SEASON IN REVIEW: GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

03-14-10 - 11;36 p.m. - Our local Columbia County girls accounted for one league title as Germantown won the Central Hudson Valley League and also made it to the Class D Final Four. Another school, Ichabod Crane, made a surprising run to the Class A Final Four, while yet two other teams, Hudson and Taconic Hills, made it into sectional play.

Next year the landscape will surely change around the local scene as Germantown loses a lot of its top talent, while New Lebanon and Hawthorne Valley hope to make a charge in the Central Hudson Valley League.

Ichabod Crane will lose some top senior talent and move to the Colonial Council, while Hudson and Taconic Hills lose key players while also returning some important cogs. Chatham who had a difficult season in the Patroon Conference returns as much or more than anybody in the league next year.

GERMANTOWN

The defending Central Hudson Valley League and Section II Class D Clippers came into this season with a senior-laden roster and high hopes for the year. Their regular season went well as Germantown finished 15-1 in the league and captured the league title and the second seed in Class D. 

The Clippers started the year 3-0 before falling to Waterford at home. Germantown got their revenge later in the year, blowing out the Fordians in Waterford. The Clippers second seed earned them a bye followed by a meeting with Fort Ann in the second round of the playoffs and a 30 point win. The Clippers' Final Four matchup was against third-seeded Argyle, the team that Germantown defeated for the Class D crown the year before. The Scotties got some revenge of the previous years loss, bouncing the Clippers 47-35, despite 20 points from Taylor Race.

Germantown was led all season by the reigning Class D MVP Taylor Race, a 6’ senior forward. Race scored over 400 points this year and topped 1,000 for her career on her way to averaging 20.5 points per game this season and knocking down 28 threes. Race was held to single digits just one time the whole season, scoring 9 in the first game of the season. A pair of senior guards, Patti Cameron and Kim Kreig, each also scored over 100 points this year for the Clippers.

The Clipps will graduate Race, Cameron, and Kreig along with forward Melissa Fuchs, Lee Ann Hejnal, Kori Pough, and Nicole Van Alstyne from this year's team. Next year’s squad will rely heavily on four returnees: junior wing Giavana Buffa, junior forward Alexa Comesanas, junior defensive stopper Victoria Fuchs, and junior guard Carissa Phillips.

ICHABOD CRANE

This probably wasn’t the return to the Patroon Conference the Riders expected. Despite a 15-3, second-place finish, the Riders' nine-game win streak in the league was snapped by Maple Hill. The Riders went on to lose to Maple Hill again and also suffered a loss to Catskill despite handling the rest of their league schedule.

The Riders' regular season gave them the sixth seed in Class A and matched them up with sixth-seeded Mohonasen in the first round. The Riders jumped out to a big early lead, setting the tone defensively by holding the Mighty Warriors to just 8 points in each of the first two quarters. After the major first-round upset, the Riders were matched against second- seeded, second in the state Holy Names in the Class A Final Four. ICC fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, and although they fought back to within 3 by the end of the quarter, they weren’t able to close the gap and fell 54-39.

Five Riders scored over 100 points this year and another reach the 90-point plateau. Senior Rebecca Smith led the way all season for the Riders averaging 11.9 points per game this year and reaching double digits in all but six games. Two more seniors, Alyssa Stall and Shana Barry, each proved to be capable long-range shooters and scorers putting in 8.1 and 7.1 points per game respectively. Senior post player Sarah Wheeler was sidelined for a large portion of the season with an ankle injury but still scored 90 points and averaged 7.5 points per game. The other two 100-point scorers were senior point guard Haley Ooms and senior center Hannah Smith.

The loss of their top six scorers will certainly make ICC's transition from the Patroon Conference to the Colonial Council a difficult one. The Riders will look to their youth to lead them next year, including 6’3” sophomore Monica Hall and sophomore forward Chrissy James. Keep an eye on Alicia Razanousky, an eighth grader and call up from junior varsity who provided some solid minutes down the stretch for ICC.

HUDSON

The Bluehawks had a fantastic regular season that ended prematurely in the first round of the playoffs. Leaning in large part on a senior core, the Bluehawks finished the regular season 13-5, which put them in third place in the league. Four of the Hudson losses were to two teams, falling twice each to Ichabod Crane and Maple Hill.

Following their stellar regular season, the Bluehawks were seeded fourth in Class B, and after having their home game against Ravena delayed a few times, they finally met up with them. Hudson got off to a slow start and never recovered, suffering a major upset by falling in the first round.

Hudson had four players score over 100 points this season--all four of them seniors. Shavonda Cousin did her damage inside to the tune of 10.4 points per game and scored in double figures in Hudson’s final eight regular season games.  With a need for guards, Danielle Kitsock really stepped up her senior season, nailing a team-high 35 threes on her way to averaging 9.2 points per game. Sam Davis has had a great career at Hudson, and her versatility defending, rebounding, passing, and scoring were key for the Bluehawks. Davis averaged 8.8 points per game this season, while Turner knocked down twelve triples this season while averaging just under 6 points per game.

The loss of those four along with Lindsay Garafalo and Skylar Pertilla will hit hard in Hudson next season, and finding players to step up in scoring will be key. Two players who will be key to the Bluehawks success next year will be eighth grader Cortlynn Jepsen and sophomore guard Paige Graziano.

TACONIC HILLS

The Titans had a solid season in the Patroon Conference, battling to a 9-9 league record, which put them in a sixth-place tie. The Titans moved toward the postseason by picking up two wins in the league before postseason play began to help them earn their eleventh seed in Class B.

Their postseason tournament was shortlived since Taconic Hills fell in the first round to sixth-seeded Johnstown. The Titans got off to a slow start, and despite fighting back in the second quarter, they didn't have enough fire power to overcome their early deficit.

Three players—Rachel Preusser, Emma Gryner, and Alexis McComb—topped 100 points this year for the Titans, while one other—Whitney Keefner—scored 90 on the year. Preusser, a senior guard, averaged 10.5 points a game and scored in double figures in the Titans final nine games. Another senior, Gryner scored over 9 a game. McComb had a very solid season scoring over 7 points per game and knocking down 24 three-pointers as a freshman.

The losses of Preusser, Gryner, Keefner, and two other players will hit deep, but having McComb return for her sophomore year as a proven shooter and scorer will be big next year. Two other players to keep an eye on are junior wing Krysten Delaney and freshman Tara Clapper.

HAWTHRORNE VALLEY

The Wildcats had a difficult season winning just two games in the Central Hudson Valley League this year. As of the final results we have been given, Hawthorne Valley went 2-12 with their final two game results not sent in.

Both of Hawthorne Valley’s wins this season came against the same team: local foe New Lebanon. The Wildcats topped the Tigers 39-20 in late January and defeated them again in early February 43-30.

On the season, only one Wildcat topped the 100-point mark: Frances Workman averaged 11.8 points per game and just under two three-pointers per contest. Franny Warehouse played in just two games this season—one in December and one in January—and averaged 12.5 points per game in those two contests.

Not much is known about the Hawthorne Valley roster despite our best efforts to find out which class each player is in.  Regardless of who is and is not graduating, the Wildcats could be in for a tough season next year after their difficult year.

NEW LEBANON

The Tigers struggled mightily this year with injuries and off-the-court issues, finishing 1-15 in the CHVL and 1-17 overall. By the end of the season, the Tigers were competing with just five players on their roster, and in at least one contest, against Germantown, they had to play with just four players on the court for a vast majority of the game after an injury.

New Lebanon’s lone win this year came in early January against Doane Stuart, when the Tigers won 34-15, led by Geneva Furlano and Alannah Carpinello, who combined for 31 points. Despite the difficult season, the Tigers did have some other notable performances, including a close fought 33-26 loss to eventual league champion Germantown and 2-point losses to the likes of Fort Ann and Loudonville Christian.

Two players scored over 100 points for the Tigers this year, although neither was on the team by the end of the season.  Alannah Carpinello, a 6’ junior, did her best work inside, amassing 195 points for an average of 13.9 points per game.  In her fourteen games played this year, Carpinello was held to single digits just four times while hitting a season high of 23 twice. The other 100-point scorer was senior guard Geneva Furlano, who finished with an average of 10.5 points per game.

The Tigers are slated to lose four players to graduation, with the biggest loss obviously being Furlano. Next season could begin an upswing for New Lebanon since Carpinello should return down low. At the end of the season, with a lot of people missing, 5’10” junior Lauren Sears was playing tough down low and should become a nice frontline complement to Carpinello. With Furlano gone late, Juanita Eaton, a 5’2” guard, took over the bulk of the ball handling and scoring duties and should see an increased role next season. Two players to keep an eye on for the future, including next year, are sophomores Kendra Houston and Mikayla Buffa.

 CHATHAM

The Panthers were another local team who had some trouble this year, finishing 2-16 in the Patroon Conference.  Featuring a lot of youth, the Panthers fought against some of the elite teams in the area but didn’t have enough firepower in all the contests to compete.

Both of the Panther victories this season came against Cairo-Durham, defeating them 40-34 in late December and following that up with a 35-25 win in early February. 

No Panthers reached the 100-point mark, but they did have a lot of players bunched up in the scoring column. Six players scored over 40 points this season, with Alyssa Keeler leading the way with 6.7 points per game and just under a three per game. Marissa Meyers added 5.3 points per game and over a three per game. On the season, four Panthers nailed double-digit three-pointers, with Karsyn Sawyer and Erika Sheerin joining Keeler and Meyers.

Chatham is slated to graduate three players, including fifth leading scorer Erika Sheerin. Despite their rough season this year, the Panthers will return their four top scorers next season: Keeler, Meyers, Sawyer, and Leah Layton. Even more impressive is the fact that Sawyer and Meyers are just sophomores, while Keeler and Layton are freshman. This was and will be a young team, but the Panthers will have the time to build and hopefully jumpstart the program.