By Rob Centorani

Staff Writer

GLENS FALLS _ They turned a competitive atmosphere into a coronation and in doing so, made a state finalist look like a garden variety Midstate Athletic Conference team.

This was the exclamation point, a performance at the Glens Falls Civic Center that left no doubt that Sidney is the best basketball team in Class C, period.

Sidney’s Andy Foote, left, and Darrin Martindale battle for possession with Friends Academy’s Josh Jacobson in the third quarter of Saturday night’s Class C state championship game at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Friends retained possession after the play ended in a jump ball. More photos from Sidney’s state championship victory on Page 16

The Warriors made it look stunningly easy in Saturday night’s Class C final, routing Friends Academy, 67-49, to become the first Section Four basketball team to win three state championships.

Before what appeared to be the entire Sidney community decked out in maroon, the Warriors outrebounded, outdefended and outmanned their counterparts from Long Island.

This latest victory came on the heels of a 13-point semifinal victory over Schenectady Christian the previous afternoon, which followed an 11-point win over Section Three champion LaFayette in a state quarterfinal March 10. That’s a 14-point average margin of victory against three state-tournament teams.

"Not in a million years," senior forward Darrin Martindale said, when asked if he could have predicted Sidney’s success before the season started. "Not the community, coaches, team _ we didn’t think we’d make it to the state tournament; we didn’t think we’d win the state tournament. To come out here and win it by 18 points, I think we finally proved everyone wrong."

Normally stoic coach Mike Brazee pumped his fist toward Sidney’s vocal student section seconds after the final buzzer, a scene that captured the emotion of this victory.

The drama had been sapped out long before, though. Tournament MVP Andy Foote and all-tournament selection Martindale saw to that.[an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive]Foote hit three three-pointers in the first quarter en route to an 18-point, six-rebound, six-assist performance. Martindale converted three three-point plays in the first half on his way to a 20-point, 12-rebound night.

"To get both of them involved early was huge," Brazee said of Foote and Martindale, who combined for 29 points in the first half. "It allowed everyone else to relax and just play."

A 14-0 run to end the first quarter put the Warriors ahead, 21-8, and they took a 37-26 lead into halftime.

After Friends Academy crept within seven midway through the third quarter, five Warriors scored during an 11-4 spurt that pretty much decided things. Foote’s pull-up jumper from 17 feet with 55 seconds left in the quarter made it 50-36.

"It’s an unbelievable feeling," Foote said of winning the MVP, "but it couldn’t have happened without the other four seniors on the team."

The Warriors (24-2), who won state titles in 1998 and 1979, had a decided size advantage over the Quakers (15-8). Friends Academy started 5-foot-7 David Vallins, 5-8 Jon Williams, 6-0 Josh Jacobson, 6-2 David Weitz and 6-3 Alex Petrossian.

Sidney countered with an all-senior unit of 6-3 Martindale, 6-4 Troy Hawley, 6-2 Foote, 6-1 Parker Umbra and 6-0 Brett Pendorf.

"We established (ourselves) down low and the zone was really open," said Martindale, who led Sidney to a 43-23 advantage in rebounds. "They were getting frustrated. You could just see it in them."

That Sidney shot so well from the perimeter in the first half compounded the Quakers’ problems.

Foote banked in a three-pointer from left of the circle with two seconds on the shot clock to give Sidney’s its first lead at 5-4. A runner in the lane by Foote with 3:33 left in the first quarter gave the Warriors the lead for good at 10-8.

Martindale then hit an jumper from the right elbow and drew a foul on Mike Nattis. His free throw made it 13-8 with 3:02 left. Foote followed with a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the key, and Pendorf hit two free throws _ those making the score 18-8 with 1:01 left in the quarter.

The final three-pointer from Foote, from right of the circle with 10 seconds to play in the quarter, gave Sidney a 21-8 lead.

"A huge momentum boost," Pendorf said of Foote’s threes. "No one can stay with us when that happens. Andy shot lights-out in the first half."

The Quakers’ Williams scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second quarter, most coming off penetration. His quickness kept Friends Academy within shouting distance at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Williams hit a pull-up jumper in transition and two free throws, making the score 39-30 with 5:48 left. Petrossian hit a basket in the lane 36 seconds later to make it 39-32.

But Williams made a wild drive into the lane at Hawley, resulting in a charge and his fourth foul. Williams went to the bench with 4:43 left in the third quarter, and Sidney followed with an 11-4 run.

Foote passed inside to Pendorf, who banked in a 6-footer, and Umbra hit a three-pointer from left of the circle to make it 44-32.

Sidney sixth man Kody Westcott answered a driving layup by Jacobson with two free throws.

After Ramir Robinson hit a pair of free throws for Friends, Martindale made a free throw with 2:19 left in the quarter and Westcott made another with 1:45 remaining.

Foote’s pull-up jumper gave the Warriors a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, and Sidney’s lead ballooned to as many as 20 points in the final period.

"I guess I would say the feeling is super special because we didn’t see it coming at the beginning of the year," Brazee said of a team that lost three starters off last season’s 16-4 squad. "I don’t think anyone saw it coming. I’m real close with several of these guys. We do lots of things together. We hunt, we fish, we play golf together. It’s not just basketball. We’re almost a family.

"I spend a lot of time with these guys and it’s just special," he continued. "I imagine at some point tonight I might start crying."

As has been the case for Sidney all season, its defense played a major role in this one. The Warriors, who finished on a 17-game winning streak, got out on the Quakers’ quick guards and kept them from getting clean looks behind the arc. And outside of Williams’ penetration, Friends rarely got into the lane, contributing to a 15-for-40 shooting performance.

"When our defense gets going like that, we contest every shot and it makes it hard to score," Foote said of a defense that permitted an average of 38 points this season.

Sidney 67, Friends Academy 49

CLASS C STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday at Glens Falls Civic Center

8-FRIENDS ACADEMY (15-8): David Vallins 1-7 0-0 3, Josh Jacobson 4-8 0-0 9, John Boisi 1-1 3-3 5, Andrew Lax 1-3 0-0 3, Mike Nattis 0-5 0-0 0, Brendan Dooley 0-1 0-0 0 0, Harrison Hefele 0-0 1-2 1, Alex Petrossian 2-3 1-2 5, Jon Williams 4-8 9-10 17, David Wietz 1-1 0-0 2, Ramir Robinson 1-3 2-2 4. TOTALS: 15-40 16-19 49.

4-SIDNEY (24-2): J.J. Mendes 0-0 0-0 0, Aubrey Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Mike Butcher 0-0 0-0 0, Darrin Martindale 6-18 8-12 20, Parker Umbra 2-7 0-2 6, Troy Hawley 3-4 1-2 7, Andy Foote 6-10 3-5 18, Mike Guerriere 0-0 0-0 0, Kody Westcott 2-2 4-5 8, Parker Curley 0-0 0-0 0, Brett Pendorf 2-12 4-7 8, Quinn Dorsey 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21-53 20-33 67.

Friends Academy 8 18 10 13 _ 49

Sidney 21 16 13 17 _ 67

Three-point field goals: F 3-11 (Vallins 1-4, Jacobson 1-3, Lax 1-2, Williams 0-1); S 5-13 (Martindale 0-1, Umbra 2-5, Foote 3-5, Pendorf 0-2). Rebounds: F 23 (Boisi, Nattis, Petrossian 4); S 43 (Martindale 12). Assists: F 9 (Vallins 4); S 13 (Foote 6).

Class C Tournament MVP: Foote (Sidney).

Class C All-Tournament Team: Martindale (Sidney); Jacobson (Friends); Williams (Friends); Matt McCarty (Schenectady Christian); Will Cornett (Campbell-Savona).

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