Basketball

From hither to yon

Bears surmount 16-point deficit to deliver OT semifinal win

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — “I think I can, I think I can,” said the little blue engine as it pulled with all its might to get over the mountain from hither to yon.

Not wanting to disappoint the anxious children who awaited the deliverance of their Christmas toys, the unflappable locomotive successfully overcame the daunting mountain in Watty Piper’s delightful 1930 children’s story, “The Little Engine That Could,” a tale that never fails to bring smiles to the faces of those that read or hear it.

In an enchanting basketball analogue to that timeless tale, the wide-eyed fans of Tri-Valley reveled in wonders on March 3 as their own little blue engine of a team chugged back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to tie their Class C semifinal game against the Rhinebeck Hawks at the end of regulation, send it into overtime and deliver a treasured win with defense and courage beyond the pale.

The 61-57 overtime victory sent Tri-Valley back to the Section Nine finals on March 6 with hopes of mirroring its uplifting 2007 win over Millbrook at SUNY New Paltz. Once again, the Bears would vie against the Blazers for the title. Unfortunately, Millbrook won the title game (See “Gravity and beyond” on page 28).

Rabid Bears fans, decked out in their sixth-man white t-shirts, had hoped to see their team go even further than it did in 2007. That version of the blue express ran out of steam at the Regional Final versus Friends Academy.

This year’s OT win brought untrammeled joy to the little town that struggled of late as it ponders budget cuts in these days of financial shortfalls.

The parallels between the children’s book and this game are striking.

Like the little engine, the Tri-Valley express was happily cruising along. Coming into this game as the number-one seed in the Class C tourney and having won 10 games in a row since last losing to Chester 55-47 back on January 8, the Bears emerged from the first quarter against Rhinebeck with a 16-14 lead. But alas, just as things looked like they were going well, the train nearly slowed to a halt as Rhinebeck rode its dominion on the glass to fuel a 18-5 second quarter that put them on the right track, leading 32-21 at the half.

Tri-Valley’s coach Brian Tingley knew that Rhinebeck likes to drive the ball to the basket and draw fouls. His strategy was to blunt that inclination by standing in and taking charges. To the Bears’ credit, they drew five of them by game’s end. But in the second quarter, they left men open on the perimeter and Rhinebeck deftly whipped the ball around, looking for an open downtown shot.

By halftime, the Hawks had a quartet of threes. Tingley was surprised to see that four different players had connected by the break.

Counseling patience, he encouraged his team to trim the deficit to five by the end of the third quarter. But the uphill climb got steeper as Rhinebeck led by 16 points with 3:41 remaining in the frame. Rhinebeck’s Ben Haynes had just made it 41-25 when a Dustin VanLieu dish to Andrew Yager started an unanswered 14-point run. Both VanLieu and Yager scored seven points each and the Bears out-pointed the Hawks 18-9 in the period.

The Bears trailed 41-39 heading into the final frame as the atmosphere in the din-filled gym was having an apocalyptic effect on Rhinebeck, which had watched its lead eviscerated by Tri-Valley steals and offensive grit.

Yager tied the game 17 seconds into the fourth quarter but a three pointer by Hawk Nick Lunn put his team ahead by four. A VanLieu steal and a Yager bucket preceded guard Ryan O’Han’s drive down the lane that netted a free throw. Rhinebeck’s Anatole Malukoff got two from the stripe, but VanLieu worked a steal and was fouled. He hit one before O’Han slashed through the lane for another bucket and hit a free throw to give his team a four-point lead with 5:25 remaining.

The Bears squandered chances and O’Han made it 50-44 with 4:19 remaining. But the blue engine refused to quit. Tim Martin got a steal and was fouled. He hit one of two. In the hectic final three minutes, O’Han traveled, Malukoff missed the front of a one and one in a stretch that Rhinebeck coach Dave Aierstok would later cite as a critical phase in squandering a potential upset.

VanLieu scored on the baseline and Tri-Valley needed a stop with 2:26 remaining. They got it as O’Han was whistled for an offensive foul with 1:27 to go. VanLieu drove for two and the Bears trailed 50-49 with 1:01 to go in the supercharged atmosphere.

Lunn answered with two down the lane. A foul on Malukoff sent Yager to the line. He hit both with 35.7 seconds remaining and the Bears trailed 52-51. A tie up favored the Hawks on the possession arrow. Lunn was fouled but missed the front end of a vital one and one. VanLieu drew a foul and, after missing the first, tied the game with 17.8 seconds remaining. Tough Bears defense thwarted Rhinebeck’s final-shot attempt and the game went into OT.

Stoked by the crowd’s fervor, the Bears overcame another lead change as Rhinebeck’s Pat Henke scored first. Yager tied it at 54-all and O’Han traveled again. VanLieu was fouled and hit both with 2:18 remaining to give the Bears a 58-54 lead. A trio of late steals by Dominic Baggatta, Martin and VanLieu helped to ice the win. Pat Henke hit a three with 46.4 seconds remaining. Then, Rhinebeck’s Nick Sorel went to the line for a one and one. He missed and a foul sent Yager to the line at the other end of the floor.

“Let’s go Bears!” reverberated through the gym and subsequent time outs.

Yager missed both free throws but another Tri-Valley steal sent him right back to the line where he hit one of two to make it 61-57. O’Han’s final shot was partially blocked and the Bears and their fans swarmed the floor with jubilation and hugs galore.

It was March Madness at its best as the Little Engine that Could had morphed the mantra of “I think I can, I think I can,” into the afterglow of “I thought I could, I thought I could.”

Aierstok credited Tri-Valley’s intensity and great play. “When teams are down, they raise their intensity and you’ve got to raise yours to meet it. Down the stretch, we missed free throws and turned it over,” Aierstok noted. “They’re a very good team. We played hard and had a good year. When we rebound well, we get out and run. We didn’t rebound as well in the second half.”

Tri-Valley got eight rebounds from Martin who was critical in Tri-Valley’s defense. “He’s a very important player. He’s all over the place,” Tingley said, while praising his entire team’s effort. “Andrew likes to play outside but having him become so effective in the paint was key. I’m glad we didn’t lose this game because a lot of guys left points on the free throw line,” said Tingley. Tri-Valley (15-5) was 13 for 29, shooting a lackluster 44.8 percent from the line. Rhinebeck (8-13) was worse with four for 12 for 33 percent.

Yager led Tri-Valley with 20 points. VanLieu had 17 and Martin scored 13. O’Han led Rhinebeck with 18 points. Henke had 13 for the Hawks.

The jovial atmosphere in the Bears’ den lived on as players and fans luxuriated in the afterglow of the win. Yager’s grandpa Tom had hoped to make the game but his flight had been delayed by the snow. “Tell Andrew he has to win so I can see the game on Friday,” he said on the phone prior to his flight.

Tom Yager was there on Friday, along with the rest of the Bears contingent. Despite Tri-Valley’s loss to Millbrook, seeing his grandson and teammates play their hearts out was well worth the trip. That feeling was shared by the host of others from the Bear clan who traveled to the finals and were prepared to drive even further had their team prevailed.

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