No. 1 Lady Bobcats claw through tough Senecas for Section IV title
Frank Speziale Photo
CORTLAND – With 10.9 seconds remaining, the always large and electric fans of the Lady Bobcats roared to a standing ovation as they knew the Bainbridge-Guilford squad secured their first Section IV Championship since the ‘98-’99 season with a final over the Watkins Glen Senecas, 59-48.
In a situation that they have been in the last four years, the Bobcats entered the game knowing this year was going to be different as they were facing the defending Class C state champs.
Talking with B-G’s head coach Bob Conway before the game he said, “We have been struggling the last four weeks and haven’t been playing up to our potential. I think today, you’ll see a different team.”
The Senecas quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead after Ryanna LaMoreaux scored the rim on the first possession of the game and followed it up with a three.
But like they have done most of the season, Bainbridge-Guilford answered with a three of their own. The first came from the hand of Jill Cannistra, two feet outside the three-point arc.
One trip up the floor later, Abi Selfridge got the bucket and the trip to the foul line. Making the free-throw and just like that, the game was tied again.
To end the quarter, Watkins Glen assumed they had the lead after Hannah Morse scored in the paint but Cannistra again answered the call to knock down a big shot. She once again did it from deep beyond the arc and gave the Bobcats the 9-8 lead into the second.
In the second stanza, Bainbridge-Guilford started to settle in a little bit as they took a 17-11 lead. The run was led by the Bobcats Megan Palmatier as she was doing whatever she needed to. To make the score 15-11, Palmatier drew two defenders near the rim. With the head’s up play, she found her teammate, Macie Leizear cutting to the rim. Leizear caught the pass and laid it in.
Watkins Glen called a timeout, attempting to kill the B-G momentum. And it worked.
At 3:39, both Abi and Erica Selfridge went to the bench with two fouls, putting the Senecas in the bonus for fouls.
Just 30 seconds later, Watkins Glen took a 18-17 lead.
The last three minutes went back-and-forth, each team exchanging basket for basket. The Seneca’s went into the half with a two point lead.
But Conway wasn’t upset in the locker room.
“I told them at halftime, we had them right where we wanted them,” Conway said. “We were down two and I said the only reason we’re down two is Hannah Morse got in the paint three times, scored, and created an assist because we didn’t play good defense. Erica [Selfridge] was sitting on the bench. I said she can’t score against you, Erica.”
The third quarter started right where the second left off, both teams exchanging points. With four lead changes in the third, the game was going to come down to who could come up big when the time was right.
With 2:30 left in the quarter, Abi Selfridge went to the bench with her fourth foul. But that didn’t shake the Bobcats as Erica Selfridge and Kori Thornton knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, giving Bainbridge-Guilford a six point lead.
With the final eight minutes to play, the Bobcats held a five point lead.
Even through the first three minutes of the quarter, when Watkins Glen went on a 6-2 run, there was no panic shown by the ladies from Bainbridge-Guilford.
With 5:08 remaining in the contest, Conway called a full timeout to end the run of the Senecas. Out of the timeout, Emilia Bond of Watkins Glen tied the game up at 41-41. But again, the only nerves exhibited were by the Bobcats fan base.
Palmatier finished at the rim, taking the lead back. Abi Selfridge pulled up from 10-feet and knocked it down. Thornton added another big shot from just inside the arc and just like that, B-G went up by six yet again.
With 1:49, the Seneca’s Taylor Kelly said hold on a second as she hit a big three, closing the gap down to three points. Morse finished at the rim, only her second basket of the second half, and the Bobcats lead was back down to one.
On the next offensive possession, Erica Selfridge stepped inside the paint for a jumper. She normally doesn’t enter the middle but Erica did. And she came up big. Selfridge hit the shot and got the foul called for the and-1 play. Making the free-throw, Erica Selfridge put the Bobcats back on top by four, a lead that wasn’t tested again.
“That was a big, big play,” Conway said. “She’s a freshman and she doesn’t like going into that paint too much. She doesn’t like the physicality. But I told her before the game if you get a chance to drive you’ve got to go in there. Today is the day you have to make yourself be a little bit more aggressive. So she did.”
55.6 seconds showed on the clock and Watkins Glen started to foul to stop the clock.
Bainbridge-Guilford came up big at the foul line, finishing 9-for-12 down the stretch. Early in the contest, Palmatier struggled a little at the line. But when it matter, Palmatier came up big as she shot 6-for-8 in the last minute at the line.
“At the end of the game honestly it comes down to possessions,” said Palmatier when asked about her thoughts at the foul line. “I just start looking at the score; I’m like all right we’re up by nine right now. I really need to make this 10. I really need to make it a four possession game. I need to make it harder for the opponent to be able to come back so no matter what happens we have a big enough lead.”
“Once [Watkins Glen] started fouling and we started walking to the free throw line, I said this game is over,” Conway said.
Watkins Glen was led by Morse with 16 points and Kelly chipped in with 11 in the tough loss for the Senecas.
The Bobcats were led by Palmatier’s 20 and Abi Selfridge’s 17.
With all scoring at crucial times in the game, Erica Selfridge and Thornton each added seven points and Cannistra finished with the six. Leizear scored her one basket.
Bainbridge-Guilford came up big on the boards as Palmatier and Abi Selfridge finished with double-double’s. Each Bobcat pulled down 13 rebounds, evenly split between offensive and defensive boards.
Palmatier added four assists to her statline.
Bainbridge-Guilford will play Syracuse Academy of Science, the Section III champion, in the NYPHSAA state girls basketball regional. The game is set for Saturday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at the SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College. Syracuse Academy of Science defeated Little Falls, 63-42, on Thursday at the Carrier Dome.
Watkins Glen: Ryanna Lamoreaux 3 2-3-9; Hannah Morse 7 1-2-16; McKenna Fraboni 1 0-0-2; Clara Chedzoy 0 1-2-1; Emilia Bond 4 0-0-9; Danielle Leszyk 0; Taylor Kelly 5 0-0-11. Totals: 20 4-7-48.
Bainbridge-Guilford: Alli Miller 0; Jillian Cannistra 2 0-0-6; Matraca Harmon 0; Abigail Selfridge 7 3-3-17; Erica Selfridge 2 2-3-7; Bailey Hart 0; Macie Leizear 1 0-0-2; Zamira Caldwell 0; Morgan Swartwout 0; Isabelle Decker 0; Kori Thornton 3 0-0-7; Megan Palmatier 5 10-16-20. Totals: 20 15-22-59.
WG 8 17 7 16 – 48
B-G 9 14 14 22 – 59
Fouled out: Chedzoy and Morse (WG). Three-point goals: (WG) Lamoreaux 1, Morse 1, Bond 1, Kelly 1; (B-G) Cannistra 2, E. Selfridge 1, Thornton 1.
CORTLAND – With 10.9 seconds remaining, the always large and electric fans of the Lady Bobcats roared to a standing ovation as they knew the Bainbridge-Guilford squad secured their first Section IV Championship since the ‘98-’99 season with a final over the Watkins Glen Senecas, 59-48.
In a situation that they have been in the last four years, the Bobcats entered the game knowing this year was going to be different as they were facing the defending Class C state champs.
Talking with B-G’s head coach Bob Conway before the game he said, “We have been struggling the last four weeks and haven’t been playing up to our potential. I think today, you’ll see a different team.”
The Senecas quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead after Ryanna LaMoreaux scored the rim on the first possession of the game and followed it up with a three.
But like they have done most of the season, Bainbridge-Guilford answered with a three of their own. The first came from the hand of Jill Cannistra, two feet outside the three-point arc.
One trip up the floor later, Abi Selfridge got the bucket and the trip to the foul line. Making the free-throw and just like that, the game was tied again.
To end the quarter, Watkins Glen assumed they had the lead after Hannah Morse scored in the paint but Cannistra again answered the call to knock down a big shot. She once again did it from deep beyond the arc and gave the Bobcats the 9-8 lead into the second.
In the second stanza, Bainbridge-Guilford started to settle in a little bit as they took a 17-11 lead. The run was led by the Bobcats Megan Palmatier as she was doing whatever she needed to. To make the score 15-11, Palmatier drew two defenders near the rim. With the head’s up play, she found her teammate, Macie Leizear cutting to the rim. Leizear caught the pass and laid it in.
Watkins Glen called a timeout, attempting to kill the B-G momentum. And it worked.
At 3:39, both Abi and Erica Selfridge went to the bench with two fouls, putting the Senecas in the bonus for fouls.
Just 30 seconds later, Watkins Glen took a 18-17 lead.
The last three minutes went back-and-forth, each team exchanging basket for basket. The Seneca’s went into the half with a two point lead.
But Conway wasn’t upset in the locker room.
“I told them at halftime, we had them right where we wanted them,” Conway said. “We were down two and I said the only reason we’re down two is Hannah Morse got in the paint three times, scored, and created an assist because we didn’t play good defense. Erica [Selfridge] was sitting on the bench. I said she can’t score against you, Erica.”
The third quarter started right where the second left off, both teams exchanging points. With four lead changes in the third, the game was going to come down to who could come up big when the time was right.
With 2:30 left in the quarter, Abi Selfridge went to the bench with her fourth foul. But that didn’t shake the Bobcats as Erica Selfridge and Kori Thornton knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, giving Bainbridge-Guilford a six point lead.
With the final eight minutes to play, the Bobcats held a five point lead.
Even through the first three minutes of the quarter, when Watkins Glen went on a 6-2 run, there was no panic shown by the ladies from Bainbridge-Guilford.
With 5:08 remaining in the contest, Conway called a full timeout to end the run of the Senecas. Out of the timeout, Emilia Bond of Watkins Glen tied the game up at 41-41. But again, the only nerves exhibited were by the Bobcats fan base.
Palmatier finished at the rim, taking the lead back. Abi Selfridge pulled up from 10-feet and knocked it down. Thornton added another big shot from just inside the arc and just like that, B-G went up by six yet again.
With 1:49, the Seneca’s Taylor Kelly said hold on a second as she hit a big three, closing the gap down to three points. Morse finished at the rim, only her second basket of the second half, and the Bobcats lead was back down to one.
On the next offensive possession, Erica Selfridge stepped inside the paint for a jumper. She normally doesn’t enter the middle but Erica did. And she came up big. Selfridge hit the shot and got the foul called for the and-1 play. Making the free-throw, Erica Selfridge put the Bobcats back on top by four, a lead that wasn’t tested again.
“That was a big, big play,” Conway said. “She’s a freshman and she doesn’t like going into that paint too much. She doesn’t like the physicality. But I told her before the game if you get a chance to drive you’ve got to go in there. Today is the day you have to make yourself be a little bit more aggressive. So she did.”
55.6 seconds showed on the clock and Watkins Glen started to foul to stop the clock.
Bainbridge-Guilford came up big at the foul line, finishing 9-for-12 down the stretch. Early in the contest, Palmatier struggled a little at the line. But when it matter, Palmatier came up big as she shot 6-for-8 in the last minute at the line.
“At the end of the game honestly it comes down to possessions,” said Palmatier when asked about her thoughts at the foul line. “I just start looking at the score; I’m like all right we’re up by nine right now. I really need to make this 10. I really need to make it a four possession game. I need to make it harder for the opponent to be able to come back so no matter what happens we have a big enough lead.”
“Once [Watkins Glen] started fouling and we started walking to the free throw line, I said this game is over,” Conway said.
Watkins Glen was led by Morse with 16 points and Kelly chipped in with 11 in the tough loss for the Senecas.
The Bobcats were led by Palmatier’s 20 and Abi Selfridge’s 17.
With all scoring at crucial times in the game, Erica Selfridge and Thornton each added seven points and Cannistra finished with the six. Leizear scored her one basket.
Bainbridge-Guilford came up big on the boards as Palmatier and Abi Selfridge finished with double-double’s. Each Bobcat pulled down 13 rebounds, evenly split between offensive and defensive boards.
Palmatier added four assists to her statline.
Bainbridge-Guilford will play Syracuse Academy of Science, the Section III champion, in the NYPHSAA state girls basketball regional. The game is set for Saturday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at the SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College. Syracuse Academy of Science defeated Little Falls, 63-42, on Thursday at the Carrier Dome.
Watkins Glen: Ryanna Lamoreaux 3 2-3-9; Hannah Morse 7 1-2-16; McKenna Fraboni 1 0-0-2; Clara Chedzoy 0 1-2-1; Emilia Bond 4 0-0-9; Danielle Leszyk 0; Taylor Kelly 5 0-0-11. Totals: 20 4-7-48.
Bainbridge-Guilford: Alli Miller 0; Jillian Cannistra 2 0-0-6; Matraca Harmon 0; Abigail Selfridge 7 3-3-17; Erica Selfridge 2 2-3-7; Bailey Hart 0; Macie Leizear 1 0-0-2; Zamira Caldwell 0; Morgan Swartwout 0; Isabelle Decker 0; Kori Thornton 3 0-0-7; Megan Palmatier 5 10-16-20. Totals: 20 15-22-59.
WG 8 17 7 16 – 48
B-G 9 14 14 22 – 59
Fouled out: Chedzoy and Morse (WG). Three-point goals: (WG) Lamoreaux 1, Morse 1, Bond 1, Kelly 1; (B-G) Cannistra 2, E. Selfridge 1, Thornton 1.
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