RED HOOK – Winners of three of the last four Section 9 Class A championships, the Red Hook girls basketball program has been the dominant force in Class A hoops for the area recently. The Raiders finally fell off last season but after a campaign full of adversity this time around, Red Hook has earned the right to try and go take back the crown.
Controlling from the early minutes and ultimately cruising towards the end, the No. 1 seeded Raiders pulled away with a 54-41 victory over No. 5 Beacon in the Section 9 Class A semifinals at home on Wednesday night.
“With the three-peat we had … it kind of feels like this year that it wasn’t handed to us, we had to work really hard for this,” said Red Hook senior Nina Kortbus after the win. “We’re definitely not done yet, we’re looking forward to Friday.”
Kortbus finished with 12 points on the night while Elenna Magee tallied a team-high 22 points. Maddie Clements dished out six assists while Caroline Pethic scored six, grabbed six rebounds and recorded four assists.
Having to work hard might be a bit of an understatement for this iteration of Red Hook basketball. Dealing with a head coaching change just weeks into the season, the girls had to work through the issues of jelling with a new leader while also tackling a brutal schedule. Playing several Class AAA schools throughout the season, it was a constant and consistent test for the Raiders.
It’s something they’re no strangers to, and handled exceptionally well.
“It means so much to us, especially after all those changes. I feel like we’ve been working so much harder this year,” junior Elenna Magee said. “We really showed up this year.”
Earning a pair of home playoff games on its road back to the section final, Red Hook has aced both tests ahead of its final assignment to return to glory. This time with one final chance on home floor in a massively packed environment for the girls and boys semifinal doubleheader.
“When I was taking out the ball and stuff, I could hear everyone cheering. I could hear it every single time,” Magee said with a laugh when talking about the noise in the gym. “Having that support is the biggest thing honestly.”
Especially with this one coming against a dangerous Bulldogs team riding a hot streak, the Raiders’ coach couldn’t be more pleased with the results so far.
“They’ve won four in a row and they just had a big game, Beacon, so we had a high respect for them. We came collectively as a team, played hard on defense and played the scouting report,” said Red Hook coach Pat Caltabiano. “Offensively we worked together as a team. We fought, hit some shots, got out in front with a big lead and felt comfortable.”
Za’Layni Shand led Beacon with 15 points. Mia Lentini added 13 for the Bulldogs.
One more adversary is left in the Raiders’ way of returning to glory and recapturing the Class A crown. Coming up on Friday night at Mt. Saint Mary College in Newburgh, Red Hook will take on No. 2 Highland in the finals with the contest tentatively slated for a 7 p.m. start.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Red Hook girls basketball reaches section final after rout of Beacon
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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