Anastasia Era Ends With Huskies Loss In Binghamton

The Olean High School boys basketball team fell 83-63 to Section II’s Glens Falls Friday morning in Binghamton. The Huskies entered the NYSPHSAA Class B Final Four with a 25-0 record. Standing in the way of a state title was Joe Girard III, a Syracuse commit and the NYS Player of the Year.

Olean started slow out of the gate and were forced to play catch up for much of the game.

Girard scored a game-high 39 points for the Indians. After the Huskies scored the first bucket of the contest, Girard nailed a three-pointer from just a couple steps in from midcourt. He accounted for 18 of Glens Falls 20 first quarter points.

"I knew I had to get out to a hot start."@JG3_____ delivered for @GFSDathletics. The Indians are one win away for a state championship! I wonder if that hand if still burning 🔥🖐️ pic.twitter.com/i40fKpuGSW — Chet Davis (@ChetDavisCBS6) March 15, 2019

“It’s tough to win games when you are playing from behind, especially against a team such as Glens Falls,” Olean coach Jeff Anastasia said. “Certainly a difficult way to end the season but this was a very special group of players and I was proud of the effort today. They played hard until the end.”

Despite the 20-point differential, Olean put up a good fight as expected. The Huskies were dominant on the offensive boards and had a number of quality looks, they just couldn’t knock down their shots and Glens Falls did.

“We were just cold and you have those days sometimes. Credit to Glens Falls they have a great team, Girard was hot early and made some big shots,” Anastasia said.

It was a very physical game with a lot of bodies being thrown around, Olean went down but they put up a good fight.

After the loss, Anastasia informed his players that he would be stepping down as head coach. After 32 seasons, 602 victories and two NYSPHSAA titles Anastasia said this was the perfect time. “I knew it was time. This group of nine seniors is special. Not only were they great basketball players but they are excellent young men and I have no doubt that you will be hearing their names again in the years to come, doing good things for their communities and making an impact.”

Senior Mike Schmidt had a team high 29 points in the loss.

Feature Image Courtesy of N. Scott Trimble | Syracuse.com