Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
The month of March is the state of New York is a big month in the high school scene, as there are championships to be won and playoff games to be played. And then there are also the venues where people look forward to watching the games.
In the latter part of the month, there was always one place where the season would end in this one place, a place that some would consider to be in the middle of nowhere, but in reality is a special place where many magical moments have happened.
Glens Falls, New York, is a city with a population of more than 14,000 residents that was once referred to as “Hometown, U.S.A.” from an article in Look Magazine in 1944. Another nickname for it is the “Empire City.”
Just an hour north of the state capital of Albany, it is a long drive through I-87 and then once you get off of exit 17 towards South Glens Falls, you get to Saratoga Road, which is also US-9, and then turn left through Main Street, where there’s plenty of places to eat and also homes. After you pass through the bridge, you’re at the destination.
This place is where the magic of athletics happens. This place is the Harding-Mazzotti Arena, or at least that’s what the current name is. The original name of this place is the Glens Falls Civic Center, which was opened in 1979, as a home for a hockey team, which was then then the Adirondack Red Wings, which was the minor-league affiliate of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
With a capacity of 4,794 seats, as long as there’s a great game taking place, this arena gets to rocking. Where does basketball factor into this, you may ask? This is the answer.
In 1981, the New York State Federation Tournament made their way to Glens Falls and was there for multiple decades. Many moments took place in that building, and many stars from New York State held their own during that time of the month in March.
It was a meeting ground from many teams from different areas in the Empire State such as: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, the Capital Region/Central New York and also Upstate New York.
It’s also the place where teams from the four governing bodies met up: For those that don’t know about the four governing bodies, let us break it down for you.
- There’s the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA), which is the Catholic high schools in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County and also the Buffalo Diocese.
- There’s the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), which is all of the public high schools in all of New York City.
- There’s the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), which is all of the private schools throughout the state of New York.
- Lastly, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), which is all of the public high schools in New York State, in which there’s different classifications from Class AA to Class D. There are also teams representing different sections of the state, ranging from Section I (Westchester County) to Section XI (Suffolk County, Long Island).
In the state Federation Tournament, there were definitely plenty of NBA players that ended up playing in these hallowed grounds, such as Walter Berry, Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, John Wallace, Felipe Lopez, Stephon Marbury, Craig “Speedy” Claxton, Lamar Odom, Metta World Peace, Kenny Satterfield, Andre Barrett, Ben Gordon, Sebastian Telfair, Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson, Jimmer Fredette, James Bouknight and Andre Jackson.
Although there were many teams from different regions in the state and less fans from other areas, when there were local teams playing, there was always a good crowd.
In March 2019, in the semifinals of the B division, the local high school team, Glens Falls, played against South Bronx Prep, a total of 5,910 spectators, which is 93% of the venue’s capacity. In the end, Joe Girard III, the local star of the day, who scored over 4,000 career points from eighth grade through his senior year & had 42 points on that date, led the Black Bears to a 77-70 victory over the Cougars.
Sadly, 2019 would be the last time the state Federation Tournament would ever be held at the old arena. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament would never take place at its planned location, Fordham University in The Bronx in March 2020. Three years later, in March 2023, the event would be back, one last time, but instead of being brought back to the Cool Insuring Arena, it would take place at three different locations at the same time on the same dates.
After that, it was no more, as all four governing bodies decided to part ways and do their own individual postseason today.
The NYSAIS has their own postseason event and after that, the season ends. The NYSPHSAA has their state tournaments, and for many years, that took place at the Arena, until last year, when they moved it to Binghamton, which it is slated to be at until 2027. And then the CHSAA vs. PSAL have their own event, which takes place at Long Island University Brooklyn in downtown Brooklyn.
Although the State Federation Tournament no longer exists and is just a relic of the past, it was a great event that will definitely be remembered, as it was something that teams from the state lived for.
These days, the place that was once known as the Glens Falls Civic Center and later the Cool Insuring Arena, is now known as the Harding Mazzotti Arena, as the naming rights to the venue was acquired last summer by Harding Mazzotti, LLP, a law firm, which deals with clients in New York, Vermont & Massachusetts.
And yes, there is still basketball being played in that historic venue.
The Section 2 boys tournament, had their quarterfinals, semifinals and their championship games take place there this past March.
During the weekend of March 7th-8th, plenty of teams descended into the arena to battle for the sectional championship.
Early on that Saturday, Berne-Knox Westerlo, a team from Albany County, which has a dominant program that featured senior forward Shane Kirker, who is committed to play at Division I Mercyhurst University next season, won the Class C championship, 54-33 over Stillwater. In that game, Kirker had a double-double with 13 points & 11 rebounds. BKW went on to finish the season at 21-7 with a No. 3 by the New York State Sportswriter’s Association (NYSSWA).
In the Class A championship game, there was a great battle between Hudson and Lansingburgh. Throughout the game, it would be a close matchup with both teams. But the Bluehawks would stay in control and would go on to win the title, 51-46, over the Knights. Keith Robinson, Hudson’s dynamic guard and a 2,000-point scorer in his five-year career for the Bluehawks, would lead all scorers with 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. Hudson would go on to finish the season at 23-3 on the season with a No. 2 rankings in the NYSSWA in their classification.
Later on, during that Saturday afternoon, the Class B championship would have Kipp Capital out of Albany playing against Catskill. At some point in the game, both teams were close, but then later on the Trailblazers would shift gears and put the opposition on notice, as they played pressure defense on them which would then lead to a double-digit lead and would end with them going on to a 19-point win, 75-56, over their counterparts.
KIPP Capital’s senior guard Indavier Barnes would go on to finish with 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The Trailblazers, who were in their first year of inception, would go on to finish the season at 17-6 and would be rated at No. 2 by the NYSSWA in their classification.
The next day, the final two championship games, the ones with the highest classifications, took place. The Class A championship would be between Niskayuna, who at the time was the two-time defending sectional champions, and Amsterdam, a very talented team.
Throughout the game, both teams went back and forth and had turns taking the lead from start to finish. But in the end, it would be the Rams ball movement and team play that would end in them becoming victorious over the Silver Warriors, 58-56, and winning their first sectional championship since 1995 and spoiling their counterparts’ bid for a third consecutive sectional championship.
For the Rams, senior guard Aundray Fowler finished with 26 points. Amsterdam would make a run to the Class AA state championship game, but would fall just short of the goal. However, they finished 23-2 and ranked No. 3 in the NYSSWA rankings in their classification.
The final game would be a game of two heavyweights in Class AAA, as the undefeated Christian Brothers Academy, would meet up against Shaker, last year’s state champions.
From start to finish, CBA had control of the game, and cruised to a 31-18 lead at halftime. Shaker had some runs in the second half and got to within 46-39 at the end of the third. But the Brothers could not be stopped and went on to a 66-52 victory to take the sectional championship. Following that title game, they would go on to win the NYSPHSAA regional championship and also the state tournament and would finish the season undefeated at 25-0 and would go on to be rated at No. 4 in the NYSSWA state rankings in the AAA classification behind two schools from New York City and Westchester County, respectively.
After the games were over, the lights were turned low, and as the spectators headed outside to wait for their loved ones, and inside the maintenance crew were around to clean up the debris, it was the sign of the end of a hoops season.
For those from the Capital Region, playing in the old arena is a feeling that you’ve made it. It’s a rite of passage that many in upstate New York look forward to if you’re playing in the NYSPHSAA.
Although Binghamton is the site of the state tournament until 2027, hopefully in 2028, the state championship can return to its rightful home. Many in the basketball community up that way would have it no other way.
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