Honing The Edge
Liberty Pounds Fallsburg As Indians Sharpen Up For Anticipated Sectional Play; Strong Pitching And Solid Batting Propel Indians To Within One Game Of Sectional Inclusion
Liberty 16, Fallsburg 2
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
May Marauders, that's what Liberty has become with its 4-0 record in the second half of the season. Here they make Fallsburg their latest scalping victim (clockwise) Liberty starter Cosmos Fitzpatrick went five innings and allowed just two runs on three hits. Reliever Quinn Jackson pitched two inning and allowed just one base runner. This play involves an errant run down attempt as Liberty's Ryan Henry is caught between third and home just before catcher Jimmy Bertholf sends his throw into left field allowing two runs to score. Liberty Assistant Coach Phil Fanning addresses the Tribe following the win while head Coach John Wilhelm fields questions from this photojournalist. Liberty battery mates Doug Carter and Jim Bertholf confer, Fallsburg's Cory McKeon gets and RBI. Fallsburg Doug Carter fires in.
LIBERTY, NY—Poised to strike.
That’s what the Liberty Indians are these days as they sharpen their edge in impressive fashion anticipating their imminent series with arch rival Sullivan West and even more so, their hoped for raid on the Class B wagon train which they hope to set ablaze with rapacious hitting and solid pitching.
The second half of the season has witnessed Liberty’s rising ardor with a 4-0 record of late, and it was Fallsburg which became the latest team to get scalped.
The non-league skirmish played out under a gorgeous blue sky and balmy temperatures, indeed the kind of weather one used to regard as the norm for this time of years. These days, there is no such thing.
Liberty Coach John Wilhelm sent Cosmos Fitzpatrick to the hill, a pitcher who Wilhelm notes, “has given us a pleasant surprise. He’s thrown the ball well for us.”
And that’s exactly what he did over his five innings of work as he allowed just two runs and three hits in his 85 pitches, thereby evening his record this year at 2-2. Sophomore Quinn Jackson came on to finish the job and was sharp, just as he was in his last outing against Burke.
Fallsburg Coach Jeff O’Neill countered with Doug Carter, not exactly a flame thrower, but a workmanlike hurler who has had some success this season keeping batters guessing with his quirky stuff and occasional heat.
Indeed it was a gorgeous and tranquil spring morning, just perfect for baseball but for Carter and the rest of the Comets, it might as well have been raining cats and dogs given the outcome.
Fitzpatrick made short work of Fallsburg in the first as he struck out two of the three batters he faced. For their part, the Tribe wasted no time going on the warpath. With one-out singles from Joe Franke and Ryan Henry the table was set for Anthony Covington to knock in the first of his two RBI on the day with a crisp single. Jesse Hufnagel reached on an E-3 to plate the second run and a single by Nick Scheibe made it three-zip.
Fitzpatrick went back to work and again it was one, two, three as he induced three fly balls ably tracked down by shortstop Franke, left fielder Covington and right fielder Matt McPhillips.
The Indians added three more runs in the second behind an RBI double from Franke and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Covington. A wild pitch enabled the third run to score, affording Liberty a 6-0 lead.
Fitzpatrick’s perfect start was abated by his issuance of a two-out walk to Tony McGhee in the top of th third. He promptly struck out leadoff hitter Jarrett Madison to make amends.
In the bottom of the stanza Liberty again populated the bases behind an E-6 issued to Scheibe and a single by McPhillips. A wild pitch enabled the runners to advance and a sac fly from Damien Fitzpatrick made it 7-0.
Fallsburg got two men on in with two out in the fourth as Carter singled and Ryan McKeon got on with a bunt but the Comets couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to trim Liberty’s lead.
That margin would widen by three more runs in the bottom of the fourth abetted by Fallsburg miscues. Throwing down to second base allowed Ryan Henry to score the first run. He had gotten on with a one-out single earlier in the inning and had advanced to third on a single by Hufnagel. McPhillips blasted a two-run double in what would be Carter’s last inning of work.
Heading into the top of the fifth, Liberty led 10-0 before Fallsburg finally got on the board with RBI singles from Madison and Cory McKeon.
The Indians countered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Again Fallsburg errors came into play on throwing miscues involving Henry caught in a rundown. The throw sailed over third base allowing two runs to score. The inning began ominously as Fallsburg’s Ryan McKeon started his relief outing by issuing a single to pinch hitter Kody Viele. Another pinch hitter, Atwahn Ackerly singled next and McKeon proceeded to plunk the next insert Jordan Thomas to load the bases with no outs.
Ryan Boxberger plated a run with a sac fly to center. An double plated two more runs as Liberty now led 15-2.
Jackson pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Fitzpatrick issuing only one walk and no hits. Liberty added its final run in the bottom of the sixth on a sac fly.
The Indians improved to 8-5 and will face Sullivan West in a three game Division IV series beginning on May 14 in Jeffersonville. They need only one more win to clinch a sectional berth but Wilhelm notes, “We want to go into sectionals on a positive note. We don’t want to limp in.” To continue its second half momentum Liberty views its series with Sullivan West as huge. The Indians would love to improve its 2-4 league record against its rival. Liberty got one win from O’Neill and one from Burke.
“We’re hitting the ball better and running the bases better. We’re improving and that’s all we’ve been looking for all year,” he added.
Wilhelm coaches football and the bitter memory of Sullivan West’s OT win over Liberty that ousted the Indians from playoff contention remains. Then there was basketball wherein Liberty swept Sullivan West though both teams did make it to sectionals.
Now it’s baseball season with many of the usual suspects engaged. And even though the games won’t be as populated with the fervid fans present during the fall and winter, it still should be fun.
Fallsburg fell to 3-9 with the loss.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Transit Authority
Fallsburg Rides Its Fiery Defense and Speed To Marshal An Authoritative League Win Over Visiting Tri-Valley; Rakkir Watson Excels At Both Ends Of The Floor With Game-High16 points and Commanding Defense
Fallsburg 61, Tri-Valley 39
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Two trains running trying to reach the sectional roundhouse as Fallsburg's express bypasses Tri-Valley (Clockwise): Tri-Valley's James Pugh gets a layup after stealing the ball. T-V's Rodney Jester scores over Fallsburg's Jarrett Madison, Michael Robinson elevates for two of his 15 points on the night. Comet cheerleaders soar in spirit and style. Tri-Valley's Conor Walsh is surrounded by Fallsburg's Rakkir Watson and Dustin Foertsch. Dustin Foertsch scores two of his eventual ten points in the game. Rakkir Watson posts two as he rises above Greg Swarthout. Watson led all scorers with 16 points and played great pressure defense.
FALLSBURG, NY—All aboard for the Fallsburg express which bypasses teams as it races through the season. Tougher than tough on their home floor, the Fallsburg Comets streaked by Tri-Valley on January 12, another Division V opponent that entered their station seeking to derail them.
Like the Eldred Yellow Jackets a few days prior, the Bears were unsuccessful in slowing down the hurtling Comets who, when they get up to full speed, are a blazing juggernaut.
Fallsburg's Braiden DeGraw looms large as he looks to block a shot by Tri-Valley's James Pugh. He was successful on several such attempts and scored eight points including a pair of treys. Pugh did his share of damage too as he led the Bears with 11 points.
Newton’s first law of motion applies to the current Fallsburg phenomena:
“Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.”
To date, out of the eight games they’ve played, Fallsburg has denied opponents’ successful application of force to stop its forward motion. The exception being an overtime loss to S.S. Seward and a prior early season loss to Walton.
The Seward defeat was a wakeup call for the Comets who would love to end this season as the Number One train in Division V. But after their heart-rending overtime loss down at Seward, they currently display the Number Two light as they rumble along towards Grand Central Station also known as the Section Nine Playoffs.
Intent on staying on track, Fallsburg was respectful and wary of gritty Tri-Valley.
Two years ago the Bears nearly knocked Fallsburg off its sectional-bound track when Dean Winters hit a last second trey on the Comets home floor. Scouting Tri-Valley as it dispensed with Tuxedo, Fallsburg Coach Pete Dworetsky saw the Bears perimeter lethality against the Tornadoes’ zone.
Man-to-man it was going to be for the Comets. But to maintain that agenda they’d have to be quick and get good rotating help. Fueling that, they’d need good rebounding, shot blocking and players who could pick pockets to set up easy transition buckets at the other end of the floor.
Tri-VAlley senior Greg Swarthout had great success early on including this slash to the rim. He scored six of his ten points in the first quarter affording the Bears the early lead.
Fallsburg, at least in this encounter with the Bears, proved they had all of the above going as they did against Eldred a few days prior. On the offensive end, they feature an arsenal of weaponry with great depth. Mention Fallsburg and it’s Michael Robinson that is the first player everyone mentions and rightfully so.
Robinson is the heart of Fallsburg’s engine but there are other cylinders clicking too and when those pistons are firing in synch, it’s poetry in motion.
Rakkir Watson, Braiden DeGraw, Dustin Foertsch, Sam Didinsky, Russell Corley and Jim Bertholf are integral parts of the Fallsburg machine, abetted at times by the insertion of Jarrett Madison and Austin Halchak who can keep things running.
Tri-Valley is talented too and before all is said and done, the Bears look to pick up speed and catapult themselves into the sectional roundhouse.
A coming fray at Eldred will be key to that agenda as will rematches with Tuxedo. The Bears will also look to pay Fallsburg back when they visit them later this season but for Coach Brian Tingley, it’s one game at a time and getting five Division V wins onboard by the end of the regular season line means a green light for admission to the big dance, something the Bears missed out on a year ago.
They’ve got the shooters to do it in James Pugh, Greg Swarthout, Shatik Smith, Jesus Lozada, Conor Walsh, Cody Exner, Dave Donovan and Rodney Jester. With size from Alex Brown, Steve McInerney and Devin Donnelley, they have the potential for a tough inside presence as well.
Defensively, the Bears played admirably in this game. Rather it was their poor shooting that derailed them, in particular a horrendous four-for-18 from the charity stripe for a nightmarish 22 percent. When you lose by 22 points as the Bears did in this 61-39 affair, blanking on 14 freebies proves to be a toxic pill.
Fallsburg’s got off to a slow start after Robinson controlled the opening tip against Pugh. Robinson missed on his first two attempts, traveling on the second of these. Blanks by Watson and Corley preceded a Pugh bucket as the Bears drew first blood at 5:41.
Corley answered with an underhanded scoop to tie it up but Greg Swarthout took advantage of Fallsburg’s initial laxity on defense to slash the lane for two. Corley drew an offensive foul as the Comets continued to look more like a local than an express.
You've heard of the Reuben Sandwich, how about the Smith Sandwich? Here Shatik Smith is hemmed in by Rakkir Watson and Jim Bertholf as the ball is about to come loose into Watson's hands for an easy transition bucket the other way.
Swarthout cut through for another deuce before Watson answered to cut the Bears’ margin to 6-4. Tingley looked on with rapt attention as his team was executing the game plan to a ‘t’, while Dworetsky did not like what he was watching in these early minutes. Substitutions were imminent including a sit down for Robinson for reasons he chose not to share.
DeGraw got a block of Pugh but the Comets traveled. He blocked Pugh again on the next possession. Swarthout penetrated uncontested again for the 8-4 lead but the Comets soon proved they could withstand a few early jabs as they counterpunched with an 8-2 run to close the first quarter leading 12-10. In the quarter they got four each from Watson, Foertsch and Corley. The Comets assumed the lead at 1:39 of the first quarter.
Defensive pressure was working for the Bears as Bertholf and Watson sandwiched guard Shatik Smith causing the Watson steal and layup.
Once the Comets bypassed Tri-Valley, they never trailed again.
The Comets cheerleaders stepped to the floor to add their spirit. The largely home crowd was feeling the vibe.
Robinson returned to start the second quarter and quickly scored. McInerney hit one of two from the stripe before incurring the Bears’ fourth team foul as the score remained 14-11 with 5:11 to go. Watson hit a trey to make it 17-11. At times the Comets tried to a look a bit too fancy and it cost them. After a steal, Bertholf threw away a no-look pass when the Comets had numbers for an easy layup.
Other times players looked to ram through traffic instead of making the extra pass resulting in travelling violations. Simply put, Fallsburg still has plenty of work to do to tune up for the blistering pace of the sectionals. Two more league wins will get them a berth but merely getting there this year for this senior laden squad is far from the main agenda.
Robinson profited from another steal to take it to the rim as the Comets raced further ahead with a DeGraw trey that made it 22-13 with the throttle still not pushed all the way. Six more points would be forthcoming as Fallsburg used its 17-7 switchback to take a 29-17 lead into the half.
Tri-Valley's Cody Exner is a potentially lethal three-point shooter but on this night his trey's were off. He had some open looks like this one but found the Fallsburg rim unwelcoming. Look for him to light it up on the Bears' home floor in the rematch.
Here’s the second quarter summary: Fallsburg got six from Robinson and Watson, two from Foertsch and three from DeGraw. Tri-Valley got two each from Swarthout, Jester and Pugh and one from McInerney.
Tri-Valley had its best performance in the third quarter as they outscored Fallsburg 14-13 to cut the deficit to 11 at 42-31. In that stanza it was a balanced attack that abetted the Bears with four from Pugh, two each from Swarthout, Donovan and Walsh. Jesus Lozada hit one of two from the stripe.
Tri-Valley’s third quarter featured six points from Swarthout, a bucket from Pugh and two made free throws from Jester. The Comets countered with five from DeGraw that included his second trey, four from Watson, two from Foertsch and a pair of made free throws from Corley.
Fallsburg pushed the throttle all the way up in the fourth quarter as they created a T-V train wreck by outscoring them 19-8. The Bears showed signs of fatique with errant shots while Fallsburg looked fresh from substituting as incoming players fed right into the speedy mix.
Robinson scored eight of his eventual 15 in the final frame including a trio of made free throws.Buckets from Foertsch, Watson and Didinsky coupled with three points from Madison and one point from Halchak. Tri-Valley went 0-for-eight from the stripe in the stanza and managed only lone buckets from Exner, Lozada, Smith and Donnelley.
Pugh led the Bears with 11, while Swarthout had 10 by night’s end.
The buzzer that sounded the 61-39 Comets’ win advanced Fallsburg’s record to 6-2 (3-1 OCIAA), while Tri-valley fell to 4-5 (2-2 OCIAA). The Bears won the turnover battle, committing 15 to Fallsburg’s 20, 11 of which came in the second half. The Comets were an impressive 12-for-15 from the line for a lofty 80 percent. That accuracy would have propelled them to a win at Seward but that night they had a dreadful time from the line.
Tingley summed things up this way in terms of his team’s early success. “We did well with Michael in there as we got out to an 8-4 lead. Oddly when he went to the bench, that’s when they tied it up. I suspect we’ll have a different game the next time we play them. We had only one three point shot for the many we took. We don’t usually shoot that poorly,” he averred.
Loud and proud: Fallsburg cheerleaders let you know how they adore their team.
“In addition I was telling the boys we were four-from-18 from the line. Even if had 70 percent of those it’s kind of a different game. Fallsburg never took their foot off the pedal at the end and we had our subs in there and were still kind of staying with them. I think Steve did a good job on Michael. Our defense played okay. Sometimes when they drove through we tried not to let the usual suspects hurt us and we played them tough.”
He went on to say, “We talked about this game being a measuring stick at about halfway through the season. We’re putting this 61-39 score on the board and we’ll try to improve that the next time we see them at our place. Rebound-wise in the first quarter we were a machine. We didn’t give up the second and third shots just to keep it close.
Our Eldred game is big since that would get us back to .500 overall and 3-2 in the league. Then you’d need two more wins in five more games,” he posited.
Needless to say Dworetsky was pleased with the with the victory. “We didn’t pick up full court pressure right away and that contributed to Tri-Valley’s early run. Once we picked up our full court pressure game our intensity takes over. Braiden and Rakkir played great defense tonight and Dustin had another great game. They bring more and more defensive pressure. Tonight we only gave up one three. That was a huge focus in practice yesterday, not giving up the open look.”
He went on to say that he felt that the Bears weren’t comfortable even when they had open looks. “Defense is our focus. We can shoot the ball all day but if we can’t stop people…..like I said we’ll go as far as our defense will take us.
I thought Rakkir brought great pressure up top and he didn’t allow shooters to get any time. Pugh lit us up last year but we made them work very hard.”
Fallsburg travels to Tuxedo and then hosts Chester on January 20. “We can’t sleep on anybody,” said Dworetsky.
Sleeping will have to be reserved for late at night as each of these fine teams looks to stay bright-eyed and fresh for the coming challenges of the ensuing weeks. I fully expect both to be in the sectionals when all is said and done and we all know that once you’re in, anything can happen and it usually does.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Blazing Comets
Fallsburg Throttles Eldred With Commanding Rebounding Edge and Defensive Pressure; Michael Robinson Leads All Scorers With 18 Points Including An Authoritative Dunk In Division V Clash
Fallsburg 81, Eldred 50
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from Fallsburg's blazin' win over Eldred (clockwise): Eldred's P.J. Collins floats in two of his nine points on the night. Fallsburg's Michael Robinson brings the crowd to its feet with an authoritative third quarter dunk. Fallsburg's Dustin Foertsch scores two of his ten points on the night. Eldred's Brian Hazen dribbles the ball into the paint. He ended up with eight points. Fallsburg's Rakkir Watson elevates to score.Fallsburg's Sam Didinsky fires in a three-pointer, one of two he canned in the third quarter. He ended up with 14 points on the night.
FALLSBURG, NY- There are few sights as impressive in the night sky as a blazing comet, an icy body which can be seen when it is close enough to the sun. Comets often have tails and their appearance has historically created quite a stir. Most noteworthy of these is Halley’s Comet named for astronomer Edmond Halley who charted the comet’s history in 1705 and predicted its return approximately every 75 years.
The appearance of comets was once thought to be a bad omen. In 1910 rumors circulated that the earth’s passage through the comet’s tail might poison millions. It was an ominous preamble to the first World War. The comet last appeared in 1986 the year of the Challenger disaster. It’s scheduled to make its next return midyear in 2061.
Locally, the Fallsburg Comets showed their blazing aura and proved to be a bad omen for Eldred on January 9 as they lit up the Yellow Jackets with blinding speed, celestial rebounding and defensive pressure. From the get-go, Eldred seemed dazzled by the Comets’ glaring edge on the boards and their capacity to render mayhem on the Yellow Jacket guards who turned the ball over 12 times in the first half.
The return of senior Russell Corley makes the Blazing Comets even brighter. In his second game back from a hiatus that resulted from a football injury, Corley lit it up with 15 points and a bevy of steals.
Fallsburg was already on fire from its stultifying 60-53 overtime loss down at Seward, a game they lost on the free throw line with an earth-bound dearth of accuracy from the stripe, while Seward made its free throws in OT to outscore Fallsburg 7-0 in the extra stanza.
Inflamed by the loss, the Comets decided they had a new tale to tell and thus they turned their icy presence on Eldred much to the delight of the packed house in the Fallsburg gym.
Fallsburg has no one to match Eldred’s P.J Collins in size but 6-8 Collins is Eldred’s sole tall presence.
Credit the Comets with keeping Collins at bay. He accrued a pair of early fouls and had to sit out much of the latter part of the first half. But even with his return, his contribution of nine points on the night was nowhere nearly enough to offset his counterpart Michael Robinson who scored 18.
Defensively, both players blocked shots but Fallsburg took a commanding lead on the offensive an defensive glass affording them two, three and even four shot attempt sequences. Robinson’s antics were impressive, in particular his dunk and subsequent alley oops set up by teammates who beamed the ball off the backboard for his put backs.
But the Comets would get a trio of other players in double figures including 15 from Russell Corley who was returning to play only his second game after a long hiatus from a football injury. Corley and Sam Didinsky provided an extra spark for the sizzling Comets. The latter was key in effecting steals and converting them into lay ups and hoisting up a pair of treys, the last thing Eldred wanted to see given the burgeoning deficit they were already privy to.
Trying to provide an answer to early troubles, Eldred Coach J.J. Gass advises his team during a time out. Savvy coaches like Gass are quick to determine what's working and what's not. It's another matter to get the players on the floor to adjust their game. Eldred is very tough on its own floor in the Bee Hive and no doubt the Yellow Jackets look forward to paying Fallsburg back in the rematch down in Green land.
Collins controlled the opening tip but early turnover woes soon manifested themselves for the ‘Jackets. One such early turnover afforded Corley the game’s first points. He’d score six points in the first quarter to go along with six from Robinson and a baseline beauty from Jarrett Madison to put the Comets in the 14-4 driver’s seat by the end of the frame.
Eldred didn’t score until there was 2:59 remaining in the quarter as Nick Dilles hit a jumper from the top of the key. Zak Dilles hit a pair of free throws for the only other Eldred points.
Fallsburg poured in 19 more in the second frame to Eldred’s 12 as Corley netted five, Robinson, Didinsky and Dustin Foertsch had four apiece and Daniel Justiniano added a bucket for good measure. Eldred countered with four from sophomore Bray Curreri and Brian Hazen, three from Nick Dilles and one point from Zak Dilles. Fallsburg led 33-16 at the half.
Despite the lead, Fallsburg had not evinced its best play. Nine turnovers, missed shots and a few mental lapses had coach Pete Dworetsky a bit miffed. In tight games, such miscues can cost a team a game or come playoff time, end its season. As for Eldred Coach J.J Gass, the agenda was to try and get his team to take better care of the ball on offense and to extend its defense past the first touch of Fallsburg’s possessions.
During the break the Comets Cheerleaders graced the floor with the same verve and skill they had deployed at the Monticello Cheerleading Competiton two days prior. The crowd was loving it.
Senior experience vs.sophomore girt: Fallsburg's Michael Robinson looks to take Eldred's Bray Curreri off the dribble. There's much to be learned from playing against some of the best players and Curreri is well on his way. But guarding Robinson is no small task. He's got great instincts, size and determination.
The third quarter proved to be an even worse omen for Eldred as they were bewitched by the Comets who blazed through the gym enroute to scoring 24 points to Eldred’s 17. Didinsky was the prime mover in this onslaught with his pair of treys and steals. He amassed ten points in the frame. He was abetted by four each from Watson, Foertsch and Robinson. The latter had the crowd in a tizzy with his thunderus dunk that afforded the Comets a 47-23 lead midway through the period. Russell Corley would add two points to the conflagration.
Eldred answered the bell valiantly with its best showing of the night. Curreri had six points in the frame, Collins had five. Hazen added four including a beauty of a floater, Zak Dilles and Matt Bisland each had two points. Fallsburg led 57-33 at the end of the third quarter after a Foertsch steal and bucket as time expired.
Corley netted the first points of the fourth quarter as the Comets flirted with a thirty point margin of victory. Corley dished it to Jim Bertholf to edge it closer to that milestone. After a bucket by Eldred’s Nick Stymacks, Fallsburg’s Jarrett Madison hit the first of two of his treys to push Fallsburg to a 64-37 lead. Robinson ‘s alley-oop posted two more. As Dworetsky sought to insert subs to gain valuable minutes, Eldred’s scoring improved dramatically. In the fourth quarter Curreri netted eight including a pair of treys, Nick Dilles had four, Stymack had two and Chris Fredericks had one. Fallsburg’s fourth quarter production came via six from Madison, four each from Bertholf, Robison and Austin Halchak, along with two from Foertsch and Suede Taylor.
Robinson led all scorers with 18 on the night. Corley had 15 and Didinsky scored 14. Foetsch added ten to the cause. The Comets shot five-for-ten for 50% from the line. The Yellow Jackets were 10-for-22 for 45%. Curreri led the charge with 14 points while Collins had nine.
Fallsburg's cheerleaders are not a mere accent to the game. They are an integral part of the atmosphere and spirit of the school's milieu. In addition, they possess great skills, strength, flexibility and style. As noted in the recent post about their appearance at the Monticello Cheerleading Competiton, cheerleading is a sport in every sense of the word. Lady Comets: you rock!
Fallsburg improved to 5-2 (2-1 OCIAA) adding to their victory over Chester. They now brace themselves for a home league clash with Tri-Valley on January 12. Eldred fell to 4-3 (1-2 OCIAA) and must now must face Seward on the road for its next league encounter.
Gass talked about the disparity of rebounds. “P.J. is our only big kid. They’re bigger and more athletic than us but we need to be more disciplined and box out on defense to get rebounds. If you give them three or four shots every time down eventually they’ll make one. Their guards are very quick and able to put the ball pressure on and we could never get by them,” he noted.
Eldred beat Tuxedo for its lone league win but lost to Chester prior to this encounter. “Right now we need to work on defensive boards and not turning the ball over. Our half court defense is pretty strong, especially initially but our offense gives up just as many points as our defense by turning the ball over. Tonight if we were able to clear out that first shot we might have had a closer game,” he averred.
“We’ll be in there at the end. I feel like we can make sectionals but I don’t foresee us being a one or two seed. Once you get in you never know.”
Dworetsky said the game at Seward was disappointing but felt it was another eye-opener for his squad. “On the road it’s going to be tough no matter what. Tonight we put good pressure on the ball but we’d have a nice basket and then give up an easy one in transition. I thought we shared the ball well offensively but we still have a long way to go. I’m happy with the intensity and their effort,” he noted.
Asked to comment on the fine play of Didinsky, Dworetsky promptly replied:
“Sam is a lightning rod. He’s really matured. He’s a total team guy. He just cares about helping his team,” said Dworetsky who knows his team has depth. Our goal is to play consistent good defense. We’ll go as far as our defense can take us.” Looking forward two days hence, Dworetsky noted, “Tri-Valley is tough. They took one from us here a couple of years ago and nearly knocked us out of sectionals,” he recalled.
“We have to be prepared for everyone’s best effort every night and to avoid looking past anyone.”
Watching this senior-laden Comets squad go through the paces, one realizes that like their namesake, things run in cycles And this is their time. Back when the seniors were freshman, Fallsburg was 0-20 at its nadir (low point), far away from its current ascendancy. Will this year’s Blazing Comet tale define its zenith? Time will tell.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
