Section 10 Class D Quarterfinals: Higher Seeds All Advance

February 17, 2019

The 3rd Sunday in February has brought me to the same place each of the last three winters. Section X, covering a large portion of northern NY, has had the Ds in recent memory. Their run of success included 2015-2017 state champions in Heuvelton, a team whose best competition was often in their own sectional playoffs, and the Section 10 champion has advanced through regional play into at least the state semifinals every year in recent memory. The Class D quarterfinals all took place at the Roos House at SUNY Canton as nearly the only show in NY Sunday, so it was worth another trip. The higher seeds - Edwards-Knox, Heuvelton, Chateaugay, and Hammond - all took care of business, punching their tickets to what will be a competitive semifinal round.


(2) Heuvelton 53, (7) Hermon-DeKalb 44

In what amounted to be the most entertaining game of the day, second-seeded Heuvelton overcame a double digit deficit and finally put away a game Hermon-DeKalb squad in the final minutes.

Madison McCormick turned it up after a slow start, pumping in a quarterfinal-high 25 pts to push Heuvelton into the semis.

7th seeded Hermon, a team that by what I was able to gather - for whatever reason, some people on the H-D side were secretive about this - featured some JV call-ups, jumped on Heuvelton early behind the shooting prowess of one of those players. Hillary Jones (Hermon-DeKalb 2021) knocked down 3 threes in the opening quarter, and their opponents had a rocky start on the offensive end to compound their issues. By the time Jones hit her 3rd trey, Hermon led 14-3, which was the score at the end of the 1st and their largest lead. Madison McCormick (Heuvelton 2019; Roberts Wesleyan commit) started to make things happen in the 2nd, knocking down a three to start the quarter and contributing 7 points in a 12-0 run to briefly give Heuvelton the lead. But Jones had the answer with her 4th three, and a pair of Brooke Reed (H-D 2019) free throws gave them a 21-18 lead going into the locker room.

Hermon-DeKalb was able to extend their lead to 7 on a pair of occasions in the 3rd quarter, but Heuvelton quickly had the answer both times. The last time, coming off another Jones three, was quickly answered by a McCormick bucket - the same way the first one was answered. She then added a pair of free throws, and after Bella Doyle (Heuvelton 2022) scored, it was McCormick again to give Heuvelton a 31-30 lead - one they'd never give back. Another McCormick bucket gave her 11 in the quarter and gave Heuvelton a 34-32 lead going into the 4th. Hermon cut it to 1 early in the 4th, but a Rayna Cameron (Heuvelton 2020) bucket sparked a 6-0 spurt with Doyle & McCormick adding baskets. Reed (H-D) and Doyle (Heuvelton) traded points twice, the last of the flurry coming from Doyle to give Heuvelton a 46-39 lead with 1:29 left. After Jones hit her 6th & final three to cut Hermon's deficit to 4 with 1:12 left, Heuvelton broke the press and Doyle found McCormick for a layup, and a Heuvelton stop effectively iced the game.

Hillary Jones made her mark on Sunday's 2/7 quarterfinal, dropping a team high 18 points (6 treys) for Hermon-DeKalb.

Madison McCormick pumped in a game high 25 points, with 17 of them coming in the 2nd half. Bella Doyle, a 2022 that shows promise, contributed 8 of her 12 points in the 4th quarter. For Hermon-DeKalb, Hillary Jones scored 18 points and hit 6 of their 9 threes. Brooke Reed added 12 points in defeat. They'll move on to face Chateaugay in the semifinals, who was a 27-22 winner over Colton-Pierrepoint in the day's opener, the only game I missed.



(4) Hammond 71, (5) Harrisville 44

A back-and-forth start turned into a game that looked like anything but a 4/5 matchup, as Hammond dominated the middle quarters to run away with a victory over Harrisville.

Kelsey Bennett drove Hammond to a double-digit halftime lead, scoring 18 of her 21 points before intermission.

Both teams came out pressing, and both teams got burnt early. The first 4 minutes looked more like a layup drill than a sectional contest, as each team found itself getting easy ones before they settled back into the half-court. A Kelsey Bennett (Hammond 2020) three bumped their lead to 15-8 midway through the quarter, but Harrisville cut it back to 1 at 17-16 on a Hannah LaPlatney (Harrisville 2020) trey. After Bennett & Avery Kenyon (Hammond 2021) teamed up to score 5 straight points, a Torie Moore (Harrisville 2021) three - their 4th of the quarter - sent them into the huddle down 22-19. It didn't take long for Hammond to extend their lead, though, as it quickly approached danger time for a Harrisville squad already starting to lose some of its composure. Bennett reeled off 8 points in a 15-3 run to start the quarter - another three from LaPlatney the only production for Harrisville in that stretch. Bennett canned another trey, her 4th of the half, to give Hammond a 40-23 lead, and they went into the locker room up 41-27.

The first 4 minutes of the 2nd half were going to dictate how the rest of this game went, and Hammond made sure to dictate that. A quick 8-0 spurt, capped by Bennett's 5th & final three, ran their lead to 22. After Lydia Kerr (Harrisville 2019) scored to briefly stop the bleeding, the onslaught continued. Kenyon & Kylie Vaughan (Hammond 2020) teamed up to reel off 12 straight, 6 coming from each, to give them their largest lead at 61-29 late in the 3rd. From there, the Red Devils were able to coast to the finish line.

Lydia Kerr paced Harrisville with 12 points in Sunday's 4/5 quarterfinal matchup.

Avery Kenyon led all scorers with 23 points for Hammond, 15 coming in the 2nd half. Kelsey Bennett pumped in 18 of her 21 points in the 1st half, and she hit 5 threes on the night. Kylie Vaughan added 17 points in the win, making them a formidable trio on this Sunday evening. Lydia Kerr paced Harrisville in defeat with 12 points, and Torie Moore added 11.



(1) Edwards-Knox 63, (9) St. Regis Falls 30

The game that seemed like the sheer mismatch on the card quickly became just that, as an Edwards-Knox team currently ranked #2 in the latest NYSSWA Class D state polls flexed in the first few minutes and coasted to a quarterfinal win.

Koryn Rowe was one of three in double figures for E-K, finishing with 14 pts while running the show at the PG spot.

Edwards-Knox controlled things from the tip. Carly Frary (EK 2019) hit a three to open up the scoring, and St. Regis Falls was forced to call a timeout after falling behind 7-0 in the first two minutes. Another Frary trey pushed their lead to double digits, and Lucy Frary (EK 2021) added a pair of buckets to give them a 14-0 lead before St. Regis finally got on the board. The game went dead for several minutes from there, with EK going on a long drought deep into the 2nd quarter as the offense became stagnant against the St. Regis zone. The margin was 18-8 with under 3 minutes left in the half, but the insertion of Abby Hart (EK 2020) back into the game, who missed much of the first 16 minutes, helped spark a late run. They threw the press back on and reeled off 8 quick points. A Koryn Rowe (EK 2019) three gave her 8 points in the 2nd quarter, and a Hart bucket capped a 13-0 run as they led 31-8 at the break.

The 9th seed battled in the 2nd half, playing their opponents even for much of the 3rd quarter, but Edwards-Knox eventually gained more separation. A pair of Hart treys capped an 8-0 spurt to put them up 43-14, and her 3rd three of the quarter - a buzzer-beater from not far inside half-court - capped a frenetic stretch of scoring over the last two minutes, giving E-K a 49-19 lead after 3. After St. Regis Falls scored 9 of the first 11 points in the 4th, Edwards-Knox scored 12 of the game's last 14, eventually leading by as much as 34.

Skyelin Bradford paced 9th seeded St. Regis Falls with 11 points in Sunday's nightcap.

After playing limited minutes in the 1st half, Abby Hart reeled off 11 points in the 3rd quarter and led all scorers with 21 points in the win. Carly Frary added 15 points, and Koryn Rowe chipped in with 14. They hit 3 threes apiece, powering EK's total of 10 made threes. Skyelin Bradford paced St. Regis Falls with 11 points in defeat.


#JeffsNotes

- Hermon-DeKalb may be a team that makes some noise over the next couple years in the North Country. They lose their point guard, Brooke Reed, but 2021s Hillary Jones & Brianna Grant - both apparently JV call-ups that are bona fide varsity starters - are good building blocks. Jones, in particular, went off Sunday. She has a relatively quick, high release with range well beyond the college line, and she banged home 6 threes on the day. But they simply ran out of gas against a Heuvelton squad that's a bit more battle-tested and in better shape. When Heuvelton let the dogs out on them, it steadily wore them down. Good experience for Hermon though, as it showed them that although there's work to do, they certainly can hang.

Avery Kenyon continues to be a difference maker for a Hammond squad reemerging as a contender.

- Kelsey Bennett & Avery Kenyon took turns putting their stamp on the game for Hammond. Early, it was a heavy dose of Kelsey. The 5'8" 2020 G was the best player on the court in the first 16 minutes, imposing her will at both ends as Hammond started to seize control. She shot the three with confidence and knocked down 4 of them in the 1st half, and she got out in transition and made things happen for herself or for teammates on several occasions. A couple times, it was creating for 5'10" 2021 Avery, who had a big 2nd half. She's a natural athlete that is tough to contain in the open court, particularly at the small school level. If yesterday was any indication, it looks like her jumper has improved some, which was the main knock against her. She hit a pair of threes and a couple more midrange Js, and the release looked much better. If it becomes consistent, that takes her game to the next level.

Bella Doyle, a 2022, has the tools to show promise for Heuvelton girls' hoops going forward.

- Madison McCormick tuning Section 10 teams up doesn't come to a surprise to anyone at this point, so I won't waste time talking about what we already know. However, they become a much tougher out if Bella Doyle consistently plays like she did in the 2nd half. At 5'9"ish, she has the ability to play at the wing or mix it up around the rim. She found herself getting to the rim throughout the game, but struggled finishing early. As the game went on, it looked like she stopped worrying about potential contact and went up stronger. She Euroed around a defender twice in transition and scored, and then she started to gain confidence and put it on the deck to get to the rim in the half-court. Her versatility allows her to be a good compliment for Madison. A full game like Sunday's 2nd half for her along with Madison doing her thing and others like Rayna Cameron making plays, and Heuvelton could still have plenty of ball left in them. From what I've been told, it looks like Bella will make the jump from local AAU to suit up for the Syracuse Royals this spring, something that will only benefit her.

Abby Hart, who had a game high 21 pts in Sunday's nightcap, could prove to be a prime D3 target in the 2020 class.

- In stretches, Edwards-Knox showed why they're deserving of the reputation as one of New York's premier Class D teams. They have the experience of playing at Hudson Valley, getting to the state semis last year before running into a Franklinville buzzsaw. They have the guard play in 2019 Koryn Rowe, a true PG, and 2020 Abby Hart, a dynamic, hard-nosed off-guard. Add Carly Frary, a knockdown shooter with some size that essentially plays as a stretch 4, and Lucy Frary as another guard, and they have depth of skilled players that most D teams can't match. Rowe is an underrated 2019 PG that could make a D3 program very happy, and I'll be saying the same thing about Abby - whose game I love - in a year. Their level of play Sunday night fluctuated as they pumped the brakes at times after gaining a big lead, but I saw what I needed to. The fun begins this week, as every game is a battle from here on out in Section 10 & beyond.