Ending a six-year Section III title drought was a task the Christian Brothers Academy boys basketball team could handle – but stopping a defending state champion sporting a 50-game win streak with a superstar having the most productive game of his high school career proved too much.
In last Saturday night’s Class A regional final at Colgate University’s Cotterell Court, the Brothers went all-out to try and topple undefeated, state no. 1-ranked Scotia-Glenville, but Joe Cremo and the Tartans made it 51 in a row, toppling CBA 62-54.
Cremo, who is going to the University at Albany next fall, had 39 points, everything from a variety of smooth inside and outside moves to a fourth quarter where he sank all 14 free throws he attempted to thwart the Brothers’ comeback.
That effort, along with a sticky defense that took away CBA’s outside game, nearly turned the game into a rout before the Brothers finally hit some outside shots in the fourth quarter that briefly scared Scotia before it put things away.
Going in, it was no secret that the Brothers wanted to contain Cremo, while at the same time rely on its well-balanced attack to make the Tartans defend everyone in front of them.
For a quarter, CBA kept in touch, only trailing 15-11, but Scotia’s active zone started to suffocate the Brothers in the second period, and it only scored six points in that frame as Scotia stretched out its margin to 30-16.
Just as damaging to CBA was the Tartans’ 9-0 run that it pulled off late in the third quarter, which gave Scotia its largest lead at 44-24. Cremo, with 23 points, had nearly matched the Brothers by himself, without even spending much time at the line.
Between cold shooting from the field and the free-throw line, CBA could not string a run together – at least until the fourth quarter.
Led by freshman Charles Pride, who scored nine of his 16 points in the final period, and Monte Stroman, who had 15 points, the Brothers chipped away at the Tartans’ margin, all the while hacking Cremo and hoping he would start to miss foul shots, which he did not.
Still, when Monte Stroman’s 3-pointer swished with 1:50 left, the Brothers’ deficit had shrunk to single digits, 56-48, and if it could force a turnover or two, or get the ball out of Cremo’s hands before he fouled, it could get things even closer.
But Cremo did kept finding his way to the ball, kept getting fouled – and kept making them, allowing Scotia to match points with CBA in those final minutes and advance.
CBA had to go through a regional semifinal with Franklin Academy (Section X) last Wednesday night at SUNY-Potsdam just to get that shot at Scotia-Glenville, but handled the assignment with ease, roaring to a 67-40 victory.
Not fazed by the road trip or the opposition, CBA roared out to a 19-2 first-quarter lead. Franklin closed the gap to single digits, but the Brothers regained some control and had a 32-19 edge at the break, with Stroman (12 points), Emmett Dunn (10 points) and Nick Aversa (seven points) handling most of the production.
Then, with a 20-10 push through the third quarter, the Brothers put the game away. Stroman finished with 18 points, while Dunn’s double-double included 14 rebounds to go with his 12 points. Pride and Jack Carey contributed six points apiece.
Scotia-Glenville then ended CBA’s dreams of going to Glens Falls for the state final four. But head coach Buddy Wleklinski will go there, honored this year as an inductee into the New York State Hall of Fame by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, with a long list of accomplishments that, in 2014-15, includes another sectional championship.
