Saints Upset Lake George, March On To Finals

GLENS FALLS — Taking on Lake George in the Section II Class C semifinal at the Glens Falls Civic Center, Saratoga Central Catholic had an obvious goal: contain Section II leading scorer Joel Wincowski. The Saints did just that on Wednesday night. Wincowski, who averages 28.8 points per game, was limited to 20 points. Shooting 7-21 from the field with one three-point basket, Wincowski missed a chance for the win when the standout guard missed a three as time expired and the Saints pulled the comeback, upset victory 51-49. Wincowski also missed four free throws in the pivotal fourth quarter. “The misconception about Joel Wincowski is you determine how good he is by how he shoots the ball,” Saints head coach Ken Mantia said. “He is a deflection machine on defense, a great offensive rebounder, has tremendous court vision and then, oh by the way he also usually tosses in 30 points per game. A great player. To hold him to nine below his average and to hold them to four points (in the fourth quarter) says a ton about the heart of our kids and their commitment to defense.” Lake George (19-2) was held to 17 second half points and was outscored 12-4 in the fourth. “All year we have outscored teams we played with winning records by almost 10 points per game in the second half,” Mantia said. “We take pride in our conditioning and style of play, which has helped us win huge second halves against Canjo, Rensselaer, almost Mekeel and then tonight. The momentum shifted because we were the fresher team.” The Saints, who play nine deep, have pressured teams for an entire 32 minutes for most of the season. That pressure in the fourth quarter helped make the difference. After a steal at the 1:15 mark, Mike Naughton was able to outlet to Luke Spicer for a fast break layup and the Saints’ first lead of the game (50-48) since the opening minutes of the first quarter. Heading into halftime down 32-19, Mantia made the message for the second half clear in the locker room. “At halftime we said, ‘If we do not get the ball inside and drive to the basket you are coming out, no matter who it was,’” Mantia said. One player who listened was sophomore Evan Pescetti, who dropped in 14 of his team-high 18 points in the third quarter—all of them coming from driving to the rim. “Evan wanted no part of coming out and took it upon himself to attack the rim,” Mantia said. “He is a special player for sure, as a sophomore having a 25 and 18-point game in the sectionals.” Spicer and teammate Brian Hall hit consecutive three pointers with about three minutes left in regulation to help close the lead, as the Saints continued playing man-to-man defense with Michael Naughton on Wincowski. After starting the first half with full court pressure and a 2-3 zone, the Saints (18-3) kept the pressure in the second but went to a man defense with the 6-foot-4 Naughton trying to wreak havoc on Wincowski. “We felt the key to defending Wincowski in the game was to wear him down with pressure,” Mantia said. “He is a great player who can score in transition, on drives, offensive rebounds and jumpers. However, even great players get tired and eventually it takes a toll. Michael Naughton did a great job on Joel. Due to his length, he was able to square him up and challenge all shots without fouling. Michael was huge for us.” The Saints set the tone in the third and responded to Lake George’s 22-point second quarter with a 20-point third quarter of their own. “Getting the ball inside set the tone and picking up a team that had been pressed the entire first half man to man set even more of a tone,” Mantia said. “And of course once we hit shots, the enthusiasm picks up quite a bit. But in the locker room, everyone really believed we would make a big run.” After taking down No. 2 Lake George, the No. 3 Saints will now play top seeded Hoosic Valley. In the sectional final for the first time since 2006, the Saints will be up against a Hoosic Valley team led by Mike Pierre (21.9 PPG) and John Rooney (19.5 PPG). “Valley is a great team,” Mantia said. “I have seen them like eight times, so we know what they do— stopping it is another matter. They have two legit college prospects, good role players and a great coach. No secrets, we must move the ball, value the ball, rebound and force turnovers. We have total respect for Valley, but playing teams like Bishop Maginn, Mekeel, Rensselaer and Lake George have been great for us leading into a huge challenge.” The Indians (17-3) beat No. 4 Greenwich on Wednesday and have won 15 of their last 17, only losing to Class B Hoosick Falls during that stretch (43-42 on January 10, 49-47 on February 7). In the season for the late Mike Beson, the Saints were given some pre-game words from Elly Beson, Mike’s wife, the day before playing Lake George. “Mrs. Beson talked to the team and told them how proud coach would be,” Mantia said. “This team really reflects Coach Beson. Talk about a person with all heart. He and I pushed these guys as juniors last year and they did not always love it, but they are loving the payoff now.” On Saturday, the Saints look to add another win for Coach Beson and a Section II title, starting at 3:45 p.m. at the Glens Falls Civic Center.