for the Burghers. Karla Sherman has been coming into her own as well and gives the Burghers another scoring threat. Kara Bacon should also not be overlooked.
On the boys side, after a long layoff the Warrensburg Burghers have come back with avengence. Warrensburg had one hiccup along the way, falling 42-40 against Hartford who is peaking at the right time, but other than that they have been tough to beat as of late. The Burghers have won 6 out of 7 in a 10 day stretch.
The Burghers only have one senior, Dan Cunniffe. Cunniffe showed what he can do on offense in a recent game against Fort Edward with a 21 points, 12 assists, 10 rebound triple-double. Cunniffe is also a lockdown defender, recently shutting down high-scoring Cash Burgey in a win over Whitehall. Stevie Schloss is only a sophomore, but is quickly becoming one of the best scorers in the ADK. Brady Cheney and Evan LaPell are also threats on the offensive end for Warrensburg.
Also on the boys side, a team that no one should ever look past is North Warren. The Cougars have one of the best coaches in the league in James Cuyler, and a stable full of athletic young talent. Yes, I know they are coming off a rough loss to Argyle, but this team has been down before and has bounced back. I saw the Cougars defeat a very good Granville team when they only dressed six players.
Sean Evans is one of the top players in the league. Evans can score outside, inside and in transition. He also is skilled at finding his teammates. Sophomore Derrick Tyrell uses his athletisism to cause teams problems at both ends of the court. Zach Hopper is a threat from behind the arc and has had some big games this season. Andrew Beadnell, Angelo Willette and Tommy Conway are all key contributors who always do the intangible things that help North Warren win.
With tonight's games likley all postponed it will come down to make up games, possibbly tomorrow, and the games played on Monday to set the league tournament field and seedngs. It should be great fun.
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With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
Photo Creidt-Stacie Arnhold
