Thursday, December 31, 2015 by Aidan Joly
During a late Queensbury rally, Saratoga was able to turn around and hold them off for a win.
Saratoga varsity boys’ basketball defeated Queensbury on Wednesday night at Saratoga Springs High School by a score of 62-50.
Saratoga had two players step up and provide the majority of the offense throughout the game. Brian Hart scored 19 points for the Streaks, and Adam Anderson had 18.
“If we defend, we can get out and run and score on the break, and we were able to do enough of that to win,” Saratoga head coach Matt Usher said of his team.
Saratoga took an early lead, ahead 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. They held their lead going into the break, when they were up 26-20. The Blue Streaks faltered a bit in the third, only up by three at the end of the third quarter, 39-36.
They had a very strong fourth quarter, pulling away in the final minutes to pick up the win.
“Coach was stressing to have a lot of energy, that we needed to get; we weren’t boxing out; they had a ton of boards, and that’s what really got us responding,” Hart said.
The Blue Streaks also came up big at the free throw line late in the game, not missing a single free throw in the second half, going a perfect 6/6. They went 10/12 from the line over the course of the contest.
“Free throws win games. When you get an opportunity for a three point play, you have to make it count,” Anderson said.
Alex Skaine rounded out Saratoga’s top three scorers, with 12 points in the game.
“I thought Alex played well for us tonight. Rebounded well for us, and did a nice job,” Usher said of Skaine.
Jeffrey VanAnden led the Spartans with 15 points, and Brett Rodriguez had 11. The Spartans’ third-highest scorer was Johnathon Dennett, who tacked on eight points.
The Saratoga boys’ JV team also picked up a win over Queensbury, 75-43.
With the loss, Queensbury’s varsity team falls to 0-8 this season. Saratoga is now 5-3 early in its season, and will be back at home on Friday, January 8, taking on Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. That game is set to begin at 7 p.m.