Saturday, December 16, 2017

Tigers vs. Horses: Kingston @ Troy (boys' basketball), 12/16/17

There is a natural progression in team sports when it comes to the frequency of games. We're accustomed to seeing NBA basketball teams play as many as 3-4 games per week during a regular season that stretches over 7 months (October-April). College teams will play a maximum of 3 regular season games a week. High schools usually have 2.

It's only the first month of the high school season, but it could be argued that some teams may be dealing with sudden fatigue. For example, Saratoga's women's team has played three games in four days, counting a matinee home game today. For another, tonight's non-league home game vs. Kingston was the third for the Troy High boys team in five days.

Unfortunately for coach Greg Davis, fatigue may have been a fatal factor. He dressed only 10 players, as seniors Joe Casale & Avery Curley sat out in street clothes, seemingly healthy scratches. Kiasone Loadholt, a junior, was absent, perhaps injured. That meant more minutes for some of the bench players who otherwise wouldn't be called on so often.

Despite the manpower shortage, Troy ran out to an early lead on Kingston in the first quarter, forcing coach Ron Kelder to call a timeout. He adjusted his defense, going to a heavy pressure defense for much of the game. This strategy seemed to work, as the Tigers contested just about everything. In contrast, no matter what Troy tried, the Flying Horses couldn't contain Kingston's Damani Thomas, who led all scorers with 27 points. Similarly, Mohonasen's Duncan Tallman led all scorers with 17 points in a losing effort last night. Chris Wright, held to 2 points in the first half, came to life in the second half, scoring 24 in all, to back up Thomas. It was Wright who forced overtime with a key three pointer in the 4th quarter.

The extra session, unfortunately for Troy, was the final nail in the coffin. Tyquan Watson's only points of the night came on the eventual game winner, and Kingston outscored Troy, 12-6, in overtime to come away with a 76-70 win, snapping Troy's three-game winning streak. Nazaire Merritt led Troy with 20 points. Alonzo Alexander had 15, but only 2 after halftime, and Latyce Faison had 14.

Things will get back to normal for Troy on Tuesday, as Averill Park comes to town. The Warriors may be looking for a little payback, since they were blown out of the building the last time they came to Troy 2 seasons ago. Just two nights later, the boys will travel to Schenectady to play the Patriots in the last game before the Christmas break. Oh, by the way, they'll be visiting Kingston next month in a return match. If tonight was any indicator, the rematch should be even more intense.

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