Granville girls to face top-seed Greenwich
Someone would have to search long and hard to find when the Granville girls basketball team last won a sectional game. It has been a while. The girls on this year’s team were toddlers and likely hadn’t even touched a basketball yet.
Friday night that all changed. The nine-seed Golden Horde opened up a double-figure lead in the fourth quarter then held off a Rensselaer comeback to defeat the Rams, 39-36, in a Section II Class C opening round game played in Rensselaer.
“It’s been since 2008 since we’ve had a sectional win,” Granville coach Dan Brown said. “We’ve only had two play-in games since 2012.”
Rensselaer led 7-6 after one quarter. Lilly Strout scored all the Golden Horde’s points in the stanza.
In the second stanza, Granville outscored the Rams 10-9 to tie the game 16-16 at the half. Strout had another solid quarter with five points, and Lauren Bascom nailed a 3-pointer to help the Golden Horde pull in front.
A baseline jumper by Bascom gave the Golden Horde a 20-18 lead in the third as Granville’s defense ramped up in the frame, holding Rensselaer to just three points.
Leading 22-19, Granville went on a 13-0 run in the latter part of the third and early fourth to lead 35-19.
Jordan Chadwick had a pair of baskets during the spurt, and Melissa Beaver had a steal and a layup, getting fouled in the process. Beaver also connected on a trey from the left wing, scoring all seven of her points in the final eight minutes.
Rensselaer outscored the Golden Horde 15-4 down the stretch but could not run them down.
Strout led Granville with a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down18 rebounds. Bascom added 10 points. Ella Olsen contributed 12 boards. Beaver had eight steals.
Joslyn Teal paced Rensselaer with 13 points. Angelica Slingerland chipped in six.
The Golden Horde’s ninth win matches the program’s total number of wins over the last three seasons.
“I think they’re starting to believe again,” Brown said.
Granville advances to meet top-seed Greenwich in the quarterfinals Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Greenwich.
Granville is now 9-11. Rensselaer ends the season 7-13.
Horde boys await sectional quarter-finals
Give Granville boys basketball coach and athletic director Justin Nassivera credit. He doesn’t let the Golden Horde back away from a challenge.
Just two days after suffering a difficult loss to North Warren in the Adirondack League title game, Nassivera threw his team back into the fray, traveling across the state line to face the top-ranked Division II team in the Green Mountain State.
Fair Haven showed why it’s so highly regarded by staying perfect and topping Granville 64-47 in a non-league contest.
Nassivera’s squad hasn’t dodged anyone this year, stepping outside of Adirondack League play to challenge Class A South Glens Falls and Vermont Division I power Burr and Burton.
Fair Haven, with star point guard Sawyer Ramey, perhaps the best player in Vermont, certainly provides a difficult matchup for any team. The Slaters have impressive wins over Mechanicville and previously unbeaten Hoosic Valley in the Zero Gravity Tournament held in the Albany area.
The game was tight early, tied at eight late in the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Joe Buxton from the baseline and a layup by Noah Beayon gave the Slaters a 13-8 advantage. Trey Senevey answered with a 3-pointer for the Golden Horde, but Fair Haven led 14-11 after the opening stanza.
The Slaters had an eight-point lead at halftime but extended it to 18 heading to the final stanza. Fair Haven led 32-24 before a Caleb Nelson 3-pointer cut the deficit to 32-27. The Slaters then went on a 16-0 run, capped by a trifecta from Ramey to lead 48-27. An Alex Torres free throw ended the run, but the Slaters led 52-34 heading to the final eight minutes.
In the fourth the Fair Haven lead ballooned to 64-40. Granville ended the contest on a 7-0 run with a Matthew Barlow foul shot and consecutive treys by Caleb Nelson and RJ Monger, but it was too little too late.
Sawyer Ramey recorded a triple-double for Fair Haven with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Sam Barber added 12 points and Phil Bean had 10.
Caleb Nelson had a double-double for Granville with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Fair Haven was 16-0 after the win and is expected to be the top-ranked team when the Vermont Division II state playoffs begin.
Granville rounded out the regular season 15-5, earned the three-seed in the Section II Class CC tournament and received a bye. The Golden Horde will meet the winner of the game between six-seed Voorheesville and 11-seed Rensselaer in the quarter-finals on Friday at 5 p.m. at Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park.
