H.S. basketball teams prepare for sectionals

The girls' basketball team is set to face Catholic Central this Wednesday in their first game. 

"It'll be a tough game," assistant coach Damian Fantauzzi said. "But let's put it this way: we played them at home during the opening Thanksgiving tournament, and we beat them by two. That was a first for Saratoga Girls team, beating Catholic Central." 

Players like Staci McElroy, who was recently named a member of News Channel 13's all-star team, have helped propel the girls' team forward, as well as Kayla Crawford, Marie Davison, Tori Wilson and Brigid Clare.

"Basketball's a funny game," Fantauzzi said. "As a coach, You hope that your team improves as the season goes on, and I think we can say that that's happened with our team."

The Saratoga boy's team plays its first game Wednesday against Schenectady High School. Coming off of an 18 point win against Mohonasen, Mitch Snyder, the boys' head coach, said that the team is hoping to ride on that momentum.

"It's a very good team," Snyder said about Schenectady. "They've got a lot of good athletes and they're very well coached. The thing is we're very familiar with them. We've played them the past few years, and we played them this year during their holiday tournament."

Saratoga won their previous matchup with Schenectady by 1 point. 

Jordan Stevens, the team's leading scorer, suffered an ankle injury during the regular season and was forced to miss several games.

"We really had some other kids that have stepped up through those injuries and have given us some really good minutes," Snyder said. Players such as Alex King, James Tucker, Liam Stegman and Brian Doherty have each answered the call over the past few weeks, and will take to the court with a rehabilitated Stevens in their upcoming game.   

The boys' team (seeded 5th) will begin their game at 7:30 p.m. in Schenectady on Feb. 25. The girls' team (seeded 6th) will also take to the court on Feb. 25, starting at 6 p.m. at Catholic Central.