A Great Season Comes Up One Game Short
Susquehanna Valley Comes Out On Top, 51 – 45
by Steve Bradley
The Panther Ladies celebrated a win Friday afternoon after they won the state semifinal game. That win put the Ladies in a position to bring home a state title the next day..
[private]Saturday, the Ladies took to the floor to play in the New York state Class B Championship game. The Panthers were one of two Class B girls basketball teams still playing basketball in the entire state. No matter what the outcome would be, they were playing in the game. Facing Section IV’s Susquehanna Valley High School in a 4 pm start at Hudson Valley Community College, a big Hoosick crowd was on hand to lend all the support they could to their team.
The Panthers got off to a slow start. It may have been a bit of nerves, but the game started off with the Panthers struggling to get their game in gear. Coming off a game of giving a shooting clinic the previous day, the Panthers had trouble making foul shots, missing their first seven. On the other end, the SV offense was clicking, scoring the first nine points of the game. By the end of the first quarter, the Panthers had settled down and got the deficit down to four points at 12 – 8.
The Panthers ran with SV for the second quarter, but other factors came into play. Megan Flynn picked up two fouls and had to head for the bench. Kelly Pine got hit for two fouls and spent some time out of the game. This was a big problem for the Panthers and Coach DeGraaf had to work players in and out to make up for the loss of the two inside forces. SV had a couple of tall girls and having Kelly Pine and Flynn spending time on the bench was the last place DeGraaf wanted them to be. SV was able to put 19 points on the board, while the Panthers added 15 – the gap was widening. When the game went into the break, SV held a 31 – 23 lead and the Panthers were on their heels.
The Panthers came out determined to narrow the deficit. Early on in the third quarter, the SV offense controlled the game and SV got out to a 13 point lead. But the Panthers kept working and with five minutes left in the third, the Panthers began to change the momentum of the game. Kelly Pine asserted herself, and for several minutes, dominated the game. She broke free for a breakaway layup with a foul for a three point play and the Panthers whittled the lead down to seven, at 38 – 31. With just under two minutes to go in the third quarter, the Panthers were down four, at 40 to 36 and the Panthers were on a roll. Over those last two minutes, two things happened, and neither of them were good from the Panthers, or their fans, point of view.
First, Kelly Pine was called for a charging foul while going to the hoop. When she made the basket the Panther faithful exploded, thinking this could be a three point play. But cheers went to jeers for the referee when he indicated it was a charge and the basket was no good. It was a very questionable call. Seconds later, in an almost instant replay, Flynn went to the hoop and scored, and the whistle blew. Again, thinking it could be a three point play, the large HF crowd came out of their seats in applause, but Flynn was called for a charging foul. Once again the crowd let the official know they did not agree with him, and they let him know for a long time.
These two plays took the starch out of the Panthers. What were game changing plays for the Panthers turned out to suck the momentum away. The Panthers two best inside players now each had four fouls and had to play to stay in the game, not able to go on the offensive.
The Panthers never recovered, try as they might.
SV’s offense was able to get a couple baskets and the Panther offense became ineffective for the remainder of the game. The Panthers managed to put nine points on the board, mostly with foul shots, in the fourth quarter. But SV countered by going 6 of 8 on their foul shots to put the game away.
The Panthers went 13 for 52 to shoot 25 percent, and 12 of 25 from the free throw line. Kelly Pine led the scoring with 15 points, Chelsea Stevens added 12 points, all on 3’s. SV played good defense, and had the players to keep the Panthers in check. The teams may meet again, as SV had only three seniors, same as the Panthers. [/private]