Once Horseheads’ offense caught up to its defense, it was game over in the Section 4 Class AA girls basketball championship contest Sunday, March 8.
After leading by five in the second quarter, the Blue Raiders went on a 20-2 run that carried deep into the third quarter on the way to a 51-23 victory over Union-Endicott at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.
The triumph gave top-seeded Horseheads a third consecutive sectional title, 15 overall for the program, and 12 since Andy Scott became head coach in 1999-2000. Sunday’s win left Scott one shy of joining a short list of New York girls basketball coaches with 400 victories.
“Definitely really excited,” Horseheads junior Maddie Ribble said. “Our third in a row here. It’s awesome. It’s a great place to play and we deserved it.”
Horseheads was playing for the first time since a 52-49 loss to Chenango Forks in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference semifinals Feb. 19. Some rust, combined with the defensive effort of a U-E team that beat Vestal by a 55-42 score in the semifinals, limited Horseheads’ lead to 6-2 after one quarter.
Scott said his players competed extremely hard in practice during the layoff, but he acknowledged the lull’s impact, along with high emotions early with a sectional title at stake.
“I told them we didn’t have a great start, but the good news is you only allowed two points, so it didn’t really matter,” Scott said.
“We got things clicking and got up to 20 in the first half. Then things started rolling in the third quarter.”
Stars of the game
Freshman point guard Samantha Bonnell scored 10 points in each half for a 20-point contribution. Ribble added 14 points and two 3-pointers.
With both teams’ outside shooting off, Bonnell used her ballhandling and quickness, along with some helpful screens, to get inside several times for layups.
“When in doubt, you go to your leader,” Scott said. “She’s only 14 years old, but she’s our leader and a captain on that court. She did a really good job out there.”
Horseheads’ Maggie Tremaine broke the ice with the game’s first 3-pointer for an 11-4 lead. Ribble hit her first 3-pointer to give Horseheads a 20-8 halftime advantage.
Because of the spacious backdrop, Binghamton’s arena is known to produce tough shooting games from the outside.
“Most of us have been here before, but it’s obviously different than where we play every single day, so we just had to get into the groove and we found a way after,” Ribble said.
Gianna Gennarelli scored 12 points to pace the Tigers, who finished with a 10-10 record.
Defense, rebounding were keys for Raiders
Horseheads held Union-Endicott to 9-for-50 shooting from the field and no 3-pointers.
“Defense is what won it for us,” Ribble said.
Horseheads’ energy level was high from the start.
“We go 100% at practice and that really pushes us to go harder in the games,” Bonnell said. “Practicing for two weeks really made us excited for this game.”
Once Horseheads learned its opponent, Scott said the Raiders prepared for three or four days by running the Tigers’ offensive sets. The teams played each other two months ago, with Horseheads winning by a 59-37 score.
Preparation was only part of the equation defensively.
“I just thought we knew what was coming and we did a great job,” Scott said. “There were no mental breakdowns.
“I think guard pressure was huge, switching screens when they’re supposed to was great, and I think one of the biggest things of the night was our defensive rebounding by those guys inside. It was insane.”
Scott was speaking specifically of Giana Hughey and Sadie Gustin, whose rebounding not only gave the Raiders second chances but also limited Union-Endicott’s offensive opportunities.
With Horseheads yet to tally stats, Scott joked Hughey must have had 40 rebounds.
“Her getting rebounds and getting us more shots really helps us to knock the shots down,” Bonnell said of Hughey. “The more shots we could take the more shots we could make.”
Up next
Horseheads (17-3) will take on Section 9 champion Cornwall (19-2) in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association quarterfinal/regional final at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.
“I love it here, the girls love it here,” Scott said of the return to Binghamton. “They’ve had a good three years here, so we’re going to keep it up.”
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Horseheads girls capture third consecutive Section 4 hoops title
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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