Close, but no cigar

Basketball team endures many near-wins Goshen — Lighting up the “victory cigar” for the Goshen Boys’ Gladiator Class A basketball team has not been easy this year. The Gladiators have played beyond the midpoint of the season and have amassed a record of 3 wins and 9 losses, with 8 games remaining on the schedule. The team has been competitive in all its games and has provided great entertainment for the Goshen faithful, but that has done little to comfort the pain of numerous close losses. The Gladiators have been leading or are close in all their contests heading into the fourth quarter, but poor shot selection and an inability to combat taller teams on the boards has spelled difficulty for them. Goshen defeated Florida 64-61 in the opening round of the Florida tournament but then lost to O’Neill in the championship game 64-58. They traveled to New Paltz and chalked up a 55-52 victory. Unfortunately the team then went on a five-game losing streak. They lost to class AA opponent Warwick at home, 62-57. Pine Bush, another AA opponent, knocked off the Gladiators 67-61. Goshen then faced James I. O’Neill High School for an opportunity to avenge their earlier loss in the Florida tournament, but the Gladiators were flat and had their most lopsided loss of the season, falling 61-46. A much-welcomed winter recess gave the team a chance to lick its wounds and regroup. The Gladiators had two scrimmages over the break to stay sharp heading into January. But the new year did not bring any additional good fortune for the team as it dropped a 60-57 decision to another AA opponent, Minisink. The Gladiators then began league play at Cornwall and lost a hard fought 37-31 defensive battle. They got back in the win column traveling to Liberty and notched a 63-44 victory in a game that allowed Coach Guameiri to give much deserved playing time to several players that had not seen much court action. The toughest loss of the season was easily the next contest at Monticello. In their second league game the team played with tremendous heart and desire in an environment that has not produced many victories for traveling teams. With the score tied at 70, and Monticello in possession of the ball with ten seconds remaining, the Montis took a 73-70 lead on a desperation 3-pointer. Three seconds remained on the clock following a Goshen time-out. The Gladiators in-bounded the ball to their point guard, Jerell Lucas, who maneuvered past several defenders and knocked down a 3-pointer from 10 feet beyond the arc to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Monticello prevailed in the extra period, however, holding on to defeat the Gladiators 84-80. The Gladiators then entertained Washingtonville, another AA opponent who recently was ranked the top team in the area by The Times Herald Record. The Gladiators led at the half 33-31 and were tied after three quarters at 48 all. But the Achilles Heal for the team all year long has been its poor shot selection at crucial times of the game, settling for 3-point attempts early in their possessions, and this game was no different. Goshen was outscored in the fourth quarter 18-7 and had to come away with another moral victory, saying they played well against another good team, keeping the score close, but could not get over the top at crunch time. The final score was 66-55. The last game the team played at this point was another thriller, a heartbreaking triple-overtime 64-57 loss to Port Jervis at home. Suffering so many tough defeats can take its toll on a team, but to their credit spirits remain high amongst the players and the coach. The following is a summary of the point spreads of the teams 9 losses: 6, 5, 6, 15, 3, 6, 4. 11, and 7. The Gladiators’ next contest is Friday, Jan. 27, against Burke Catholic at 7:45 p.m. on the Orange County Community College Campus.