Plainsmen take tournament opener in rout

Albany

A few defensive stops by Shenendehowa in the second quarter, coupled with an offensive outburst from the Plainsmen, left the Maspeth boys' basketball team looking around for answers Saturday afternoon. A competitive contest quickly turned one-sided in the opening game of the Albany Academy Showcase.

Shenendehowa tallied 50 points in the opening half, and the biggest mystery after intermission revolved around whether or not the Plainsmen would hit the century mark. They got close, but settled for a dominant 96-57 victory over the Argonauts.

Shenendehowa (15-2), ranked No. 13 in the Class AA state poll, built the lead as high as 43 points during the fourth quarter as it prepped for Tuesday's Suburban Council showdown against Saratoga by having 10 players score Saturday.

"The guys did a good job and came out with a lot of intensity," Shenendehowa coach Tony Dzikas said. "We are just trying to work on getting better every game. We have a lot of guys that can step on the floor that can have an impact: getting a loose ball, hitting an open shot or grabbing a round. It can (be) one or two minutes, but it can add value."

Shenendehowa used a balanced attack that featured five players reaching double digits. One of two players to reach team-high honors was junior reserve guard Landon Spiak, who tallied 10 of his 16 points during the second quarter.

"We've had several guys do that," Dzikas said. "Against West (Genesee), Will Shea came in. The offense was anemic, but he came in and hit three 3s. That is our superpower, guys that come in that aren't the first four or five guys on the scouting report — they may be seventh or eighth on the scouting report — and they have an impact on the game."

Spiak drained four 3-pointers, including two in the second quarter.

"A lot of...