Shen Dials Up The Pressure, Storms To Win At AP

March 1, 2021

Shenendehowa 63, Averill Park 34

It took me a little longer than usual to watch the traditional Section 2 powers - COVID restrictions and where I'm allowed will do that - so why not catch two of the primary ones at the same time? When two-time defending AA champ Shen and many-time defending A champ Averill Park line up, the air in the gym feels a little different. It's very uncommon to see it turn into a one-sided affair, but that's the direction it went on Monday, as Shen used a superlative defensive performance to spearhead a dominant showing in a battle of unbeatens.

Rylee Carpenter hung 21 of her game high 23 points in the 1st half as Shen ran to a W.

When Amelia Wood (Averill Park 2022) canned a contested three late in the shot clock on their opening possession, it felt like it might be 'one of those games', but Shen eventually started to establish control before the 1st quarter ended. They went on a 7-0 spurt late in the frame, and a Rylee Carpenter (Shenendehowa 2021; Dominican signee) bucket extended the margin to 9 before a Taylor Holohan (Averill Park 2024) layup made it 19-12 in favor of Shen through the first eight minutes.

The 2nd quarter was where the visitors established dominance. Carpenter canned a three to open it up, Meghan Huerter (Shenendehowa 2021; Providence signee) followed with one of her own, and they turned up the heat on the defensive end which helped fuel transition offense. Carpenter was often on the finishing end, as she scored 12 points in the quarter. As a team, Shen scored the first 15 points of the frame and kept Averill Park off the board until Anna Jankovic (Averill Park 2021; D'Youville signee) scored around the rim with 49 seconds left in the half. The margin at intermission stretched to 20, with Shen holding a 36-16 edge.

The game swung even more heavily in Shen's favor in the 3rd quarter with more of the same formula. At one point, they reeled off 12 straight - with points coming from all members of their starting five - bookended by Wood scores four minutes apart. Another 6-0 spurt, all at the free throw line, extended their lead to 59-20 with :57.5 left in the quarter. Both coaches wrapped it up by primarily going to their benches in the 4th quarter.

Rylee Carpenter dropped a game high 23 points for Shen without seeing the court in the 4th quarter. 21 of those points came in the 1st half. Meghan Huerter added 15 points in the victory, and Jillian Huerter (Shenendehowa 2022) and Sam Lee (Shenendehowa 2021) joined them in double digits with 11 & 10 points, respectively. Amelia Wood paced Averill Park with 10 points.

Amelia Wood was the lone Warrior in double digits, finishing with 10 points for Averill Park.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- I said it enough on Twitter to get the point across, but the length, activity, and discipline of the Shen crew defensively is a load for any high school team to handle. Whether it was in the half-court with the 3-2 or when they went 1-2-2 & extended the pressure, you don't go anywhere without long & rangy athletes in front of you. I thought Jill Huerter did a fantastic job at the top of the press, and they were all disciplined in regards to shading the ball into trapping areas. With Jill, Meg, Rylee, & now Kaleigh Montanez up at the varsity level in particular, that's more size/length at the guard spots than a lot of scholarship-level colleges have. Although other guards like Bri Carey, Emily Delisle, & Cam Wilders don't bring that sort of size & length, they add grit & toughness to the equation as well. Their activity level was very high, and they fed off the issues AP was having with it as well. Combine all of the factors, and that's a pretty nice formula for locking teams up into submission.

- I nearly always type about an individual and their exploits in this column, but the way Shen played as a unit, it's impossible to single anyone out. So, here goes... Jill Huerter looks more confident than ever & also looks noticeably stronger, an important improvement. Meg Huerter is Meg. She always does her thing, and Monday was no different. Rylee Carpenter is as dangerous of a transition player as there is in Section 2, and she showed why in this game, but also showed advanced ability to play off the ball in the half-court. This allowed her to not only put up a big number against a high-level opponent, but she did it efficiently. Sam Lee is the ultimate 'little thing' doer & is a key piece to their success. She's become a 'star in her role' so to speak, with major strides having been made through her high school years, and it's paid great dividends. Everyone that played gave them something. Shen has used the #TeamFirst mantra this year for its athletics. Their performance Monday embodied it.

Sam Lee, who finished with 10 points, has developed into an invaluable part of Shen's success.

- Averill Park has these games every once in a while, which is a product of having a more rigorous league schedule than nearly any Class A school in New York. I watched one last year, a rough one at Niskayuna, and they seemed to respond just fine. Throw in a pandemic-shortened season with them adjusting to not playing with a dominant post presence for the first time in several years, and the fact that they were unbeaten to this point was particularly impressive in my eyes. The way Coach Organ & the Averill Park crew is as a whole, I'm sure they'd rather run it back with Shen than play someone they would stomp, which is part of what has made their success as certain as death & taxes. Hopefully I'll catch them again shortly, likely against another highly competitive Suburban program (maybe even Shen), and I'm sure the result will look a bit different. That's how it goes in AP.

- Thank you to Averill Park athletic director Mark Bubniak for allowing media (myself included) in the gym to check this one out! It was a little weird not talking to coaches, refs, 18 players, and 50 people in the stands at a Shen/AP matchup, but it was even more comforting seeing them be able to compete on the court.