Girls Varsity Basketball Senior Night Was a Roller Coaster

On February 9th, the Niskayuna Girls Varsity Basketball team played their senior night against Albany, and they knew it would be a difficult game. Albany, although coming off a close loss to Shenendahowa 40 to 39, was 9-3 in the league while Nisky had only won 6 games up to that point.

For a while, it seemed as though the game was going to turn out as a crushing loss. Points went in from the start for the Albany Falcons, and Nisky quickly found themselves falling behind. Soon enough, Albany continued to increase their lead by over 10 points in the match, and the game stayed that way for over 3 quarters.

But then, in the 4th quarter, it seemed as if a rush of adrenaline went through all of the players on the team. Niskayuna started to play their game. They racked up points: posting up, hitting jumpers, and swishing 3’s. Tianna Gonzalez, a senior on the team, laid the defense foundation along with Rebecca Schmidt, blocking shots and making life difficult for Albany. This allowed the offensive stars of the Nisky team to shine: Ashley Mogavero, Olivia O’Mealy, Hawa Equiza Gasco, and Skye Linear all combined to bring Nisky back into the game. The score was within touching distance.

The final few minutes of the game were thrilling. Nisky leveled the score. Albany gained the lead again. Nisky leveled once more. Albany missed a shot. Then, Niskayuna worked a wonderful move with Linear finishing it off and giving Nisky the lead, a feat that seemed impossible from the start. The crowd was on their feet. Both the home and away fans were very nervous, but their energy was higher. While one side was quiet, the other was cheering and yelling as loud as if it was a professional game. It went back and forth like this throughout the ending moments of the match. When Niskayuna finally got ahead, there was disbelief on both sides, as well as looks of sadness, joy and tears. But, it didn’t last long.

Albany scored to tie the game, Nisky missed a shot, and then, in the last seconds, Albany marched up the court and landed a lay-up. 57-55. Game over. Shock spread across the home fans, as the Albany crowd roared. The Niskayuna players couldn’t believe it. Heads hung low. But, they proved something that night. They embodied the essence of what it meant to be part of Niskayuna. Through grit and hard work, they managed the tough parts of the game. At a time when it would be easy for any other team to give up, Nisky battled, stayed in the game, and eventually gave themselves a chance to win. Although they lost the game, the Niskayuna Girls Varsity Basketball team won everyone’s hearts.