All Day Gets It Done Behind The Big Three

With all of the talent the All Day roster possessed, there was one thing they hadn't done leading up to playoffs - win twice in the same day.

In the league's final session, they picked the right time to reel off two straight wins. They pulled away in the 2nd half to win their semifinal matchup by double digits over Havoc, and then they held off top-seeded Outwork in the finals to take home the first Empire State Takeover girls championship by way of a 57-53 victory.

All Day, the #3 seed who had already taken 3 losses to Outwork in the regular season, got huge starts from standout sisters Lucy Tougas and Sophie Tougas to forge a 30-23 halftime lead. Lucy, a 5'10" junior point guard at Glens Falls, was in attack mode early and got to the rim numerous times in the early going. Her and Sophie, a 6'0" freshman wing, worked the pick & roll game to perfection as well, and Sophie used that to get going. The two combined for 19 first half points, Sophie scoring 11 of them.

Outwork was able to claw all the way back into it in the 2nd half, tying the game on three separate occasions behind big performances from Kingston sophomore Chloe Chaffin and Northampton (MA) junior Lauraine Joensen. Chaffin, a 1st team selection, was able to get some separation and Outwork used their speed, conditioning, and ample bodies (9 compared to All Day's 6) to get some fast break buckets. Chaffin had 10 of her team high 14 after halftime, and Joensen had 6 of her 8 in that timeframe along with making her presence felt on the boards.

All Day countered with the league MVP, Frankfort-Schuyler senior and St. Bonaventure commit Danielle Migliore, who took over offensively for a long stretch. 17 of her game high 26 points came after halftime, many coming from the free throw line, where she was able to work her way to consistently.

A Joensen basket tied the game at 51 for Outwork, and with under 2 minutes left, Lucy Tougas countered with a rare 20 foot jumper to put All Day up 53-51. Outwork countered with a Chaffin basket to tie it for the last time at 53. Migliore got to the free throw line on the ensuing possession and knocked down a pair of free throws to put All Day up 55-53. On Outwork's ensuing possession, Chaffin got off a good look on a set play for her that hit the back rim, and a putback was missed as well before the rebound was grabbed by All Day. After Sophie Tougas missed a pair of free throws, Migliore was able to knock down 2 with 3 seconds left to make it a 2 possession game and effectively lock up the championship.

All Day took home the win despite only having 6 players, 3 of them being regular contributors. Danielle Migliore led all scorers with 26 in the victory while shooting 16/21 from the free throw line. 17 - and 11/15 - came in the 2nd half. Sophie Tougas, just a rising freshman, contributed a double double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, and older sister Lucy finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. The three combined for 55 of All Day's 57 points. Outwork got a team high 14 points from Chloe Chaffin. Ichabod Crane senior Paige Niemeyer added 11 points in a solid performance, and Lauraine Joensen & Mount Anthony Union (VT) junior Brianna Legacy added 8 points apiece.

All Day made it to the finals by way of a 43-28 victory over 2nd seeded Havoc. Danielle Migliore got into a groove early and had her best shooting game of the summer, knocking down 5 of her 7 attempts from behind the arc and finishing with a game high 28 points, matching Havoc's total. All Day came forth with their best defensive effort of the summer, limiting an undermanned Havoc team to 14 in each half. Columbia rising freshman Grace Heeps and Shaker sophomore Shyla Sanford, 2 of just 5 regulars that were there for them on Saturday, provided Havoc with 75% of their offensive production. Heeps finished with a team high 12 points while creating for others, and Sanford added 9 points on 3 threes.

Top-seeded Outwork, 8-2 entering playoffs, got to the finals with a deceptively tough victory over #4 seed Lady Knicks, who got through with a forfeit W in quarterfinals. After forging an 11 point lead at halftime, Outwork had to hold off the Lady Knicks as they found their stride behind a big performance from Utica Notre Dame sophomore Claire Sehring. Sehring had 12 of her 17 in the 2nd half, providing the Utica based team with a late scoring punch. It was too little, too late though, and Outwork was able to hold on for a 45-36 victory. Our Lady of Lourdes sophomore Rebecca Townes had a team and season-high 11 points, 9 coming from behind the arc, in the win. Brianna Legacy and Chloe Chaffin (both previously mentioned) added 10 and 8 points in the victory, respectively.

Box scores for all games below. All-star lists coming out in the next couple days!

Semifinals
Outwork 45, Lady Knicks 36

Outwork (9-2): Lyndsey McCoy 1-1-4, Rebecca Townes 4-11, Chloe Chaffin 4-8, Brianna Legacy 4-10, Kathryn Frasier 2-1-6, Rebekkah Dean 1-2, Lauraine Joensen 1-2, Paige Niemeyer 1-2. Totals: 18-2-45.


Lady Knicks (3-8): Kate Sehring 2-1-5, Olivia Marshall 4-8, Morgan Wolanin 2-2-6, Claire Sehring 5-4-17. Totals: 13-7-36.

3-Point Field Goals: Outwork 7 (Townes 3, Legacy 2, Frasier, McCoy), Lady Knicks 3 (C. Sehring).

Free Throws: Outwork 2/8 (McCoy 1/2, Frasier 1/2, Chaffin 0/1, Joensen 0/1, Legacy 0/2), Lady Knicks 7/14 (C. Sehring 4/7, Wolanin 2/4, K. Sehring 1/3).


All Day 43, Havoc 28

All Day (6-5): Danielle Migliore 6-11-28, Lucy Tougas 0-2-2, Sophie Tougas 2-2-6, Sam Dayter 1-1-3, Beana DeMarco 1-2-4. Totals: 10-18-43.

Havoc (6-5): Shyla Sanford 3-9, Madison Graber 1-1-3, Lyndsay Miller 0-2-2, Grace Heeps 3-5-12, Emily Zeyak 0-2-2. Totals: 7-10-28.

3-Point Field Goals: All Day 5 (Migliore 5), Havoc 4 (Sanford 3, Heeps).

Free Throws: All Day 18/28 (Migliore 11/15, DeMarco 2/2, L. Tougas 2/4, S. Tougas 2/4, Dayter 1/3), Havoc 10/16 (Heeps 5/7, Zeyak 2/2, Miller 2/4, Graber 1/3).


Finals
All Day 57, Outwork 53

All Day (7-5): Danielle Migliore 4-16-26, Rylee von Wedel 1-2, Sophie Tougas 5-5-15, Lucy Tougas 5-4-14. Totals: 15-25-57.


Outwork (9-3): Lyndsey McCoy 0-2-2, Rebecca Townes 0-3-3, Chloe Chaffin 6-2-14, Brianna Legacy 3-8, Kathryn Frasier 2-4, Rebekkah Dean 1-1-3, Lauraine Joensen 4-8, Paige Niemeyer 4-3-11. Totals: 20-11-53.

3-Point Field Goals: All Day 2 (Migliore), Outwork 2 (Legacy).

Free Throws: All Day 25/34 (Migliore 16/21, S. Tougas 5/9, L. Tougas 4/4), Outwork 11/17 (Townes 3/4, Niemeyer 3/4, McCoy 2/2, Chaffin 2/5, Dean 1/2).