Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Schenectady can't cure Cancer, CBA nets Big 10 victory

Christian Brothers Academy junior Galal Cancer slashes his way to the rim as Schenectady defenders Jallah Tarver and Shadell Millinghaus (23) cling to him during Tuesday's Big 10 Conference game at CBA. The Brothers won, 79-57. (Photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Cancer scored 20 points and connected on a pair of crucial three-point plays in the fourth quarter that finished the Patriots' long-shot hopes of a comeback. CBA senior Kameron Ritter added 21 points and slammed home an emphatic dunk along the baseline with just under two minutes to play to seal the victory.

CBA head coach Dave Doemel can't believe his eyes during early action in Tuesday's game. Schenectady's fast-paced offense, run by a trio of Millinghaus brothers, jumped out to a 20-11 lead after one quarter.

The Brothers' defense finally began to clamp down on the Patriots' perimeter game in the second quarter as CBA flipped the momentum and outscored Schenectady 27-10 in the period.

Everyone on the CBA offense contributed as Ritter and Cancer drove to the rim, opening up shots on the outside for Josh Dennis, Max Weaver and Joe Krong, who all hit three-point field goals.

Senior center Jack Reilly made his mark in the second half, grabbing seven of his eight rebounds after halftime. Reilly scored 10 points and along with Weaver (12), Cancer (20) and Ritter (21) was one of four CBA players to crack double digits.

Kameron Ritter (33) negotiates the baseline as Schenectady's Shadell Millinghaus defends during Tuesday's game.

Fouls were a major part of the game. Schenectady was called for 17 infractions to CBA's 12. Shadell Millinghaus picked up his third foul with 4:51 to play in the second quarter and was stuck to the bench for a while. He picked up his fourth 1:09 to play in the third quarter and his absence from the floor meant the Patriots could never find a second option to Derrick Millinghaus' scoring, allowing the Brothers to focus their energies mostly on the Schenectady senior.

Josh Williams was also in foul trouble and the Patriots never found much help off the bench late in the game.

Siena College head coach Fran McCaffery was among the many local basketball luminaries in the Ned McGraw Gymnasium and he is rumored to be taking looks at Derrick Millinghaus when he gets the chance. The Saints host Rider Wednesday night in a key MAAC contest.

CBA's Max Weaver drives to the basket. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Don't count out Schenectady just yet. The Patriots can run up and down the floor with such speed that Doemel used six players in practice to simulate it, but even he felt his players underestimated Schenectady's skill in the first quarter.

CBA did a good job of finding the other players on the floor for points here and there. Reilly, Weaver and Dennis weren't often holding on to the ball, but they helped score the points that kept the CBA rallies going.

If anyone on the Schenectady team can emerge as a consistent dual threat alongside Derrick Millinghaus on the offensive end, the Patriots will be hard to beat in a sectional playoff atmosphere, even if they essentially play a five-guard game. If and when Reece Jackson returns from his injury, the Patriots will be much improved underneath.

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