Pathways and coach Harold Peaks will take on Salesian Friday in the New York State Federation Class B semifinals. (an rong xu)
Boys basketball beat writers Zach Braziller and Dylan Butler break down this weekend’s New York State Federation Class B tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Here’s the schedule:
FRIDAY
3:15 p.m. – Burke Catholic (Goshen) vs. Collegiate
5 p.m. – Pathways vs. Salesian
SATURDAY
5:45 p.m. – Semifinal winners
To follow Friday’s live blog, click here.
Burke Catholic Eagles
Head coach: Doug Janeczko
Record: 22-2
Player to watch: Brendan Miller
Collegiate Dutchmen
Head coach: Ray Voelkel
Record: 20-8
Player to watch: Connor Huff
Outlook: The Eagles won their first state title under the current format last weekend by beating Potsdam, 62-52, behind 22 points and seven rebounds from Dante Cowart, a 6-foot-2 widebody. The three-time Section 9 champs will have a decided size advantage against Collegiate, which has won the last three New York State Federation Class B crowns.
Cowart, 6-foot-2 shooting guard Zach Rufer and 6-foot-7 center Brendan Miller are all tough to deal with in the paint. They also bring 6-foot-6 junior Billy Garneau and 6-6 sophomore Stan Buczek off the bench.
“They’ve very athletic, they run the floor well, one of the kids they bring off the bench can shoot 3’s,” Collegiate coach Ray Voelkel said. “They have a lot for us to deal with.”
Collegiate has faced bigger, stronger and more athletic teams before and prevailed and Voelkel hopes Friday afternoon will be similar. The Dutchmen finished the year with a flourish, winning five of seven. They hung with Long Island Lutheran for a half and won their fourth straight NYSAISAA title, beating rivals Fieldston and Poly Prep by a combined 25 points for the crown.
“If we run our stuff properly and shoot the ball well, we can be pretty tough to beat,” Voelkel said. “That’s why we got through our league at the end. This team has a major advantage in their size. We have to really box out and not allow second shots. Hopefully we show up.”
Junior Connor Huff has been Collegiate’s best player, a hard-nosed forward who can use both hands around the basket, has 3-point range and is a tireless rebounder and shot-blocker. Senior Rob Weschler has emerged as a potent weapon on the wing with star Sam Bresnick being lost for the season with a torn ACL while junior point guard Ryan Frankel makes the Dutchmen’s attack go, with his dribble penetration and deadly perimeter jump shot.
Pathways Trailblazers
Head coach: Harold Peaks
Record: 25-3
Player to watch: Jordan Washington
Salesian Eagles
Head coach: John Miressi
Record: 20-7
Player to watch: Kevin Punter
Outlook: The Trailblazers didn’t even have a varsity basketball program five years ago. Now, they are playing for a state championship thanks to the play of impressive sophomore forward Jordan Washington and clutch guards Izaha Johnson, Anthony Jacobs and Jamel Holmes.
Pathways outlasted favored Frederick Douglass Academy III, 59-52, in the PSAL Class B title game Sunday. Washington, the 6-foot-7 underclassman who has already drawn interest from Villanova, Rutgers, St. John’s, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall, was brilliant with 23 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks.
“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Pathways coach Harold Parks, the program’s architect, said after the performance. “That was a big-time performance.”
Pathways trailed by nine points at one point, before finding a way to force overtime and topple FDA and its Division I-bound seniors, Moussa Kone (Hofstra) and Kevin Douglas (St. Francis College).
“This means our program is coming to fruition,” the coach later said. “We started the program to help build young men. This will help show our players you can overcome adversity. We faced a lot of adversity today.”
Led by Kevin Punter, Jason Alleyne, Nick Sedia and Mike Cacciato, senior-laden Salesian has won back-to-back CHSAA Class B intersectional titles, the CHSAA ‘B’ state title and this weekend will be vying for the State Federation title for the third time in school history. The Eagles won the title in 1997 and lost in 1999.
“I hope they get it because they’re a special team,” Salesian coach John Miressi said. “Not too many schools can say they’ve won a Federation championship. There’s one in 90 years of basketball at Salesian.”
Unlike the CHSAA ‘B’ state final when he had to scramble for information about St. Mary’s (Lancaster), Miressi has been able to scout Pathways twice in person.
“They’ve had a lot of success,” he said. “They’re a four-year program and they’re going to a Federation championship. They’re big, have a real big kid in Jordan Washington and they have quick guards. We have to box out and attack. We want a high-scoring game, as always. If we attack, we’ll be fine. And if we’re shooting the way did the last three games, we’re going to be tough to beat.”