Huskies sweep Class A titles in basketball

POTSDAM — The Malone boys and girls basketball teams couldn’t be any different on paper.

The boys roster is composed of 11 seniors who will be completing their careers in the state tournament along with retiring coach Tim LaMay. Girls’ Coach Sam Dumont’s squad features two seniors, four sophomores, one eighth grader and one seventh grader.

But the teams were linked by their ability to get clutch plays on both sides of the ball from several players in Section 10 Class A Championship game wins against Massena on Wednesday night at SUNY Potsdam’s Maxcy Hall.

In the first game of the night which matched the second and first place teams in the NAC Central Division, the Lady Huskies (10-2, 11-7) downed Gouverneur (11-1, 15-4) 50-39 to capture their sixth straight sectional title.

In the nightcap, the Malone boys (15-5) downed the 11-9 Raiders, who feature seven sophomores and one freshman, 70-57 to break Massena’s three-year hold on the Class A crown.

Malone 50 - Gouverneur 39: The Huskies’ senior All-NAC Central performer Raegan McArdle suffered through a very forgettable shooting night from the outside and her frustration peaked when she missed five of six free throws in the final 33.1 seconds with the Wildcats fouling to extend the game in attempt to rally from a 43-33 deficit.

But the outcome proved to be very memorable for McArdle and fellow senior Emma Russell as the Huskies pulled away from a 31-29 lead in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Sadie Varin made two free throws with 14.1 seconds to play to seal the issue at 46-36, cap a nine-point fourth quarter and a game-high 17-point outing.

McArdle finished with 11 points and grabbed six of her 10 rebounds in the second half and Emma Russell tallied five points.

“Reagan McArdle is a very good shooter but she could’nt throw the ball in the ocean tonight. But she didn’t let it get to her. She rebounded well and played excellent defense on number three (Ashlyn Besaw) who really hurt us the last time we played,” said Malone Coach Sam Dumont. “Tonight we had other people step up when they were concentrating on our main scorers. We had some ups and downs this season because we are so young.”

But the younger Huskies came through with points at key junctures of the game. Seventh grader Bryn Leclerc tallied seven points and eighth grader Audrey Varin netted seven. Leclerc, Varin and Russell combined for seven points and Sue Varin converted a drive through traffic to give Malone a 21-12 lead.

A lead which was reduced to 21-20 when the Wildcats Ashlyn Besaw scored the last eight points of the half capped with a pretty reverse layup under the basket just before the buzzer. Gouverneur took their biggest lead of the second half at 29-25 but Leclerc hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 29-29 and converted in the waning seconds of the third quarter for a 31-29 Malone lead.

The Huskies never trailed in the fourth quarter.

Besaw and Arianna Wood combined for 13 and 10 points to lead the Wildcats and Electra Fitzgerald scored five points with 10 rebounds. Ragean Vrooman tallied seven points and Audrey Ormasen and Raegan Devlin each added two.

“Tough loss tonight in a back and forth Championship game, but the season was very successful. With that said, I am proud of this group and how far they have come since last year. For the 4th time in 5 years, they are the Central League Champions with a 11-1 league record and a 15-5 record overall,” said Gouverneur Coach Sean Devlin in a Facebook post. “They worked hard, they were really fun and they always displayed good sportsmanship. The Coaches really enjoyed this group and we want to wish the Seniors the best of luck moving forward. We would do anything for them as they have for us! They have stamped their mark in the Gouverneur Girls Basketball History Book.”

Malone 70 - Massena 57: Sparked by nine points from Ryan Hesseltine, the Huskies outraced the Raiders to a 26-18 first quarter lead but needed to regroup from an offensive microburst by the Raiders which produced a 31-30 lead. A burst sparked by a 3-pointer from Andrew Boyea and a Joe LaVare jumper and a tough inside finish by Chris Boyea.

Issac Baker answered with a field goal and a 3-pointer to spark a quick Malone surge to a 41-31 lead at the half. A tally by LaVare pulled the Raiders within five at 43-38 but Baker answered with a three and the Huskies eventually settled into a 54-45 lead for the fourth quarter where Hesseltine would score six points.

Brad Poupore converted on back to back possessions as the Huskies opened a 61-45 lead and Baker converted a fastbreak layup for a 70-53 lead.

“Massena came out and played very fast and they played physical. Once we started to play more physical and settle into our defense, then we played much better. We executed very well in the fast tempo,” said Malone Coach Tim LaMay. “Massena is a good team and they are going to be very good next season.”

Both teams excelled at sharing the ball which produced two balanced offenses. Hesseltine finished with a game-high 23 points for Malone, Brad Poupore tallied 14 points and Issac Baker and Blake Hanna (7 rebounds, 3 steals) each finished with 10. Kam Keating tallied seven points with five rebounds and Mason Bressett added three points.

Alex Tarbell continued as a high energy tempo setter for Massena and finished with 10 points and five rebounds and Chris Boyea scored a forceful 16 working the interior. Andrew Boyea and Joe LaVare (5-5 FT) tallied eight and 10 points and Jakob Page and Dylan Hendricks each added two.