Game Preview: Girls Foothills Council Championship

If the North is to win the Foothills Council Championship over the South tonight, the North needs to limit extra opportunities.

Especially in today's Girls Championship between the Glens Falls Indians and the Amsterdam Rams (5:30PM, Glens Falls Civic Center).

The first meeting between the two teams saw Amsterdam get 42 free throw opportunities, which they made 30 of them on their way to a 64-52 win.  And it was a team effort for Amsterdam, as Braelin Aldi was the team's highest scorer with only 12 points, as 10 different Rams scored points in the win.

The Rams have won 16 straight since starting the season 0-2 with losses to St. Laurent and Fernand-Lefebvre.  The Rams set up their visit to the Foothills Council Championship in their first year in the league thanks to an overtime win against Scotia.

Coach Eric Duemler likes giving his entire bench time out on the court, which leads to 14 different Rams registering points during the course of the season.  Nina Fedullo is the team's main scorer, averaging 15.7 points per game.  Guilianna Pritchard is the team's next scorer with 7.7 points per game.  Caitlin Gannon is the team's most dangerous three point shooter, dropping 28 from long range over the course of the season.

Mark Girard has a good 1-2 punch with the Glens Falls Indians.  The Tougas sisters of Sophie and Lucy, combine for over 29 points per game, and are the team's best free throw shooters.  Taylor Scarincio is also a shooter, scoring 7.2 points per game.  Adele Haraughty is the team's best three point shooter, scoring 19 this season.

The Indians have two losses on the season, both to South Division opponents.  They fell to Amsterdam 64-52 after losing to Scotia 54-46 the previous game.

The Indians cannot afford to give the Rams extra opportunities if they hope to claim the Foothills Council Championship.  The Rams have shown time and time again that they have a deep roster, and if Coach Duemler uses the bench wisely, Amsterdam will claim the championship in their first year as a member of the Foothills Council.

IF YOU GO...

Foothills Council Girls Championship

AMSTERDAM RAMS (16-2) VS. GLENS FALLS INDIANS (16-2)

5:30 PM, Glens Falls Civic Center

Radio Coverage on FOX Sports Radio 1230 @ 5:20PM

Players to Watch

Amsterdam Rams

Name	FG	3-Pt	FT	FTA	FT %	Pts	PPG
Nina Fedullo	80	4	111	159	69.81	283	15.7
Guilianna Pritchard	52	0	34	49	69.39	138	7.7
Caitlin Gannon	8	28	6	9	66.67	106	5.9
Brady Santiago	32	13	15	18	83.33	118	6.6

Glens Falls Indians

Name	FG	3-Pt	FT	FTA	FT %	Pts	PPG
Sophie Tougas	95	4	68	107	63.55	270	15.0
Lucy Tougas	100	5	47	77	61.04	262	14.6
Taylor Scarincio	52	0	26	51	50.98	130	7.2
Adele Haraughty	17	19	10	26	38.46	101	5.6

Source: Albany Times Union

Boys Hoops: Our Top 8 - 2/12

Sectional seedings are determined in one week.

So instead of doing a Top 4 this week for each classification, let's expand and make it eight.  

Crazy Wednesday on the HS Hockey Rink

The High School Hockey league standings got thrown into disarray with the two games played on Wednesday:

Shenendehowa	2	Bethlehem	4
Tri-Falls	2	La Salle	5

High School Hockey notes

We're nearing sectionals in the Capital District High School Hockey League.  The regular season wraps up this Saturday, and Sunday the official seedings for the tournament will be announced.

These seedings are determined on where a team finished in the CDHSHL point standings, with each game within the league being worth either one or two points for a win.  There are procedures for ties, which can be found here.

As the season wraps up, let's take a look at some of the latest news and notes from across the league:

Boys Hoops - Our Top 4, 2/4/14

Here's our unscientific Top 4 for each classification through Tuesday, February 3rd's games.

NYSPHSAA BEDS Numbers for 2015-16

Below are the NYSPHSAA BEDS for 2015-16 courtesy of the New York Public High School Athletic Association.  Next to them, based on the current enrollments, are where teams would be classified for both Football and Basketball (as well as other team sports like Soccer and Baseball/Softball).

The numbers DO NOT GUARANTEE that the team would play in such classification, as teams have been known to request to play lesser competition and sacrifice their sectional eligibility (i.e., Hoosic Valley Football has played Class D competition the last few years despite being Class C), and likewise, have requested to play in a higher classification (i.e., Troy Boys Hoops elected to played AA in 2013-14 despite being a A squad).

It also doesn't take into effect the rules regarding private schools (CBA would never play Class B Football), nor does it configure teams playing as a merged unit, like Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne did last year in Football.

In other words, this is merely a guide to the next year in local high school sports.

Correction: We incorrectly noted Maine-Endwell in Section 4 to maintain their Class B status, allowing them to continue to defend their State Championship.  They actually will be classified as a Class A school in 2015-16.  In addition, Glens Falls will be downgraded to a Class B school for basketball and other 5-classification sports that isn't football.

Boys Hoops Games to Watch - Week of 2/2 - 2/8

Two weeks until Sectional Seedings.  Let's look at this week's matchups you're going to want to watch.

Tuesday's Games:
Fort Edward (10-6) at Argyle (10-5)
Canajoharie (9-5) at Fort Plain (7-6)
Northville at (11-4) St. Johnsville (8-5)
Averill Park (10-3) at Bethlehem (12-3)
Broadalbin-Perth (10-4) at Scotia (14-0)

Comments: Fort Edward could save themselves from having to play a game against a deadly top seed in Stillwater with a quality win, and that opportunity is against Argyle. --  Canajoharie and Fort Plain will meet to help settle C seeds. -- Averill Park is one of those Class A squads few are talking about, but could make a strong splash come sectionals.  A win for the Warriors against the Bethlehem Eagles could make the difference between a #2 seed and a #3 seed.  The road to sectionals won't be kind to Averill Park as they face Bethlehem once and Guilderland twice in the next two weeks --  Northville got a reality check the first time they played St. Johnsville, the second time will be tough for one of the contenders for a good seed in Class D as they play the rematch out in western Montgomery County. -- Broadalbin-Perth is one of few teams to play the Scotia Tartans close all season, only falling by 6 as they held the Tartans to 30 points off their season average of 78 points per game in the first meeting.

Wednesday's Games:
Waterford (12-3) at Germantown (13-1)
Stillwater (10-5) at Greenwich (13-2)

Comments: Germantown's loss to Berlin on January 23rd still leaves the Central Hudson Valley League open.  Both Germantown and Waterford have only one loss, but Waterford's was a loss to Germantown back in December by more than 20 points. -- Stillwater has a tough week ahead with both Greenwich and Hoosick Falls, and a win over the Witches could help improve their tournament resume.  Greenwich is the only other team in Section 2 right now that has a legitimate chance of snatching the #1 seed from the Lake George Warriors, and therefore has reasons to play hard.

Friday's Games:
Northville (11-4) at Canajoharie (9-5)
Fort Ann (12-2) at Fort Edward (10-6)
Averill Park (10-3) at Guilderland (11-2)
Schalmont (12-2) at Voorheesville (11-5)

Comments: We've noted many times over the last few weeks about Northville's attempt to play for better seeds in the upcoming Class D Sectionals.  Canajoharie presents another good opportunity.  By the time Fort Ann and Fort Edward play on Friday, Fort Ann could have their spot in the Adirondack League Championship sewn up, however, that doesn't mean they can take this game easy.  Averill Park continues their gauntlet against Guilderland in a key Suburban Conference showdown.  Schalmont gets another test on their way to be one of 7 dangerous teams in Class B when they face Voorheesville.

Don't forget if you're planning on heading to any of these games, to report score updates using the #518Hoops hashtag.