GLENS FALLS — The members of the Troy High boys’ basketball roster heard the rumblings when the Section II Class A seedings were released wondering how the Flying Horses could be seeded third with a 10-10 record. Before that, the Flying Horses also endured hearing they would not accomplish much this season after the best player on the 2021-22 squad was released from the team.
Saturday, Amsterdam further fueled doubt Troy could capture a title as the Rams built a 17-point lead late in the second quarter of the Class A final at Cool Insuring Arena. The Flying Horses not only rebounded to force overtime, they handled foul trouble and reached a second overtime. Once there, junior Terrance Clark and eighth-grader Stetson Merritt got the Flying Horses to the finish line first for the championship as they stunned top-seeded Amsterdam 72-68.
“This means everything. We had a lot of ups and downs this season, so to win it means everything,” Clark said.
“I knew once we got it that close, we were taking the game over,” said Merritt, who claimed tournament Most Valuable Player plaudits after producing 23 points in the final. “They let us back in the game. We came too far, so we had to just finish it.”
Troy’s title triumph certainly was a stunning turn of events for the Rams (21-2), a program seeking their first sectional title since 1995. Amsterdam placed five players in double digit points as senior guard Ceasar Thompson (17 points, five rebounds) and Jhai Vellon (14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists), both all-tourney selections, led the way.
The Flying Horses led 58-56 with 13.3 seconds left. Following a timeout, Vellon, the football team’s star quarterback, delivered a perfect feed to Thompson, his favorite receiver. Thompson converted the pass to force overtime.
In the first of two four-minute OT sessions, Amsterdam led 64-62 until Troy’s Mike…
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