Beacon boys basketball is Final Four bound

By Sean T. McMann
Poughkeepsie Journal

 

Darryl Bautista/Poughkeepsie Journal Beacon High School's Roberto Macklin celebrates his team's New York state Class B regional championship on Saturday at Pace University in Pleasantville. Beacon defeated Red Hook, 74-61.

PLEASANTVILLE -- The boys basketball team from Beacon High School earned its first sectional title in 30 years earlier this month. When you wait three decades for a magical season like this you don't want it to end.

It didn't end Saturday.

Never trailing in its state Class B regional semifinal at Pace University, Beacon defeated Red Hook 74-61 to earn a spot in next weekend's state Class B semifinals.

''This is really big, man,'' said Beacon senior point guard Roberto Macklin, who led all scorers with 24 points. His Bulldogs will next play Amityville in a state Class B semifinal at the Glens Falls Civic Center at 10 a.m. on Saturday. ''Now we're going to Glens Falls, and that's really where we've always wanted to get to. Now, we can start thinking about taking it all the way.''

No one will enjoy the bus ride north more than Tom Powers.

A member of Beacon's 1972-73 team, the last group of Bulldogs to win a sectional title, Powers has now coached his alma mater to a 20-4 season and a trip to the state Final Four.

Not that it was easy.

''To beat that team was just so gratifying because I was so nervous,'' Powers said. ''I watched so much film on Red Hook and I was so scared of them because of all the dangers they presented.''

It was his Bulldogs, however, who presented too many dangers too early.

Four of Beacon's first five field goals came from behind the three-point arc, as Collin Powers (16 points) hit two, and Bryan Ortquist (18 points) and Macklin added one each, giving Beacon an early 16-9 lead.

''We've been working hard on our shooting, day in and day out, concentrating, and look what it did for us,'' said Collin Powers, who was 5-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. ''It killed them.''

The teams combined to sink six three-pointers in the first four minutes, before Ortquist went to work down low.

Beacon's senior center, Ortquist finished the first quarter with 11 points, as his Bulldogs led, 22-15, after eight minutes.

Trying to get lead

''To tell the truth, I surprised myself,'' Ortquist said. ''I really wanted to get a good lead and get some of our bench players in.''

Beacon grew its lead to 28-20 on an Ortquist jumper two minutes into the second period. The Bulldogs led by as many as 10 points, 30-20, halfway through the frame before heading into the locker room with a 34-25 halftime lead.

''At halftime, we tried to break the game down into pieces,'' said Red Hook coach Rod Chando, whose team ended the season with a 21-3 record. ''We knew we had to come out and do a better job on the boards, and then there was a question about playing man-to-man (defense) against them. When we went to the man-to-man, we started making some headway.''

Powers' third three-pointer of the game gave Beacon a 43-27 lead two minutes into the third quarter. Red Hook, however, went on a 14-3 run, trimming Beacon's lead to five points.

''We got a little discombobulated there when they made their run,'' Tom Powers said. ''I said, 'Here we go. We've got to pull out of this.' Luckily, we had out timeouts and maintained our composure.''

Ahead 50-45 after three quarters, the Bulldogs extended to a 62-51 lead with four minutes left in the game. Red Hook converted a pair of three-point baskets in the final 80 seconds, but Beacon's lead was too large to overcome.

''The credit goes to Beacon,'' Chando said. ''They played very hard. They were more consistent. They deserve where they're going.''

And the Bulldogs intend on enjoying every second of the ride.

''This just feels like the beginning of the (state) tournament,'' Ortquist said. ''It will really feel good after we win states. That's the ultimate in this tournament.''