By Rob Centorani

Staff Writer

High school boys basketball coaches in New York often refer to it as "The Mecca."

But for Sidney’s Class B state semifinal opponent at 1:30 p.m. Friday, the Glens Falls Civic Center is more like a home away from home.

On Friday, Section Two champion Schenectady Christian (25-1) will play its fifth game of the season in the arena that annually hosts the state’s final-four rounds.

"It’s such a great venue to play in," said Falcons coach Chad Bowman, whose team will make its first state-semifinal appearance. "It’s nice being comfortable with that surface, but the bottom line is that’s not going to get us points, defend or rebound. We could play outdoors and that wouldn’t make a difference with any of those things."

Conversely, the last time Sidney (22-2) played at Glens Falls _ a 70-43 state semifinal loss to Buffalo Traditional in 2000 _ its current all-senior starting five was in fifth grade.

"The whole team is just real excited about going up to Glens Falls," Sidney forward Darrin Martindale said. "Expectations run real high, emotions run real high."

The winner of Friday’s game will play Section Five’s Campbell-Savona (23-1), the defending Class C state champion, or Section Eight’s Friends Academy (14-7) in the championship at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. C-S and Friends play their semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday.

Schenectady Christian, a school founded in 1976 that earned entrance into Section Two 10 years ago, has about 300 students in grades K-12 and graduates about 25-30 per year, Bowman said.[an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive]It would appear many of those students are well-schooled in the art of shooting three-pointers. The Falcons have made 148 threes this season, including 65 from junior guard Bryan Bishop, 35 from senior guard Jared Kulbako and 33 from leading scorer Jake Bowman, the coach’s son.

Bishop’s 65 threes are seven fewer than the entire Sidney team.

"Bryan is an outstanding shooter and Jared, Jake and (sophomore point guard) Kelsey (Collins) are all ready to shoot as well," said coach Bowman, whose team has won 23 straight since a 63-53 loss at Duanesburg on Dec. 15.

Should Sidney’s man-to-man defense get too close to those shooters, Bowman said, all of them are capable of putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket.

"That’s the beauty of being a good shooter _ you can attack the close-outs," he said. "Our players are ready to put the ball on the floor."

Jake Bowman, a 6-foot-2 junior, averages 19.5 points. Senior Matt McCarty, a 6-2 post player, is next at 18.6. Bishop and Kulbako average 11.1 and 9.4 points, respectively.

Bishop hit six three-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points in the Falcons’ 60-50 Class C state quarterfinal victory over Section Seven’s Seton Catholic last Saturday.

Sidney coach Mike Brazee, whose team has won 15 straight, said he hasn’t seen SC play this season.

"The one kid (Bishop) has 65 threes and not having seen them play, if he plays guard, that’s probably an assignment for Andy (Foote). But if he’s not that quick, that may be an assignment for (Troy) Hawley," said Brazee, looking for his second state title as Sidney’s coach _ he steered the Warriors to a 1998 Class C championship with a 63-47 victory over Watervliet. "They do have a decent inside kid (McCarty), maybe 6-2, about the size of Darrin. He moves his feet pretty well.

"Until we see them or get a little more information," he continued, "those two appear to be their primary scorers."

Sidney will try to counter the Falcons’ shooters with balance.

Foote’s plays the point and doubles as the team’s best perimeter defender. Parker Umbra has hit 29 three-pointers and is also an athletic defender. Brett Pendorf, a 6-0 forward, is a slasher, Hawley is the team’s best post defender, and Martindale is the team’s top rebounder and scorer.

"This year, us five seniors all have our own special talents," said Martindale, who averages 16.4 points and 9.5 rebounds. "It just came together in a picture-perfect puzzle."

Added Foote: "I think this is the best team I’ve ever been on, because we have five guys who don’t want to lose just as much as me. This is our last year for the five seniors, so we know this could be our last game. We just want to play all four quarters with a lot of heart."

Foote averages 11.6 points. Pendorf, who is Martindale’s cousin, and Umbra average 9.2 and 8.7 points, respectively.

"Obviously, they’re an experienced starting five and they’ve played together a long time," Bowman said. "They have excellent balance and they don’t have any glaring weaknesses. There’s not one clear area you can attack."

Bowman said he was especially impressed with Martindale and Foote, who combined for 41 points in Sidney’s 65-54 victory over LaFayette in last Saturday’s Class C state quarterfinal at Oneonta State.

"(Martindale) has a great motor," he said. "I love the way he goes after the basketball. He also plays with an edge and I like that. Foote is a very composed player. He plays with an even keel and seems to make plays when they need them.

"It’s just you want from your senior leaders."

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Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.