Jamesville-DeWitt Holds Off Averill Park in Instant Classic

March 5, 2019

Jamesville-DeWitt 65, Averill Park 60 (OT)

Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and the Jamesville-DeWitt & Averill Park girls' basketball teams playing each other in regionals. History buffs would be quick to point out that JD has owned the matchup in recent memory, winning the last 5 years up to this point. Red Ram supporters walked in the Shenendehowa gym Tuesday night hoping for history to repeat itself, and an overwhelming contingent of Averill Park faithfuls came in hoping the Warriors would write their own history. In a game that quickly crossed over to the 'instant classic' territory in the 2nd half, Jamesville-DeWitt was able to bounce back after losing all of a double-digit 4th quarter lead to escape and retain the crown.

Momo LaClair lived up to the hype & then some Tuesday, going off for a game high 27 points and making her share of big plays in Jamesville-DeWitt's win.

The first 8 minutes weren't indicative of how the last 28 would go. Nerves combined with each team having scouted the other extensively made for a start filled with turnovers and tough shots. It was still just 5-2 in favor of Averill Park in the final minute of the 1st quarter before things started to open up. Gabby Stickle (JD 2020) drove & finished, then after Olivia Kelley (Averill Park 2019; Manhattanville commit) answered with a bucket, Stickle banked home a three to tie it up at 7 going back into the huddle. The JD run continued into the 2nd quarter. Sydney Baker (JD 2020) buried a three to start a quick flurry. Kelley came back with 4 quick points before Baker hit another three, all of this coming in the first minute of the quarter. The 2nd Baker trey sparked an 8-0 spurt by the Red Rams, with Paige Keeler (JD 2020) hitting a three that forced an Averill Park timeout and Momo LaClair (JD 2021) adding a bucket to give them an 18-11 lead. The lead would extend to 8 on a LaClair top of the key three, but Averill Park would reel off 6 straight points - 4 more from Kelley - to cut into the deficit. The Red Rams would get a layup from Andrea Sumida (JD 2020) before the half to give them a 25-21 lead.

The 3rd quarter was a virtuoso offensive performance on both sides most of the way. It started with a Michelina Lombardi (Averill Park 2022) three and LaClair responding with a basket, which would become a trend. Kelsey Wood (Averill Park 2020) would then score off JD's press, getting the Warrior standout into the scoring column after a scoreless 1st half, and Stickle, Kelley, and Sumida would quickly answer back & forth with buckets in a fast and furious start to the quarter. Every point was answered by an equal result on the other end for the first half of the period until LaClair scored 4 straight - once on a drive & finish and then tacking on 2 free throws - to give JD a 40-35 lead. Averill Park got 3 points back on a trey from Anna Jankovic (Averill Park 2021), but it would be more Momo for JD, getting 6 more points late in the quarter from her as she took control for the Section 3 champs en route to a 48-40 lead.

Kelsey Wood started to assert herself in the 2nd half & ended up dominating the 4th quarter - she scored all 17 of her points after halftime.

Momo & Gabby would combine again to start the 4th, giving Jamesville-DeWitt their largest lead. LaClair started the quarter with a bucket, and then Stickle added an and-one to give JD their largest lead at 53-40 with 6:37 remaining. The tide would turn from there, however, as a scrambling Averill Park squad dialed up the pressure & physicality to get back into it. It started with another Lombardi basket, then Kelsey Wood went to work. Often on offensive rebounds or feeds from Olivia Kelley, she would find ways to score or get to the line. A bucket at the 5:02 mark would cut AP's deficit back to single digits. Another made it 53-46 with 3:33 left. A three-point play not long after and another trip to the line - where she split the free throws - cut it to 53-50 with over 2 minutes to play and had the huge AP contingent at a fever pitch. They continued to force turnovers & get stops on the other end, and another Kelsey bucket made it 53-52 with :39.0 remaining - a 12-0 AP run, and a 10-0 Wood run. The Warriors turned JD over on the ensuing possession and Amelia Wood (Averill Park 2022) was fouled. She split a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left, pulling AP even for the first time since early in the 2nd quarter. On the final JD possession, Keeler missed a three and Kelsey grabbed the rebound, putting an end to regulation in the most improbable of ways - AP scoring the last 13, holding JD scoreless over the last 6:37 to send it to overtime.

It didn't take long in the extra session for the Red Rams to get their mojo back. Right after Keeler missed a potential game winner in regulation, she started off the overtime by banging home a three after being left open in the right corner. A pair of Amelia Wood free throws was then answered with a Baker bucket and Keeler free throw, then LaClair found Sumida for a layup to run JD's lead to 61-55. Averill Park fought back one more time. It started with a Kelley finish around the rim, then Amelia Wood got back to the line - drawing Stickle's 5th foul in the process - and split a pair. After a pair of missed JD free throws, Kelley scored again, cutting their deficit to 61-60 with 25 seconds left. The Red Rams handled Averill Park's pressure in the backcourt, and they were unable to foul until it was in Momo's hands, where she went to the line with 13 seconds left. She calmly buried a pair to give them a 3 point lead. On AP's final possession, a long three missed the mark, and it was LaClair again sinking two free throws in the final seconds to ice the game.

17 points for Gabby Stickle, who's had a big playoff run, to help JD advance.

Momo LaClair went off for Jamesville-DeWitt in the win. She finished with 27 points, including 14 in a phenomenal 3rd quarter. Gabby Stickle added 17 points, and she was one of three players in red to hit 2 threes on the night. Syd Baker added 8, Paige Keeler had 4 of her 7 in the extra session, and Andrea Sumida had 6 points & 13 rebounds. For Averill Park, Kelsey Wood pumped in 17 points, all of them coming in a huge 2nd half, and added a 20+ rebound performance. Olivia Kelley ended her high school career with one of her best games, adding 16 points and filling the stat sheet in various ways. Michelina Lombardi and Amelia Wood, both 2022s, added 12 & 10 points respectively. Anna Jankovic rounded out the AP scoring with 5.


#JeffsNotes

- In five years of being involved in girls' basketball in this capacity, whenever anyone has asked me about 'best games' along the way, there's always been one that comes to mind. Shen/Ossining in state playoffs at HVCC, which was in 2016 if memory serves me right. Now it's two games. Add Tuesday's Jamesville-DeWitt/Averill Park showdown to that list. The game had pretty much anything I could look for. JD had control in the 4th quarter, then AP made a huge run in front of a raucous home crowd to send it to overtime. JD responded like champions, bouncing back from the tip in the overtime session. The crowd was maybe the best I've been around at a girls game - definitely the best this winter. Between the crowd size & the acoustics, Shen was probably the perfect venue for the night. The stars were stars in every sense of the word, especially in the 2nd half, and supporting cast players made plays. Game of the year, and perhaps years to come.

When JD needed it most, Paige Keeler delivered with a three to start overtime & get the Red Rams headed in the right direction.

- Going into the game, where I thought the difference between this year & the previous couple years lied was that Averill Park was going to make a run, and how the game went would depend on how JD responded. Didn't know when it would be, didn't know if it would be 8-0, 10-2, or anything else. Well, the run happened, and it was a big one. Averill Park went on an extended 13-0 run to end regulation, and they had all of the momentum. JD hadn't scored in nearly 7 minutes... and then they responded. Paige Keeler hit a three 10 seconds into overtime to start it off, and they ended up scoring 8 of the first 10 in the extra session. The run happened, Jamesville-DeWitt responded when the pressure got to its peak, and they found a way to advance.

- More to talk about with Averill Park than I can wrap my head around. It ended the high school basketball chapter for Olivia Kelley, someone AP will sorely miss. The next chapter begins soon for her though, as their emotional leader & key contributor will be playing at the next level at Manhattanville - a major pickup for them. Kelsey Wood imposed her will in the most important moments, dominating at both ends of the floor for a long stretch, including scoring 10 straight points in that 13-0 4th quarter run. I hope Michelina Lombardi realizes she won't be sneaking up on anyone anymore, as their 2022 point guard has officially arrived. She made JD pay numerous times for leaving her open and was a sparkplug for the Warriors at the defensive end. The energy in the building through much of that game, especially in the 4th quarter, was special. They collectively lived up to their 'Warriors' name - lot of grit & toughness in the AP crew, something that I love about them.

Olivia Kelley gave AP one of her best overall games Tuesday - a winning mentality that can pay dividends quickly at Manhattanville going forward.

- Anyone in the 518 that didn't know who Momo LaClair was before this game got put on in a major way. Just a 2021, she's been doing it at a high level for a long time already, and this was one of her best performances that I've seen. The quickness, ability to fight fire with fire when pressured to get to the rim, shiftiness & changing speeds, finishing ability, willingness to create for others, shooting ability, you name it. They needed all of what Momo could give them Tuesday, and she delivered.

- To wrap back around to the beginning sentence... three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and JD/AP. Two teams that are, in my eyes, consistently in the top handful of teams in Class A in NY. It just so happens that the way brackets are split, they always have to play each other in regional finals or semifinals. Two teams that, despite the rivalry, have mutual respect for each other... the nightcap at Shen on Tuesday was a state semifinal/final quality game, just 10 days in advance. Buckle up.