Guilderland doesn’t do without downtown drama

The Enterprise — Michael Koff

The prayer: Guilderland’s Andrew Sischo contemplates his foul shot in overtime of Tuesday’s sectional semifinal against Green Tech; the Dutchmen made eight foul shots in extra time. Sischo scored 16 points in the victory.

ALBANY — If Guilderland is playing at the Times Union Center, it’s going to be dramatic. The last three games for the Dutchmen at Albany’s downtown arena — a Class AA semifinal, the following final, and Tuesday’s semifinal — have been nothing short of thrilling.

Last year, it was an exhausting five-overtime win against Columbia, and then an agonizing battle with Green Tech. Tuesday, Guilderland looked for redemption against defending champion Green Tech, and it took overtime for the Dutch to earn its second consecutive appearance in the sectional finals.

Tuesday’s semifinal didn’t necessarily need overtime, but some silly mistakes down the stretch by Guilderland opened the door for Green Tech’s astonishing comeback. “There’s no second chances now,” Dutch Head Coach Mike Parks said after the 68-to-62 win. “You lose, you go home.”

Ahead, 51 to 43, with a shade under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Andrew Platek, who has been Guilderland’s savior all season, drove to the basket despite Parks’s request to take the shot clock “all the way down.” Green Tech grabbed Platek’s miss and was able make a couple of baskets, cutting the Dutchmen’s lead in half, 51 to 47.

Guilderland was now trying to waste some clock, but Michael Wine dribbled around for too long, far from the basket, and got called for a shot-clock violation. Next, Derrick Rowland and Jamar Gittens both missed a three-pointer for the Eagles, and Andrew Sischo sunk two free throws to put the Dutch up, 53 to 47, with 40 seconds left.

In a sequence that seemed to happen in a blur, Rowland made a three-pointer, Guilderland’s Ralph Simeone turned the ball over under pressure, and Naeem Pryor buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 53-to-53. Pryor and his Eagles’ teammates rejoiced at center court as the Dutch players took a deep breath on their way to the timeout huddle.

Getting out on Green Tech’s shooters was part of Guilderland’s game plan, Platek said, but the three-steal-three series was a lapse in judgment. “It was a huge hit to us,” he added. “But once overtime started, we decided to take the lead and never look back.”

Before the overtime session, with fans buzzing in the stands, Platek turned the ball over under the hoop after getting swarmed by Eagles’ defenders; he actually retained possession but traveled in the process. Anquan McLean had a chance to win the game for Green Tech, but his bank shot was well defended and never came close.

Parks told The Enterprise that his Dutchmen players might have hung their heads a little after the Eagles tied the game; it was tough to believe. “I was upset, too, but I can’t let them know that,” he said. “I have to get them ready to play again.”

Simeone was saddened by his costly turnover, said Parks, “but he told me, ‘I’m good,’ so, I knew we were fine.”

Green Tech’s momentum didn’t carry through overtime as Guilderland got back into its rhythm. The Dutch made eight free-throws and Platek dropped his sixth three-pointer of the evening; Sischo made the quick assist after a huge offensive rebound that drew the defense’s attention.

Rebel yell: Junior Andrew Platek, right, scored 52 combined points for Guilderland in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Class AA playoffs this week. Here, he goes against Christian Brothers Academy’s Mike Wynn last Saturday. Platek made 11 three-pointers in those two games. The Enterprise — Michael Koff       


 

Platek scored 28 points. Time and again, the junior sharpshooter has answered the call for Guilderland.

“I’m the only returning starter, so I feel like I have a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I also share that responsibility with my teammates,” said Platek. “They stepped up huge; it’s not only me.”

“He’s got ice water in his veins; he thrives for those pressure situations,” Parks said of Platek. “He wants the ball in his hands, and that’s what great players do — they don’t shy away from the moment. He wants the ball, and we want to get it to him; we know he is our best chance.”

For how much Platek has carried the Dutch, the team needs the underrated services of Ralph Simeone; Wine, the slick point guard; Sischo, the aware big man (6 feet, 8 inches) inside; Andrew Sentz, who quietly makes shots and assists; and all the role players that help make the starters better with each practice.

“The bench gets a little shorter in sectionals, but all the kids have been contributing all year,” Parks said. “It’s not a one-man or two-man team; it takes 14 guys. Whether they’re working hard in practice, playing long spurts or short spurts, it’s part of being a team.”

Guilderland is back to where it left off  — the Class AA finals — before Ron Osinski retired. Parks was Osinski’s assistant for 14 years before taking his head-coaching job.

“It is ironic, huh?” Parks said with a chuckle. “Almost the same exact path. Not five overtimes, but still overtime.”

“It’s like a fairy-tale story, I guess,” Platek said. “The master trains his assistant for years, the assistant takes over, and here we are.”

Parks knows how hard it is to get to the Class AA finals; making it twice in a row is “freaking awesome,” he says. Guilderland faces Shenendehowa, which disposed of Catholic Central, 68 to 48, on March 10 at the Times Union Center.

Dutchmen fans may need to prepare for more drama.

Parallel arms: Guilderland’s Ralph Simeone, left, gets past Green Tech’s Dasier Lukes for a lay-up attempt during Tuesday’s Class AA semifinal at the Times Union Center in Albany. The Dutchmen won, 68 to 62, in overtime, and Simeone scored 10 points. Guilderland plays Shenendehowa in the finals on March 10. The Enterprise — Michael Koff


 

For more photos from Guilderland's win over Green Tech on Tuesday, click here.

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