Saratoga Saints Cruising Through Stellar Season
The Saratoga Central Catholic boys varsity basketball team defeated Cambridge on Tuesday, 63 to 35. Image via the Saints Facebook page.
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.