WHITE PLAINS – Understanding the difficult circumstances the team faced, Ally Kaminski believed it was her responsibility to take charge.
This was weeks ago, actually, when Ketcham was reeling and a late-season swoon followed the loss of star center Ja’Kayla Cook. The girls basketball team lost not only an inside presence that none of them can approximate but, coach Pat Mealy said, it called for a drastic schematic change on both ends.
As important was the emotional impact and the group avoiding mental malaise, despite the losses piling up. Kaminski addressed the group, imploring them to not lose confidence and to believe this team would somehow compensate.
“No matter what,” she said, “we needed to have faith in ourselves that we’re going to do well.”
That’s a hard sell, even from a senior leader, while the team is losing six of its last seven games.
But as the Storm celebrated on the court at the Westchester County Center, earning what will be its most improbable appearance in a section final, Kaminski proved herself a superstar and somewhat of a soothsayer.
She scored a season-high 29 points, including the first nine for team, leading Ketcham to a 56-42 upset of rival Arlington in a Section 1 Class AAA semifinal.
“This one is up there,” Mealy said of this being among the most fulfilling victories of his career. “This group has been through so much this year, but they’ve stuck together and fought through the adversity to get here.”
What’s next
The third-seeded Storm, sectional runner-up last season, will face Albertus Magnus in the final on Sunday, 11 a.m. at the County Center. Ketcham has won two titles since 2022 but was beaten last winter by Albertus Magnus en route to its state championship.
“They’re an intimidating team with great players across the board,” Kaminski said of Albertus, “but we can’t afford to be scared.”
Turning point
Arlington surged down the stretch of the regular season, including a win last month over Ketcham during its swoon, usurping them for the No. 2 seed. But in this game, the Storm led from the outset, quickly building a nine-point lead in the first quarter and eventually pulling away in the third.
Their nine-day layoff before the sectional quarterfinals was a boon, Maia Schiavone said, the time allowing them to regroup and get comfortable in new sets as a perimeter-oriented offense.
“I usually hate having that much time off between our last regular-season game and the playoffs,” Mealy said, “but it worked out perfectly for us this time. It’s what we needed.”
What changed in the playoffs – beginning with a victory over Scarsdale – was the improvement of their defense on the wings, Kaminski’s excellence as a facilitator, and the development of their shooters.
Schiavone, who scored a game-high 18 points in their quarterfinal, made three first-half threes against Arlington. Alyssa Venditto and Raia Allen each hit two.
“Those shots came at important moments,” Schiavone said. “Credit to my teammates finding me open.”
Jayde Triunfo’s floater pulled the Admirals within 25-20 late in the second quarter, but Schiavone answered with a three to maintain Ketcham’s cushion. Arlington opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and Ellia Bailey’s three-point play cut the lead to 45-38. But the Storm again responded with back-to-back threes from Venditto and Allen.
Player of the game
Kaminski was, of course, the X-factor for Ketcham. At 5-foot-10 with a smooth handle and pass-first instincts, she has served for them as a point-forward. But, understanding the underdog circumstances, she was aggressive and set a tone. She also finished with 14 rebounds, three assists and a block.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever coached an athlete who’s more dedicated to her team,” Mealy said. “She reads a situation and says, ‘This is what I need to be for us’ and does it. She doesn’t care about stats, just winning.”
She opened the scoring 12 seconds in and her three gave Ketcham a 7-0 lead, immediately putting Arlington on its heels. Kaminski pushed the lead to 43-30 with 11 seconds left in the third, contorting herself on a baseline drive to finish a spectacular hook shot through contact.
Box score
Ketcham (15-7) ― Schiavone scored 11 points and Venditto had eight points. Allen added six points.
Arlington (16-6) ― Bailey had 16 points and Triunfo scored 14, including three 3-pointers. Sophia Rescigno added five points.
They said it
“I’m so proud of these girls,” Kaminski said. “It’s a younger team and they’ve improved so much when we really needed it.”
“Not having her is a big loss, no question,” Schiavone said of Cook, “but the communication really helped. We were building each other up and telling ourselves that we can still do this.”
Stephen Haynes covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Kaminski leads Ketcham upset of Arlington to reach Section 1 final
Reporting by Stephen Haynes, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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