Sports

By Jay Braman Jr.

By Julia Green

By Julia Green
Downsville 43, Andes 31 (Dec. 10)
Point guard Mariah Ruff scored 14 points for the host Mountaineers and Karli Tait added nine rebounds and four steals when Andes played host to the Downsville Eagles last Wednesday.
“I thought we did OK early,” said Head Coach Jeff Rhone. “I thought we defended them fairly well in the first half and then in the course of the game we couldn’t stay with them. They were pretty athletic and we just didn’t defend well at all in the second half and especially in the third quarter. And they totally out-rebounded us.”
The Eagles outscored the Mountaineers 18-9 in the first half, including a 14-3 run in the second quarter.

By Julia Green
Roxbury 65, Gilboa 35 (Dec. 9)
“I thought we played well,” said Roxbury Head Coach Tom Faraci of his team’s convincing victory over Gilboa last Tuesday. “We came out with some energy and played some decent defense.”
The Rockets posted a 65-35 Delaware League victory over the host Wildcats, led by senior Ryan Skipper who tallied 29 points for RCS. DaVaun Morgan added 13 points and Tim Douglas tallied 12.

By Julia Green
Roxbury 64, Margaretville 35
It was as if two different teams were alternating quarters for the Margaretville Central School Blue Devils last Wednesday night, when the visiting Roxbury Rockets defeated MCS on its home court, 64-35.
The Blue Devils, who opened the scoring with five points including a three-pointer from junior guard Mitch VanKeuren, led the Rockets until less than two minutes remained in the first quarter, when they relinquished the lead and never regained it.

By Julia Green
Andes 48, Stamford 54
Defense was the main problem for the Andes girls when they traveled to Stamford to face the Indians last Tuesday. The Mountaineers fell 54-48 to Stamford in the Delaware League match-up.
“Offensively, I was very pleased with how we played,” said Head Coach Jeff Rhone. “I thought we did a nice job of breaking when we had opportunities and we did get some easy baskets in the transition; however, defensively we didn’t play well at all.”

The Margaretville Central School Booster Club will hold its 2nd Annual MCS Booster Club Holiday Basketball Tournament at MCS on Dec. 11 through 13. The tournament will again feature boys’ and girls’ brackets and will feature boys’ varsity teams from Andes, Franklin, Gilboa and Margaretville central schools. The girls’ bracket will feature teams from Andes, Franklin, Hancock and Margaretville central schools.

There’s a battle of the sexes heating up at Margaretville Central School. The Class of 2010 is sponsoring a faculty/staff volleyball game on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. with the women taking on the men.
Many of the teachers and support staff have signed up for an evening of friendly competition to determine who rules the school.

Shandaken — After 11 previous years of highly successful competition, the Shandaken Primitive Biathlon will again be held January 18 in New York State’s Catskill Mountains.
While the modern Olympic Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with target shooting using lightweight rifles, the primitive biathlon couples an 18th-century frontiersman’s skills in using wooden snowshoes and his marksmanship utilizing a muzzle-loading black powder rifle.

By Julia Green
“It’s funny, on paper we’re not that young,” said Head Coach Jeff Rhone of his Andes girls’ varsity basketball team. “But in terms of experience, we’re very young.”
In terms of numbers, however, Rhone has the biggest squad he’s had at Andes, with a roster of 14. Five players from last year’s squad return, three of whom were starters for the Mountaineers, who won three games last year.