by Steve Bradley
Early Friday afternoon, the Lady Panthers put on a memorable shooting exhibition. Playing Irvington, the number one ranked team in NYS Class B, in the state semifinals at Hudson Valley Community College, the Panthers played well in the first half, holding a slim 20 – 17 lead at the end of the second quarter.
[private]Returning from the break, the Ladies started out with some fancy shooting and stayed hot, It was a wonder the net on their basket didn’t catch on fire. They couldn’t miss. The Panthers went 9 of 11 for total shots in the third quarter, making 7 of eight three-pointers. Scoring the first 19 points of the quarter, the Ladies completely rattled their opponents. It threw Irvington off their game so much that they couldn’t regroup at the offensive end. By the time the quarter ended, the Panthers scored 26 points to Irvington’s nine, grabbing a 46 – 26 lead.
Irvington player Havanna Hall said after the game, “They were hitting every single three they took, and I mean, I give them props. That was incredible! We tried to adjust our defense and get out on the three, but they were just hitting every shot. We just couldn’t control them.”
Irvington never recovered. The Panthers went on to win the game, 55 – 36, and advance to the state final game.
Rachel Pine led all scorers with 18 points. Chelsea Stevens scored 12, all on three-pointers, Kelly Pine added 11. Anna Wysocki added two 3’s of her own, both of them coming in the third quarter. The Panthers held a huge advantage in rebounds, with Kelly Pine and Megan Flynn getting most of them. The team hit 10 of 21 shots from inside and 10 of 21 from outside the three point arc, and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.
A Great Year, And More To Come
The Lady Panthers had a great year. The regular season was blemished by just one loss, a one point nailbiter to Bennington’s Mount Anthony, a much larger school. In League play, they were undefeated. The Hoosick Falls boys and girls teams combined for a total of 28 wins and zero losses in Wasaren League play,
There is no shame in losing the final game of the year in a state final. Playing in a state final game is something many players never come close to experiencing.
The community came to the games to show its support. The community also came out just because it loves watching its high school athletes play. These girls played good basketball and provided an enjoyable show.
Seniors Rachel Pine, Chelsea Stevens and Maddy Ryan will be missed running the floor and hitting those big threes when the team needed a lift (not to mention Chelsea’s constant smile). But the nucleus for another great season is returning. Anna Wysocki, Megan Flynn and Kelly Pine will be back to score points and get the rebounds. Liz Ryan will step in and Taylor Hayes will return with her nice shot. [/private]