BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Scotties basketball team beat the Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks in a nailbiter finish last week. The Scotties were ahead by only one basket with 30 seconds left in the game, and they managed to keep the Blue Streaks at bay to win with a final score of 68 to 64. The victory marks BSpa’s first win of the new year.

“It seems like it always is [a nailbiter] with Saratoga,” said Scotties Head Varsity Coach Benjamin Eldridge. “I think the kids have fun with it.” 

The neighboring school districts have developed something of a friendly rivalry, especially after Ballston Spa’s dramatic come-from-behind victory last year. “That was one of the more fun games I’ve been a part of,” Eldridge said. “Both groups of kids like to compete against each other and take away some sense of earned respect and pride.”

In last Wednesday’s game at home, Michael Pritchard led Ballston Spa with 17 points and Blaine Zoller contributed 14. Zoller “stepped up his intensity and physicality in the game and just really played hard the whole time,” Eldridge said.

Despite the win, Coach Eldridge said his team has more work to do. He anticipated that his team would have to improve as the year progresses, and play their best basketball towards the end of the season. “It’s taken time to start clicking on the same page and get the basketball skills up there but Wednesday night was a good night,” he said.

Eldridge said that the slower start to the season is partly the result of most of his players being multi-sport athletes transitioning out of football and baseball. “It’s a fun little puzzle to figure out,” he said. “I definitely had a vision coming in of what these guys would be most successful with and I don’t know if 100% buy-in is there yet but I think there was a good step towards it on Wednesday and hopefully we keep it going.”

The Coach maintains “relatively high expectations” for the rest of the season. “I’m looking forward to seeing how February looks,” he said.

GLENS FALLS — Patrick Grasso, captain of the Adirondack Thunder, has been named an ECHL all-star, and will play in the 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on January 15.

Grasso earned his all-star status with 13 goals and 7 assists through 29 games. He was also named ECHL Player of the Week for December 5-11 for scoring six goals in three games against the Norfolk Admirals.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Freezing temperatures couldn’t stop hundreds of runners from participating in the Saratoga First Day 5K on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2024.

Only 16 minutes and 15 seconds after the race began, Cameron Davis became the first runner to cross the finish line, followed seconds later by Nicholas Conway. Emily Bush, a standout on the Saratoga Springs girls cross-country team, finished first among all female runners and fourth overall. 

According to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, nearly 800 people registered for this year’s race. 651 officially finished the race, leaving about a hundred people who decided not to brave the cold and/or their New Year’s Eve hangover.

BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Community Education program is offering two adult sports programs in the new year: co-ed indoor soccer on Mondays and men’s basketball on Wednesdays. The ten-week sessions begin next week. A $35 fee and pre-registration are required for residents of the district.

Those interested in registering can do so by mail or in-person at the District Office at 70 Malta Ave. 

Additional information regarding the programs is available at www.bscsd.org or by calling 518-884-7195 x 1329. 

GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder are atop the ECHL North Division for the first time since November of 2019. The last time the team won the division was in 2018.

To kick off the new year, the Thunder had a winning percentage of .672, significantly ahead of the second-place Norfolk Admirals. 

The Thunder sold out their final two games of 2023, earning a pair of victories against the Newfoundland Growlers. The team has two home games this weekend: Friday night against the Maine Mariners, and Sunday afternoon’s Kids Day game against the Trois-Rivières Lions.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs High School wrestling team’s annual Alumni Night will take place on January 10 at 6pm in the high school gymnasium.

All former Blue Streaks wrestlers are invited to attend.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The winners of this year’s annual Hoop Shoot free throw competition have officially been crowned. Of 78 total participants, the following kids won their respective divisions:

• Rocco Colonell (Boys ages 12-13)

• Ava Sullivan (Girls ages 12-13)

• Joe MacArthur (Boys ages 10-11)

• Abby Sheridan (Girls ages 10-11)

• John Ogden (Boys ages 8-9)

These five champions will go on to the District Hoop Shoot competition at the Glens Falls High School on Saturday, Jan. 7.

The Hoop Shoot event was hosted by the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge No. 161.

ROUND LAKE — Guilderland grad and Saratoga resident Dylan Collett played baseball at the high school, college, and professional levels. A few weeks ago, he opened the Collett Baseball training facility in Round Lake so that he can pass on his experience to future generations of ball players.

The 8,000-square-foot, all-turf warehouse features some high tech gadgets. “We have the TrackMan sensor, which is a high-end sensor that MLB uses now,” Collett said. “It gives you a tremendous amount of data on every hit and every pitch.” TrackMan allows Collett to analyze and track the development of every player. 

The facility also houses a pitching lab with Plyo Ball throwing, which improves arm strengthening and conditioning. “The beauty of pitching is you’ve got to know a lot about hitting to be a good pitcher,” Collett said. “So I actually give just as much hitting instruction as pitching.”

The bulk of Collett’s playing experience was on the mound, where the southpaw was a starter in college, before coming out of the bullpen in the pros. After three years at Saint Leo University near Tampa, Florida, Collett transferred to UMass Dartmouth, where he finished with a 4-1 record and 4.30 ERA. 

Collett expected to be drafted, but an injury during his senior year put those plans on hold. He took a year off before playing two years of independent pro ball for the Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers outside Detroit, Michigan. As a reliever, Collett pitched 47.2 innings, earning an impressive ERA of 2.45.

“I ended up going to spring training with the Boston Red Sox the first year of COVID,” Collett said. But when he didn’t receive an invitation from the Sox to return, he decided to retire as a player. “I was kind of old for baseball at that point, for the level I was at,” he said.

Nowadays, Collett instructs all levels of players, from five-year-olds to professionals. He also leads group clinics.“Teams will actually give me five or six pitchers at a time, or five or six hitters at a time,” he said.

By his estimate, Collett has coached at least 100 players so far, with more on the horizon.

The Collett Baseball training facility is located at 17 Wood Road in Round Lake. For more information, visit www.collettbaseball.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Springs varsity gymnastics team opened its season with a bang last week in a decisive victory against Guilderland. The Blue Streaks came first in all four events.

“To get a win in your season opener is always a confidence boost for athletes,” said Coach Deborah Smarro. “I’m excited for the season. The girls are looking good. They work hard every day.”

The gymnasts were led by junior Ellie Ott, who won the all around. “She had an amazing day,” Smarro said. “Overall, she’s cleaned up her routines, and she’s looking more confident every single day.” 

Second-year captain Gia DiMaggio placed first on balance beam. “I was really glad to see she went four-for-four that night and was able to put out a very good effort,” Smarro said.

Saratoga defeated Guilderland by an overall score of 163.6 to 147.3.