NISKAYUNA - JJ Osinski and Austin Osinski took turns handling the bulk of the scoring for Christian Brothers Academy Tuesday evening and the team's other three starters, JT Vogel, Amare Coffil, and Jack Hulett-who comprised three-quarters of the football team's starting secondary during the fall-delivered lockdown defense to secure a hard-fought 65-54 road victory.
In a Suburban Council contest featuring two squads with legitimate postseason aspirations, Niskayuna (12-6 overall, 8-4 league) never led and fought to climb within 55-52. The next two offensive possessions resulted in a missed 3-pointer and a failed layup conversion. Overall, the Brothers (17-0, 12-0) limited Niskayuna to 9 of 24 shooting in the second half.
"The whole thing with us now is we're a defensive-first team," said Vogel, a junior who earned Times Union Large School Defensive Player of the Year honors for his work playing safety. "We think if they can't score many points, they are not going to win, especially with me, [Coffil] and Jack out there. We are going to be super physical on the ball and not let them breathe."
"That athleticism and ball pressure really is key for us," JJ Osinski said. "They make everything difficult. No easy baskets."
"It is pretty clear that CBA made a commitment during the offseason to the defense. For them, it is a difference-maker because of all those athletes. They are tough, physical kids," Niskayuna coach Mike Grasso said. "You have to give them a ton of credit and (CBA coach Galal) Cancer a ton of credit for getting his kids ready. We were ready for it. We battled."
CBA, ranked No. 6 in the Class AAA state poll, led 27-24 at halftime. The Brothers extended their lead to 44-35 through three quarters. Niskayuna senior guard Jake McDonald drained five 3-pointers, including a trio of treys in the fourth quarter, to help trim the deficit to three points.
"Jake was huge. That is the expectation level for Jake," Grasso said. "When you get your opportunity, you have to make the most of it. Brady was drawing two and doing a great job of finding Jake."
"He's a great shooter. We can't let him get them off like that, but we are always going to come back to our principles and do what we do," Vogel said.
Niskayuna missed eight straight shots until Poem Staten scored at the buzzer. Brady Olsen, who led Niskayuna with 15 points, collected his second technical with 19.9 seconds left to be disqualified and Grasso was also ejected.
"We have a lot to build on, except for the end of the game obviously," Grasso said.
Key moment
After Niskayuna missed on its two chances to trim the deficit down from three points in the fourth, Coffil, who, along with Vogel, chipped in eight points, scored on a drive down the lane to make it 57-52 CBA. After that, the Brothers made 8 of 9 foul shots in the final 31.8 seconds.
Star of the game
JJ Osinski was limited to five points on 2-for-8 shooting in the first half. The 6-foot-5 junior standout, the program's all-time scoring leader, pumped in 13 points in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 22 points.
"It is just our energy coming out in that second half that made the difference. We started out a little slow," he said. "That really helped carry things over to the second half and get us the win."
Numbers to know
20: Points scored by Austin Osinski, with eight coming in the fourth quarter.
16: Turnovers Niskayuna ended up with, starting with six in the first quarter.
5: Turnovers committed by CBA for the game, including just one over the final three quarters.
What's next
CBA: The next challenge for the Brothers arrives Friday with a league game at Bethlehem.
Niskayuna: The Suburban Council schedule continues Friday at Columbia.
This article originally published at CBA's defense helps lock up another Suburban Council boys' basketball victory.