TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Back on Jan. 26, the Green Tech basketball team lost to Shaker, and was largely overlooked in the Class AAA landscape – sitting at just 9-6. Well the Soaring Eagles have not lost a game since then, and are garnering the recognition they deserve, especially now that they’ve landed in the state semifinals.
For the third straight year, Green Tech drew Section III’s Liverpool in the regional round of the state tournament. The two sides split the first two matchups – Green Tech took the 2022 meeting before Liverpool emerged victorious last year – but Saturday afternoon’s rubber match belonged to the Eagles, who outlasted the Warriors in a defensive battle, winning 55-49.
On a day where points were at a premium and fouls were plentiful, Green Tech turned to a number of different sources for offense down the stretch of a decisive fourth quarter.
With the scoreboard all even at 37 heading into the final stanza, the scoring began with a Haisi Mayben free throw to put the Eagles in front. Two possessions later, Mayben assisted sophomore Indavier Barnes on a corner three-pointer that extended Green Tech’s lead to 41-37.
Following four straight points from Liverpool’s Kaelem Haskins, Green Tech junior guard Ramere Brown poured in a trey ball from the top of the key, reclaiming the Eagles a 44-41 edge. Mayben then made it a two-possession game at the 2:22 mark on a spinning, baseline bank shot.
After Green Tech grew the margin to five with under one minute remaining, Barnes dropped in the dagger – a corner triple that gave the Eagles an eight-point cushion, which Liverpool was unable to come back from.
Brown and Barnes matched each other for a team-best 13 points, while Mayben contributed 12. Green Tech showcased its tremendous depth, overcoming 24 team fouls and disqualifications to key contributors Jasai Eason and Olivan Owens. Eight different Eagles found their way into the scoring column.
Green Tech (18-6) will return to Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls – where it claimed a third straight section title last weekend – to fight for a spot in the Class AAA state championship game. The Eagles await Section I’s Kingston in the semifinals, a team they beat handily, 83-66, back on Feb. 8.
That game will tip off Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m.
