PLATTSBURGH — You can never count them out, and Clinton CC delivered.
They became the first team, not named Castine Properties, to capture the YMCA Men’s League basketball championship with a 72-69 victory over Chateaugay.
It wasn’t easy as they found themselves down 43-34 at halftime.
“Tonight was definitely a tough battle. We knew it was going to be tough,” Trevor Harris said. “We came into the game playing man. We switched the zone a few times. That didn’t work out, and it really all just came down to rebounding the basketball. At halftime, we discussed what’s going to work, what’s not going to work and overall we had to rebound better. and I think we did that, and that’s what sealed the game for us.”
They chipped away and slowly built confidence to get back into the game.
“Well, we just had to get stop after stop,” Spencer Daby said. “To be honest, we weren’t defending or rebounding at all to save our lives in the first half. We were scoring, but not enough. and I think it’s Mike Boyea. He was killing us on offense, so we just had to lock in as a group defensively, rebound and play defense.”
But it wasn’t just a one-game scenario that got Clinton CC the win. The team first had to defeat Lamonto/Provost, which had beaten Clinton CC earlier in the season. Clinton CC then faced Peru in the semifinals after Peru had defeated two of the top three seeds.
“We knew it was going to be tough going into the playoffs,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of really talented teams, and overall, we just battle out every single game. They were all tight games, all tight battles, all really good opponents, but we came out on top in the end.”
Chateaugay itself put up a fight and came in with confidence after defeating four-time defending champion Castine Properties. Chateaugay looked steadfast early in the contest as it built a lead.
Even when Clinton managed to tie the game with eight minutes to go, Good Thymes kept working the ball and held a lead. But, Clinton kept pressing.
“I think as the game went on, we all started trusting each other a little more,” Daby said. “Swinging a rock, open threes, open layups, and ones, rebounds, all that, everything just clicked together as we came together.”
Chateaugay held a one-point lead with under a minute to go, but a turnover gave Clinton CC a chance to grab the lead.
Harvey Merrill took the inbound and became double-teamed. He found Harris on the baseline to record the layup and take the lead. A foul led to Clinton CC putting the lead at three.
Chateaugay had a chance to tie but missed a contested three to close out the game, leading to Clinton to celebrate together.
“Yeah, there’s no feeling like being a champion,” Harris said. “I’ve been in this league for about four years now. It’s been Castlines every year, and I’m definitely getting it. Something different this year. I’m definitely happy about this different outcome. I’m really happy about it.”
For Daby, it’s his first time playing in the championship game as . The league’s five-time scoring champion couldn’t contain his happiness about getting it done.
“We’ve got to be back to defend this next year,” he said. “No doubt about it.”