Basketball

LIVE from Glens Falls

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GLENS FALLS, NY - Frightful weather and horrendous driving conditions were no deterrent to the near-record 27,000 paying ticket holders who streamed through the doors of the Glens Falls Civic Center this past weekend to witness one of the crown jewels of high school sporting events: the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) boys basketball championships.

The second largest crowd in tournament history since its rebirth in 1981 hailed from communities near and far, armed with intense fervor, colorful garb, body paint and deafening vocal support for their teams that had survived the grueling gauntlet of sectional and regional play to participate in the ultimate rite of hardwood passage, the state final four.

Hour upon hour of real-life drama, replete with the exultation of victory and the antithetical despondency of defeat, were woven into a tableau of laughter and tears, now enshrined in the memory of those who took part in a weekend that has no rival.

For more of this year’s virtual tour of the tournament weekend, see the print River Reporter.

The atmosphere

GLENS FALLS, NY - Stepping through the portals of the Glens Falls Civic Center affords one an instant understanding of the term March Madness. Beginning on Friday, March 16, with the first round of semifinals, and on into Sunday, when the last teams are crowned champions in each of the state five classes, the arena is rife with the fused sound and color of legions of fans who have traveled from the farthest reaches of the state to cheer their hometown heroes.

Up the steep incline of stairs, friends, family and community members sit and stand, lucky charms and blazing signs in hand, hoping that their energy, strident vocalized cheers and outrageous appearance will skew the outcome in favor of their beloved teams.

Players gather around their coaches for last-minute advice before the ball is tipped.

From this maelstrom will emerge the state champs, plaques in hand and faces beaming as cameras flash endlessly.

In stark contrast, the victims of the ultimate paring process will sedately gather their belongings, faces marked by tears, and minds not realizing what enormous winners they are for getting to this final pinnacle.

A brief history

After a lapse of more than 45 years, the New York State basketball championship tournament was resumed in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, the tournament was played in Rochester. In 1981, the games were moved to Glens Falls, where they have been played ever since. From 1980 to 2003, there were four championship classes: A, B, C and D. A fifth class, AA, was added in 2004. Those classifications are based on the number of students in schools from grades nine through 11 (see accompanying graphic).

This year, it looked as if a quartet of Section Nine’s teams might reach the final four, but a Saturday Night Massacre in the regional finals left Class AA NFA, Class B Burke, Class C Tri-Valley and Class D John A. Coleman on the outside looking in. Class A Cornwall went down in the regional semifinals.

Of the teams that ousted Section Nine’s best, three went on to become state champs, including Class AA Mount Vernon, which barely got by NFA. The Knights garnered their second title in three years and brought home a tournament-tying best eight championship. Class A Peekskill hoisted the plaque for the third straight year and fifth time in its history. The Red Devils hold former titles in Class C and B. Class B Malverne, who lost in the finals in ’04, came back to capture a third state crown in its history. Only two Section Nine teams have ever emerged as champions. They were Class D Millbrook in 1999 and Class D S.S. Seward in 2003. Fallsburg lost in the semifinals the same year to Buffalo City Honors. (Visit www.riverreportersports.com for more history of the tourney, including past winners, records and the names of some legendary players who moved on to Division One colleges and the pros.)

This year’s winners were:

Class AA Mount Vernon

Class A Peekskill

Class B Malverne

Class C Sidney

Class D Charles G. Finney

And up next for the final bragging rights in NYS, the Federation Games

The match ups are:

Friday, March 23, 2007

10:00 a.m. Class “B” Semi-Final Upper Room

Christian vs. Blessed Sacrament St. Gabriel’s HS

11:45 a.m. Class “B”

Semi-Final Malverne vs. Eagle Academy for Young Men

5:00 p.m. Class “A” Semi-Final

East New York Transit Tech vs. Cardinal Hayes - Bronx

6:45 p.m. Class “A” Semi-Final

Long Island Lutheran vs. Peekskill

8:30 p.m. Class “AA” Semi-Final

Mount Vernon vs. Rice (NYC)

Saturday, March 24, 2007

2:00 p.m. Class “B” Final

3:45 p.m. Class “A” Final

7:30 p.m. Class “AA” Final Winner

Class “AA” Semi-Final vs. Abraham Lincoln