As usual, it was a busy Friday in the world of basketball, which means I was somewhere different and plenty of EST participants made noise. Here we go!
What I Saw
Cornwall @ Goshen
The only game of the night for me, but it was a dandy. EST participants headline both squads, with Cornwall 2019 Maggie Malone and Goshen 2017 Katie Smith both stealing the show in this outing.
It was a milestone night for Smith - the 5'6" senior guard, who participated in the Upstate Elite Showcase fall event, came into the game needing 5 points to eclipse 1,000. She did that, and then she did a lot more. One thing about Smith rings true; she really can score the ball. She did that to the tune of 33 points Friday night, getting it in a variety of ways. She got to the rim, the free throw line, converted inside the arc with pull-up jumpers and floaters, and knocked down threes for good measure. Despite her slighter build, she has a high release on her jumper which allows her to get shots over draped defenders with little or no impact. She's a difficult shot maker, a quality that's nice to have at the college level, especially out of your 'get a bucket' kid that you put the ball in the hands of when you need points. Mount St. Mary College was in the house for her in this game; she's received attention from them, Albertus Magnus, and Dominican College, among others. I also liked what I saw from the youngster of the family, her little sister Erin Smith. She's also small (maybe 5'4"), but is fearless and had a few very crafty finishes around the rim. The tough lefty, like her sister, can really handle it and put defenders on skates a few times. She also showed an ability to get into the lane & create for others, using good court vision to find others a handful of times.
For Cornwall, not many people will dominate a game at both ends like I saw out of 2016 EST summer league participant Maggie Malone Friday. The 5'10" tweener matched Smith's scoring output, hanging 33 points in what turned out to be a 71-53 victory. She posted up smaller defenders, got free to knock down midrange jumpers, hit a couple threes, attacked & finished off the dribble, and got into the open court for good measure. Malone can shoot it like a 2 guard, has solid handle, and rebounds like... a Malone. Her ability to get off the floor and pursue the ball is beyond that of most others she goes up against, which allows her to rebound at a high rate against bigger players. Goshen didn't have any players bigger than her, which made her even more dominant on the glass. Maggie is turning into a player that coaches need to keep their eyes on in the Class of 2019.
What Happened Today
- You read it above, but it was the battle of the 33s in Goshen Friday - not jersey numbers, but scoring totals. Cornwall sophomore standout Maggie Malone had 33 points in their 71-53 victory over the hosts, with a huge 3rd quarter breaking her point total - and the game itself - open. In defeat, Goshen senior standout Katie Smith matched her point for point with 33 points as well, including her 1,000th with 2:53 left in the 1st quarter. Smith finished the evening with 1,028 career points.
- Gloversville 2019 Harmony Philo has been blowing up of late, and she only increased her growing hype with a huge showing against a strong Scotia team Friday. Philo dropped a game high 32 points in a 56-50 victory over the Tartans; she averaged 28.5 PPG in two victories this week for a Gloversville group that has persevered through injury to have the kind of season to put them back on the map.
- Three days after putting 25 points on Sidney, Bainbridge-Guilford 2019 standout Abi Selfridge gave an encore performance against the same squad. She finished with a game high 24 points in her team's 69-36 victory. Selfridge had a breakout season as a freshman in '15-'16, and her growth on the court from freshman to sophomore year has cemented her as one of the shining stars of the eastern half of Section IV.
- Greenville 2018 Ava Fitzmaurice, a longtime standout that's already the program's all-time leading girls' scorer, produced a game high 26 points in their 66-56 victory Friday. Formerly known as primarily a knockdown shooter, she has responded to defenders sticking tight to her by developing her skill going off the dribble. She still knocks down threes (3 tonight), but the perimeter numbers aren't as gaudy as last year. Instead, her free throw numbers have ballooned. Continued improvement in this part of her offensive game will make Fitzmaurice, also a standout on the diamond in the spring, an even tougher cover.
Some More
- Averill Park 2018 Stephanie Jankovic finished with a game high 20 points in their 74-48 victory over Mohonasen. 2020 & 2019 teammates Kelsey Wood & EmmaLee Morgan added 12 points apiece in the W.
- In Mohonasen's defeat, standout 2017 and Davidson signee Saeeda Abdul-Aziz finished with 16 points.
- Ballston Spa 2017 & recent Suffolk commit Jordan Hipwell led all scorers with 15 points in their 47-21 victory over Burnt Hills.
- Johnstown 2017 Claire Guzielek finished with a game high 14 points in their 46-24 W over Broadalbin-Perth.
- Amsterdam 2017 & St. Rose signee Nina Fedullo led all scorers with 20 points in their 80-45 W over Schuylerville. 2018 teammate Giuliana Pritchard added 16 points - 12/13 from the line - in the victory.
- Ichabod Crane 2017 & Florida Southern signee Tara Sager paced her team with 10 points in their 42-34 setback to Holy Names.
- Catholic Central 2018 Emily Frodyma led the way with 17 points in their 61-22 victory over Schalmont.
- In Schalmont's defeat, Madison Graber & Paige Brinkman, both 2018s, accounted for all of their points.
- Cohoes 2017 & Georgian Court signee Nerea Brajac pumped in a game high 20 points in their 52-34 victory over Cobleskill-Richmondville. 2018 teammate Sam Dayter added 19 points in the win.
- Colonie 2019 Kyara Triblet was 1 of 5 in double digits, finishing with 10 points in their 70-66 overtime victory over Bethlehem.
- In Bethlehem's loss, standout 2017 & Middlebury commit Emily Wander led all scorers with 23 points - 12/16 from the line. 2018 teammate Molly Kirby continued her strong week with 19 points in the game. Wander averaged 24.5 & Kirby 18.5 over two games this week.
- Columbia 2019 Grace Heeps led all scorers with 13 points in their 46-32 victory over Guilderland.
- Saratoga Springs 2020 Dolly Cairns led all scorers with 19 points, as her Blue Streaks squad knocked off Shaker 49-40. 2019 Kerry Flaherty knocked down 3 threes and added 12 points in the win.
- In Shaker's defeat, 2017 and Army West Point signee CeCe Mayo paced her team with 15 points.
- Shenendehowa 2018s Cameron Tooley & Alexandra Tudor led the way once again for their team; Tooley led all scorers with 15 points and Tudor added 13 in their 58-25 victory over Niskayuna.
- Scotia-Glenville 2017 & Adelphi signee Caitlin Estes paced her squad with 15 points in their 56-50 setback to Gloversville.
- Hoosick Falls 2017 Kelly Pine dropped a game high 18 points in their 77-34 W over Mechanicville.
- Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 2017 & D'Youville commit Sara Field finished with 18 points, a team high, in their 63-48 setback to New Hartford.
- Cooperstown 2018 standout Julie Ford contributed 11 points in their 58-53 overtime W over Little Falls, overcoming a 31-11 halftime deficit to get the win.
- Seton Catholic 2018 Hanna Strawn contributed to a balanced effort with 10 points and 5 assists in their 72-57 STAC championship victory over Elmira.
- New Hartford 2022 Kaia Henderson finished with 15 points in their 63-48 W over VVS.
Where You'll See Me Next
The plan is another Section III tour throughout Saturday, starting in the Mohawk Valley and ending around Syracuse. The tentative schedule includes:
11:30 - Mount Markham @ Frankfort-Schuyler
1:30 - Chittenango @ Bishop Grimes
3:30 - Phoenix @ Cazenovia
6:00 - Nottingham @ C-NS
It'll be my first look at 6 of the 8 schools on the above list, with Chittenango and C-NS being the teams I've seen already this year. We'll see what Mount Markham has to offer, and it'll be good to get to a game of 2 year ESTer and Frankfort-Schuyler standout Danielle Caivana. I get a second look at Chittenango 2020 Ally Shoemaker, someone I liked at first watch last month. Bishop Grimes has a strong core of talent, led by D1 talent in 2018 Azariah Wade. 2019 Abby Wilkinson has been putting up numbers of late, and it'll be good to see how she's progressed since fall. Phoenix features 2018 standout & 1,000 point scorer Samantha Doupe, and I finally get to watch 6'3" Cazenovia 2020 Lindsey Lawson with a more attentive eye. We'll see how CNS has progressed since the Amsterdam Holiday Showcase in September, and it'll be my first look at Randy Wright's Nottingham crew.
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