The Glens Falls Bowling Team has had a successful season, having won both the Foothills League and the Foothills Tournament with a season record of 60-12 match points. Glens Falls junior Jocelyn Smith will be heading to the State Bowling Tournament in Syracuse, New York, over the weekend of March 10th through the 12th.

New Head Coach Autumn Reichelt is a middle school PE teacher; it is her first year teaching and first year coaching. She found her starting team was welcoming and had a strong team dynamic: “The (coaching) spot opened up and I talked to my athletic director about it. They had their first match the next day. So, the first time I met the team was before we got on the bus to go to the match. It was challenging, especially on the first day figuring out the scoring and figuring out who everyone was and who they should be paired with. For example in our first match one of the players wasn’t there; So I didn’t know who to bring up. I didn’t know the stats or have a rooster, or knowledge of how each individual bowled or how they bowled with each other. That was a big thing” Coach Reichelt said.

She credits Jocelyn Smith’s natural leadership skills as key to helping her learn the scoring and the team roster: “The team dynamic is important in bowling. Teammates match up depending on their style and how they break down a lane” Jocelyn said. 

Jocelyn has been competing on the varsity level since she was in 7th grade, and has been bowling since she was about seven or eight years old. She was introduced to the sport by her dad, and Coach Reichelt credits Jocelyn’s dad – Jamie Smith – with being the unsung hero of the team: “Before I took over, he was the one who really stepped up and really helped with the kids… (He) definitely helped me learn a lot” Coach Reichelt said.

Jocelyn is looking forward to the State Tournament, and also enjoying the success she has had this season; she has earned her second sanctioned 300 game this season, and reached the milestone of her first 800 series as well. 

“What usually happens is when school bowling starts, I start bowling seven days a week and I get better as that goes on. I shot my second sanctioned 300 and my first 800–800 series for 3 games. It was a huge milestone” Jocelyn said. 

After the regular season, Jocelyn competed in the Section II All Girls Composite, where she came in first place… And now, her next milestone is to compete in the State. She will be coached by Coach Bertrand, who coaches for the Cohoes team. There are three practices before the competition in Syracuse.

Jocelyn has qualified for states the last three years: “The first year there wasn’t a tournament because that was the shutdown year, and again in ninth grade there weren’t even sectionals. And last year I went to the State”  Jocelyn said.

 Jocelyn feels that the experience of having been to the State Tournament before will help her this year: “It’s going to be a lot better because I’ve been there. I have experience with travel and the hotel and being on my own… And bowling brings another level of emotion” she said. 

Jocelyn is preparing her strategy on what type of bowling balls to use for the tournament: “I always use the same weight and brand. But, I use different cores and different cover stock” she explained.

As Jocelyn focuses on States, Coach Reichelt is excited to have her team honored in the gym with their first banner: “We will be getting a banner. We have never had a bowling banner in the high school gym before. So this is the first year that Glens Falls has won the league in general for Foothills, and the Foothills tournament. Which is a day tournament. That’s the biggest thing that I’m excited for and I hope to be with the team for a long time to come” Coach Reichelt said.

Jocelyn Smith will be competing in the State Tournament March 10th through 12th, at the AMF Strike-N-Spare lanes in Syracuse, NY.

Queensbury 70, Broadalbin-Perth 35 – in the Foothills Council Showcase at Albany’s Washington Avenue Armory, the Queensbury varsity girls basketball team gave head coach Megan Bethel her 150th victory. 

The Spartans got out to a great start, leading 19-4 over Broadalbin-Perth after the first quarter of play. Kendra Ballard led the Spartans with a career-high 22 points. Shea Canavan contributed 20 points and had eight assists. Marcie Perry led the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots with 10 points, and Camille Calderone added 9 points. 

The Spartans finished the season in first place in Section 2 Foothills, with a league record of 12-1 and  13-7 overall.

The Section 2 postseason tournament brackets will be released on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. 

Saratoga 57, Queensbury 46 – The Blue Streaks snapped the Spartans’ four-game winning streak with a 57-46 victory at Queensbury’s home gym. Saratoga improved to 13-6 on the year. Carly Wise scored 12 of her game high 22 points in the first half, as Natasha Chudy scored 16 points while battling foul trouble. Chudy had an outstanding defensive game for the Blue Streaks, and contributed timely assists. Ella Gennoy scored 10 points for Saratoga Springs. 

For the Spartans, Shea Canavan scored 16 points and Dyllan Ray scored 15 points. Aislynn Dixon had five assists, and Kaitlyn Barton had seven rebounds. The Spartans put up a good fight, trailing 42-34 with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter; Queensbury went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 42. The Blue Streaks responded with an 11-0 streak of their own over four minutes of play. 

The Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks will finish up their regular season this Friday, at Ballston Spa at 6:00 PM. The Queensbury Spartans will attend the Foothills Council Showcase at Albany’s Washington Avenue Armory, and face Broadalbin-Perth at 1:00 PM on Sunday.

Queensbury (12-6 overall, 12-1 Section 2 Foothills) scored 42, South Glens Falls (15-3 overall, 11-1 Section 2 Foothills) scored 15; the Queensbury girls basketball team captured their fourth consecutive Foothills Council Championship with a win over visiting South Glens Falls. The Spartans came out strong with both offense and defense in the first quarter of play, forcing 12 turnovers and out-scoring the Bulldogs 15 to 0.

For the Spartans, Shea Canavan had 12 points and five steals. Kendra Ballard earned her second consecutive double-double, with 11 points and a season high 14 rebounds, along with five steals. Dyllan Ray contributed 11 points and eight rebounds. The South Glens Falls Bulldogs were led by #2 J. Wolf, who scored four points. 

The Spartans were looking forward to this matchup, because on December 12th, the Bulldogs had handed the Spartans their only Foothills council loss. This Foothills Council title is # 11 for the Spartans, which ties them with Glens Falls for the most in league history! The Spartans have shown success under the coaching of Megan Bethel, having won six titles under her leadership… 

However, the Spartans aren’t done yet! On Wednesday night, they face Saratoga Springs; then, it’s on to the Foothills Council Showcase at Albany’s Washington Avenue Armory. The Spartans will face Broadalbin-Perth at 1:00 PM on Sunday.

Unified Bowling was added to the sports line-up for Glens Falls High School, and they captured the Foothills Council Championship. The Championship was held at Kingpin’s Alley in South Glens Falls. 10 schools participated in the tournament, and Glens Falls rolled a six-game series: 6,006 to edge out Hudson Falls’ 5,842 in second place, and Amsterdam’s 5,842 in third place. 

In bowling, each game has 10 frames, with a maximum possible overall score of 300. The Glens Falls Co-Ed Varsity team committed to three practices or matches a week for the season, which included five matches against area schools. Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center – which is the home bowling alley for the Glens Falls team – is owned by Doug and Alison Bohannon. They have owned the bowling alley since 2013, and the venue features birthday parties, group events, casual open bowling times, and competitive league play.

Queensbury 63, Hudson Falls 38 – The Queensbury Girls Basketball team celebrated Senior Night with a decisive victory over Hudson Falls. Seniors Kendra Ballard, Aislynn Dixon, and Liz Rowley led the team to victory over visiting Hudson Falls. 

Ballard had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with a season high of eight steals. Dixon had four assists, and scored 16 points, shooting 6-of-9 on the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the three point line. Rowley matched a career high of eight rebounds. 

The Spartans had some help from Junior Dyllan Ray, who added 10 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists. Sophomore Shea Canavan had nine points, and a career high eight assists. 

Hudson Falls was led by Williamson, who scored 21 points. Queensbury held Hudson Falls to three points in the first quarter of play. 

A a result of this game, Queensbury – 11-6 overall – improved to 11-1 in the Foothills Council.

The Spartans will soon host South Glens Falls, who are 12-0 in the Foothills Council… South Glens Falls beat Queensbury back on December 12, with a score of 37-30. This much anticipated rematch will be at Queensbury High School on Monday, February 6 – tipoff at 7:00 PM.  

Queensbury 57, Glens Falls 22 – Queensbury Girls Varsity came out strong with 20 points, before Glens Falls sank a free throw to get on the board with 1:21 remaining in the first quarter.

Shea Canavan delivered 22 points, eight steals, and six rebounds. Kendra Ballard scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. Dyllan Ray scored eight points, had six rebounds, and five steals. Aislynn Dixon tied a career high six assists – five of which occurred in the first quarter. 

Spartans have been featuring impressive defense, holding the last two teams that they have played scoreless for over 32 consecutive minutes of play! The Spartans have now climbed to 10-6 overall, and 10-1 in Foothills Council.

Next up, Queensbury will host Hudson Falls for Senior Night on Thursday, February 2nd – tip-off is at 7:00 PM.

Queensbury 66, Johnstown 4: the Queensbury Girls Basketball team held visiting Johnstown to just 4 points on Thursday night. The Spartans easily took the victory in their 15th game of the season. 

Dyllan Ray recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists. Kendra Ballard scored a season high of 14 points. Kayla Zehr posted 9 points and 5 rebounds, while Liz Rowey & Caleigh Johnson each scored 8 points, and had 4 rebounds apiece. Shea Canavan had 5 assists, and Kaitlyn Barton had 4 assists for the win. 

Two players scored in the opening quarter of the game for Johnstown: J. Hisert, and M. Kortz. Then, Johnstown was held scoreless for the remaining three quarters of play! Queensbury is currently ranked 21st in the Section 2 High School Girls Basketball Rankings, and improved their record to 9-1 in the Foothills Council – and 9-6 overall.  

Next up, the Spartans will travel to face Glens Falls (6-7 overall, 2-6 foothills council) on Monday,  January 30th – tip-off at 7:00 PM.