Wow. What a start to the first full day of action in the Section II playoffs… If the rest of the playoffs are as good as last night, sign me up.

A top seed went down, a few other games were closer than expected and several came down to the wire. To the recaps!

AA

S8 Niskayuna 59, B1 Catholic Central 57

After capturing their first Big 10 title since 1982, the top-seeded Crusaders were stunned by the Silver Warriors. Niskayuna got points from eight different players, including 21 from Aaron Gordon. Gordon used five three-pointers to fuel his offensive performance. Catholic High got scoring from just four players, but did get 34 from sophomore star Anthony Mack.

Although the season ended on a sour note for the Crusaders, Mack should undoubtedly come back as the area’s best player in 2014-15. He’s special. A 6-5 player with a big body and a versatile perimeter game, he’ll be a name to remember if you didn’t know it already.

Thomas Huerter (15)
Thomas Huerter (15)
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S1 Shenendehowa 80, B8 Bishop Maginn 48

The Suburban’s top seed had little trouble with the Griffins. Shen hit nine three-pointers and got double-digit scoring from four players. Thomas Huerter led the way with 21 while his brother, Kevin, had 12. Shen got 11 and 10 from its post players, and if they continue to get balanced scoring, the Plainsmen are going to be a very tough out.

S5 Saratoga 76, B4 Schenectady 63

The Blue Streaks pulled the mini upset of the fourth-seeded Patriots to earn a third crack at Shen on Saturday. Noah Arciero poured in 30 points as he asserts himself as one of the best players in class AA. A physical player, he got to the foul line 16 times, converting 13.

A tough way to end the season for a Schenectady squad that had four players in double-figures.

S2 Guilderland 75, B7 La Salle 50

The Dutchmen are very good. We talked about Shen’s balance above, but Guilderland also put four players in double-figures. Marc Du Moulin scored 19 while William Floyd had 18. This group appears primed for a deep run and you know they want another shot at Shen after losing by 13 on Jan. 21.

B2 Green Tech 63, S7 Bethlehem 43: Ramion Burt had 19 and Jamil Hood Jr. had 12 for Green Tech. John Sica scored 18 for the Eagles, but no one else had more than six.

B3 CBA 63, S6 Ballston Spa 53: Not often we talk about CBA being the underdog, but as the three seed, a lot of attention is drawn away from the Brothers. Greg Stire and Daniel Owens each had 20. They could use a third option if they want to get to the top. Hard to believe CBA was the only true Big 10 team to advance to the second round.

S4 Columbia 74, B5 Albany 70

The fifth-seeded Falcons put up a really good fight in a back-and-forth game against the Devils. Columbia got 18 from Elijah Lott and 17 from Jahlil Nails. The Devils are a very capable group and are the only team in the Suburban Council to beat Shen this year. And they now have a matchup with Nisayuna after the Warriors’ big upset of top-seeded Catholic High.

S3 Shaker 69, B6 Colonie 63

The Garnet Raiders moved over to the Big 10 side of the bracket to help even out the teams, but fell by six to the crosstown rivals.

The big key was third quarter, where the Bison outscored Colonie 23-13. Shaker got 25 from Andrew Holmes and 15 from Malik Dare. If Dare and forward Will Franics, who had 11, score like that, look for Shaker to make some noise.

Second Round Schedule (at Hudson Valley Community College)

2:30: CBA vs. Guilderland

4:15: Shaker vs. Green Tech

6:00: Niskayuna vs. Columbia

7:45: Saratoga vs. Shenendehowa

Class A:

Three opening round games on tap tonight as Burnt Hills plays Lansingburgh, Mohonasen meets South Glens Falls and Bishop Gibbons plays Queensbury.

Girls:

Not much on the class AA/A schedule last night…A few play-in style games to help fill the field for the quarterfinals.

S4 Columbia 75, S7 Saratoga 44: Columbia dropped the Blue Streaks after getting 24 from Nastasja Johnston.

S6 Guilderland 56, S5 Colonie 39: A mini upset as the Dutchmen got 17 from Zibby Eckhardt.

S8 Niskayuna 57, B3 Bishop Maginn 41: The Silver Warriors did damage on both the boys and the girls brackets as No. 8 seeds. Nisky got scoring from nine players. Courtney Lane scored 29 on the losing end.

Scotia 60, Burnt Hills 47: The only game on the Class A schedule saw Scotia down the Spartans after getting 20 from Nicole Conley and 19 from Katelyn Dwire.

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