LADY RIDERS FALL IN QUARTERFINALS

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports Editor

03-02-09 - After knocking off Gloversville in the first round of the Section II Class A tournament, the Ichabod Crane Riders went on the road to meet second-seeded Averill Park and saw their season end at the hands of the Warriors, 54-38.

The Riders, playing without senior guard Alli Pullen, jumped out to a quick start, shocking the perennial Class A power by going out in front 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors fought their way back in the second quarter, taking over the lead, but ICC finished with a run of their own and went into the half up 3.

In the third quarter neither team had a ton going offensively, and the Warriors, who played their entire regular season in the powerhouse Suburban Council, started to wear down Ichabod Crane. By the end of third stanza, the Riders fell behind by 4 but had managed to hold Averill Park’s leading scorer, Katie Duma, to just 4 points so far, 13 points off her season average.

Heading into the final quarter, the Riders were still very much in the game, but with their scoring options limited, they struggled to convert from the field, scoring just 8 points. Duma also got hot, scoring 14 points in the pivotal final quarter, in which her team put up 23 points on the Riders defense.

Ichabod’s defense held Averill Park to just twelve field goals in the game but also allowed four three-pointers, three of which were by Duma. The Warriors shot 18 of 31 from free-throw stripe.

For the Riders, only five players were able to get into the scoring column, led by senior guard Rachel Dellehunt’s 15 points and 5 assists. Becca Smith chipped in with 7 points and 6 rebounds, while Shana Barry and Sarah Wheeler each scored 6 points. Haley Ooms finished with 4 points and 3 assists.

ICC is scheduled to lose just four players from their roster, but those four are crucial. Dellehunt and Pullen are crucial losses in the backcourt, while Elena Ooms and Courney Barry provided solid guard depth.

The Riders finished the season 11-11 after playing an independent schedule this season.