The Schenectady Patriots scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They took down Troy 86-70. Given Schenectady's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 145th, while Troy is ranked 467th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
When it comes to explaining why Troy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Stetson Merritt. Despite the final result, he scored 28 points. The contest was Merritt's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Legend Merritt, who scored 12 points.
The victory (which was Schenectady's third in a row) raised their record to 5-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.3 points per game. As for Troy, they bumped their record down to 1-6 with that loss, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Schenectady and Shaker will round out the year against one another at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at. Shaker will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line. As for Troy, they will face off against Seton Catholic Central at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday.
