Basketball

Juggernaut Bears victimize Goshen again

State’s fifth ranked 14-0 Division V champion taking it one game at a time

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY - With blinding speed, spectacular no-look passes and deft shooting, Tri-Valley is systematically dispatching its opponents one-by-one.

After sweeping the season league series with a 69-59 road win over the Chester Hambletonians on January 26, Tri-Valley, the fifth ranked Class C team, extended its unbeaten mark to 13-0. The win clinched the Division V title.

Class A Goshen became the latest victim on January 29, as the Gladiators hoped to regain their swagger after losing to the Bears in the championship game of the O’Neill Tournament by the score of 64-47 on December 28.

Having just won its rematch with James I. O’Neill, after a loss to the Raiders in their second game of the season, Goshen had hoped to work the second-time-around magic on Tri-Valley by deploying a freelance offense to keep pace with the Bears up-tempo style.

But Goshen isn’t built to last against the Bears’ relentless onslaught, which is designed to wear down opponents with pressure and speed. Goshen has plenty of talent and has had its flashes of brilliance, particularly in its stunning 53-50 win over Monticello.

For the Goshen Gladiators, entering the frenzied atmosphere of G-Ville must have seemed like a modern-day analog to the Roman Coliseum, with a lethal man or beast to face and a rabid crowd thirsting for blood.

The Bears threw down the gauntlet early with a quick no-look pass from John Merchant to Dustin VanLieu, who canned a shot just inside the arc from the left corner. Merchant followed up with a steal and a lay up. For Goshen, the only player who seemed ready to withstand the pace was junior Willie Green. He answered with the Gladiators’ first bucket and would account for half of Goshen’s first-quarter scoring.

Tri-Valley got great inside play from Bo Murphy, who showed himself to be a force in the low post. While coach Brian Tingley envisions Murphy as a future treasure, he is impressed with the big minutes he is turning in at present.

Midway through the first quarter, Tri-Valley evinced too much energy and a pair of Bears’ turnovers, followed by a three-pointer by Green, had Goshen within one at 11-10. The Bears closed out the quarter with a great dish from Merchant to Murphy, followed by a trey from VanLieu at the buzzer to extend the lead to 16-10 at the end of the frame.

Tri-Valley put on a passing clinic early in the second quarter. Passes in the paint yielded lay ups or fouls, which availed the Bears six points in seven attempts from the line. Merchant chipped in a three-pointer and VanLieu hit his second of his eventual four from downtown to enable Tri-Valley to nurse a 30-20 lead at the half.

While Green had quieted down, teammate A.J. Zecchini added four points, and Nick Skelly, Ed and Patrick Robinson each posted two.

But Goshen hadn’t seen the best of the Bears.

In the third quarter, Tri-Valley went on a rampage. Contrary to the first half that was marked by eight turnovers, the Bears guarded the rock as if it was the Holy Grail.

After Skelly scored the first bucket of the quarter, Tri-Valley answered back with a three from Merchant and a lay up by Fred Moore.

The Gladiators parried with points from Ed Robinson and Green as the crowd noise rose. A steal effected by Merchant’s quickness and his rangy extension into the passing lane led to a lay up by the Tri-Valley standout. Green answered with a drive and one.

VanLieu drove to the basket and drew the defenders from Goshen’s zone. At the last second, VanLieu dished it to Moore and the lead went to 41-29. Murphy got a pair of put backs. VanLieu hit a three from the top of the arc and William Elberth scored on a drive to give the Bears a 16-point margin at 50-34. After a basket by Goshen’s Chris Aglioloro, VanLieu punctuated Tri-Valley’s run with his fourth three of the night and the Bears sauntered to the bench leading 53-38 after three quarters.

They began the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run, which featured another Merchant steal and gorgeous shot and one. Merchant was fouled again and Moore grabbed the rebound of his second shot from the line and hooked it back in.

Tri-Valley led by as much as 21 in the quarter and continued its torrid pace even after Merchant left the game. Kevin Drown hit a three. In the final minutes, Green got hot and Goshen whittled away the big lead, playing against Tri-Valley’s second string.

Green scored 12 of his 24 in the final quarter, including a pair of threes. Patrick Robinson added six and John Fasano pumped in a three as the final buzzer recorded a more respectable score of 71-64. Skelly had 14 points for Goshen (5-8). VanLieu led the Bears with 20, while Merchant scored 17 and Moore had 14 for Tri-Valley (14-0). The Bears have already surpassed last year’s win total of 13. Goshen shot an abysmal 6 for 19 from the line while the Bears canned 11 of 18.

Goshen coach Joe Guanieri said the Bears outplayed his team. “We wanted to play a more freelance offense in this rematch, but we needed more players to step up to do that,” he said. Guanieri was pleased with Green’s effort and felt that the pace wore down his team.

Goshen still hopes to make the sectionals and is currently 2-1 in Division III. They have rematches with Monticello, Cornwall and Port Jervis. Winning one of those games will enable the Gladiators to punch a ticket to the Class A sectionals. Still, with the likes of Cornwall, Red Hook, Rondout Valley and Monticello in that post-season mix, Goshen will face some daunting opposition.

Tingley was surprised that Goshen didn’t play more man-to-man defense. Both teams had more time to prepare for this game than they had in the O’Neill tournament, and both had circled this match up as a key one. Tingley praised the play of his entire team, making particular reference to Murphy and the elevated play of VanLieu.

“I have to work harder on getting our second string in there earlier to give the starters a blow, although they are really well-conditioned,” he noted.

Asked if the unbeaten streak and rising expectations were becoming a burden, Tingley said the team was focused on meeting its goals. “We wanted to win the Delhi and O’Neill tournaments and capture the division,” Tingley said. “We’ve accomplished that.

The team has bigger goals on its list as well, he admitted, referring to sectionals and beyond.

Upcoming challenges will include a visit to Sullivan West on February 5 and a rematch with Chapel Field on February 8. Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game photos.