By: Brandon Castle
COLONIE
Colonie hearts were broken at the first boy’s varsity basketball game of the season. It was a nail-biter to the finish in this season’s opening game but sadly for the fans of Colonie who call themselves “The Tribe”, it ended in a Mohonasen victory.
The game began with two quick three point shots, one for each team. The Colonie three point shot was put up by Colonie Guard, Mark Papuzza. The excitement for his basket ended quickly, as Mohonasen took the lead and didn’t give it back. Though the Colonie Raiders fought hard they were unable to bring the game back.
I sat down with Mark Papuzza after the game.
Brandon: What was going through your mind before the game?
Mark: I was excited to prove to everybody how hard our team has worked and how we have improved over the year.
Brandon: How were you feeling during warm-ups?
Mark: I was anxious before the game but once I hit the court for warm-ups I was ready to go.
Brandon: Were you hitting your shots in warm-ups?
Mark: My shot felt good, and that’s why I had the confidence to take that first shot for the three.
Brandon: What were you feeling when you hit that first shot?
Mark: I felt relieved that I got my first shot down. It definitely boosts your confidence to hit that first shot.
Brandon: Explain what happened to your Raiders team after that.
Mark: We had a tough offensive night, our defense was solid and everyone hustled and worked hard the entire game, sometimes shots won’t fall, and that’s the kind of night we had unfortunately, 34 points isn’t going to cut it in Suburban Council, we have to do better than that to come away with a win.
Brandon: Where do you see your team going this season?
Mark: One of the soccer players contacted me after the game and reminded me their team lost their first game, and their team went on to the section finals. We plan on having a successful season making a run in sectionals.
Brandon: Thank you for your time and good luck to you, for the rest of the season.
Mark: Thank you, we appreciate the support, especially from “The Tribe.”
