Tonight is a modified version of the regular rundown, as the last couple nights have been very light with sectional seeding taking the forefront in much of New York. Check everything I have to say below!
What I Saw
Brattleboro @ Mount Anthony
Thursday night's venture brought me across the state border for the 2nd consecutive evening, this time just into Bennington, VT. It was my first look at both teams this season - and actually my first ever look at Brattleboro. It was quite the interesting game which included a milestone, a near comeback for the ages, and the first time I was pushed over the edge and had a little verbal exchange with a member of the peanut gallery. An adventurous time, indeed!
A big 2nd quarter was the difference, as the hosting MAU group took a 17 point lead into the locker room and held off a 2nd half rally by the visitors. The night culminated in a milestone for Mount Anthony 2017 standout guard Madison Little, whose layup with .9 seconds remaining gave her 25 for the night and 1,000 for her career. She's been a main scorer for them in all of the three years I've been working on the girls' hoops end, and has added to her repertoire through time. The uncommitted senior showed more willingness to use the in-between game, going to numerous short pull-up jumpers and a couple floaters. This adds a big part to her ability to score, as she's already known as a microwave shooter with deep range & the strength to get to the rim. She was also able to create for the posts, with a few good feeds to others on drives to the rack. A good amount of her points came in the open court, with 2017 teammate and Keuka commit Brianna Legacy getting a handful of assists on good advance passes. Legacy also showed off the range at one point in the game, hitting a three from around 23' against Brattleboro's zone.
The future of Mount Anthony was on display by way of a strong performance by 2020 Grace Mahar. She currently has a bit of a tweener's skill set at around 5'10", with the ability to post up and score, step out and shoot with range to the 3 point line, and the court vision to find teammates. She sucked the defense in and kicked to an open teammate on several occasions, with Little being the recipient a few times. She's also a strong rebounder and puts forth effort on the glass at both ends. With continued skill development, she could be a force in Vermont basketball through the 2019-2020 season, and Mount Anthony can make a serious state run this year with Mahar being in attack mode and giving them consistent production.
Brattleboro made a nice push in the 2nd half to get it to within 3 after trailing by 17 at the break. Much of that came from scrappiness, with the team getting plenty of 2nd half points off second chance opportunities. I'll have to get a second look at 2019 Hailey Derosia - a long & athletic wing that made a few plays tonight. It was one of her quietest games of the season, as she's been putting up some strong numbers so far.
The Rest of The Night
- Mount Abraham Union (VT) 2018 Emma Carter had another strong game, finishing with a game high 21 points in her team's blowout W over Missisquoi. This production puts Carter, a 5'11" wing with a well-rounded offensive game, over 980 career points. Her next game against the same Missisquoi team, at home this time, early next week.
- Sectionals officially started Thursday in Section III, with 3 play-in games from a 19 team field in Class B now in the books. 2017 PG Liz White and her Marcellus crew knocked off Adirondack (who also has an ESTer in 2020 Belle Kranbuhl) 58-36. White finished with 11 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals on the evening. They get top seeded Bishop Ludden next, with tip slated for 1:00 Saturday. On the bottom end of the bracket, 6'3" 2017 F Sara Field and VVS were on the winning end of a 55-27 decision over Canastota. She finished with a double-double of 11 points (tied for team high) and 10 rebounds, along with 3 assists. They next play at Bishop Grimes, with tip time at 3:00 Saturday.
Two Things I Didn't Mention Yesterday
- Northampton (MA) 2017 and Canisius signee Lauraine Joensen is as close as you can get to reaching the 1,000 point mark. Her 19 points - in a losing effort to Central - put her at 999 career points. She was an instant high-level contributor upon her arrival at Northampton from her native Denmark, and the skilled 6'2" F has increased her scoring production to just under 20 points per game. She isn't one to put importance on individual accomplishments, but this will be a great one for a quality player and person.
- Stockbridge Valley 2017 Olivia Marshall made the most of her last regular season game Wednesday. The longtime standout 5'11" F pumped in 20 points and added 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 6 blocks in a victory over Westmoreland. This is her 18th double-double of the season and 9th 20-10 game of their 19 regular season contests. She's had a remarkable career for Stockbridge Valley to date, and is currently approaching 1,700 career varsity points with a much bigger goal in mind - winning the Section III Class D title, where they enter as the top seed.
2016 ESTers in Sectionals & League Championships Friday
Section II Class AA
11-Guilderland (Olivia Baumann) @ 6-Catholic Central (Emily Frodyma)
10-Niskayuna @ 7-Bethlehem (Emily Wander, Rylee vonWedel, Maggie Kirby (injured), Molly Kirby)
9-Troy (Alaina Holmes, Jenalyse Alarcon (fall)) @ 8-Colonie (Kyara Triblet, Madison Dunlap)
Section II Class A
12-Bishop Maginn @ 5-Scotia-Glenville (Caitlin Estes, Mary Kate Palleschi, Mikyla Mitchell, Asia Winney)
Section II Class C
18-Rensselaer @ 15-Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons (Abby Kienzle (fall), Sarah Malinowski (fall))
Section III Class B
11-General Brown (Kylee Rosbrook (fall)) @ 6-Westhill
13-Lowville @ 4-South Jefferson (Jenna Zimmerman)
9-Oneida @ 8-Utica Notre Dame (Carli Brenon)
Section III Class C
9-Beaver River @ 8-Frankfort-Schuyler (Danielle Caivana)
12-Port Byron @ 5-Cooperstown (Julie Ford, Maggie Schuermann)
13-Sauquoit Valley (Allison Moreau) @ 4-Weedsport
11-Cato-Meridian @ 6-Waterville (Sophie Wittenbeck)
Section IV - Delaware League Final
3-Stamford (Haley Steenland) vs. 1-South Kortright (Brianna Laing) @ SUNY Delhi
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