SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic boys basketball team has extended their winning streak to 15 straight games after beating Greenwich and Stillwater on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, respectively. Their record now stands at 17-1 overall, and an undefeated 11-0 in the Wasaren League.

The game against Greenwich was closely contested until the Saints outscored their foes 16 to 5 in the fourth quarter to seal the deal, 60 to 48. Tyler Hicks netted 23 points (including 4 three-pointers) for Spa Catholic while Ronan Rowe hit 5 triples for 15 points.

The Saints beat Stillwater 55 to 45 last Saturday. Leading the charge once again was Hicks with 22 points.

The boys will next face Hoosick Falls at home on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Cairns is a starting shooting guard averaging 9.2 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season thus far, helping to lift Florida Gulf Coast to a 19-3 overall record. As of press time, the Eagles had won 12 straight games.

Last season, Cairns and company fell in the first round of the NCAA women’s “March Madness” tournament in a nailbiter against the No. 5 seed Oklahoma Sooners. After the loss, Cairns told Saratoga TODAY that she plans to pursue a career in healthcare following the conclusion of the 24-25 season.

In high school, Cairns played for the Blue Streaks, scoring more than 2,000 points to set the school’s all-time scoring record. In 2019, she committed to the University of Rhode Island, where she played for two seasons before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast. 

“We brought a cohort, to use a term we use in the military, of champions to visit a champion,” Viola said to Trump amid a roomful of spectators. “Your kindness and the hospitality displayed by your staff is a simple reflection of the excellence that you demand of your people and we were the beneficiaries of it today.”

Viola brought the Stanley Cup to the Saratoga Race Course last summer, allowing visitors to pose alongside the hockey trophy. He also reportedly owns (or owned) several multi-million-dollar homes in Saratoga Springs.

Viola is a horse racing enthusiast and the owner of St. Elias Stable, which produced the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming. In 2016, the billionaire businessman was briefly President Trump’s pick for the United States Secretary of the Army, before he withdrew from consideration.

Also in 2016, Viola was accused of punching a concessions worker at a Fasig-Tipton racehorse auction in Saratoga. According to the New York Times, charges were not brought because neither Viola nor the concessions worker wanted to press charges and officers had not witnessed the incident.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Racers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) held on to their third-place ranking in the East Conference White Division after beating the Herkimer Originals last weekend, 130 to 115. The Racers have a little less than a month before the end of the regular season. Single-elimination playoff games will begin in March.

Against Herkimer, Saratoga’s Tobias Holmes netted an eye-popping 42 points, draining 6 three-pointers and dishing out 7 assists. RJ Rosa added 27 points, John Ryals contributed 21, and both Isiah Grandison (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Shaheem Sanders (14 points, 16 boards) had double-doubles in the contest.

The Racers managed to win in convincing fashion despite losing a few regulars. TJ Jenkins was sidelined with an injury, while Joey Harden and Todd Spotswood both missed time due to deaths in their families.

The Racers are currently ranked #23 in the country and have an 11-5 record on the season. Their next game will be this Saturday against the 518 Ballers in Albany. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Can anyone beat Saratoga Central Catholic’s boys varsity basketball team?

The short answer to that question is “yes.” The Saints lost by 5 points to Berne-Knox-Westerlo on Dec. 8. But that’s Spa Catholic’s only loss of the year so far, and that loss was in a close contest with an undefeated team.

The Saints’ record is currently 15-1 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the Wasaren League, where Spa Catholic is well ahead of the competition. The boys b-ball squad has won 13 games in a row. Of the 85 teams listed in the Section 2 boys basketball rankings, Saratoga is #7. The New York State Sportswriters Association has them ranked #6 among Class C teams. So it’s safe to say that this season is shaping up to be one of the program’s best in recent memory.

The Saints are a relatively short team, relying on speed and three-pointers to accumulate points. But the secret to their sauce this season, according to Coach Shea Bromirski, has been their defense.

“We hold our opponents to around 38 points per game, which is one of the best in the section,” Bromirski said. “The kids have really bought into competing and putting forth a ton of effort on that end of the floor, which is really unselfish; it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Recent games have added compelling evidence to the claim that the Saints have one of the best defenses in town. On Jan. 28, the boys held Cambridge to only 35 points. On Jan. 17, they limited Hoosic Valley to 39 points. On the offensive end, Tyler Hicks led the way with 18 points while Ryan Gillis contributed an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. On Jan. 14 against Waterford-Halfmoon, the Saints won 78 to 42, again excelling on both sides of the ball. In that game, Gillis netted 12 points and Hicks added 11. Before that, Hicks scored 19 in a 54 to 39 victory against Tamarac.

Hicks, said his coach, has emerged as a “complete player” this season, averaging more than 14 points per game and contributing on the defensive end as well. The senior guard has “a bunch of colleges that are poking around and looking at him because he’s turned himself into a really good player,” Bromirski said.

Gillis is a “throwback” who “doesn’t care about scoring,” Bromirski said. “He’s the backbone of our team. He’s quiet but he’s such a leader. He leads by example.” Gillis only has 9 turnovers all season. “He does all the little things that don’t show up in the box score, but then he does the stuff that shows up in the box score too,” said Bromirski.

Another big contributor this season has been David Redgrave, the team’s assist leader. Redgrave’s ball handling abilities have allowed Hicks to move off the ball, which Bromirski said better suits his skill set. “David is one of the biggest gym rats I’ve ever been around,” the coach said. “He’s playing somewhere all the time and when he’s not playing, he’s shooting and working on his game. He just loves basketball.”

Next up for the blessed Saints is a Friday home game on Jan. 31 against Greenwich at 7:30 p.m. Then they’ll take on Stillwater and Hoosick Falls to wrap up their stellar regular season.