GLENS FALLS — Hoosick Falls gave them some real trouble, but Lake George was able to pull away in the end and claim the Class C championship on Saturday afternoon at the Cool Insuring Arena, 61-49.
It was a very slow start for the team that came into the day having not lost a game all season, but for a lot of the game, it looked like that was becoming a real possibility as Hoosick Falls played right with them nearly all game, trailing by one at the half and even having the lead for two short stints during the third and fourth quarters. They kept up with Lake George’s fundamental-based play as Lake George drove the ball inside all game long and were successful at it, much in part due to the size of the 6-7 Chris Becker.
However, every time Hoosick Falls came within striking distance, the Warriors shut them down, getting a basket seemingly whenever they needed it. Right after Hoosick Falls took a 28-27 lead early in the third quarter, Lake George went on a 9-0 run in the span of under two minutes and took a 36-28 lead out of it.
“It’s the kids being able to evaluate the situation and get a quality shot. I don’t think we really did anything over the top, besides move the ball and get a good look,” Lake George head coach Dave Jones said.
After that, Hoosick Falls went on a short run to tie up the game up at 38 late in the third, but it was Lake George coming up big again late, scoring the final six points of the quarter and having a lead of six heading into the final eight minutes.
The Panthers gave it one final push in the fourth and took the lead with under five minutes to go, but Lake George closed it out strong one final time, going on a 17-2 run to close out the game, and outscored Hoosick Falls by seven in the fourth to claim the win.
Becker ended up scoring 13 points on the day but was outdone by both Alex Jones who had 14 points as well as Caleb Scrime, who scored 24 points and tacked on 10 rebounds, and was named the tournament MVP postgame. His 24 points included shooting 4-10 from three.
“I forced some, but when we needed them, I hit a few. I was getting open,” Scrime said.
Lake George earns their second straight Section 2, Class C championship and third in the past five seasons.
“That’s a credit to the guys in the locker room. We preach it, we talk about it, but unless you buy into it and believe it, you got to take things one step at a time,” Jones said.
Lake George now advances to the state tournament, where they will face the champion out of Section 7 in the regional semifinals. That game will take place on Wednesday, March 7 at Saratoga Springs High School, and game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
