GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? In the Class AAA boys basketball finals, undefeated, top-seeded Colony, two-time defending champion We'll see that when we play against seeded Green Tech.
Both the Raiders and Soaring Eagles recorded convincing wins in the AAA semifinal round Thursday night at Cool Insuring Arena. Colony set its highest score of the season, defeating fourth-seeded CBA 85-66. Green Tech got off to a strong start against second-seeded Shaker, fighting off a Blue Bison run early in the second half to seal a 66-52 victory.
In Colonie's sectional debut Saturday against No. 8 seed Albany, the Raiders had to overcome a slow start to beat the Falcons, with both teams tied at 31 at halftime. But on Thursday, Greg Davis got the win in style, opening the game with a 15-1 run.
The Raiders extended their lead in the second quarter, holding a 42-23 lead at halftime.
“We kept preaching in practice (this week) to show enthusiasm: show intensity and effort on defense and offense,” Davis said. “And the kids really did it. Credit to them. They were really in the game from the tip and were ready.”
CBA did not back down after the break. With 3:00 left in the third quarter, J.J. Osinski made a layup off a steal and assist from Amare Kofir, cutting the lead to 10 points at 53-43.
But in the final three minutes of the third set, Colony went on a 13-3 run, capping a 24-point quarter and extending its lead to 20 points heading into the final period, with the Raiders untouched to the goal line. .
Senior guard/forward Trey Von Owens-Cody played a big role in the Raiders' rise, scoring 10 of his team-high and career-high 24 points in the first quarter.
“We played patient and played our offense,” Owens-Cody said. “Our coach told us that if we stick to what we do, if we stick to what we know, we can win everything. And that's what we did. That’s what happened.”
Colony is coming off a perfect season and is one win away from winning the program's first sectional title since 2000.
“We're a special group. We've been doing this since fourth grade,” Owens Cody added. “We have a lot of chemistry, so we just want to win it all for our hometown.”
Owens Cody was followed in the scorer column by fellow seniors Julius Reed and Cameron Trimarchi with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Owens Cody and Trimarchi also had double-doubles with 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.
Green Tech got off to an equally hot start, going on an 11-0 run to begin the contest with Shaker. Seven of those points came from junior guard Heishi Maben, who totaled 13 points in the first quarter.
The Soaring Eagles built a 19-9 lead early in the second quarter, capping another 6-0 outburst with a 3-pointer by junior Ramea Brown at 5:16, extending the lead to 16 points. .
But Shaker settled in for the rest of the quarter, outscoring Green Tech 14-5 and cutting the gap to eight points by halftime. Junior Ty Mariano drew multiple trips to the free throw line. He hit eight shots from the charity stripe, sank two trey balls and scored 14 points in the first half.
The Blue Bison continued to push right out of the locker room, hitting consecutive shots from beyond the arc to get within two points, 31-29, forcing DJ Jones to take a timeout.
But what Jones said to his teammates in the huddle clearly lit the fuse, as the Eagles battled back with a 16-1 run to take a commanding 18-point lead in the fourth quarter. Green Tech held on from there and won 66-52.
Maven scored a game-high 28 points while recording seven rebounds and five assists. Brown was the next closest Eagle to Maven in scoring. Junior forward Umia Graham had a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.
Mariano ended up scoring 23 points, making him the only Blue Bison to score in double figures.
Colony (22-0) and Green Tech (16-6) will meet in Saturday's championship game, scheduled to tip off at 4:15 p.m., but the game was postponed because it is a four-conference final. The match was being played at Cool Insuring Arena on the day that the match was most likely to happen.
CBA finishes the season with an overall record of 11 wins and 11 losses. Shaker finished with 17 wins and 5 losses.
