Maine-Endwell basketball's first Final Four ends under flurry of Glens Falls 3-pointers
In its first trip to the state final four, Maine-Endwell's boys basketball team didn't get much time to adjust.
Facing top-ranked Glens Falls, the Spartans faced a 20-point deficit 6½ minutes into the game Friday, eventually falling 91-46 in a Class A semifinal.
The Black Bears, playing at home in Cool Insuring Arena, improved to 26-0 while leaving no question as to why they are No. 1 in New York State Sports Writers Association rankings.
A 13-point difference through one quarter continued to grow throughout.
Preston Ocker scored nine points and Luca Konrad eight, and Luka Ioannisci had six points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans (14-8). Those three are sophomores. Senior teammate Austyn Nyschot turned in a six-point, four-assist outing.
More: Boys basketball: Thorough, balanced effort leads Maine-Endwell past Saugerties in Class A
How it got away from Maine-Endwell
Glens Falls scored the first nine points before Ioannisci’s 3-point field goal from atop the arc, and the Black Bears followed with 14 more points in succession. Cooper Nadler opened that spree by converting two free throws and Oscar Lilac concluded it with a score in transition.
In the interim came two more 3-pointers – one from 8th-grader Aiden Prunty – and a jump shot in the lane by Brody Holcomb.
Maine-Endwell produced the final seven points of the quarter, the last coming on Ioannisci’s 3-pointer to make it 23-10. But to the delight of Glens Falls’ ample supporters, the home team eased back into command.
It was 31-12 after 2½ minutes of the second quarter and 45-23 at halftime. By the time the Black Bears' Kellen Driscoll – who scored 12 third-quarter points – hit a free throw approaching the midway point of the third period, Glens Falls’ advantage was 61-26.
Glens Falls will oppose Section 5 champion Wayne in the final, 5:15 p.m. Saturday. Wayne defeated Friends Academy, 61-45.
Numbers to know
Holcomb had 25 points and six assists, Driscoll 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Nadler 14 points and 11 rebounds for the winners, whose 33-for-64 shooting included 13-for-32 from outside the arc.
Nadler is the lone senior on the roster for Glens Falls, which won the 2019 NYSPHSAA Class B championship.
Boys state final fours in six enrollment classifications move to Binghamton’s Visions Veterans Memorial Arena for 2025, 2026 and 2027.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: NYSPHSAA Class A Final Four: Maine-Endwell can't handle Glens Falls
