Stillwater boys basketball completes ascension to top of Class B with state championship

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — You couldn’t dream up a better ending for one of the greatest senior classes Stillwater High School has ever seen. The boys basketball team, which consists of an entirely senior-laden starting rotation, is bringing home a state title – the program’s first in 36 years.

Stillwater took down Section III’s Marcellus in the Class B state championship game, 59-50, Friday night at Cool Insuring Arena. The victory marks the end of a long quest for state glory for many of the Warrior upperclassmen, who endured heartbreak in the 2022 Class C final. And for eight members of this roster, they avenged another disappointing loss in the Class D football championship game just this past December.

One of the those two-sport players was standout guard Lukas Lilac, who turned in a 21-point outing – a game-high – to lead the Warriors past a hungry Marcellus squad that was competing its first-ever state title game.

“This is my third state championship appearance,” said Lilac. “I think experience kind of speaks for itself. The nerves were calm coming into it. The celebration [afterwards] was just for my grandfather. He passed away this year, and we devoted this whole run to him. Marcellus wanted this one, but I think we needed it, and that showed towards the end.”

Marcellus’ determination certainly showed in first quarter. The Mustangs raced out to a 10-4 lead, holding Stillwater to just one field goal in over seven minutes of game action.

The Warriors roared to life, though, in the last 60 seconds of the quarter, rattling off three straight buckets in quick succession – the final a buzzer-beating lay-up from forward Jaxon Mueller to tie the game at 10.

Marcellus opened the second frame with another flurry of offense. Dom Gosh-Sandy netted a pair of paint points that capped a 9-2 run in the span of just over two minutes.

But Stillwater countered once again – this time with a haymaker. The Warriors outscored Marcellus 21-4 over the final 5:30 of the quarter. What was once a seven-point Marcellus advantage turned into a 10-point Stillwater edge by halftime.

The Warriors opened up their largest lead of the night early in the third quarter when senior guard Thomas McDonough converted an old-fashioned three-point play, pushing the margin to 14 at 37-23.

Over the remainder of the game, Marcellus made push after push to stay within striking distance, but that “end-of-game” resolve Lilac alluded to showed throughout the final eight minutes. The Mustangs never managed to draw with a possession.

With just over three minutes remaining and Stillwater leading by five, Lilac delivered perhaps the shot of his career – a corner three-pointer that put the Warriors up 52-44. They wouldn’t hit another field goal the rest of the game, but they wouldn’t have to.

Stillwater closed the game out at the free throw line, bringing an end to a 36-year state title drought.

Head coach Bruce Lilac played on the 1988 team that won the last state championship; his uncle, Mike, was the head coach at the time. Anyone who’s been around Section II athletics long enough knows the impressive pedigree attached to the Lilac name.

Bruce wanted nothing more than for his son, Lukas, to experience a state championship. This was Lukas’ final chance to do so, but Bruce knew the timing was right with the group he had in place.

“I thought this was the year they were going to make a run,” said Bruce Lilac. “When you get to the final game, you never know what’s gonna happen. But we did it. We stayed poised. I knew this team was special, and they showed they really were.”

Of course, Stillwater made one major addition prior to the season that bolstered the returning “core four”: CBA transfer Kaelan Leak.

A sparkplug in the backcourt with unlimited range, Leak was the final piece of the puzzle that put the Warriors over the top. He proved that again Friday night with a 12-point performance that included two huge triples to fuel the 21-4 run at the end of the second quarter.

“When I came into practice, these guys were locked in,” said Leak. “They [had] just finished a football state championship run, and they were so focused. I’m so proud of the way they came back after a state championship loss, and we made it happen this time.”

Rounding out the scoring for the Stillwater starting five was Mueller, who posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, McDonough, who finished with nine points, and Carter Wichelns tallied five.

Freshman James Cocozzo provided a huge lift off the bench when Mueller had to sit with foul trouble in the second quarter. He pitched in two points and two boards, and will likely be the centerpiece of this team moving forward, as he is one of only five non-seniors on the roster.

Stillwater concludes its sterling campaign with an overall record of 27-1.

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