Speaking of Sports

By John Fragodt, Sports Reporter

The Minnewaska Area boys basketball team is off to a 5-2 start going into Friday night’s games against Melrose.  That’s a great turnaround for the program after the Laker boys won a total of seven games over the last three seasons combined.

Just as the football program turned things around this year, the boys basketball team appears to have turned a big corner and should continue improving into the near future.

During the Minnewaska Area boys basketball team’s 91-41 win over Menahga, the Lakers came close to a number of records.

The Lakers scored 55 points in the first half, which is just off the record 59 points scored in a half during the 1996 season.  The 91 points scored is also tied for the fourth-most all-time and is just one of seven games of 90 or more points scored in a game by the Laker boys basketball team.

The record is 98 points.  This was also the first 90-plus game for the Laker boys since the 2010-11 season.

The Lakers also had five players score in double figures, which is a rarity for any high school team.

And, the 24 steals for the team during the game is tied for second most in a game, trailing just the 26 steals set during the first season of Minnewaska Area basketball in 1991-92.

Zach Palmer also came close to a record with 10 steals in limited action during the game.  Taylor Hill holds the record with 11 steals in a 2004 game and Robbie Hyland had 10 steals in a 2000 game.

Yes, it’s been fun watching the boys basketball program turn things around and with some very talented younger athletes coming up through the ranks, it looks like there should be continued success for the program in the future.