The Saranac Spartans lost against the Moriah Vikings back in January of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Saranac fell just short of Moriah by a score of 54-52. While losing is never fun, Saranac can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 568th, while Moriah is ranked 65th).
Saranac lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Gabe Cayea, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Cayea also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Carson Duffield, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Moriah's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dieter Olcott led the charge by scoring four points along with ten rebounds and eight steals. Olcott is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Joe Pelkey was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds and five assists.
This is the second loss in a row for Saranac and nudges their season record down to 3-5. As for Moriah, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with that victory, which was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Saranac will challenge Northeastern Clinton at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Northeastern Clinton and Saranac are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads. As for Moriah, they will be playing at home against Plattsburgh at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
