Release courtesy Albany Pharmacy Athletics Department
The ACPHS Men's Basketball team split a pair of conference games this weekend, losing to the Davis College Falcons on Saturday 80-74, but beating the Culinary of Institute of America Steels 104 to 52 on Sunday. After the weekend, Albany is now 7-8 overall and 1-1 on the HVIAC.
Things started off well for the Panthers on Saturday, who jumped out to a 40-38 halftime lead against the Falcons. They shot 15 of 29 from the field (51.7%) in the opening 20 minutes, but they committed seven turnovers which allowed Davis to keep the game close. The Falcons held a slight advantage for most of the second half, until Albany fought back to tie the score at 68 with just under five minutes left to play. Unfortunately, the Falcons ripped off eight straight points in the next four minutes which would end up being the difference in this tight conference battle.
Davis had four players score in double figures, with junior forward Jackson Henri leading the way with 21. Henri was also a beast on the glass, grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds which helped Davis out-rebound Albany 52 to 40. Henri's classmate Kelvin Thompkins also had a nice game with 16 points and three made three-pointers.
For Albany, five players scored in double figures, with freshmen Joel Martineau (Ausable Forks, NY / Ausable Valley HS) and Phil Georgio (Bayside, NY / Archbishop Molloy) tying for the team-lead with 12. Georgio had a particularly lively performance, as he added seven rebounds, two assists, and four fouls in just 14 minutes. ACPHS will point to their rebounding but also their three-point shooting when looking for a reason to explain the loss. They attempted seven more threes than the Falcons, but finished with the same amount made.
ACPHS took did not take this loss to heart though, as they bounced back with a 52-point dismantling of the CIA Steels just 17 hours after their close loss. Albany came out firing in this one, making their first four shots and racing out to a 22-10 lead in the opening eight minutes of the game. They would go on to take a 49-25 lead into the break, and rest most of their starters for large portions of the second half.
ACPHS actually had two players finish with over 20 points in this one: junior Naythan Beltran (Reading, PA / Antietam HS) and senior Kyle Matousek (Jordan-Elbridge, NY / Jordan Elbridge HS). Albany also got some big games from their reserves, who were able to extend the lead on the Steels in the second half. Junior center Nick Mckeel (Massena, NY / Massena Central HS) grabbed 13 rebounds and added eight points in 16 minutes, sophomore guard Josh Cote (Heuvelton, NY / Heuvelton Central HS) went three of four from the field to finish with 10 points off the bench, and Phil Georgio filled the stat sheet with six points, seven rebounds, six steals and a block. When it was all said and done, every single player on Albany's roster scored at least three points.
The Panthers continue their tough stretch of conference games this Wednesday, January 30th, when they host the SUNY-ESF Mighty Oaks at 7:00pm.
