Olsen Hangs 41, Nisky Holds Off Guilderland

December 3, 2019

Niskayuna 78, Guilderland 66

After a couple forced days off with a couple feet of snow getting dropped across the Capital District, it was back to business on Tuesday night, as the Suburban Council schedule began with a light slate of games. Those that walked into the Guilderland gym saw a game that would've made a D'Antoni smile. In an uptempo, shot clock optional battle that saw ten lead changes, a pair of 2nd half runs gave Niskayuna the lead and then put it away for good as they ran to a victory to go 2-0 on the young season.

The game featured a player on each side with Division I offers in hand, and they didn't disappoint. It started with a short ceremony for Valencia Fontenelle-Posson (Guilderland 2021) in recognition for her scoring her 1,000th point in their final game last winter, and she started the game on a tear, scoring 12 points in the opening quarter. It was matched by Niskayuna standout 2021 Olivia Olsen, who had 10 in the first 8 minutes, helping them get out to a 20-17 lead. Guilderland took the lead back in the 2nd quarter, going on a 16-3 run dating back to the end of the 1st - 12 coming from Graycen Dubin (Guilderland 2020) - to grab their largest lead of the night at 30-23. An 8-0 run in response from Nisky capped with a pair of Ryleigh Endres (Niskayuna 2022) free throws gave them the lead again briefly, but another 7-1 Guilderland spurt - ending with a Fontenelle-Posson trey, her 19th point of the half - gave them a 37-34 lead going into intermission.

Olivia Olsen went off for 41 points in Niskayuna's victory Tuesday.

The 3rd quarter continued with the same back & forth action as the 1st half displayed, but the visitors quickly made their mark. After a Dubin bucket gave Guilderland a 41-38 lead, Nisky went on an 11-0 run over 2 minutes of action, with an Olsen three-point play capping it to give them a 49-41 lead. Compounding Guilderland's problems, Dubin picked up her 4th & 5th fouls in the later stages of the 3rd quarter, fouling out with 1:43 left in the stanza. Nisky stretched their 9 point lead after 3 quarters up to 14 twice early in the 4th, on a Natalie Prian (Niskayuna 2020) three and then again after another Olsen bucket, but Guilderland had one more push. A 10-2 push in the middle of the 4th, 5 coming from Fontenelle-Posson, cut their deficit to 68-63, but they would get no closer. A 10-0 Nisky run - the first 9 coming once again from Olsen - gave the visitors a 15 point lead in the final minute, putting it away for good.

Olivia Olsen had a monster night, going off for a game high 41 points in the victory for Niskayuna. Natalie Prian joined her in double digits, finishing with 14. On Guilderland's end, Valencia Fontenelle-Posson went off for 33 points, 19 in the 1st half & another 12 that came in the 4th quarter. Graycen Dubin added 14 points, including 12 in the 1st half run that gave her squad their largest lead.

Valencia Fontenelle-Posson dropped 33, 19 coming in an electric 1st half, on Tuesday.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- It's always nice to see a Division I prospect on each side of the court. On this occasion, they both put forth a great effort leading to an entertaining battle. Olivia Olsen was athletically dominant & controlled the game from 15 feet & in. Valencia Fontenelle-Posson was electric in the 1st half, showing the ability to score at all three levels, and brought her trademark high motor. 41 for Liv, 33 for VFP. They helped make this one worth the price of admission, and at the end of the day, their performances are what I'll remember about this game.

- Speaking of Liv Olsen, it's amazing to see her development over the last couple years. She's went from an athletic youngster with upside to one of the most (if not the most) dominant player in Section 2. Not only is she physically and athletically dominant at 6'2" with length & unmatched bounce in this area, her overall skill level has drastically improved and there's a particular smoothness to her game. On several occasions, she made tough catches look easy and showed good body control finishing through contact & around defenders. Along with scoring around the rim, she hit a runner off glass in transition and shot well from the free throw line (11/14). Defensively, Liv deterred her opponents from trying to score around the rim with her ability to block shots - at one point, emphatically smacking one off the glass in a way that you don't even see much in boys' games. From youngster with upside to several Division I offers on the table with the list only growing... when watching her, it doesn't take long to see why.

- The change of momentum that gave Nisky the edge they needed came when they went box & 1 on VFP to start the 2nd half. It certainly isn't that Guilderland was stymied offensively in the last 16 minutes - they still scored 29 after halftime - but the few minutes that it took for them to adjust, a period where they went stagnant on offense, was enough time for Nisky to take advantage and force their opponents to play from behind for the rest of the night. Couple that with them doing a better job handling Guilderland's pressure after halftime - partially because foul trouble kept the Dutch from being as aggressive defensively - and it was too much for the hosts to overcome.

Natalie Prian provided a solid perimeter scoring punch for Niskayuna, finishing with 14 points in the win.

- Speaking of foul trouble... if we're playing 'by the numbers', then 15 is the +/- total for Niskayuna at the free throw line. They went 22/37 from the charity stripe, Guilderland went 7/9. The discrepancy will happen with their difference of styles, but the difference at the line certainly was a factor in the result.

- They may have been on the losing end, but the game was played to Guilderland's pace throughout. If you want to watch uptempo, fast-paced hoops, check them out this winter. The shot clock operator is expendable goods when they're in town!