The Saints showed a bit of a struggle during the regular season in the Western Athletic Conference, but have really shown to be the best of both worlds. Coming into Sectionals as the #10 seed, the Saints looked to upset teams. And that they did.
The first game in Sectional action, the Saints visited Maple Hill and dominated late. With a close-game through 3 quarters, the Saints stepped up and played their style of basketball. With a final score of 59-39, the Saints would advance and take on Greenwich. The Saints took to HVCC looking to eliminate the Witches. They defeated Greenwich with a final score of 54-44. With senior Evan Pescetti and junior Connor Farrington combining for 28. But you can’t forget about freshman Terel Tillman, who was pulled up to varsity in December. The freshman has lead the Saints in assists and steals. “Terel is the glue to the team. He has improved every game.” Coach Mantia said. With the freshman controlling and setting the tempo, the Saints would be in good hands as they advanced to play in the Class C semi-finals. With this game deciding who would go to the Class C finals, both Middleburgh (#3 seed) and the Saints (#10 seed) would have a lot to fight for. The game was close, and at the half the Saints only led by five points. With Connor Farrington scoring 30, Tyler Haraden adding 20 of his own, and Evan Pescetti helping out with 11, the Saints would pull away and win 81-71. Finally, with the victory the Saints would go to the Class C finals. The 10th seed Saints would meet the 5th seed Lake George Warriors. With Connor Farrington scoring a game-high 18 points, and Tyler Haraden adding 14, the Saints would prevail as the Class C champions with a final score of 59-42. Connor Farrington and Evan Pescetti would be named ‘First Team All WAC. ‘ Which would be senior Evan Pescetti’s third straight year on first team.
But was this always how fans and students imagined it to be? Not exactly, because the Saints started the season 0-4. With the season moving on, the Saints would step up and play on. I asked head-coach Ken Mantia when he first realized that the Saints could make a run in Sectionals. He responded “Our first game without Evan at Argyle. Guys had to learn to step up, play bigger roles.” The boys certainly stepped up, and played a big role in the Saints success. The Class C champions will continue to the sub-regional game where they will travel to SUNY Potsdam on Tuesday, March 1 to play Brushton-Moira at 7:45 P.M.
