The Colonie girls’ basketball team broke out of its third-quarter doldrums Tuesday night, and coasted in the fourth.
“In a lot of our games, we were up at the half, and in the third quarter, we let down. Coach said we’ve got to come out and work hard,” said Colonie junior Tehresa Coles after a 54-40 win at Mohonassen. “Coach said they’re not done, so we’re not done. We had to keep pushing.”
Coles delivered six of her 12 points in the decisive third period, and three of her teammates also reached double digits as the Garnet Raiders extended their winning streak to five games with the Suburban Council South Division triumph on Mohonasen’s Senior Night.
Colonie outscored Mohonasen in the third quarter, 17-9, to go up, 39-26. That third quarter included a 15-2 outburst in which the Mighty Warriors managed two free throws.
“We have not had a lot of good third quarters,” said Colonie coach Heather Fiore. “We talked about being better than we have been, and they took it to heart.”
Ashley Logan sank a jumper for Colonie (13-2 league, 15-2 overall) to start the third, and after Lea McClain answered with a layup, the Garnet Raiders put together their 15-2 run to make it a 39-21 game.
“We played strong defense. We were helping each other, and on offense, we found the open player a lot,” said Coles. “We were playing together. We were working as a unit.”
“Every time we had any kind of defensive breakdown, they made us pay,” said Mohonasen coach Paul Brosious. “Colonie has an amazing amount of talent. They’re as talented as anyone out there.”
Amie Jefferson had 12 points and eight rebounds for Colonie, Kelly Dillon netted 11 points with four assists and three steals, freshman Sydnie Rosales came of the bench to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds, and Loggins snared 11 rebounds to go along with six markers.
Coles scored all 12 of her points in the second half, and also took down six of her seven rebounds during the stretch, after two fouls had the small forward on the bench for much of the opening two quarters.
“Having Tehresa back on the court for the second half helped us. She does a lot of positive things and gives us energy out there, but we did a lot of good things in the first half without her,” said Fiore. “Everyone on this team can play. They can all contribute.”
Following McClain’s layup that got Mohonasen within five, Colonie rattled off nine consecutive points, with Coles scoring on a drive and a hook shot, and Dillon nailing one of her three three-point baskets. After Dayna Lashin sank two foul shots for Mohonasen, the state’s No. 9-ranked Class AA team strung together six more points, including a short jumper by Jefferson and a drive by Rosales.
“They started killing us on the boards, and they were beating us to loose balls,” Brosious said. “We got down a little bit and we started pressing, and that affected our decision making. We got out of our game, and that led to some quick shots and some turnovers.”
“We just weren’t there, mentally,” said McClain, a junior point guard. “We made mistakes here and there, and they capitalized.”
Lashin scored on a layup and Kelsey Cowell made a steal and drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close the third quarter as Mohonasen crept to within 13, yet the Mighty Warriors (8-7, 10-7) never got closer than 11 in the final period.
Colonie also beat Mohonasen at home last month, 56-49.
“The last time we played them it was a rough, physical game, and we knew they’d want this one.
Especially on their senior night,” said Coles. “We knew we had to play extra hard.”
Dillon and Jaclyn Welch hit threes and Colonie didn’t allow a field goal in the second quarter when it extended a one-point lead to five.
McClain had 13 points to lead Mohonasen, and Lashin scored 10 and with 11 rebounds. Ashley Tallman managed two points, 14 below her season average.
COLONIE
Loggins 3-0-6, Dillon 3-2-11, Rosales 3-4-10, Coles 3-6-12, Welch 1-0-3, Jefferson 5-2-12. Totals: 18-14-54.
MOHONASEN
Wilson 1-0-3, Kuebler 0-2-2, McClain 4-4-13, C. Cowell 2-1-7, Lashin 3-4-10, Tallman 0-2-2, K. Cowell 1-0-3. Totals: 11-13-40.
Colonie 13 9 17 15 — 54
Mohonasen 12 5 9 14 — 40
Three-point goals: Dillon 3, Welch, Wilson, McClain, C. Cowell 2, K. Cowell.
Categories: High School Sports
