WEEK IN REVIEW: GIRLS' SECTIONALS

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

03-01-10 - 5:45 p.m. - Just as on the boys' side of things, the girls' bracket was severely changed due to the winter weather. By the time the weekend was over, four local teams had played games, and two came away with victories and hopes of bringing home a Sectional title still alive. Here’s a look at that action from this past week on the girls' side.

FRIDAY

Ravena at Hudson

The Class B fourth-seeded Bluehawks hosted Ravena on Friday, four days after the game was originally slated to be played, and succumbed to a major upset, falling to the thirteenth seed 46-33. Ravena jumped out to a 15-8 lead after one quarter before defense took control in the second stanza with Hudson outscoring their opponents 6-4. The third quarter would be a pivotal one in the game, and for Hudson it wasn’t good. They were outscored 16-8 before the teams each put up 11 in the final stanza.

Hudson had six players get into the scoring column in the shocking loss, but none hit for double digits. Jenna Turner hit a pair of three’s and finished with 9 points, while Danielle Kitsock added a pair from deep of her own and scored 8. Sam Davis added 6 in the loss, while Shavonda Cousin and Lindsey Garafalo each scored 4, and Skylar Pertilla added 2.

Taconic Hills at Johnstown

The Titans made the long trek to Johnstown on Friday, looking to advance in the Class B bracket, but a slow start doomed Taconic Hills. They fell behind 16-0 after the first quarter and never recovered. Coming into the second quarter, the Titans tried to mount a comeback, putting up an impressive 19 points while holding the Lady Bills to 9, but still the Titans were down 6 at the half. Johnstown came out of the half strong and used two good quarters to cap off a 49-31 win.

Rachel Preusser scored four hoops on the inside and added three free throws on her way to a team high 11 points, while Alexis McComb hit three shots from deep while scoring 10 in the loss.

Fort Ann at Germantown

Second-seeded Germantown cruised to a Class D victory on Friday, defeating visiting Fort Ann 55-25. The Clippers jumped out to a 23-8 lead and extended that to 34-16 by the half. Germantown continued to play fantastic defense, holding their opponents scoreless in the third quarter while putting up 13 points of their own on the way to the win.

Taylor Race scored a game-high 20 points, while Patti Cameron added 13 of her own. Five other Clippers got in on the scoring led by Melissa Fuchs, who had 8.

Up next for the Clippers is a Tuesday trip to the Glens Falls Civic Center where they will play Argyle. The Scots come in as a dangerous opponents, sporting a 15-3 overall record. Argyle has two players who have scored more than 200 points this year, another who topped 100, and one more who ended with 99.

Leading scorer Jacquelyn Miller, a freshman guard, does her damage from deep, while 5’10” senior Shelby Graham does her best work inside. The Clippers have the parts to defend them if they choose man, although Germantown generally plays zone. It’ll be interesting to see how the Clipps will react if they struggle in zone and have to make the switch. Argyle has a few 5’10” players, but only one has much in the way of perimeter skills, which should mean if they choose to go man, Taylor Race should have an advantage with her perimeter skills. I think this game could be closer than people think, but Germantown has the personal to pull out this win.

SATURDAY

Ichabod Crane vs. Mohonasen at Holy Names

Sixth-seeded Ichabod Crane pulled off a major upset in Class A on Saturday, stunning the third-seeded Mighty Warriors of Mohonasen 51-47. The Riders came out of the gate strong outscoring Mohon 11-8 and 13-8 over the first two quarters. Both teams got the offenses going in the second half, with Mohon getting the better of things, but it wasn’t enough as ICC held on for the victory.

The Riders surrendered nine three-pointers to Mohon, but a foursome of seniors came through on the offensive end.  Sarah Wheeler and Haley Ooms each scored 10, while Shana Barry and Becca Smith each added 9 in the win.

Up next for ICC is a battle with second-seeded Holy Names at Colonie on Tuesday. Holy Names is very good and comes in undefeated on the season after capturing the Colonial Council title. One player has scored more than 200 points for them this year, while another four have topped 100. Holy Names has four players who are all competent shooters but no true gunners who score the majority of their points outside, which is good news for the Riders, who post good size on the inside. Slowing down the high-powered Holy Names offense won’t be easy, but the Riders should come in confident, having just pulled an upset. The Riders' size should allow them to stay in the game and battle for boards, although an upset will be difficult. If they can defend, ICC has a chance to advance to the Class A finals.