Section 2 Class B Semis: Mechanicville Rolls, Fonda Knocks Off Top Seed

February 26, 2019

Usually when I cross the river and make an Unbreakable Nutrition stop, it's before watching perennial Class A power Averill Park. The trip was the same, the venue was the same, but the teams were different on Tuesday night, as AP played host to the Section 2 Class B semifinals. In the opener, Mechanicville took care of business as the game wore on, running away to a W against Mekeel. The nightcap proved to be the story, as #13 seed Fonda-Fultonville kept their playoff run alive and crashed the party on thoughts of an all-Wasaren final with a win over top-seeded Tamarac.


Mechanicville 62, Mekeel Christian Academy 38

A late 1st quarter run from Mekeel after a strong start from Mechanicville made it seem like they settled in, but the 2nd seeded Raiders responded by dominating the middle quarters and eliminating any thoughts of late-game drama. They ran their lead into the 20s by the middle of the 3rd quarter, winning in the same gym that they ended their season in last year to advance to the Class B finals.

Amy DiSiena went to work once again for Mechanicville, finishing with 18 points in Tuesday's win.

Mechanicville started off on the right foot, jumping to a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes thanks to their pressure. Mekeel, up in Class B this year after a couple successful years in the C ranks, was able to settle in and cut their deficit, briefly taking a 13-12 lead late in the quarter on a Jill Ballard (Mekeel 2020) three point play. That lead - the Lions' only lead of the night - was very short-lived, as Amy DiSiena (Mechanicville 2021) provided a bucket before the end of the quarter, giving them a 14-13 edge. Mechanicville's pressure & physicality started to take its toll on a young Mekeel squad as the 1st half wore on, and the Raiders started to gain separation in the 2nd quarter. A 7-0 spurt with a pair of DiSiena buckets and capped by a Chloe Goverski (Mechanicville 2022) trey gave them a 21-14 lead. The slow lead extension continued through the end of the half, with Jada Brown (Mechanicville 2020) scoring their last 6 of the half and pushing their lead to 30-20.

The Raiders carried their momentum into the 2nd half, and it didn't take long for them to break it open. Brown started it with 5 quick points, giving her 11 in a row for Mechanicville, and by the time DiSiena added a pair of buckets, they had scored the first 11 of the 3rd and extended their lead to 41-20. Mekeel briefly stopped the bleeding, scoring 4 straight in the middle of the quarter, but Mechanicville pushed their lead to 49-27 by the end of the 3rd. From there, Mekeel never chipped their deficit closer than 17 as the Raiders hit cruise control into the Class B final.

Jada Brown played well throughout for Mechanicville, finishing with 14 points in their semifinal W.

Amy DiSiena continued her strong play this season with a strong semifinal showing, finishing with a game high 18 points. Jada Brown played well at both ends in the win and added 14 points, and AJ-Analda Joseph (Mechanicville 2020) joined them in double digits with 10, 8 coming in the 3rd quarter. For Mekeel, Avery Mills (2024) put an end to a season that put her on the local map as a 7th grader with a team high 13 points. Jill Ballard joined her in double digits, finishing with 11.


Fonda-Fultonville 52, Tamarac 41

Class B in Section 2 has been wide open the entire season, with no one truly separating themselves as a frontrunner. That became ever more evident in Tuesday's nightcap, when the #13 seed from Fonda-Fultonville gained control late in the 1st half and never relinquished it, continuing their run by pulling off the most striking seeding upset in recent memory by knocking off top-seeded Tamarac.

Carly Atty was huge in Fonda's semifinal W, finishing with 11 pts (3 treys) while effectively serving as their primary ballhandler against the top seed's pressure.

The game became entertaining, but the start was slow for both sides, with a 1st quarter filled with ice-cold perimeter shooting - and a lot of it. Both teams primarily lived behind the arc in the opening stanza, with no one scoring inside the arc until :31.0 left in the quarter, when Syrita Faraj (Tamarac 2021) finished at the rim & then added a short jumper before the buzzer, giving Tamarac a 10-6 lead. They extended their lead to 14-6 early in the quarter before the basket started to open up for Fonda. It started with a Carly Atty (Fonda-Fultonville 2022) three to break a 6+ minute drought, then it became the Abby Lombardoni show. After Faraj scored again, the Fonda-Fultonville 2020 answered with 5 quick points. She added a free throw and another bucket to cut their deficit to 1, and another Faraj make was answered with a Lombardoni trey to tie it up. Trailing 21-20 late in the half, Lombardoni got room and canned another one from deep, giving Fonda a lead they'd never relinquish. Marilyn Whitcavitch (Fonda-Fultonville 2022) then finished through contact, and Lombardoni banked home yet another three - her 5th of the half, 17th point of the 2nd quarter & 20th of the half - to give them a 28-21 lead at the break.

The Fonda momentum continued into the 3rd quarter. A Faraj free throw started the half, but Fonda reeled off 8 straight points - threes from Lombardoni & Atty wrapped around a Whitcavitch midrange J - to extend their run to 19-2 and lead to 36-22. Tamarac would cut their deficit to single digits when Emily Erickson (Tamarac 2019) finished off an and-one, and they went into the 4th quarter down 9 at 41-32. The Braves got what they needed to start the 4th quarter, extending their lead back to 13 after an Atty drive & finish at the rim. The cushion extended to 14 once more on a pair of Lombardoni free throws with 4:11 remaining, and although Fonda went without a field goal the rest of the way - only tacking on a pair of free throws in the final minute - Tamarac was never able to really challenge, only getting as close as 9 on an Erickson three with 1:09 left.

Syrita Faraj was a bright spot for Tamarac, finding ways to make life difficult for Fonda & finishing with 12 pts.

Abby Lombardoni continued her recent tear, going off for a game high 28 points in the victory. She had 20 in the 1st half, 17 of those coming in the 2nd quarter, and she knocked down 7 threes in the process. Carly Atty also finished in double digits, contributing 11 points and their other 3 triples. For Tamarac, Syrita Faraj led the way with 12 points and was the only Bengal in double figures.


#JeffsNotes

- Of course, I'm neutral with this stuff and always will be. I'm here to evaluate, provide coverage of these hoopers, and in this segment, give my thoughts & observations. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel great for the Fonda girls and their coach, Flip Boshart. I understand why they were given the 13 seed - young & inconsistent, play in the WAC, lost games that they would've needed to win to receive a favorable seed - but more than a few people heard my thoughts along the way about their ability to make a real run. Well, here we are, and they're one of two Section 2 Class B teams that will be playing into March. They're playing their best basketball now, which every team hopes to achieve. The ball is moving crisply, they're locked in as a team defensively, they're playing with energy & confidence, and Coach Boshart has clearly done his homework. Happy for him, someone who puts in the work throughout the year for his program and cares about his players - how many times do you see high school coaches going to watch their players' AAU games? I'll wait - and it's paying dividends, perhaps even ahead of schedule.

With another huge game Tuesday, it can be said that Fonda-Fultonville 2020 Abby Lombardoni is on a tear this sectional season.

- The last couple weeks have been Abby Lombardoni's coming-out party, and Tamarac fell victim to it Tuesday. I've been watching Abby since her freshman year, the back end of the J-Tay days where I believe Abby was their 2nd leading scorer behind Julianna Taylor, now at Brockport. This Abby is a different Abby than what I've seen before. She's sharp, quicker in every way, and playing with a completely different level of confidence. She's always been able to hit shots, but what's striking me is how much more quickly she's getting her shot off, how much better she's getting at creating space off the dribble, and how much more effective she is getting to the rim with both her right & left. On top of the 28 point performance - including 7 threes, which she got off the catch, off the dribble, off screens, you name it - she flashed playmaking ability, including a beautiful pass going to her left, wrapping it around a defender setting up for a charge in traffic to an open teammate on the right block. With continued improvements, look for Abby to become a priority recruit for many D3s over the next year.

- While Fonda has had a fantastic run, Mechanicville is absolutely their toughest opponent along the way as far as personnel & styles go... and the Raiders are playing some of their best basketball now as well. They have a handful of players that can really hurt you, and it showed when they ran away from Mekeel without Charli Goverski handling much of the scoring load. Amy DiSiena lived at or around the rim. Jada Brown played perhaps the best game I've seen her play, making an impact at both ends and also pulling up & hitting a couple midrange jumpers when the D was retreating. Dribble penetration from those three along with Chloe Goverski opened things up for AJ-Analda Joseph at the rim. They're good, pretty well-rounded, and Coach Goverski & staff had a keen eye on the nightcap Tuesday... expect them to be strategically ready for Fonda.

Amy DiSiena (Mechanicville 2021) is among my favorite players in Section 2 that you might not be aware of yet, and she showed why in Tuesday's win.

- I've said this to several people over the course of this season, now I'll throw it in a blog post... give me Amy DiSiena on my team any day. She might basically be an undersized forward - maybe 5'8"? - but she's one of those players that height doesn't matter. She finds ways to score around the rim, carves space, and finishes strong through contact. She's as tough as they come and is very active on the glass at both ends. Then there's the passing & playmaking ability, which is my favorite thing about her game. Amy often assumes the role of point forward, facing up from the high post or top of the key and going to work from there. The moment a second defender starts to commit, I've seen her lace teammates with on-time, on-target passes - sometimes really threading the needle - more than enough times to know a DiSiena dime isn't a fluke. Besides the aforementioned occasional eye-opening pass, her game isn't flashy, but she's the type of player that makes a good team great. Mechanicville, with Amy being a key part, has the opportunity to become a Section 2 champion on Saturday.

Five more years of Mekeel 2024 Avery Mills... buckle up!

- Last but not least... it might not have been the result Mekeel was looking for, but perhaps a wider audience was exposed to potentially the future of Section 2 basketball. I'm very rarely all in on someone before they hit their high school years as so much can change, people can catch up, etc., but this is me saying I'm all in on Avery Mills. I watched her a little on the AAU circuit with NY Havoc as a 6th grader and into this fall, and I was able to catch Mekeel in action three times this winter. At this stage, she's about as gifted as there is in the 2024 class in upstate NY, and it's not because of wild athleticism. She is deceptively quick, but this comes down to good old-fashioned skill. She can already hit with deep range, finish at the rim, and she has an extensive in-between game package, all while being able to create what she wants off the dribble. Her confidence & court presence far surpass her age, and it's all the sort of stuff that translates well over time. I look back at what a current freshman was two years ago for my first thought... at this stage, she reminds me of Jackie Piddock two years ago, except more bucket-oriented. Anyone that knows what I think of Lil' P knows that's pretty high praise... looking forward to seeing Avery for the next FIVE years.