Albany Academy Gets Revenge
GLENS FALLS, NY- It was nearly 10 months to the day since Albany Academy fell in heartbreaking fashion to The Park School in the Class A NYS Federation Tournament of Champions title game. 10 months of bad feelings and memories that all could change on Sunday afternoon when the Cadets took on the Pioneers as a part of the Slam Zero Gravity North/South Classic.
Playing without its star in Noah Hutchins '19 who will be out for the next couple of weeks with foot and groin injuries, Park was shorthanded in its quest to continue its dominance over Albany Academy. His loss proved to also be more than Park could handle as behind the duo of Andre Jackson '20 and August Mahoney '19, the Cadets were able to go in front early and not look back in what was a 67-44 victory.
The drive and motivation to right what they considered to be a big wrong in last season's Federation TOC championship game was on hand in a big way with Mahoney saying that the thought of that loss has still to this day not left any of the Cadets minds.
"All of us have it in the back of our minds every day and it was a hard pill to swallow last year, probably one of the hardest moments of my life to date, so it was definitely talked about and we definitely wanted to come out and win today," Mahoney explained
With that loss in their minds it was time for Albany Academy to come out and take care of business and get a little bit of revenge, even while at the same time trying to maintain that it was still just another game on the schedule.
From the get-go the energy on the side of the Cadets showed that this was more than just a regular game for them as Jackson was getting out up the court time and time again early for a number of showtime level flash dunk, while also showing that he has improved range compared to this point a year ago.
Add in the shooting touch displayed by both Mahoney and Rob Brown '20 from the outside who were able to get free for good looks that they connected on against the Pioneers zone and it was a comfortable 27-16 lead at the half for Albany Academy, who even up just by 11 seemed to be in firm control of the action.
That impressive play by nearly the entire Cadets roster carried over into the second half as that is when they officially took control for good as even with Caleb Hutchins '21 showing a smooth shooting touch, and Keonjay Carter '21 displaying that he has the abilities to be a solid player moving forward as well for the Pioneers, the loss of the older Hutchins really showed as the game moved along.
Mahoney would hit on three triples in the third quarter, with Jackson looking to be near unstoppable as well. It was a 21-point lead heading to the 4th quarter, and with the zone of Park being exploited by the Albany Academy perimeter shooters as a whole it was a true all dominating performance from start to finish as the Cadets subbed out most of their starters midway through the final stanza, cruising late to what would be a 67-44 win.
A balanced offensive attack for Albany Academy had Mahoney leading the way with 17 points, Jackson chipped in with 16 points, while Brown added 14 points as the ability to get offense from just about everywhere was a huge catalyst in the Cadets drive to victory.
Playing without their main star in Hutchins, Park looked like a team who didn't have a defined go to scorer in their defeat on Sunday as little brother Caleb paced the Pioneers with a game high 20 points in the loss, just Park's second defeat of the year.
Getting over the hump and taking down The Park School is something that will be a major confidence building moment for Albany Academy the rest of the season as they can now put lasts seasons defeat behind them once and for all, but at the same time Mahoney admits that they will more than likely see them again in March in this year's NYS Federation TOC semifinals, where Hutchins will be healthy, though he believes it will be the same result as Sunday if the two do meet again.
"He didn't play which kind of sucked because I'm a competitor so I want to play against great players, but if he plays next time it will be the same result because deep down, we know we will be them regardless of who is on the floor," Mahoney said.
On Sunday it was the Cadets as the better team and at least for now it's Albany Academy with the edge and momentum as they head down the stretch run of the season.
