STOCKBRIDGE, N.Y. – It’s been tough sledding for Stockbridge Valley against Central Counties League rival Madison over the past several years.
Prior to this season, Madison held a 12 game winning streak dating back to 2012 over their old nemesis.
In December, Rob Renner’s Cougars ended the losing skid with a tightly contested, 51-48 win.
On Friday, needing a win to keep their sectional hopes in reach, the Cougars completed the season sweep in convincing fashion, topping the Blue Devils 60-42 in a wire-to-wire victory in front of an electric crowd on senior night.
Senior forward Wyatt Becker netted a game-high 18 points to lead the Cougars and all scorers.
“He’s unbelievable…He has come so far. He has never given up, and he has worked his butt off,” Renner said of Becker’s performance, smiling when he recalled the Stockbridge senior in grade school. “I coached him in 6th grade, and the kid couldn’t walk across the gym floor without falling down. He’s come so far, and I am so proud of him. I’m glad he had a good night along with all the rest of the guys.”
Fellow seniors Andrew Wilson, 15, and Kaleb Jones joined Becker in double figures.
“It was everything to beat them. Just with the fans that were here, the energy was really high. Finally being able to sweep a season series against Madison, it was everything,” said Becker. “We still have to qualify for sectionals. We have to take the energy we had tonight and keep pushing it forward to the next game and the next game, and hopefully, we wind up in sectionals with a higher seed.”
“Oh, [the atmosphere] was amazing. Everyone that came out, all the cheering, all the signs, all the posters and everything. It just made the night that much better and brought it all out of us to beat Madison,” added Wilson.
Eamonn Shields paced Madison with 15 points. Jacob Vedder followed with 11.
Wilson got things going for the hosts with a corner three to open the contest as the two teams traded baskets early on. Midway through the first, Stockbridge began to separate from the visitors. Becker followed back-to-back 3-pointers from Jones and Leo Jayson with a contorting move in the paint to give the Cougars a 17-7 lead and prompt a Madison timeout with 1:44 left in the first.
“We have been working really hard on outside shooting. We’ve been running a couple of drills in practice to be ready to shoot all the time,” Renner said of the Cougars’ offensive success. “We had a lot of guys hit some bigs shots, some big threes tonight so it defintely helps.”
Madison cut the Stockbridge lead to 17-12 in the final minute of the quarter on a Vedder midrange shot, but Becker had the answer for Stockbridge to close the first with a 19-12 lead.
In the second, with Stockbridge up 27-14 after a coast-to-coast layup by Becker, Madison scored seven unanswered points, capped by a Shane Bingel jumper to pull within six at 27-21, but Stockbridge again had the final say in the frame, netting the last hoop for a 29-21 lead at the intermission.
Stockbridge came out of the break firing, scoring the first nine points of the third. Becker started things off with a tough make in the paint, absorbing a foul on the way up. Jones followed with a midrange jumper, and Archie Linnaberry sunk a shot from beyond the arc for a 36-21 lead. Jones added a baseline make before Vedder broke up the run with an offensive board and putback for Madison.
Madison hung with Stockbridge though, going on a 8-2 run to trim the hosts’ lead to 11 at 40-29 with under two minutes remaining in the third. Once again, Stockbridge had the final word in the period when Jones fed Logan Godaire for a hoop and a 3-41 Cougar lead heading into the final quarter of action.
The fourth quarter belonged to Stockbridge. The hosts outscored Madison 17-11 to close out the tilt, buoyed by back-to-back corner treys from Wilson to take a 57-37 lead midway through the quarter before both teams turned to their bench.
“Just getting open and not being afraid to shoot,” said Wilson of his success from beyond the arc.
With the 60-41 win, Stockbridge improves to 4-10 on the season with a 4-5 mark in league play. With three league contests left on the calendar, Renner’s side needs to win one out of three to qualify for the postseason.
Madison falls to to 2-11 on the year and 2-6 in league play.
Stockbridge Valley 60, Madison 42
at Stockbridge
Mad 12 9 10 11 – 42
SV 19 10 14 17 – 60
Mad: Eric Eaton 5, Eamonn Shields 15, Jacob Vedder 11, James Staelens 2, Jordan Ferguson 2, Josh Niedhart 1, Shane Bingel 6.
SV: Kaleb Jones 11, Logan Godaire 4, Andrew Wilson 15, Wyatt Becker 18, Leo Jayson 4, Archie Linnaberry 8.
![By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer) The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge […]](https://www.oneidadispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Education_Title_IX_Sexual_Assault_64289.jpg?w=525 "By COLLIN BINKLEY (AP Education Writer) The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge […]")
