Raiders Soar Over Eagles

by Adam Yule


The halls of Colonie Central High School were filled with raider pride the day after the Colonie Garnet Raiders basketball team, upset the number one seeded Eagles from Bethlehem. Tuesday night, the heavily packed MUG at Colonie was the battleground for the suburban council rivalry, as Bethlehem was eager to give Colonie their third consecutive loss. However Colonie came to the game ready to play and with their home crowd fans “The Tribe” closely behind them, the Raiders took to the hardwood with one goal in mind, win and don’t look back.

The pace was set early as the Garnet Raiders couldn’t miss, taking a 19-5 lead coming into the second quarter. This showing got their home fans into the game, becoming a noticeable sixth man on the court for the home team, looking for their first win in conference. This potent first half offense led by Godfrey Freeman and Robbie McGuirk, couldn’t find the basket in the second quarter only putting up four points against a rejuvenated Eagles defense. After a brief timeout, starting the second quarter right was no problem for the Eagles, as they scored 17 points after a couple key baskets and free throws by Matt O’Keefe. Nate Kane also helped pull the Eagles out of their deficit by drawing three fouls, bringing him to the line to make three out of five free throws. The halftime score was set at 23-22, in favor of the Garnet Raiders. The home fans were anxious to get their team back into the game after seeing the potential of their team in the first quarter. The efforts were almost matched in the third quarter as Bethlehem and Colonie put up nearly similar numbers, Bethlehem scoring 16 points and Colonie scoring 20 after a couple key three pointers by Devon Edwards and Robbie McGuirk. “The Tribe” cheered with enthusiasm as the last quarter started with their raiders ahead by five points, Vinny Tashjian made two baskets under pressure, and Mark Papuzza hit a three pointer with three minutes left to help pull the Garnet Raiders out ahead of the Bethlehem Eagles. Sonny Benson and Jon Buhner also contributed six points each to the total score, and as a team the Raiders were 6-7 from the free throw line. The final score was in favor of Colonie winning 55-47.