Boys’ basketball: Streaks clinch 63-52 win over Niskayuna

Sunday, January 25, 2015 by Aidan Joly

Three dominant performances led the Saratoga Blue Streaks to a commanding win.

The Saratoga Blue Streaks defeated the Niskayuna Silver Warriors on Friday night at Saratoga Springs High School by a score of 63-52.

“We played great defense in the first half, and that gave us the big lead,” Streaks head coach Matt Usher said of the team’s win.

The Streaks were led by Sean Grecco who had 15 points. Liam Stewart and Alex Skaine followed close behind, with 14 points each. Jack Herman and Chris Byno also had eight points each.

“I’m starting to improve and starting to get a little more comfortable with the team, and they’re starting to find me down low more often,” Skaine said.

The Streaks started with an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, and Saratoga held the Silver Warriors to only three points in the second quarter, which made for a 26-9 Saratoga lead at the half. After three quarters, Saratoga still led 47-27.

“We had the game where we wanted it, and then we started to break down mentally,” Usher said. The Blue Streaks were outscored by eight points in the second half.

The Silver Warriors were led by Mitchell Dame, who had 21 points. Patrick O’Brien had 11 points and Tim Doyle had eight points.

“[Dame] had a good night. He stepped forward for us and we’re happy he did,” Niskayuna head coach Bryan Mattice said. “Saratoga played really hard defensively in the first quarter, executed great offensively, our guys just couldn’t make shots in the first quarter.”

Free throws played a large role in the Saratoga win, with 14 points from the stripe. Six of those came from Chris Byno.

Liam Stewart said of his night, “I tried to play my role and do what I can to help us get the win.”

The JV team grabbed yet another win, defeating Niskayuna by a score of 53-26. The Streaks were led by Alex Hite, who had 17 points. They are now 14-1 on the season.

With this win, the Saratoga varsity team is now 6-9 on the season and will be home again for their last home game on Friday, February 6, taking on Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa. This game is also senior night, as the Streaks will be honoring nine seniors at 7 p.m.

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