Game #1 Fallsburg Comets slimly defeat Sullivan West Bulldogs

ROSCOE– Weather may have delayed the start of the Coach Fred Ahart Boys Basketball Tournament by a day, and the cold may have chilled all the participants to the bone on their way to get there, but once everyone arrived at the gym, the spirit of giving and of community took over. The players and the spectators alike gave themselves over to the joy of the game and the opportunity to be there together, supporting the sport and the people involved in bringing it to us, especially the memory of coach Ahart.

The first of the eight games scheduled for the weekend saw Fallsburg defeat Sullivan West 42–40.

This opening game started off a little slow, but once they got going, it was a terrific first match-up. The first quarter was low scoring as the teams felt each other out. Sullivan West took a 23–16 lead into halftime, primarily due to their superior shooting from behind the 3-point and the foul line.

In the second half, Fallsburg turned on the switch and started playing defense with an intensity that Sullivan West just couldn’t match. Their swarming defense made up for poor shooting and highlighted Sullivan West’s issues with ball control and ball security. Fallsburg eventually tied it up with 2:38 left in the game. The last minutes saw Sullivan West unable to score points offensively, and defensively, playing just a step behind Fallsburg, and staying in foul trouble. After repeated fouls against SW, the Comets took advantage of their time at the foul line which helped them edge out the Bulldogs for the win.

Game # 2 

Eldred over Bainbridge-Guilford 57–48.

Slow starts seemed to be the order of business for these first two games, forcing each of their coaches to take early time-outs to try to get the boys to play with energy. The rest of the half between Eldred and Bainbridge went back-and-forth, featuring exceptional shooting from Bainbridge-Guilford and ferocious work on the boards from Eldred. Eldred’s rebounding limited second shots from Bainbridge-Guilford and also gave them critical second-chance points on offense.

Eldred’s slim lead of 26-22 at the start of the second half began to slowly fade as Bainbridge started playing with much greater passion, especially on defense. Eldred, who played their starting five almost the whole game without a sub, seemed to be tiring. After Bainbridge-Guilford tied it up with 2:39 left in the game, Eldred found their second wind and was able to get back the lead and close the game out by making a couple of key baskets and getting the defensive stops when they needed them. 

Game #3 Pine Plains vs Margaretville

The third game between Pine Plains and Margaretville was a lop-sided contest that saw Margaretville (who only dressed and played five players) losing by a landslide.

Game #4 Rockland defeats Tri-Valley

The fourth and final game of the first day was a matchup between Tri-Valley and the home team, Rockland Wolves.

Although the game was not as close a battle as everyone had hoped, it was still very entertaining, especially for the home crowd; they whooped and hollered on every play, no matter how small. Their enthusiasm didn’t let up even when Rockland’s second stringers came in during the second half. Instead, they cheered even louder for the subs who usually don’t get much playing time.

To their credit, the Tri-Valley boys never stopped fighting and played hard until the final whistle. The game was another opportunity for the young team to learn how to play together and work as a team. The final score was 64-37, rounding out day one of the tournament.