Maine-Endwell Surges Late To W Over Union-Endicott

February 26, 2021

Maine-Endwell 59, Union-Endicott 51

How about some more time in the Southern Tier? Friday became my 2nd day watching Section 4 & STAC teams get after it, with another one to follow on Saturday. Friday's opener at Union-Endicott proved to be one of the highlights of an overall entertaining week. The young Tigers battled, but a strong 2nd half performance - sparked by the return of a D1 talent - pushed Maine-Endwell forward to a victory on the road against a rival.

Kaety L'amoreaux may have scored just 6 points in limited action, but her minutes helped turn a 2 point deficit into a double digit lead for Maine-Endwell.

Johnstown Flexes Early, Runs To Win At Mayfield

February 25, 2021

Johnstown 60, Mayfield 32

A Foothills Thursday... kinda? I've spent many Thursdays in the past covering Foothills basketball, but this was not 'many Thursdays'. February 25 signified the opening night of games in Fulton County, and with the county's five school districts playing amongst themselves for now, it'll make for some matchups that may not usually happen. This was one of them, as Mayfield (WAC) hosted Johnstown (Foothills) in a game that, at least this year, can be considered a 'league' matchup. Johnstown jumped on their hosts from the tip & gained all the separation they'd need before halftime en route to a victory.

Anna Lee helped Johnstown get going at the jump, as she scored 8 of her 12 in the 1st quarter in their win.

Niskayuna Claws Back To Beat Shaker

February 24, 2021

Niskayuna 47, Shaker 44

Wednesday marked my second night of the week in the Suburban Council & third straight day watching AA hoops, and this one was more than worth the visit as it went down to the final buzzer. Host Niskayuna roared back from a double digit deficit in the 2nd half, and a big three in the final minute from an underclassman gave them the edge for good on their senior night.

Olivia Olsen hung a game high 26 points in Niskayuna's comeback W.

Corning Slides By Horseheads

February 23, 2020

Corning 52, Horseheads 48

Tuesday sent me back on the road, this time to the far western end of Section 4 for my first Southern Tier game of the shortened season. Horseheads, a perennially strong program in Section 4 Class AA, hosted a Corning team on the rise that had already beaten them once this season. In a game that featured 7 ties, 7 lead changes, and a margin that never surpassed 6, Corning made the push that counted most to go 2-for-2 against their neighbors to the east.

Alyssa Dobson ran the point and finished with 8 points in a balanced effort in Corning's W.

Duanesburg Torches The Nets In Win Over Maple Hill

February 19, 2021

Duanesburg 84, Maple Hill 52

Shooter's gym or a gym with shooters? How about both? That's more like it. In a much-anticipated & well-covered matchup between two teams that would be expected to make deeper playoff runs in Section 2 Class C if sectionals were a thing this year, Duanesburg took the suspense out of it early behind the strength of a stellar shooting display. The young, but increasingly experienced Eagles canned 11 threes in the 1st half alone and built a 25 point halftime lead en route to an eye-opening victory.

Allison O'Hanlon made it happen for Duanesburg, pumping in a game high 24 points including 5 of their 15 threes.

The Eagles didn't waste any time. Alexis Tedford (Maple Hill 2021) scored twice in the first couple minutes to offset Duanesburg's first few possessions, but the hosts would start to extend a lead from there. Hannah Mulhern (Duanesburg 2024) and Alex Moses (Duanesburg 2024) contributed to a quick 6-0 spurt, and then Lauren Capron (Duanesburg 2024) got hot. After coming off the bench with Duanesburg holding a 14-9 lead, she proceeded to knock down 4 jumpers - 3 of them threes - scoring their last 11 points of the 1st quarter in the process as they extended their lead to double digits at 25-14.

It was more of the same in the 2nd stanza. Maple Hill started to establish Jenna Hoffman (Maple Hill 2021, St. John Fisher commit) in the post, and her 5 early 2nd quarter points helped offset Duanesburg again, but the avalanche of threes wasn't close to complete. Duanesburg held Maple Hill scoreless for 3 minutes in the middle of the frame, which was enough to go on a 8-0 spurt - including treys from Moses and Allison O'Hanlon (Duanesburg 2024) - to push their edge into the twenties for the first time. The two connected for 8 more points in the last 2+ minutes of the half, hitting Duanesburg's 10th & 11th threes of the half in the process, and Mulhern capped it off with a bucket to go to intermission of 50-25.

The locker room didn't cool Duanesburg off either as their longest run of the game was yet to come. The four freshmen teamed up to reel off the first 15 points of the 2nd half, all in a matter of approximately 3:30, to push the lead to 40. They'd reach their largest lead of 43 twice in the 3rd quarter, after an O'Hanlon three (Duanesburg's 14th) & two more free throws, respectively. Maple Hill's largest run came to start the 4th quarter, as they punched in 9 straight with 7 coming from Bella Seeberger (Maple Hill 2023).

The crew of 2024s teamed up to contribute 74 of Duanesburg's 84 points Friday. Allison O'Hanlon led all scorers with 24 points, 13 coming in the 3rd. Alex Moses punched in 12 of her 20 points in the 2nd quarter. Lauren Capron rode the fast start of an 11 point 1st quarter to a 16 point night, and Hannah Mulhern contributed 14 points in the victory. Duanesburg knocked down 15 threes along the way. Bella Seeberger was the lone Wildcat in double digits; she had 10 of her team high 13 points in the 4th quarter.

Bella Seeberger finished with a team high 13 points for Maple Hill, 10 of them coming in the 4th quarter.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- The babies aren't babies anymore! Section 2 basketball may have just started, but the game never stopped for much of Duanesburg's crew, and believe me when I say it shows. Allison O'Hanlon, Alex Moses, and Hannah Mulhern were all varsity starters last year as 8th graders (and O'Hanlon in 7th grade too), with Lauren Capron jumping up this year. I've been able to see O'Hanlon & Moses a bunch over the last several months, mainly because 'the grind doesn't stop' for them as players that seem to love the process. Not only have they made major improvements, they've each done so in areas where I thought they needed to improve to take the next step. They both grew too - Alex a lot - to hit matching 5'8" frames. They can seamlessly transition on or off the ball with the ability to score, handle, distribute, and the mental makeup of not caring who's scoring or distributing. Add Mulhern, who plays more of a pseudo-4 for them but has wing tendencies with her ability to shoot the three and take forwards off the bounce. Then throw Capron in the mix, who I'm the least familiar with but still have been able to see her a few times of late. She brings some more legitimate size to the mix as a 5'10" forward, but she also has a good shooting stroke and can stretch the defense - take my word for it if the 4 threes in this game weren't enough. I could keep going, but that's a long enough point. Duanesburg has potentially the best young core I've seen in New York among the small schools. Once spectators are allowed in gyms again... go watch them & enjoy the ride.

Alex Moses, who is continuing her rise among Section 2 players in the 2024 class, dropped 20 points in Duanesburg's W.

- Keep something in mind... this happened WITHOUT Maddie Meyer. While watching a team drop 25 points per quarter for 3 quarters, it might be easy to forget when they have a 1000 point scorer unable to play, but that's where Duanesburg is at. Maddie's been their heart & soul in ways for a few years and also can light up the scorebooks. She's had to be pushed to regular clothes for the season due to a broken foot suffered just before the season started. As a 2022, she's still got another year... so feel free to let your mind wander to next year's team for a minute.

- Was it Maple Hill's best showing? No, of course not. Are they in a bit of a transitional period now? Perhaps - they graduated numerous multi-year varsity contributors and are in a position where they played some youth, which hasn't been a common occurrence in this program. But don't expect this to be any sort of a theme - this result was much less about Maple Hill and more about Duanesburg, a team with a lot of firepower, firing on all cylinders. It was their season opener, so their first game since Section 2 Class C finals last March... check back in a week or so.

- This game was about as well-covered by local media as you'll see from a Class C basketball game. I'll give you three reasons. First, the 'secret' is out on Duanesburg being not just a team of the future, but a team of today as well. Second, the game vs. Maple Hill is an interesting one that isn't a common matchup. Third, and perhaps most importantly given the current climate... Duanesburg is allowing media to attend. You let them in this year, you're getting some coverage. Simple logic! With that being said, a major THANK YOU goes to Duanesburg varsity coach Chris Herron and all athletic administration for making it happen and allowing me (and all of us) in for this game. It's truly appreciated!

Shaker Finishes Strong in Back & Forth Affair With Colonie

February 18, 2021

Shaker 51, Colonie 36

Basketball in Albany County! Crosstown foes Colonie and Shaker made up for 11 months of lost time, playing a season opener that felt like a full season in 32 minutes. The final twist of the night went Shaker's way, and the hosts took control for good in the 4th quarter to earn a victory.

KJ Gordon finished with 12 points, including 2 big threes to help kickstart Shaker's 2nd half run, in their win Thursday.

Anyone that only watched the 1st quarter likely wouldn't believe that it got competitive. The first 8 minutes were all Shaker, as the hosts dominated at both ends to jump to a big lead. Solé Carrington (Shaker 2021) hit a three on their opening possession, and they were off to the races from there with an impressive performance at both ends. They got balanced production early with five players scoring in the opening stanza, and that was five more players scoring than Colonie had as Shaker stormed to a 16-0 lead after 1. Colonie finally got on the board after 8:54 of action with an Ava Pearson (Colonie 2023) three, which started their own push forward. After a Kaelah Carter (Shaker 2022) trey extended their lead back to 16 at 21-5, Colonie went on an extended run of their own with 13 straight points - 9 from behind the arc including a pair of threes from Bella Franchi (Colonie 2023). The big run helped Colonie trim its deficit to 22-18 at the break.

Colonie carried its momentum forward into the 3rd quarter. A Maddisyn Mahoney (Shaker 2021; Fairleigh Dickinson signee) bucket was sandwiched by a pair of Franchi scores, then Jayla Tyler (Colonie 2023) gave the visitors their first lead at 25-24 with a corner three of her own. They extended their lead to as much as 4 on two occasions, the latter being another Tyler bucket that pushed it to 30-26. However, just as Colonie seemingly flipped a switch and turned the tide, Shaker did the same from there. The lead switched hands on three consecutive baskets late in the 3rd, with a Mahoney bucket at the 1:59 mark giving Shaker the lead for good at 33-32. KJ Gordon (Shaker 2021) canned a three after that to push their lead to 4 after three quarters. 

The 4th quarter went much like the 1st, as Shaker used a strong defensive performance and production from the post & perimeter to push forward, particularly an onslaught from Mahoney as they made an effort to get post touches. Colonie continued to scrap and it remained a 4 point game with just over 4 minutes left. However, they'd be held scoreless from there as Shaker scored the game's last 11 points. It started with a Carter three and included 6 points from Mahoney, and they pulled away and were able to breathe more easily in the waning moments.

Maddisyn Mahoney pumped in a game high 20 points in Shaker's win with 10 coming in the 4th quarter. KJ Gordon and Kaelah Carter joined her in double digits, contributing 11 & 10 points, respectively. On Colonie's end, Bella Franchi contributed a team high 12 points, all of them coming in a stretch of less than 10 minutes spanning the 2nd & 3rd quarters. Jayla Tyler joined her in double digits with 11 points.

Jayla Tyler was one of two in double digits for Colonie, finishing with 11 on the night.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- Shaker basically always brings it on the defensive end. With relentless guards like KJ Gordon & Solé Carrington, a versatile & disciplined defender like Kaelah Carter, and a post defender like Maddi Mahoney that you never have to worry about doubling with, the personnel allows them to be a very successful man-to-man defensive team. Holding a team to 4 points in the 1st & 4th quarters is a little crazy, but they can produce those type of nights. Their ability to score in the half-court over those stretches probably caught my eye a little more. I wouldn't have called it their strength in the past, but if they can string stretches like that together & do it consistently, it makes them particularly tough. It sounds simple, but when they had success, they moved the ball well and finished plays by taking & making good shots. KJ is a much improved shooter. Kaelah & Solé hit perimeter shots. They did enough of that to force Colonie to extend to them, which gave Maddi - who had a noticeable size advantage, a common occurrence - room to work in the post when she touched it. They had their rocky moments - first game since the onset of a global pandemic will do that - but a nice showing overall.

- This was one of those nights where I legitimately liked a lot of what I saw from both teams, because I have some positivity to send Colonie's way too. Already a team on the younger end that graduated three college players in 2020 including their PG & their size, they were without the services of Macie Trimarchi, a 2022 that's one of their main returners. With that, they had to ask for increased production out of other core kids, including a bunch of 2023s (Bella Franchi, Ava Pearson, Jayla Tyler) and a 2024 (Gabby Martin). After a nightmare start where they get blanked in the 1st quarter, some players/teams might play dead. Not this group. They stayed in the fight, started stringing together some stops, and they started to run. Although it didn't result in many transition scoring opportunities, it just opened up the court some more and forced Shaker into more of a reactive position defensively. They got some perimeter looks, knocked them down, and we had a game. It turned more sour late - whether it was because of a refocused Shaker or Colonie running out of gas, probably some of both - but the competitiveness to dig in & respond from the first 8 minutes was impressive in itself.

Maddisyn Mahoney had a big night with an impressive 4th quarter showing, where she scored 10 of her game high 20 for Shaker.

- Colonie dealt with it today, but this goes for nearly every team in Section 2. If Maddi Mahoney is connecting from 12' & in and stays out of foul trouble enough to play big 2nd half minutes at full motor, best of luck to you. This is something I talked about at length last year, but improved conditioning has allowed her to not only continue battling into late game situations, but wear her opponents down in the process. I think she's become more mobile since last year, which allows her to grab rebounds out of her area. Along with putbacks & layups, she connected with the jump hook over the left shoulder, a couple 12' jumpers, and showed softer touch getting it on the rim & finishing through contact. She's got the kind of strength that you can count the amount of girls in upstate NY that can match it on one hand, so she's a particularly unique matchup. Too strong, too tough. If she stays injury free and continues on this track, she could be a real problem in the NEC at Fairleigh Dickinson.

- I've been a little vocal about it but not as vocal as I could be - it's been brutal trying to get into Section 2 gyms this winter. The acceptance of media in area facilities has been CONSIDERABLY less than what I've experienced in other sections to this point... so when a district allows it, I'm particularly appreciative. THANK YOU to Shaker head coach Jaimee Shipley and all of the Shaker athletic administration for allowing me (and other media members that stopped by) to check this one out!

Views From The Couch: Game Film Review (2/16/21)

Life during a pandemic strikes again. I never thought I'd spend nights sitting at home watching games through a computer screen while they're being played in New York gyms, but COVID restrictions can get in the way. Unfortunately, it was life that got in the way and I was unable to get to a Tuesday game. No worries though, I'll catch the stream! It's 2021, technology should've allowed this to be a thing for a while now.

My initial plan was to make the trip to East Syracuse to watch Bishop Grimes take on Marcellus. I'll have to hold a little longer before getting to Section III for the first time this winter, but this turned out to be a battle. I was pretty interested in this matchup as it featured two of the section's stronger Class B teams. They actually shared a similar fate 11 months ago, with Marcellus making it to the Section III Class B semis & Grimes reaching the finals before they both fell to South Jefferson.

Kearney Outlasts Gates in High Octane Battle

February 13, 2021

Bishop Kearney 84, Gates Chili 78

My third Section V trip of the week brought what turned into, without question, the most entertaining game of the young season to the forefront. In a contest that featured two high-level teams go shot for shot for 32 minutes, host Bishop Kearney - the defending Section V Class AA champion numerous times over - delivered the final blow to hold off a strong Gates Chili squad.

Marianna Freeman started & finished strong for Bishop Kearney, scoring 7 in the 1st & 9 in the 4th on the way to a team high 24 points.

Views From The Couch: Game Film Review (2/10/21)

Welcome to life during a pandemic, right? I never thought I'd spend nights sitting at home watching games through a computer screen while they're being played in New York gyms, but COVID restrictions can get in the way. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a 'yes' response for any of Wednesday's games that I inquired about. No worries though, I guess I'll watch the stream? It's 2021, technology should've allowed this to be a thing for a while now.

One of the games I got the 'no' from was a small school Section V contest, as North Rose-Wolcott made the trip to take on Gananda. NR-W got a season opening W on Monday; this was Gananda's opener. I was intrigued enough to want to make the trip for it because of NR-W's Monday result, my knowledge of the Gananda program & their general level of success, and my overall lack of knowledge of the players involved. I think I've only seen one of them - Kaylee Marvin, a 2024 at Gananda that I caught a few times with the Syracuse Royals.

Sutherland Finds A Way To Grind Out W Over Batavia

February 8, 2021

Pittsford Sutherland 44, Batavia 40

The nightcap of New York's opening night of basketball - with a tip time of approximately 8 PM, it was probably the latest start of the night - proved to be a battle from wire-to-wire. In a game whether the largest lead of the night either way was six, host Pittsford Sutherland dug in late and made several big plays to overcome a 4th quarter deficit and swing the result in their favor.

Maley Garcia was one of three in double figures for Sutherland, leading all with 14 in the win.

HF-L Explodes Early, Defeats Olympia In Return To Action

February 8, 2021

Honeoye Falls-Lima 62, Greece Olympia 41

It's been a long time coming.

If memory serves me right, we went 334 days without a NYSPHSAA basketball game played, and it had been 338 days since the last handful I attended - Section 2's finals at HVCC. The streak none of us ever wanted finally came to a halt Monday, as games tipped off in select parts of New York, with the greater Rochester area leading the charge. The season may have started three months later than usual with contact just being allowed as of the beginning of February, but Honeoye Falls-Lima looked like they were in midseason form from the jump. They used a huge 1st quarter surge to rack up a cushion that was more than enough to keep a scrappy Greece Olympia group at bay.

Teagan Kamm made the most of her season opener, an 18 point night in an impressive win for HF-L.

Towanda Has Final Say, Gets Big W Over Athens

February 6, 2021

Towanda 43, Athens 36 (PIAA District 4)

The game of the day in Pennsylvania District 4 girls' basketball had a flare for the dramatic from start to finish. A big Towanda 4th quarter run proved to be the deciding one in a game of runs that had more twists & turns than a season of your favorite reality show.

Paige Manchester was a key contributor for Towanda as usual, finishing with 14 points in the narrow win.

Big 3rd Quarter Helps Scranton Handle Business At Home

February 3, 2021

Scranton 47, West Scranton 34 (PIAA District 2)

Another week, another trip to Pennsylvania! PIAA programs are well into their regular seasons at this point, and I’m starting to get a chance to watch some teams that aren’t the predominant powers. This was the case here, as I was able to make the trip to Scranton High School to watch their young squad take on visiting West Scranton. Action picked up as the 1st half went on after a slow start both ways, and Scranton established control with a big 3rd quarter and kept their grip to the finish line on the way to a double digit win.

Lanee Olson got it going in the 2nd half, where she had 14 of her game high 18 points in Scranton's W.

The action wasn’t slow at the beginning, but the scoreboard movement was. Cold shooting plagued both sides as it took a while for everyone to settle in. Finley Bittenbender (Scranton 2024) opened the scoring with a layup on a backdoor cut at the 4:15 mark of the 1st quarter, and it took until the 2:20 mark for West Scranton to get on the board with an Olivia Dougher (West Scranton 2022) bucket. Scranton led 4-2 through the first eight minutes. The scoring picked up in the 2nd quarter as Scranton started to establish the more uptempo pace they were looking for. Guard play & balance were the stories for Scranton, with four different players scoring 4 points in the 1st half, but another six Dougher points in the 2nd quarter helped West Scranton keep pace and trail by just three at 19-16 going into the locker room.

An early 3rd quarter spurt helped the hosts get some breathing room. Lanee Olson (Scranton 2023) scored five straight in a 59 second 7-0 shot to put them up 26-17, and a Madison Maloney (West Scranton 2022) trey at the 5:45 mark proved to be the Invaders’ last points of the 3rd. Scranton reeled off 9 straight over that stretch, 5 coming from Kennedy Bittenbender (Scranton 2024), and they pushed the margin to 15 at 35-20. West Scranton steadied the ship a bit in the 4th, with a basket & free throw briefly cutting the deficit to 12 early in the frame, but another 9-0 stretch for Scranton – 5 coming from Olson here – took away any doubt and gave the hosts their largest lead of the night at 21 with around 4 minutes left.

Lanee Olson turned it up in the 2nd half for Scranton, where she scored 14 of her game high 18 points. There was balance behind her, with all three Bittenbenders chipping in the scoring column as well. Madison Maloney led West Scranton with 13 points including 4 threes, 3 of them coming in the final 3:30 of play. Olivia Dougher added 11 for the Invaders.

Madison Maloney got hot late and led West Scranton with 13 points in Wednesday's loss to Scranton.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- West Scranton hung around for quite a while, but even from the jump, it felt like it’d only be a matter of time. Scranton wanted to dictate tempo & play fast, and it didn’t take too long for them to get their way. Shots weren’t falling for either side early and West Scranton kept pace into the 3rd quarter once the lid was taken off the rim, but every Scranton bucket – which in the 2nd half meant a chance to get up & press – felt like it might be the start of a game-breaking run until it eventually happened.

- First time watching Scranton, so I’ll be interested to see them against different matchups & as they progress, but potentially a lot to keep an eye on here in years to come. Their guard play was on display vs. West Scranton, and many of them have years left at the high school level. Lanee Olson (2023), Riley Bittenbender (2023), Finley Bittenbender (2024), & Kennedy Bittenbender (2024) – yes, lot of Bittenbenders – all made things happen in their own ways throughout the game. Looking forward to keeping tabs as time goes on.

Riley Bittenbender showed promise running the show at the PG in Scranton's victory.

- I really could make an individual note of any of the aforementioned four as they all did their thing at various times, but for this post, I’ll make note of Lanee Olson. It was my first time watching her as I don’t think I saw her on the AAU circuit with her Keystone Karma group, and she caught my eye in Wednesday’s game. Lanee’s a smaller guard that looks like she’s used to playing against bigger athletes. She has the feel & awareness of where the defense is around her and uses her body well to cut off the D, win the off-arm battle, or lay the shoulder into someone to create a little space. Crafty to begin with and throw in the fact that she’s a lefty… even more effective. Her shot was off early, but she maintained her energy in the 1^st half at both ends and eventually broke through coming out of the locker room. She got to the rim & finished, flashed the in-between game, turned D into O, broke defenders down off the bounce, hit a three at one point, showed the passing ability with a tough one that hit its mark on a 2v1 break… a little bit of everything in the last 16. Looking forward to getting to watch more going forward.

- A major thank you to Scranton High School administration (particularly athletic director Mr. Ted Anderson) for letting me in to check this game out. It was definitely worth the trip, and it’s always a blessing to get to watch high school hoops this winter!

Murray Hits 1,000, Dunmore Lights It Up At Holy Cross

February 3, 2021

Dunmore 71, Holy Cross 46 (PIAA District 2)

Wednesday’s nightcap took me to a familiar town but new gym, as Dunmore HS traveled up Drinker St. to take on Holy Cross. A milestone night highlighted a dominant showing from a talented Bucks squad, as they put up 66 in the first three quarters and led by as much as 32 en route to a midweek W.

Moriah Murray finished with 15 points, including a three to push her over the 1,000 point mark, in Dunmore's victory.

Holy Cross kept pace for the first few minutes, but Dunmore started to extend their lead before the 1st quarter was over. They reeled off an 8-2 run in the last 2:25 of the 1st, four coming from Moriah Murray (Dunmore 2022; Drexel commit) to push their lead to 20-12. Another run, this one 11-0 after Abbey Lentowski (Holy Cross 2021) briefly stopped the bleeding with a bucket, ran the margin to 33-14. The margin remained 19 at the break as Dunmore established the post in the half-court with Ciera Toomey (Dunmore 2023) and turned defense into transition offense en route to a 42-23 cushion.

It was more of the same to start the 2nd half, and there was a personal milestone to boot. With a long three off a handoff at the 6:57 mark of the 3rd quarter, Murray – a junior – etched her name into Dunmore’s history books by eclipsing the 1,000 point mark. That pushed their lead to 47-25, and although their lead continued to grow through the rest of the quarter, Murray & Toomey’s nights were over not long after the shot as they sat the last 12 minutes. Although Lentowski continued to fill it up for Holy Cross, Dunmore continued to pull away with Anna Tallutto (Dunmore 2021) taking over in the scoring column. After scoring 6 in the 2nd, she reeled off 12 more in the last 3+ minutes of the 3rd, helping Dunmore run to its largest lead of 66-34 after three quarters. The 4th quarter went by quickly, as it was played almost entirely with a running clock.

Ciera Toomey led three in double figures with 19 for Dunmore, all in approximately 20 minutes of action. Anna Tallutto pumped in 18, all in the middle quarters, and Moriah Murray’s 15 moved her to 1,002 career points & counting. Abbey Lentowski went off for Holy Cross & finished with a game high 27 points.

Abbey Lentowski led all scorers with 27 points in Holy Cross' defeat to Dunmore.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- The problem with defending Ciera Toomey – what can’t she do offensively? At a full 6’3”, she had several inches on everyone in a Holy Cross uniform and took full advantage of it. Whether it was going up over the shoulder with a post move, catching & finishing in the P&R game, or a face-up & quick drive, the standout Dunmore 2023 did her work (19 pts in approximately 20 mins) 8’ & in. However, I’ve seen her drag traditional bigs to the perimeter time & time again and use the stretch skill to shoot over the top or get by off the dribble. Ciera’s ability to take advantage of anything you throw at her mixed with the willingness to access whatever part of her game is needed – not just falling in love with a particular part – makes her as tough of an individual matchup as there is in the Northeast, in my opinion. Easy to see why Power 5 programs are already lining up, and she’ll more than likely have national recruitment going forward.

- The problem with defending Moriah Murray – her improvement with comfortably making plays off the dribble. She’s been a great shooter since the first time I saw her play back in 2018, and plenty of her now 1,002 points have come in increments of three. Because of the DEEP, consistent range, opponents have no choice but to crowd her airspace & make her put it on the deck. However, she’s developed enough off the bounce – skill with the handle & strength to hold her line once she gets someone on her shoulder or hip – to burn teams that way too. Out of her 15 points, she hit a couple threes, showed the pull-up midrange J, hit a short range teardrop, and got all the way to the rim & finished. The shooting ability is the attention grabber with good reason, but her continued development playing off of it is a good sign & part of what could make her a problem in the CAA when she hits the collegiate level.

Anna Tallutto brought the energy & packed a scoring bunch, with all 18 of her points coming in the middle quarters in Dunmore's W.

- The problem with defending Dunmore – it’s not just ‘Mo & C’. Pretty much everyone in the rotation can shoot the three, so whether teams send extra help to those two or let their primary defenders go 1v1, they’re giving up something. They also execute pretty well in the half-court and got layups or open jumpers time & time again off their action. Whether it’s Mia Blume (2022), Anna Tallutto, Elisa Delfino, or Alexis Chapman (all 2021s), they’re all familiar names to opponents because they’ve all made other teams pay along the way. Impressive performance from perhaps the most potent offense in northern Pennsylvania.

- I was only vaguely familiar with Holy Cross 2021 Abbey Lentowski before this game, but she left a big impression with her showing here. I saw her a couple times on the AAU circuit – at Spooky Nook in the fall of course, because that’s where we all were – and this was my first time seeing her at the HS ranks. At about 5’9”, she’s a slightly undersized forward but has the strength/physicality and motor to make up for it. I remembered her more for back-to-basket play, but much of her game high 27 points came from facing up & attacking the rim, and she even stepped out and hit a three – a welcome sight. 27 is always notable, but with an elite shot blocker like Toomey hanging around, it’s even more so. I read that she's heading to Immaculata in the fall - with strength & toughness around the rim and the budding face-up game that she displayed Wednesday, she definitely caught my eye and could be a nice pickup at the D3 ranks.

- Congrats to Moriah on the 1000 point achievement & thanks to Holy Cross administration (athletic director Mr. Al Callejas in particular) for letting me in the gym to check this game out. I sincerely appreciate any opportunity to get into the gym this high school season!