Whitehall sports round-up, Jan. 27, 2022

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Granville’s Caleb Nelson looks for someone to pass to as Whitehall’s Cash Burgey defends. (Photo by Stacie Arnhold)

Granville boys rally to top Whitehall

By Keith Harrington

Early on in last Wednesday night’s matchup between Whitehall and Granville, it appeared as though the Railroaders were primed to knock off their longtime rival. Whitehall led after a quarter and by as much as six in the first half, but Granville rallied to take the lead into the halftime locker room and pulled away for a 61-45 win.

Granville coach Justin Nassivera said he thought his players were paying more attention to things they can’t control in the first half instead of the job at hand.

“I told them at halftime, just play Granville basketball,” he said. “Don’t worry about Whitehall, don’t worry about the fans. Don’t worry about the officials. We just flicked the switch. We just started playing a lot harder.”

Granville used an impressive second half to break open the game and defeat Whitehall, 61-45, on the Railroaders’ court.

The game was nip and tuck in the first quarter with the lead changing hands eight times. A Jake Whiting trey gave the Railroaders a 13-11 lead.

Whitehall broke away for a 21-15 lead in the second on a basket by Cash Burgey and a pair of Brandon Bakerian free throws. Granville answered with a 10-2 spurt fueled by five points by Nathan Rathbun and a 3-pointer by Logan Harrington and led 29-25 at the break.

Granville began to impose its will in the third, fashioning an 11-point lead on the strength of an 11-6 stretch. Whitehall responded with a 5-0 run to trail just 42-36 after three.

Granville put the game away in the fourth. Leading 44-38 early in the stanza, the Golden Horde ripped off 14 straight points to take a commanding 58-38 advantage. Three-point shooting played a key role in the Granville spurt. The Golden Horde also did a better job of getting the ball inside.

“That was the halftime adjustment. Try to pound the ball inside,” Nassivera said. “And we knocked a couple threes down early. That frees up our guys inside. That makes a big difference.”

Caleb Nelson led Granville with 21 points. Cody Nelson and Alex Warrington each added 10.

Burgey led Whitehall with 12 points. Bakerian added eight.

Granville is 6-2, 7-3. Whitehall is 6-3, 7-4.

On Friday evening, Fort Edward led during the first half but Whitehall rallied over the final 16 minutes to defeat the Flying Forts, 73-59, in Adirondack League action. A huge fourth quarter proved to be the difference.

Fort Edward led 14-11 after the opening quarter and 33-28 at the half before Whitehall began to take control in the third. The Railroaders used a 17-10 stanza to grab a 45-43 lead heading and exploded in the final stanza for 28 points to pull away for the win.

Latrell Evans led Whitehall with 20 points. Burgey added 19 and Tristan Foote 11.

Bradley Kamburelis led Fort Edward with 19 points. Ash Sullivan chipped in 17.

Whitehall is now 7-3, 8-4. Fort Edward is 1-8, 2-9.

On Saturday, Whitehall opened a double-digit lead at halftime and went on to beat Ticonderoga, 61-50, in a non-league contest.

The Railroaders led 19-13 after a quarter and extended the margin to 33-23 at the break.

A 15-10 third-quarter advantage put the game away for Whitehall.

Cash Burgey pumped in 24 points to lead Whitehall. Latrell Evans added 15.

Whitehall raised its mark to 9-4 on the season. Ticonderoga falls to 2-10.


Whitehall’s Madison Gould dribbles against Granville’s Melissa Beaver (11) and Lauren Bascom (42). (Photo by Stacie Arnhold)

Defense lifts Whitehall over Granville

By Keith Harrington

In basketball it is often said that offense comes and goes but defense can be there every night. That’s been the calling card of the Whitehall girls’ program under coach Boyd Hunt.

Hunt often says if the opponent doesn’t score, they can’t beat you. Last Thursday night was no exception as Whitehall caused the Granville offense fits the entire game in a 35-21 Adirondack League victory.

“We got ourselves some real quality shots in the second and third quarter,” Hunt said after the game. “We go in spurts. We start and stop, start and stop. We can’t do that against the top teams.”

Neither squad set the nets on fire in this contest, but because of their smothering defense Whitehall scored enough to get the job done. The Railroaders got out to a 13-6 first quarter lead and extended it to 20-8 at the half.

In the third, Whitehall used a 9-7 advantage to increase its lead to 29-15 heading to the fourth. The Railroaders led by as much as 19 in the final stanza before the Golden Horde chipped away at it late.

“We kind of got out there to a lead and we tend to do that against people,” Hunt said. “We play kind of good in the first half and then we kind of cruise home. We’ve got to figure that out.”

Samantha Howland played a huge role for the Railroaders, scoring in the paint with her soft touch, dominating the boards and causing havoc on defense.

“I had a talk with her about four or five games ago. I told her you could be one of the best players in the league if you choose to be,” Hunt said of Howland.

Even with the loss, Granville coach Ben Hover feels his team is progressing after he took over in the middle of the season.

“I liked our pressure on defense,” Hover said. “Holding them to 35 points. We just need offensive execution, but I like what I’m seeing.”

Howland led Whitehall with 10 points. Blake Bird and Ashlyn Groesbeck has six apiece for the Railroaders.

Strout had 10 points for the Golden Horde. Phillips added six.

“We had some nice spots in their where we moved the ball well and ran our plays all the way through,” Hover added. “That’s what we are trying to drill into them.”

Whitehall is now Whitehall is 6-3, 9-3 on the season. Granville dropped to 3-5, 3-9.


Glens Falls outwrestles Whitehall

By Keith Harrington

The Whitehall wrestling team hosted Glens Falls last Thursday evening in a non-league match and the Indians rode the strength of pins and wins by forfeit to handle the Railroaders, 54-24.

Glens Falls wrestlers recorded pins by Avi Berg at 118, Eli Johnson at 152, Skyler Sturdevant at 160 and Connor Wright at 190 to secure the victory. Gavin Williams, Nathan Phipps, Killian Batchelder and Alex Vanderpool won by forfeit.

For the Railroaders, Jake Huntington, Troy Austin and Ollie West pinned their opponents.

At 138 pounds Huntington pinned Dan Batchelder in :55 seconds. Austin finished off Violence Sturdevant in 24 seconds at 172 pounds. West needed 3:37 to pin Mark Dacey at 126.

Whitehall’s 110-pound Matt Ingerson won by forfeit.