GLENS FALLS — Daniel Smalls got a bearhug in the third quarter at Cool Insuring Arena on Wednesday night, and not from his teammates.
That would come later.
Bethlehem put the clamps on Niskayuna’s star guard with smothering, rim-denying defense, but Smalls finally made the drive that mattered most, a lefty bank shot from a difficult angle while drawing a foul.
The junior guard’s momentum carried him all the way to a group of boisterous Niskayuna students behind a steel barrier, and after he exchanged some palm slaps, he made the free throw for a 45-37 lead late in the game on the way to a 50-44 victory in the Section 2 Class AA boys’ basketball semifinals.
No. 1 seed Niskayuna (17-5), the defending Class AA champ, moves on to the title game at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon at Hudson Valley Community College against Thursday’s semi winner between No. 2 La Salle and No. 3 Troy.
“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations, and that’s what he did,” Niskayuna senior Garrett Gillooley said. “He thrives on those, and he’s a clutch player.”
Smalls scored 26 points, and Ethan Gilson scored 12 for Niskayuna, while Bethlehem was led by Joseph Whiting with 17 points, followed by Kieran Barnes with 10.
For most of the night, the Eagles thwarted Niskayuna’s attempts not only to get its transition game going, but Smalls’ attempts to find driving lanes and good looks at the basket.
At one point early in the third quarter, Bethlehem was even whistled for an intentional foul when two Eagles grabbed Smalls to the right of the lane, not even close to the basket.
Niskayuna had a 37-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter and gained some momentum when Brady Olsen dunked on the fast break for a 40-35 lead, just Niskayuna’s second basket in transition all night.
Smalls went to work from there, scoring Niskayuna’s final 10 points, including the lefty drive for a 45-37 lead with 1:35 left.
“I was just talking to my boy Cam Grasso in there about that,” Smalls said, referring to Niskayuna’s star wide receiver who is the son of boys’ basketball head coach Mike Grasso. “He said that was my best play of my career. It might’ve been.
“Those big guys might’ve blocked a couple of my shots early on. They’re big, so you know you have to extend it with the left. I work on that all the time, and it’s great to incorporate that into the game.”
“We play them every year, and we know what to expect,” Mike Grasso said, of Bethlehem’s physical play.
The game was tied 27-27 at halftime, in part because Whiting, the tallest player on the floor, presented a matchup problem both inside and on the perimeter, where he made three 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the half.
Niskayuna held him to three points in the second, Gillooley setting the tone by drawing a charge on Whiting to start the fourth quarter.
“I didn’t have the greatest first half on him, and my teammates stepped up and helped me out,” Gillooley said. “But in the fourth quarter, I needed to step up. I’ve taken charges all year. I don’t care if I get beat up down low as long as we get the win.”
“Ultimately, it came down to our rebounding,” Smalls said. “Garrett, Poem [Staten], Brady did a great job. Really, it was our defending and rebounding. Our offense wasn’t necessarily the best it’s been, but our defense and rebounding kept us in the game.”
“Brady did a great job defensively on Kieran Barnes,” Grasso said. “We know how good he is.”
Bethlehem hit a 3 at the buzzer to produce the final score, after Smalls had made five straight free throws for a 50-41 lead.
Smalls and Gillooley said Niskayuna is banking on its experience from last year’s sectional run.
That can come in handy when you’re in a tight game against a feisty opponent.
“I’m not focused on the outside noise, the score, all those things,” Smalls said. “Our team is like that. We’re not going to get flustered by the noise. If we’re down, if we’re not going on runs, stay persevering and go towards our goal.”
“We know what it takes, and we have what it takes,” Gillooley said. “We have the obsession. They say you can have all the talent, but do you have the obsession? We have it.”
