WEEK IN REVIEW/SECTIONAL REVIEW: GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports
02-23-10 - 4:50 p.m. - Last week on the girls' side we had just one game—on Saturday—and the rest of the week was filled with practice and waiting for the Sectional seedings to be announced on Wednesday. Interesting matchups abound as our local teams from the Patroon Conference and CHVL prepare to compete in Class A, B, and D.
Before we get into discussion of the matchups for our local squads and how the brackets shake down, we will take a look at the one game that happened last week.
SATURDAY
New Lebanon at Berlin
Playing with depleted numbers, the Tigers struggled mightily on the road Saturday, starting slow and never recovering. New Lebanon fell behind 9-2 after one quarter and were behind by 16 by the time halftime came around. The Tigers came out of halftime strong, outscoring the Mountaineers 10-8 in the third and 3-0 in the fourth, but they came up short, falling 30-19.
Only four players scored for New Lebanon with Juanita Eaton topping the scorers with 9. Mikayla Buffa scored 5, Lauren Sears added 3, and Kendra Houston finished up with 2.
SECTIONAL PREVIEW
CLASS A - Ichabod Crane: Well, we thought the Riders might get the sixth seed, which they did, but we thought that would mean a first round home game, but there are just ten teams competing in the Class A sectionals, which means that sixth seed puts the Riders on the road. The Riders will begin their quest for a sectional title on Saturday when they head to Holy Names to face off with third-seeded Mohonasen.
Playing in the ultracompetitive (and mostly Class AA) Suburban Council means the Mighty Warriors come in battle-tested and ready for anything they’ll see in Class A. Mohon features a potent offense that has four players with more than 100 points this year, two of whom have topped 200. The Mighty Warriors also have three players who have hit more than 20 three-pointers this season, with their top scorer, Ashley Tallman, nailing 47. The key for Ichabod Crane will obviously be to stop the outside shooting, while using their inside presence to get points inside. The play of Becca Smith inside and Haley Ooms at point should be the keys to the game for ICC.
I think this is a tough matchup for ICC since Mohon has played a tough schedule all season long and will certainly be ready for this game. If the Riders are able to pull the upset, the next round will get no easier since they will likely face Holy Names, one of the elite teams in the entire state. My pick right now pits Averill Park in the finals against Holy Names or Mohon—probably Holy Names, but I am wavering a bit here. Either way, I’ll take Averill Park to win the title.
CLASS B - Hudson: Our prediction for Hudson was a seed “somewhere between third and fifth,” and the Bluehawks got just that: fourth seed and a home game in the first round. Hudson will host thirteenth-seeded Ravena on Wednesday.
Ravena has four players who have scored over 100 points this year led by 5’ 8” freshman Kayla Hotaling, who does most of her work around the hoop. Ravena has some size, but they rely on their outside shooting. Their second, third, and fourth highest scorers have 17, 24, and 17 threes respectively. Ravena is more well-balanced than Hudson, but the Bluehawks have two very good forwards in Shavonda Cousin and Sam Davis, and Danielle Kitsock, who has shown herself to be a more than reliable outside shooter. Hudson has the length and defensive ability to slow down Ravena, but scoring could be a premium, and I think Kitsock’s output will be key. I think Hudson will win, but closer than you’d expect for a fourth vs. thirteenth battle.
A victory for Hudson would put them into the next round where they’d face the winner of Greenville/Cohoes. Hudson has defeated Greenville twice already, while Cohoes would be a tough battle since they have four good scorers, with two who are really strong. Cohoes features good but not great size, but they lack a lot of outside threats. I think Hudson has a good shot at getting into the final four but beyond that will be tough.
A showdown between Watervliet and Fonda looks to be looming, and although Fonda has a gaudier record, I’ll take the better tested Cannoneers from the Colonial Council.
CLASS B - Taconic Hills: We predicted the Titans would go anywhere from seventh to twelfh, and they landed with the eleventh seed and a first round matchup with Johnstown. Johnstown has four scorers but none really stands out, which means this matchup should see some points on the board, but both teams will get a well-balanced attack. The Lady Bills have a good balance of size and outside shooting, and being home, they will have the advantage over the Titans. I think the Titans have enough to win this game, but it’s a long trip to Johnstown, so they’ll need everybody to have strong games, not just one or two scorers. A win would set them up with a probably tough match against Mechanicville, which always has a talented team.
CLASS D - Germantown: The smallest of our sectional-bound teams got the highest seed, earning the second spot in Class D behind only Whitehall. By virtue of getting the second seed, the Clippers will get a first round bye and open up sectional play at home on Friday against the winner of the Fort Ann/North Warren game. Neither team had a strong year, and neither have a big-time scorers. Germantown matches up favorably with both, and they have a chance to move into the final four where they’d likely face off against third-seeded Argyle.
The Scotties have just two league losses this year, both to top-seeded Whitehall, and they feature a couple of very good scorers in Jacquelyn Miller, who does her work from the outside, and 5’10” Shelby Graham, who does her work on the inside. Clippers senior Taylor Race will have the size advantage over anybody on Argyle, and her ability to step outside to shoot or dribble will make her a tough matchup for anybody with size on Argyle.
I look for a likely showdown between Whitehall and Germantown in the finals for what should be a great matchup. Whitehall has three players with more than 100 points this year, with their third leading scorer, Katie Paddock, a 5’10” junior doing her damage inside. Maria McKee has scored more than 200 points this year and has 13 of her team's 18 three pointers this year. Brittany St. Clair, 6'1" senior, has scored an outstanding 394 points this year. She does her damage inside and leads this potent attack. The potential St. Clair-Race match could be the best one Class D has seen in ages. St. Clair is the leading scorer in all of Section II in points per game, while Race is fourth. I love the matchup and look for underrated players, like Melissa Fuchs inside and Kim Kreig at the point, to complement Race and help the Clippers to earn the Section II Class D title.
