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.

A back-and-forth start turned into a game of runs in the 1st half. After four early lead changes, the first spurt went UE's way as four Tigers hit the books in a 9-2 run, with a LJ Shabazz (Union-Endicott 2021) free throw putting them up 14-8 at the 2:07 mark in the 1st. Maine-Endwell responded by straddling the 1st & 2nd quarters with a 7-0 spurt, and they briefly regained the lead at 15-14 on a Vasilia Anastos (Maine-Endwell 2022) free throw. Dezia Becker (Union-Endicott 2021) answered with a trey, which sparked a 7-0 run in their favor. The margin was six at 23-17 late in half, but Maine-Endwell scored the last five to cut it to 23-22 at the break.

Union-Endicott held a 27-25 led early in the 3rd quarter when Kaety L'amoreaux (Maine-Endwell 2023), a standout guard with D1 offers that didn't play in the 1st half, entered the game. Things quickly swung in their favor upon her entry. They reeled off 8 straight, 5 coming from Sophie Pelton (Maine-Endwell 2021), to jump to a 35-29 lead within three minutes of the substitution. They led by as much as 7 in the quarter, but Shabazz knocked down a three before the buzzer to cut Union-Endicott's deficit to 39-35 entering the 4th.

The first 4 minutes of the 4th quarter were all Maine-Endwell, which allowed them to establish control for good. Amanda DeSantis (Maine-Endwell 2021) scored twice to start the frame, and then back-to-back buckets from Anastos & L'amoreaux extended their cushion to 13 at 50-37 with 4:27 remaining. They pushed the margin to as much as 14, when Panayiota Anastos (Maine-Endwell 2024) scored to make it 54-40. One last late push from Union-Endicott cut their deficit to 6, with Adriana Fontana (Union-Endicott 2024) scoring 8 points in a 1:54 stretch to 57-51, but that was as close as they would get.

Sophie Pelton led a balanced Maine-Endwell effort with 12 points, and Panayiota Anastos joined her in double digits with 11. Five other Spartans contributed 6-8 points in the victory, including L'amoreaux, who was a whopping +16 in her 12 minutes of action. Adriana Fontana had a big game for Union-Endicott, and she dropped 10 of her game high 22 points in the 4th quarter. LJ Shabazz chipped in with 10 for the Tigers.

Adriana Fontana had a big night & dropped 22 points to lead all scorers for Union-Endicott.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- It would be simple to separate the game into 'pre-Kaety' and 'post-Kaety', but it would also be correct. Kaety L'amoreaux, one of the Southern Tier's premier players and a 2023 that was offered by hometown Binghamton a long time ago, was on stat duty in the 1st half - clipboard in hand, not playing. At the 5:37 mark of the 3rd quarter, trailing 27-25, she got the call to check in. From that moment, the game was different. She didn't score that much - 6 points total - but her presence created opportunities for others because of the attention she drew from Union-Endicott. Credit to Kaety, who after a couple shots that were perhaps forced early, recognized the situation and went into playmaker mode as they got out in transition - willingness to create for others gave teammates layups. Also, I thought her entry affected her teammates' energy level positively and affected UE negatively in the same fashion. Maine-Endwell went on the run after she entered, and it felt like UE lost its composure to an extent. They regained it eventually, but by then, it was too late. In the ~12 minutes Kaety was in, she was a +16 in the +/- department. That's the sort of difference you'd hope for with a D1 prospect entering a high school game, but it's still a staggering number.

- Hello, Section 4 basketball world! If you're not already familiar, meet Adriana Fontana. I've been familiar with her for a couple years and thought she hit another level coming out of our 2020 shutdown, and Friday was another example, this time in the scholastic ranks. From a scoring standpoint, she started & ended strong, with 7 of her 22 coming in the 1st quarter and another 10 coming in the 4th. Overall, she was noticeably good throughout. I liked how she scored the 22 - decent efficiency and versatility, getting it with the perimeter J, drives and finishes at the rim or in-between game, getting to the free throw line & converting, and in transition. I also liked the confidence she played with against a good opponent & in a physical game, along with the court presence she had with the ball in her hands. Big night for an up-and-comer that looks poised to be 'next up' among an impressive recent line of Section 4 point guards.

Sophie Pelton led a balanced Maine-Endwell effort with 12 points in the win.

- There's something to be said about STAC basketball. In the 21st century way of life, many of these players from opposing schools like & associate with each other. Whether it's playing AAU ball together, workouts, or various other things (my events included), there are opportunities for these girls to be on the same team, both literally & figuratively. This is great and obviously a part of the advancement of the game, in my opinion, but it often does take away from 'rivalries' when the players like each other. In fact, I think many high school rivalries are only rivalries in historical terms at this point... but not in this area. That friendship stuff gets checked at the door. Any STAC game I go to, I feel like the teams genuinely have beef with each other. This game was no different. The amount that was being let go played into this as well, but it felt like a classic local rivalry where there was a little extra physicality involved.

- A thank you goes out to Union-Endicott athletic administration for allowing media (including myself) in the gym to check this game out! It was certainly a good one to go to.