When Shannon McBride hit a three-pointer to open the second half, it looked like Mechanicville was going to be in Monday’s Class B final with Colonial Council rival Watervliet right to the end.
The Cannoneers had other ideas.
Watervliet took advantage of a Mechanicville dry spell to take command in what would turn out to be a 38-27 win at Adirondack Community College. The sectional title was the fourth straight for Watervliet, which moves on to Saturday’s regional championship game at noon at Hudson Valley Community. The Cannoneers will play the winner of tonight’s Section VII (Saranac) vs. Section X (Ogdensburg) game.
“We didn’t make enough shots,” said Mechanicville coach Bob Murphy, who watched helplessly as his club went cold for 6:40 of the third quarter, allowing their league rivals to extend a five-point halftime lead to 11 before the Red Raiders scored the final four points of the quarter. “We just went cold.”
“I think we took their legs away from them by being physical,” said Watervliet coach Gordie Johnson. “I think we played a great defensive game. We made them take shots from a little farther out and a little quicker than they like to.”
Two freshmen played key roles for Watervliet. Guard Ailayia Demand scored a game-high 16 points and committed just two turnovers. Lashona Tolliver came off the bench and scored five of her seven points in the second quarter, using her 5-foot-11 frame to good use down low.
Tolliver finished with 11 rebounds and Nae White had 12, to go with eight points, as the Cannoneers outrebounded Mechanicville, 36-27, for the game. A dozen of the rebounds were off the offensive glass.
“They’re not that big, and we’ve got a couple of horses inside,” said Johnson. “Tolliver is very good athletically. Once she learns the game, she and Ailayia are going to be a very good combination the next couple of years.”
“They had a couple of putbacks that hurt us,” said Murphy, whose tallest player is 5-8. “But Abbey [Maiello] and Ang [Mastropietro] play bigger than 5-6.”
“We needed to box out,” said Johnson “They get a lot of rebounds because they shoot a lot of jump shots. I thought we did a terrific job of boxing out.”
Both teams struggled through the first eight minutes, with Mechanicville losing Mastropietro to a knee injury early, an injury that cost her nearly the entire first half.
Maiello’s three gave the Red Raiders a 9-6 lead early in the second quarter, but Demand scored six straight points to break an 11-11 tie as the Cannoneers took a 19-14 halftime lead.
“I said to the girls that we had to hold them in the thirties, and we’ve got to get 40,” Murphy said. “We just didn’t put the ball in the basket.”
Wildcats advance
Maple Hill survived an early barrage of Greenwich three-pointers and beat the Witches, 56-50, in the Class CC/C playoff. It’s the first time the Wildcat girls have advanced to regional play.
Six-foot-two junior Katie Roth finished with 28 points and 22 rebounds, 16 of the points and half of the rebounds coming in the second half as the Patroon Conference and Class CC champions went to 22-0.
“This is huge. Maple Hill has never done this before,” said Roth, who also helped the Wildcats break the Greenwich zone press by helping bring the ball upcourt or making herself a target for a pass.
Emily Eddy hit three three-pointers in the first quarter as the Class C champion Witches took a 19-15 lead.
Roth asserted herself in the third quarter, going to the basket and finishing with a deft touch. She scored the final four points of the third period as Maple Hill pulled into a 37-37 tie, then kept her team in it until Erin Mosher drillled a three in a spurt that gave the Wildcats a
48-46 lead. Jessica Dailey’s third and final three of the game gave Maple Hill the lead for good, 51-48.
Maple Hill will play the winner of tonight’s Section VII (Ticonderoga) vs. Section X (Brushton-Moira) Saturday at ACC in the regional final.
CLASS B
Championship
WATERVLIET 38, MECHANICVILLE 27
MECHANICVILLE
N. Manupella 3-0-8, Russell 0-5-5, S. McBride 1-2-5, Mastropietro 0-2-2, M. McBride 1-0-3, D. Manupella 1-0-2, DiDomenico 1-0-3. Totals: 7-9-27
WATERVLIET
Demand 5-4-16, Murray 1-0-2, Keegan 1-0-2, Tolliver 3-1-7, Skelly 1-0-3, White 4-0-8. Totals: 15-5-38.
Mechanicville 6 8 7 6 — 27
Watervliet 6 13 9 10 — 38
Three-point goals: N. Manupella 2, S. McBride, M. McBride, Demand 2, Skelly.
CLASS CC/C PLAYOFF
MAPLE HILL 56, GREENWICH 50
GREENWICH
DeGregory 7-1-15, Woodard 5-1-11, Eddy 4-0-12, Fitzgerald 1-0-2, Anuszewski 3-0-7, Isgro 1-0-3. Totals: 21-2-50.
MAPLE HILL
Roth 11-6-28, Mosher 1-2-5, Dailey 3-0-9, DerGurhian 1-0-2, An. Racz 5-1-11, Hendrick 0-1-1. Totals: 21-10-56.
Greenwich 19 11 7 13 — 50
Maple Hill 15 12 10 19 — 56
Three-point goals: Eddy 4, Anuszewski, Isgro, Mosher, Dailey 3.
Categories: High School Sports
