By Chuck Miller, Special to the Albany Patroons
(ALBANY, N.Y.) – Starting the game with a 9-0 lead and never looking back, the Albany Patroons improved their record to 10-2 with a 102-89 victory over the visiting Montreal Tundra at the Washington Avenue Armory. The win kept Albany in a dead heat with the 9-1 Atlantic City Gambits for the TBL’s Northeast Division lead.
Trevis Wyche, Albany’s representative at the 2023 TBL All-Star Game, led the Pats in scoring with 29 points, including going 5-for-10 from beyond 3-point range. Marcus Merchant garnered a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while James Currington added 12 points to the winning total. Josue Salaam’s 12 points included a pair of back-to-back 4th quarter 3-pointers to keep the Tundra at bay.
“My number was called” said Salaam after the game, “and I was fortunate to make the shots. My teammates found me when I was running the lane, and Coach Rowland told us in practice to spread the lane, and that’s what I did. Montreal was coming back, but those shots I made gave us a lot of momentum, and we were able to finish the game.”
The Patroons hit the first quarter with a 34-21 lead, and would later extend their advantage to a 62-44 score at the half. The Tundra clawed their way back into the game on the strength of a 29-21 third quarter run, trimming Albany’s third-quarter lead to 84-73.
Dane Miller Jr., who scored Montreal’s first 7 points, led all Tundra players with 25 points.
Albany next travels to Syracuse, NY on April 16th for their second game of the season against the Stallions, and returns on April 21st to host the Tri-State Admirals.
