Bath at Saranac – – CMAC Boys Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 8, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen’s travels bring him to Saranac, where the Red Hawks will host the Bees from Bath in the CMAC Boys’ Game of the Week!

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this cover of the Tijuana Brass’ “The Lonely Bull” from my You Tube Channel featuring trumpeter extraordinaire John Rickert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmJmDiyf3ps

I got to Saranac in time to go to the Pasty Shop. He makes his pasties from scratch and they are great. I always try to stop by the store when I cover an event in Saranac.

Jay Kreisler is a fine ball handler and perimeter defender at the point guard position for the Bees. Bradlee Uhlmann is another ball handler and perimeter defender who can also run the point. Jacob Kuhn plays in the middle. He is a strong post defender rebounder who is a threat to score near the basket. Remington McCrimmon is a good scorer who can either shoot from the three point line or slash to the basket.

Cole Chamberlain is a tough perimeter defender with a good three point shot. He also rebounds well from his guard position. Ethan Wicks defends the perimeter well and is another threat from the three point line. When I got to the game, I learned that Bradlee Uhlmann and another senior, Sam Wonch have injuries and can’t play tonight. I wish both of them a speedy recovery that will hopefully get them back on the court before the season is over.

For Saranac, Sam Sterzick is an experienced guard who can defend on the perimeter and handle the ball well. He is a fine three point shooter who is also able to score on slashes to the basket. Cody Whipple is a tall perimeter defender who can get hot from the three point line. Hunter Helminski is a fine defender anywhere on the court – – either the perimeter or the post. He is an active defender with great stamina.

Jordan Dodge defends and rebounds well in the post. He is a threat to score either in the post or from the three point line. Lucas Hetherington is the big guy who defends, rebounds and scores in the post. Max Olsen is a good perimeter defender who can score from the three point line or on slashes to the basket. Brody Stanton is a good ball handler and perimeter defender. Elijah Lauer is a dependable rebounder and post defender who can score on slashes to the basket.

I got to the gym at halftime of the JV game. Bath had a 34-7 halftime lead and went on to win by the final score of 68-31.

Landin Barker led the Saranac JVs with 14 points. Silas Mulnix supported him with 8 points. Rejz Conner scored 4 points, Kaleb Thelen had 3 points and Gabriel Thomas tallied 2 points.

Andy Wonch and Aden Briggs each had 12 points to lead the Bath JVs. Calvin Smith joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Aiden Wolf chipped in with 9 points and Brady Smith added 8 points. Connor VanEss and Jack Koenigsknecht each put in 6 points. Sam Dunckel scored 5 points.

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the hopefully observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop back in the days of yore when he was considered to be “young.” His basketball career showed some promise when his coach invented a crane that held your Bleacher Denizen high in the air where opposing defenders could not block his shot. Alas, it all came crashing down when an opposing coach invented a similar crane for the Bleacher Denizen’s defender. My offensive efficiency and playing time both plummeted from that point.

Bath wins the opening tap. Hunter Helminski gets his hand on the ball for Saranac, but Bath is able to recover. Bath misses a layup. Hunter Helminski passes to Lucas Hetherington, who hits a layup to give Saranac the first two points of the game. Lucas Hetherington knocks the ball away from Bath and Cody Whipple picks it up for Saranac. Cody Whipple is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws to give the Red Hawks a 3-0 lead with 6:50 to play in the opening quarter.

Bath misfires on a threeball from the side. Cody Whipple hits a layup for Saranac. Jay Kreisler passes to Bryce Proctor, who hits a three point shot from the side for Bath to trim Saranac’s lead to 5-3.

Saranac misses a layup. Jordan Dodge pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. Sam Sterzick taps the ball away from Bath and Cody Whipple picks it up for Saranac. Saranac misses a fast break layup. Lucas Hetherington is fouled on a putback; he hits two free throws to give the Red Hawks a 7-3 lead with 5:21 to play in the first quarter.

Cody Whipple knocks the ball away from a Bee dribbler and out of bounds; Bath retains possession. The Bees miss a layup. Saranac misses a twleve foot shot from the side. Jordan Dodge pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. He passes to Sam Sterzick, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Red Hawks a 10-3 lead.

Bath misses a threeball from the side. Saranac fouls on the rebound. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Saranac misses a fast break layup. Cole Chamberlain drives and dishes the ball to Jacob Kuhn, who hits a layup for Bath. Sam Sterzick fakes, does a dribble move, then launches and hits a threeball from the top of the key to give Saranac a 13-5 lead.

Lucas Hetherington dives and knocks the ball away from Bath and out of bounds. Saranac takes possession. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side. Lucas Hetherington blocks a Bath layup. Saranac misfires on a triple try from the wing. Brody Stanton gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Bath steals the ball. (Your aging Bleacher Denizen was too slow in his notes to give credit to the Bee player who made this steal. My apologies.) Sam Sterzick steals the ball and passes to Jordan Dodge, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Saranac a 16-5 lead.

Cole Chamberlain drives and hits a layup for Bath. Saranac misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Max Olsen picks up the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Sam Sterzick fires in a threeball from the wing to give the Red Hawks a 19-7 lead.

Brody Stanton steals the ball for Saranac. The Red Hawks miss a fast break layup. Saranac gets the offensive rebound. The Red Hawks miss a jump shot and foul on the rebound. Max Olsen knocks the ball away from the Bees, but they are able to recover. Cole Chamberlain throws in a threeball from the side for Bath to cut the Red Hawk lead to 19-10.

Saranac misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Max Olsen gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Red Hawks get another opportunity. Saranac misses a three pointer from the side. Bath misses a three pointer from the wing. Saranac is not able to shoot before the first quarter buzzer sounds.

After one quarter, Saranac has a 19-10 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Red Hawks miss a layup. Braden Griffin knocks the a Bee pass out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Jay Kreisler drives and dishes the ball to Ethan Wicks, who hits a layup for the Bees. Saranac misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. Ethan Wicks is fouled on a layup and sinks two free throws to cut the Saranac lead to 19-14 with 6:51 remaining in the first half.

Saranac misses a layup. Lucas Hetherington gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac commits an over and back violation. Bath misses a ten foot runner in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets the ball. Saranac misses a threeball from the wing. Sam Sterzick gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Bath fouls on the rebound.

Cole Chamberlain steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misses a fast break layup. Saranac misses a layup. Lucas Hetherington stands tall in the lane and Bath travels on a driving layup. Saranac misses a twelve footer from the side of the lane. Cody Whipple steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Cole Chamberlain knocks the ball away from Saranac and Ethan Wicks picks it up for Bath. Bath misses a fast break layup. Remington McCrimmon is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to slice the Saranac lead to 19-16 with 4:04 left in the first half.

Jacob Kuhn blocks a Saranac layup; the ball goes out of bounds and the Red Hawks get another opportunity. Saranac misfires on a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets another possession. Lucas Hetherington passes the ball to Sam Sterzick, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Saranac a 22-16 lead.

Cole Chamberlain drives from the side and hits a layup for Bath. Jacob Kuhn blocks a Saranac layup. Saranac recovers the ball. The Red Hawks miss a ten foot shot from the side. Bath reciprocates and misses a ten foot shot from the side. Saranac misses a driving runner in the lane. Bath commits an offensive foul. Sam Sterzick passes to Elijah Lauer, who hits a jump shot from the free throw elbow for the Red Hawks, who now have a 24-18 lead.

Sam Sterzick knocks the ball away from Bath, but the Bees are able to recover. Cole Chamberlain passes to Remington McCrimmon, who hits a reverse layup for the Bees. Saranac misses a three pointer from the corner and fouls on the rebound. Remington McCrimmon passes to Colten Hinsman, who quickly relays the ball to Anthony Wasson, who scores a layup for Bath to chop the Saranac lead to 24-22.

Brody Stanton passes to Sam Sterzick, who hits a three point shot from the side for Saranac. Sam Sterzick steals the ball for Saranac. Anthony Wasson knocks the ball away from Saranac and Remington McCrimmon picks it up for Bath. Remington McCrimmon hits a fast break layup just before the halftime buzzer announces its presence.

At halftime, Saranac holds a 27-24 lead.

Cole Chamberlain has 7 points and Remington McCrimmon 6 points to lead Bath’s scoring at halftime.

Sam Sterzick has 15 points to lead Saranac.

Alas, the Bleacher Denizen’s pen was simply not cut out for the stresses of varsity basketball and the Bleacher Denizen had to cut it from his pen roster. I know this sounds cold, but it did allow another opportunity for one of the other pens to show what it can do!!

There was a shooting contest at halftime; winners won a two liter bottle of their choice of pop. For those of us who cannot be here for the halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy these two original tunes from my You Tube Channel.

“Won’t Be Alone Too Long” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_qnhfMT2k

“A Man Like Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

Bath inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Lucas Hetherington knocks the ball away from Bath and Hunter Helminski picks it up for Saranac. Saranac travels on a drive to the hoop. Lucas Hetherington blocks a Bee layup. Saranac misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Jordan Dodge gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. Bath misses a ten footer in the lane and fouls on the rebound. Cody Whipple whips a pass to Jordan Dodge, who hits a jump shot from the free throw line to give Saranac a 29-24 lead.

Bath misses a driving layup. Jacob Kuhn steals the ball for the Bees. Bath loses the ball out of bounds. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side. Jordan Dodge gets the offensive rebound for Saranac. The Red Hawks miss a layup. Bath misses a threeball from the side. Jacob Kuhn steals the ball for Bath and passes to REmington McCrimmon, who hits a ten foot shot in the lane to trim the Red Hawk lead to 29-26.

Saranac misses a jump shot. Bath misses a reverse layup. Sam Sterzick passes to Jordan Dodge for a Red Hawk layup. Bath misses a reverse layup. Saranac misses a jumper from the free throw elbow. Jordan Dodge hits a putback to boost the Red Hawks to a 33-26 lead.

Bath misses a reverse layup. Saranac fouls on the rebound. Bath misses an eight foot shot off the dribble in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bees get another possession. Bath misses a layup. Saranac reciprocates and misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets the ball. The Bees miss a layup. Cody Whipple is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws. With 3:04 remaining in the third quarter, Saranac’s lead is at 34-26.

Cody Whipple pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Jacob Kuhn gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Cody Whipple passes to Jordan Dodge, who hits a layup to push Saranac to a 36-26 lead.

Elijah Lauer knocks a Bee pass out of bounds; Bath gets the ball back. Sam Sterzick nearly steals the ball for the Red Hawks, but the Bees are able to recover. Bath is assessed with a traveling violation. Saranac misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. Colten Hinsman passes to Anthony Wasson, whoh its a layup for Bath. Sam Sterzick passes to Brody Stanton, who is fouled as he shoots a layup for the Red Hawks. He hits both his free throws to give Saranac a 38-28 lead with 59.4 seconds left in quarter number three.

Cody Whipple taps the ball away from Bath and Max Olsen picks it up for Saranac. Saranac misfires on a triple try from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Bath sets an illegal screen and is given an offensive foul. Saranac misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Bath misses a forty foot heave as the third quarter buzzer signals the end of the period.

After three quarters, Saranac has a 38-28 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks miss a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Lucas Hetherington pulls down the offensive rebound for Saranac. Max Olson passes to Brayden Griffin, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Saranac a 41-38 lead.

Bath loses the ball out of bounds. Ethan Wicks steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misses a fast break layup. Saranac misfires on a triple try from the wing. Ethan Wicks passes to Remington McCrimmon, who hits a three point shot for Bath. Sam Sterzick drives and dishes the ball to Lucas Hetherington, who is fouled on a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Lucas Hetherington hits two free throws to give Saranac a 43-31 lead with 6:23 remaining in the game.

Bath misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Saranac misses a threeball from the wing. Bath misses a fast break layup. Jay Kreisler gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Saranac ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its Decorating Committee interrupt their discussion to vote to award the ball to Bath. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Remington McCrimmon knocks the ball away from Saranac and Cole Chamberlain picks it up for Bath. Jay Kreisler passes to Ethan Wicks, who hits a three point shot from the side to shave the Saranac lead to 43-34.

Saranac misses a layup. Bath misses an eight foot shot from the side. Saranac is called for an intentional foul on the rebound. Cole Chamberlain hits two free throws to cut the Red Hawk lead to 43-36 with 4:10 remaining in the game.

Bath inbounds the ball after the intentional foul. Brody Stanton steals the ball for Saranac. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Jay Kreisler drives and hits a layup for Bath. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 3:14 left on the clock, Saranac’s lead is down to 43-38.

A Saranac driving basket is negated by a traveling call. Bath misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Ethan Wicks steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misses a layup. Jay Kreisler knocks the ball away from Saranac, but the Red Hawks recover. Cody Whipple is fouled and hits two free throws to boost his Red Hawks to a 45-38 lead with 1:22 to go.

A Bath dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Sam Sterzick is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Saranac. Cody Whipple gets the offensive rebound for Saranac and is fouled. Cody Whipple hits one of his two free throws and Saranac has a 47-38 lead with 1:05 to play.

Bath misses a reverse layup. Saranac runs out the rest of the time on the clock.

Saranac wins this CMAC matchup by the score of 47-38.

Remington McCrimmon led the Bath scoring with 11 points. Cole Chamberlain supported his teammate with 9 points. Ethan Wicks tossed in 7 points. Anthony Wasson scored 4 points. Bryce Proctor added 3 points. Jay Kreisler and Jacob Kuhn each tallied 2 points.

Sam Sterzick hit five three point shots in the first half on his way to 16 points to lead the Saranac scoring. Jordan Dodge joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Cody Whipple chipped in with 7 points and Lucas Hetherington notched 6 points. Brayden Griffin put in 3 points. Brody Stanton and Elijah Lauer each added 2 points.