Mid-Hudson select basketball teams encouraged despite missing medals at BCANY tourney
The Mid-Hudson select teams did not return from the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Summer Hoops Festival with any medals but the coaches still considered the mission a success.
The girls' team opened and closed the three-day event with wins over the Buffalo region, dropping three games in between – that was good for a fifth-place finish. The boys' squad lost two close games on Friday and suffered two blowout losses on Saturday, finishing ninth and becoming the only team to miss the playoff round on Sunday.
On both rosters there are a number of underclassmen so there’s potential for returning some talent for another go-around next year.
Girls started with promise
Mid-Hudson and Wallkill High School coach A.J. Higby said the team “exceeded my expectations dramatically.’’
“The type of play we had to go up there with,’’ Higby said, “was pressing full court … and shooting from the outside the whole time – that’s exactly what we did and it worked a great amount of the time. It didn’t work all the time and we ended up having to count on our defense.’’
GOING THE DISTANCE: Kingston, Mid-Hudson standout Ava Scaturro willing to go the distance to improve her game
NEXT LEVEL: Lourdes', Mid-Hudson standout Faughnan eager for Summer Hoops Festival
Mid-Hudson opened with a 64-60 win over Buffalo and then took an early lead over Long Island before getting overwhelmed and falling 62-47. The course of the entire tournament was decided in the opening game on Saturday. Mid-Hudson held a late lead on eventual champion Rochester only to surrender it in the final moments, falling 64-63. Then came a disappointing 65-55 loss to runner-up Southern Tier.
Mid-Hudson gathered the pieces and beat Buffalo again, 69-55, in the fifth-place game.
All-state first-team guard Zoe Mesuch of Wallkill had a very strong tournament and would have been considered for all-star recognition had there been one. Higby was thrilled with the tough, hard-nosed play of Kingston’s Ava Scaturro and surprised by the effectiveness of Valley Central’s Maggie Bishop.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, (Bishop) is going to get eaten up by the big girls but she held her own. She did a great job,’’ Higby said. Of Scaturro, he she was a “defensive phenomenon.’’
Higby also praised the play of Marlboro’s Gabby Murphy and Goshen’s Liz Ukejianaya.
Rochester beat Southern Tier, 89-61, for the girls' championship. Long Island and Central bowed in the semifinals.
Boys' team undermanned
The Mid-Hudson team lost two of its Goshen representatives – Tyson Clark and Jimmy Kelly – to injury, just days before the tournament so the absence of the pair certainly threw off the coordination and player minutes, something very crucial in a short three-day event.
There were some promising results coming out of the first day, despite Mid-Hudson bowing to eventual champion Capital, 62-53, and Nassau, 72-69. But the second day proved difficult in a 90-59 loss to Suffolk and a 77-36 setback to Hudson Valley (Section 1 side).
To no one’s surprise, Mid-Hudson got strong play from two of its biggest players: Jack O’Boyle of John S. Burke Catholic and Patrick Faughnan of Our Lady of Lourdes. Mid-Hudson and Wallkill High School coach Hunter Andrews said O’Boyle was splendid with his shooting range and Faughnan showed great skill and footwork.
Andrews was also pleased with two of his underclassmen: Cayden Dones of New Paltz and Monticello’s Daevion Sandoval.
“It was just an awesome experience,’’ Andrews said. “What was really special, honestly, was the bond that these guys created in a week … it was really cool to see. … It was really, really special just to see them come together (and) their character – their parents raised them the right way.’’
Capital beat Southern Tier, 77-65, in the title game. Central and Hudson Valley bowed in the semifinals.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: High school basketball Mid-Hudson teams miss medals at BCANY tourney
