By SPENCER BATES
ALLEGANY — The Allegany-Limestone boys basketball team’s immaculate start to the season continued as it put another tally in the win column with a 56-39 win over Fredonia.
The Gators have yet to see a result go against them this season and what allowed for that streak to continue against the Hillbillies was the team’s ability to adapt and execute.
It was the visitors that started the game on the front foot, claiming the opening quarter by a narrow 14-13 margin. A big factor in the hot start for Fredonia was its 3-point shooting. With a guard-heavy starting lineup, A-L coach Glenn Anderson knew that the goal of its guests was to beat them from the outside.
“We knew there was going to be heavy emphasis on trying to beat us on the perimeter and that’s something we’ve struggled with in the past,” Anderson said. “We’re big and if you can beat those guys off the dribble and get into the lane, and now you’re spraying to the 3-point line for all those shooters, that’s really, really tough to defend. But the emphasis was on keeping the ball in the front, not letting it hit the paint, and I think our positioning, defensively, tonight was as good as it’s been all year, which was obviously really helpful.”
While the shots were initially falling for the Hillbillies, that response on the defensive end from the Gators played a big role in the eventual shooting slump Fredonia fell into. And luckily for the hosts, they had a sharpshooter of their own in the form of Carson Kwiatkowski, who had eight points in the first quarter en route to a game-high 21-point performance.
“Carson out there, (and he’s) just going to find ways to score,” Anderson said. “I mean, the first two 3s he had were just ridiculous. … When he’s hitting those, you know he’s going to have a night. But Ryan Callen, our freshman off the bench, does a great job knocking down open shots. Collin (Forrest), he’s a real good shooter. Caleb (Strade)’s knocked down a couple now in back-to-back games. When you have all that shooting on the perimeter and you have that height and you have that rebounding advantage, it’s a tough thing to deal with.”
Allegany-Limestone’s Ryan Callen (3) brings the ball up the court. (Spencer Bates)
Gavin Straub was the only other Gator to finish with double-figures in the scoring column. He dominated in the paint on his way to recording 12 points. Callen and Strade both finished with eight points while Forrest finished with seven.
But while they were able to shut down the Hillbillies hot start, the Gators committed 14 turnovers throughout the first half — an area of concern for Anderson. Fortunately, the second half was much smoother with less turnovers, shored up spacing and set plays that were executed at a higher rate.
“We talked about it at halftime a little bit, our spacing wasn’t very good, we were driving in gaps and the close-out to the gap was pretty quick because we weren’t that far away,” Anderson said. “But once we spread out a little bit, we ran a little more motion high — which would lift everybody up — and had more room on the baseline to drive. But, honestly, it’s just a matter of taking care of the ball.”
What also played a role in A-L’s second-half surge was the experience of its seniors. Anderson admitted that there were times throughout the game where he acquiesced to what his players were seeing on the floor. One player in particular who has made a habit of doing just that this season, and did so once again with success against the Hillbillies, was Strade.
“I had a play called, and Caleb just put his finger up and kind of shook me off,” Anderson said. “I said, ‘OK, go ahead.’ He saw something. He just walked to the backside block, but he knew was going to be there, and we got an easy layup at the end. So, I mean, when your seniors are making those decisions out there, and they’re seeing stuff like that, that’s huge for us.”
That offense continued to flow for A-L after its halftime discussions and in the closing moments Kwiatkowski, Strade and Straub combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter as it locked up the win. The Gators did what was needed and got the result over the line with no room for late-game dramatics from Fredonia, much to the satisfaction of Anderson.
Allegany-Limestone’s Collin Forrest (5) looks to dump the ball inside to his teammate Gavin Straub (21). (Spencer Bates)
Next up for A-L is a date with Falconer on Jan. 6. That game will be played at home with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
AT ALLEGANY
Fredonia (39)
Dowdy 6 1-2 16, Luce 4 1-2 9, A. Putney 2 0-0 5, Gullo 1 1-2 4, Koopman 1 0-0 3, Hall 0 2-2 2. Totals: 14 5-8 39
Allegany-Limestone (56)
Kwiatkowski 7 3-6 21, G. Straub 5 2-3 12, Strade 3 0-2 8, Callen 3 0-0 8, Forrest 2 3-4 7. Totals: 20 8-15 56
Fred. 14 18 28 39
A-L 13 26 37 56Three-point goals: Fred. 6 (Dowdy 3, Gullo, Koopman, A. Putney), A-L 8 (Kwiatkowski 4, Strade 2, Callen 2); Total fouls: Fred. 13, A-L 12; fouled out: None.
