Girls Advance to State Semifinals With 52 – 35 Win

by Steve Bradley

The Lady Panther basketball team took the step out of the state regionals into the Class B state semifinals last Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College. The Panther Ladies faced the Canton Golden Bears from Section X in a regional contest.

The Panthers got it going right from the start. Jumping out to a 12 – 1 lead with Rachel Pine orchestrating the offense, Canton appeared to be caught off guard by the quick start. The Bears recovered enough to score seven points before the first quarter came to a close, however, to only trail by nine, 16 – 7. Pine scored eight in the quarter.

For the remained of the game, the Panther lead hovered in the 8 to 12 point range. Hoosick Falls didn’t shoot especially well, going only 12 of 49 from the field, but the Panthers dominated the offensive boards, gathering in 18 to the Bears 8.

In the third quarter, Canton outscored the Panthers to bring them within eight at 33 – 25. But in the fourth, the Panthers turned it on and pulled away, outscoring the Bears 19 – 11.

The Panthers shot 37 free throw attempts, making 24 freebies.

Rachel Pine had a fine game, scoring 22 points, including 11 of 16 from the free throw line. Megan Flynn scored 12 points and hauled in 15 rebounds. Kelly Pine added six points and nine rebounds.

The Ladies will play Friday at 11:45 am. The game will be at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Panthers will face NYS number one Class B ranked Irvington of Section I. With the Panthers the number two ranked team in the state, it should be quite a game. If you are able to attend, the girls sure would appreciate it. With the game held on a weekday morning, they will need all the fans they can get.