Niskayuna Basketball Nears the End of the Regular Season

By: Bradley Heller

Both the boys and girls basketball teams have had successful seasons so far. The boys sit at a record of 9-4, while the girls are 9-5. Both teams have to make improvements if they want to make a deep playoff run, but clearly possess the talent and the team chemistry to get it done.

Last year, the boys team had great success, beating La Salle in the Section II championship game before falling to West Genesee in the state tournament. Niskayuna retained much of the talent from last year’s championship squad, including star point guard Daniel Smalls. As a junior, he is averaging close to 30 points per game, showing why he is regarded as one of the best players in the area. He was selected to the News Channel 13 All-Star Team for the third straight year, and has helped lead the Silver Warriors towards their hopes of winning a Section II championship, and eventually a state championship. This year, he has become Niskayuna Boys Basketball’s all-time leader in career points, and recently eclipsed 1000 career points against Colonie, the first boys basketball player at Niskayuna to do so. Congratulations to Daniel Smalls on this incredible accomplishment, and as only a junior he has certainly cemented his name in the record books as one of the all-time greats in Niskayuna basketball history.

The Silver Warriors started off the season by winning their first four games, doing so in convincing fashion against their opponents. But, it came with a cost. Junior Brady Olsen, a key starter for the Silver Warriors, got injured during this four game stretch. He was out until their second matchup against Shenendehowa on January 14, and his presence was certainly missed. In their next four games, the team went 1-3 with losses to Liverpool, Shenendehowa, and Kingston. All three games were very competitive, especially their game at Kingston. The Silver Warriors were down by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before tying it up before the final buzzer, sending the game into overtime. That is where they eventually lost 74-72, despite Daniel Smalls scoring 40 points in the contest. Niskayuna righted the ship in their next two games, winning by 23 and 24 against Burnt Hills and Colonie, respectively. They then had to face Shenendehowa again, a team they had already lost to earlier in the season on the road by a score of 58-45. This time, it was the home Red Out game, but unfortunately the result was the same. The Silver Warriors lost 63-49 in an physical and chippy matchup between teams and opposing fans. Following the loss, Niskayuna dismantled Ballston Spa 74-45, showing off some incredible defense. Daniel Smalls registered 3 steals, and both Brady Olsen and senior Ethan Gilson had 4 steals. The following week, Niskayuna beat Colonie, a game in which Daniel Smalls nearly had a double-double and surpassed 1000 career points. 

The girls team has a similar record to the boys team, and have proven that they are a contender in Section II. While they lack the electric scoring output that the boys team has in Daniel Smalls, they make up for it in their versatility. Skye Linyear, Natalie Birmingham, Ciarra Gonzalez, and Ava Roemer are all highly capable of leading the team any given night, making it difficult for opposing defenses to stop the Silver Warriors. After starting off the year 1-2, the girls bounced back and won six of their next seven games. Unfortunately, they dropped their next two games to some of the best teams Colonie and Shenendehowa, but have won their last two games in tight fashion against Schalmont and Ballston Spa. The experience of winning close games is crucial when it comes time for the Section II Tournament, as the Silver Warriors hope to continue their momentum into the final stretch of the regular season.