BY MIKE ROSE
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – In the last few years Avoca-Prattsbrugh has entered the state tournament with a target on its back in Class D. The two-time defending state champion’s target was at its largest entering Saturday’s state semifinal and the Section III champion Sackets Harbor Patriots hit the bullseye. Behind 12-for-28 shooting from distance and timely stops late, the Patriots unseated the Titans, 58-57.
After a fourth-quarter rally from Avoca-Prattsburgh, the game came down to the final seconds. Austin Griner hit a three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter but the Titans found another gear defensively from there. They held Sackets Harbor scoreless from the 7:09 mark until 38 seconds remained. Etha Shi finally broke the drive spell when he was fouled on a drive and split the pair to give the Patriots a one-point lead. On the final possession for the Titans, Macoy Putnam had his pass ripped away by Dylan Aubert ending the Titans’ reign atop Class D.
“The resiliency is pretty awesome,” Avoca-Prattsburgh head coach Brian Putnam said. “I don’t think anybody really expected us to be back here losing seven seniors last year. So I think the grit that these guys showed to work, they wanted to get back here and I think it’s a testament to them.”
The Patriots came out of the gates on fire from distance, connecting on 6-for-8 from three-point range in the opening eight minutes. Griner stacked up 12 of his team-high 20 points in the first, connecting on four first-quarter triples. The Patriots carried their momentum into the early stages of the second.
Shi drilled two of his four triples in the second quarter and the lead extended to as many as nine, but the Titans fought back. Daniel Stilson found success using his size advantage inside, finishing with 11 first-half points. JJ Crowder led the charge scoring 11 of his 15 points in the second. Crowder threw the last punch before the break, knocking down his fourth three of the half to cut the margin to 34-31 in favor of Sackets Harbor.
Out of the break, the Patriots remained without an answer for Stilson. He scored eight of his game-high 21 points in the third. Despite that, the Patriots kept firing offensively. Marcus Castine got in on the scoring and posted eight of his 14 points in the third quarter as the lead ballooned to as many as 10. Timely buckets from Stilson, Putnam and Collin Hammond led to the A-P rally before the Patriots iced the game on the defensive end.
“I thought they fought hard,” Brian Putnam said of his team. “Kudos to that Sackets Harbor team, they didn’t miss shots man, that’s what it came down to they just knocked down shots. They’re gritty on defense, they turned us over a couple of times in costly situations. That’s a good basketball team.”
Stilson shot 11-for-16 from the floor en route to his 21-point effort. He also grabbed 11 rebounds. Macoy Putnam finished with 11 points, six rebounds and nine assists for the Titans. The hero for Sackets Harbor, Shi, tallied 15 points off the bench on 4-for-7 from three-point range.
Avoca-Prattsburgh finishes the season with a record of 15-10. The loss was the Titans’ first in a win-or-go-home game since merging. They won the sectional title in 2021 when there was no state tournament due to COVID-19 and won the state championship in each of the last two seasons. Brian Putnam knows, despite losing talent to graduation once again, the ball is in the court of his returners to make another run next season.
“If the kids put in the work over the summer and develop, there are some good freshmen on the team who will have some big shoes to fill next year so it’s about them doing the work and wanting to get back here again,” Brian Putnam said.
Sackets Harbor (25-1) advances to take on North Warren (II) in the NYSPHSAA Class D Finals after they knocked off Smithtown (XI) 51-46 in the other semifinal.
Leave a Reply