FONDA -After battling back from second half deficits of 12 and 11 points, the Fonda-Fultonville Braves had to look for one more big play Friday night against the Voorheesville Blackbirds.
And they got it.
With leading scorer Will Turner on the bench after fouling out with 25-seconds remaining, the Braves turned to Ryan Derby.
The senior guard came through with a clutch 3-pointer from the right corner in the closing seconds to tie the game at 59 and send the Colonial Council game into overtime.
“We weren’t sharp with the play, but we did exactly what we wanted to do,” Fonda-Fultonville coach Eric Wilson said. “We were a little slow getting into it. We were fortunate that Russ [Williams] got a really good screen and got Derbs [Ryan Derby] an open look and he made the big shot.
Derby came through again for the Braves in overtime hitting a second 3-pointer to go with a free throw from Luke Calkins to lift the Braves to a 63-61 Colonial Council victory.
“I was just thinking the play was coming to me,” Derby said of the game-tying 3-pointer. “Coach trusted me at the end to make the shot and I came up big. I have to give our team credit for fighting back from 11 points and fighting all the way back. That three was just amazing, it gave me chills.”
Despite an 18-point first half scoring performance by Voorheesville’s Noah Crawford, the Braves stayed within striking distance of the Blackbirds, trailing by 28-20 at the half.
The Braves quickly trimmed the lead down to a point, 28-27,with a 6-0 run to start the third period. However, the Blackbirds recovered with a 13-2 run to build a 41-29 lead.
The Braves got a break when Crawford was called for a technical foul after making a three-point play. The play gave the Braves the spark they needed for the stretch run.
With the Blackbirds leading 48-37 with 6:19 to play, Turner took his game to the next level.
First the Blackbirds suffered a blow to the game plan as Crawford fouled out with 3:22 left to play.
With Crawford on the bench, Turner went to work scoring 10 of the Braves next 12 points, including a power move in the lane to tie the game at 49 with 3:07 left in regulation.
Joe Vogel game Voorheesville the lead back with his basket, but Turner stepped back and drained a 3-pointer to give Fonda-Fultonville its first lead since early in the opening period, 52-51.
Voorheesville hit five unanswered points to regain its advantage 56-52 before Turner hit again on a hard drive to cut the lead to 56-54.
The teams traded baskets and Zach Precious went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to give the Blackbirds a 59-56 lead with 12.3 seconds remaining and Turner sitting on the Braves bench with five fouls.
“When the kids came over I told them just because he is out of the game doesn’t mean we can’t win it,” Wilson said.
The Braves executed the designed play, putting the ball in Derby’s hand and he delivered the game tying shot as time expired.
Fonda-Fultonville got key plays from Luke Calkins and Mace Madore in overtime as they grabbed defensive rebounds and disrupted the Blackbirds offensive flow.
Derby delivered his second 3-pointer of the game with 1:50 remaining and the Braves withstood a late flurry of attempts by Voorheesville to claim the league victory.
“They came out and did some really good things down the stretch,” Wilson said of his team. “We were fortunate enough to make more good plays to overcome the other ones.”
Turner connected for 19 of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and shot 16-for-18 from the free throw line. He also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out three assists. Derby finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Calkins had three 3-pointers en route to his 10-point, four rebound performance and Nowak added eight rebounds and seven points.
Crawford finished with 23 points while Dylan Hensel and Logan Hotaling finished with 13 points apiece.
Fonda-Fultonville will have little time to celebrate as its prepares to face Amsterdam at 3 p.m. today in the consolation game of the postponed Gloversville Holiday Tournament at Gloversville High School.
“This was a big test for us,” Wilson said. “I told them to enjoy this for 12 hours but we need to catch our breath and regroup. We will have a walk through tomorrow morning and get organized for Amsterdam.”
Fonda-Fultonville 63, Voorheesville 61, OT
Voorheesville16 12 13 18 2 – 61
Fonda-Fultonville13 7 12 27 4 – 63
Voorheesville
Crawford 8-5-23, Hensel 3-5-13, Hotaling 6-1-13, Precious 2-1-5, Vogel 3-1-7. Totals: 22-13-61.
Fonda-Fultonville
Calkins 3-1-10, Derby 6-1-15, Madore 1-0-2, Nowak 3-1-7, Turner 6-16-29. Totals: 19-19-63.
3-point goals: Voorheesville 4 (Crawford 2, Hensel 2); Fonda-Fultonville 6 (Calkins 3, Derby 2, Turner).
