NW boys advance to Section II semifinal

TROY | North Warren Boys Basketball team, the top seed in the Section II Class D tournament, advanced in the playoffs by defeating No. 9-ranked Hawthorne Valley by a score of 60-37 in a game held Feb. 27 in the Hudson Valley Community College arena in Troy. Their victory elevates the Cougars to a semifinal game versus Germantown set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 in the Harding-Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls. To reach the semifinal, Germantown, seeded No. 3, defeated No. 4-seeded Fort Edward Feb. 28 by a score of 40-35. Although the Cougars' balanced scoring was pivotal to their victory, sophomore guard Brodie Rooker was responsible for the wide point margin against Hawthorne Valley by scoring 22 points, 11 of which he scored in the fourth quarter. Over the game, he drilled six three-point shots and went 2 for 2 at the foul line. "Brodie was on fire in the fourth quarter," coach James Cuyler said following the game. Cuyler said his team "started off slow" by trailing 7-5 in the first quarter, but ramped up their offense throughout the remainder of the game. He said that his younger players had little or no experience competing in a big arena, and early in the game were a little nervous, but they adjusted as the game proceeded. "It took time for some of our players to get comfortable on the court," he said. "I was impressed by how they responded in the second half." The Cougars outscored Hawthorne Valley in the second quarter 16-9, boosted their margin to 39-32 by the end of the third stanza, then overwhelmed the Wildcats 21-5 in the fourth quarter. Over the game, following Rooker in scoring were senior point guard Coleman Swartz with 13 points, sophomore forward Chase Scheidegger with 11 points, senior center A.J. Masiello, who scored seven points, senior forward Connor Clench-Matteo with five points, and junior varsity draftee Hayden Palmatier, who added two points late in the game. Joining Palmatier to compete in the final 18 seconds of the game were jayvee players Aiden Magee, Roman Connelly, Joseph Bentley, and Logan Coyle. Cuyler said he was pleased with the win, particularly with three players in addition to Rooker. "Our front-court players Connor and A.J. combined for 12 points, rebounded well, and played solid defense by protecting the paint," he said. "Also, Coleman Swartz, who was out of practice for a while, scored 13 points, rebounded well, and gave us solid defense, showing senior leadership that we're going to need as we go further in the playoffs," he said.

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NW boys advance to Section II semifinal

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