Band of Brothers' journey ends with loss

Deep in the dimly lit corridors of the Glens Falls Civic Center, past the Zamboni and the exercise bikes used by the Adirondack Phantoms minor-league hockey team, JoJo Savaglio stood next to a cinderblock wall painted white with green trim. He paused and took a deep breath. He was trying to hold back the tears. His Harborfields team had just lost in the state Class A championship game and his high school basketball career was officially over. Yet here is the sentiment he wanted to express: "This is the time of my life.'' Tears soon followed.

Savaglio had been here before, as a sophomore with Lutheran when the Crusaders won the state Federation title. But the Harborfields senior transferred back to his hometown school to be with his best friends, who formed the rest of the starting five -- seniors Matt McLeod and Nick Fessenden and juniors Justin Ringen and Lucas Woodhouse.

"I've been waiting 17 years to get here with these guys,'' Savaglio said. "This is why I came back. This is what I wanted to do with them. These are my best friends. We started playing together in Nick's driveway when we were little kids.''

From the streets of Greenlawn to a boulevard of dreams named Glen Street, the Tornadoes just completed a whirlwind of a season. Though it ended in a 66-51 loss to Class A powerhouse Jamesville-DeWitt Sunday, there will come a time -- when the tears have dried and the videos and photos taken by families and friends are shown -- that this group will recall the weekend of March 18-20, 2011, fondly. Sunday just wasn't that time."

"It still hasn't hit me yet that I've played my last high school game,'' McLeod said, choking up yet again. A few feet away, Fessenden seemed to be using a wall for support as he said, "It was a fun trip, and we'll remember it for the rest of our lives. We'll cherish it. But it's the not same because we lost.''

This group, however, became the biggest winners in school history in their sport, finishing 21-3 after embarking north on a journey that was far longer than the 240-mile bus ride. They had gone where no Harborfield boys basketball team had ever gone. And they did it as a band of brothers.

"They are amazing kids. We've preached family all year and this was the ultimate family experience for all of us,'' said coach Chris Agostino, who had his wife and two children, three of his four brothers, three of his four sisters and his mother and father at both games.

SEE PHOTOSHarborfields in Class A state playoffs

The adventure began Friday with a bus ride during which two inspirational basketball movies were shown -- "Coach Carter'' and "Glory Road.'' "That got us in the right mood,'' Fessenden said.

The Tornadoes had the right stuff in defeating Byram Hills on Friday night to extend their stay in Glens Falls. More time to practice hoops, play X-Box 360 (NBA 2K11, of course) at the hotel and eat together at local restaurants. "The bonding was so good,'' Fessenden said. "We grew up together. This really is a great story.''

Only the last chapter needs a rewrite. As McLeod said, showing impressive insight and turn of phrase for a 17-year-old, "We reached our destination. We just didn't reach our goal.''