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Albany High girls' basketball, boys' bowling teams in title contention
 One
team is perfect for the season and ranked among the top teams in New
York state. One was perfect for more than a month and striving for its
first Big 10 title since the coach was one of the team leaders.
Both have high expectations once the regular season
ends in February.
The
unbeaten Albany High School girls' basketball team and the boys'
bowling team are surging through their seasons with some of the top
performers in Section II.
In girls’ basketball, the Lady Falcons (14-0) are
ranked No. 16 in the latest New York State Sportswriters Association
Class AA rankings. They are
rolling behind junior Emia Willingham-Hurst (pictured at
right) and sophomore Breahanda Stratton as they seek to defend the first Big 10 title in school
history.
Willingham-Hurst, who is among the Capital Reiong's
leading scorers at about 17 points a game, started the season on a roll
and has been among the area's best players all season. She was the MVP of the Oneonta tournament over Thanksgiving weekend
and in the Lady Falcons’ annual tournament the first weekend of
December. She also led the Lady Falcons to impressive wins over
Corcoran (Syracuse) on Dec. 27 and JFK (Bronx) on Dec. 28 at the
Amsterdam Holiday College Showcase.
You can
read more about Willingham-Hurst and the Lady Falcons in the Dec. 13
Times Union, which also
recognized Willingham-Hurst at the start of the season as one of the
area’s top players.
The Lady Falcons have a one-game lead over perennial
rival Catholic Central in the Big 10, courtesty of Albany's 55-47 win on
Jan. 6. Willlingham-Hurst had a season-high 28 points in that win, and
Melissa Canty added 13.
The road rematch with Catholic Central on Feb. 10
looms large in the Big 10 race. Then it will be on to sectionals, where
three Suburban Council opponents are ranked ahead of the Lady Falcons in
the state rankings -- No. 4 Shenendehowa, No. 13 Shaker and No. 14
Colonie.
In boys’ bowling, the Falcons (46-10) are
second in the
Big 10 and are in search of their first conference title since 2001 --
first-year coach Bill Behrle's senior season as a member of Albany
High's bowling team. The Falcons swept five consecutive matches and all 20
points following a 2-2 tie with CBA on Dec. 12. A tough 4-0 setback
against Schenectady dropped the Falcons into second place behind CBA,
but they responded with a 3-1 win over LaSalle on Jan. 23 and are
looking ahead to the rematch with the Brothers on Jan. 30 at their home
lanes, the Playdium in Albany.
They are rolling along behind juniors Eric Schoentube
and Brett Graves (pictured at left, that's Schoentube on the left
and Graves on the right). Schoentube tops the Big 10 with a 215 average and
Graves is second in the league at 205. They lead a core group of juniors
who have develped together as varsity performers since their freshman
year.
“We're just really looking forward to the opportunity
to win the Big 10 title," Behrle said. "That's goal No. 1, and then it's
sectionals."
Following the Feb. 1 regular-season finale at Troy, it's on
to the Big 10 and Section II tournaments, both at Boulevard Bowl in
Schenectady.
Last year, Schoentube, a left-hander who uses a
unique two-handed approach, narrowly missed qualifying for the state
tournament. This year, he hopes that experience will help him give his
team an opportunity to make it as a unit, and also lift him into the top
six individual performers at the sectional tournament (he tied for
eighth as a sophomore) and a chance to represent Section II at states.
"After last year, I focused on what I needed to do as
an individual and tried to use that to help everybody else on the team
get better, too," he said.
It also has been fun for the team to lift Albany High
back to the top of the Big 10 standings, and to bring the school the
recognition that comes with the team's achievement, Graves said.
"I want to be there with my teammates to help give
Albany High a good name," he said.
To check out the dates, times and locations for all
of Albany High's teams, visit the Sports
Schedules and Results section.
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