Matthew Gatchell of Columbia takes a shot in front of Luke Perrotta of LaSalle during the section 2 Class AA quarterfinal game at the McDonough Complex in Troy, NY on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union (Stephen Weaver)James AllenSun, March 1, 2026 at 12:35 AM UTC·4 min readTROY - The Columbia boys' basketball team has produced a stellar season under first-year coach Tyler Rose, although the No. 3 seed for the Class AA boys' basketball playoffs dropped a trio of games against Shenendehowa, Shaker and Niskayuna to conclude the Suburban Council schedule. Saturday, the Blue Devils started their sectional run in style at Hudson Valley Community College.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMany teams playing at HVCC for the first time struggle with shooting. Columbia did not experience such difficulties and never trailed against No. 6 seed La Salle in posting a solid 67-54 quarterfinal victory.
"This is amazing. We've worked so hard for this," Columbia sophomore forward Kieran Poissant said. "We share the ball so well, every team can't handle it."
"Ultimately, losses you learn. We learned a lot and had some time to prepare and regroup," Rose said. "This team is so resilient. Ups and downs, Highs and lows, they stick together. It is such a great group to coach because they are so positive."
Then Wedig of Columbia takes a shot in fronty of Stephen Mulinio of LaSalle during the section 2 Class AA quarterfinal game at the McDonough Complex in Troy, NY on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union (Stephen Weaver)Poissant, who displayed the poise of a college player, helped Columbia hold off La Salle (12-10) down the stretch as he tallied 14 of his game-high 26 points to go along with grabbing 15 rebounds. The Cadets forced seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, yet they were never able to trim their deficit below seven points over the final eight minutes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementColumbia's first win since Feb. 4 sends it to its first sectional semifinal appearance in 12 years. The Blue Devils (12-9) return to action Wednesday evening at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls vs. No. 2 seed Niskayuna (15-6). The defending champions eased past Ballston Spa 68-42.
Over the opening 12 minutes, Columbia built a 27-15 cushion. The Blue Devils led 33-23 at intermission after shooting 14 of 25 (56 percent).
"We had really good looks. Once a few went down, the team was confident in their ability to shoot," Rose said.
Columbia celebrating their win over LaSalle during the section 2 Class AA quarterfinal game at the McDonough Complex in Troy, NY on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union (Stephen Weaver)Despite its turnover issues in the final quarter, the Blue Devils compensated by knocking down 7 of 10 shots to close out the victory. Poissant made five of those shots.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"He is such a smart player and a matchup problem for most teams because he can shoot it and also score inside," Rose said of Poissant.
Columbia's senior guards also excelled as Andrew Mocerine tallied 15 points and Matthew Gatchell added 14 points and five assists.
Niskayuna, winners of sectional titles in 2024 and 2025, broke things open against the Scotties over the final four minutes of the second quarter when a 17-3 surge turned a 19-18 lead into a 36-21 halftime advantage.
Niskayuna senior Brady Olsen during a game against Shenendehowa on Jan. 7. Olsen led Niskayuna with 29 points and 10 rebounds in a 68-42 win over Ballston Spa in the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals on Saturday. (Jim Franco/Times Union)"I really feel that was the key to the game," Niskayuna coach Mike Grasso said. "We extended at the end of the half and played some great defense. We didn't give up any more offensive rebounds, which was nice. We got in transition and knocked down a couple of shots."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThings did not improve for Ballston Spa during the third quarter as Niskayuna senior star Brady Olsen went off, starting the second half with a dunk and then displaying his wide array of offensive and defensive talents. The No. 2 seed used a 14-4 burst to open up a 50-25 spread and finished the third quarter leading 56-31.
Olsen, who will play next at Division II Daemen University, delivered 29 points and 10 rebounds.
"Brady is special, and I think the reason why people like watching him is how hard he competes on the defensive end first," Grasso said.
This article originally published at Columbia and Niskayuna each post solid wins to earn a Class AA semifinal matchup.
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