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
