NEWBURGH – Standing at the free-throw line with just eight seconds left and Highland clinging on to a one-point lead in a back-and-forth thriller, Logan VanZandt stepped up to the stripe. In maybe the most strenous, nerve-racking scenario she’s ever been in on a basketball court, there was one thing on her mind.
Zen.
“I just told myself to zone everything out and if I hit these free throws, that’s the game,” she said. Game it was.
The star junior proceeded to nail both free throws, two of her team-leading 17 points, and one final stop from the Huskies allowed them to come out with a thrilling 43-40 victory over Red Hook in the Section 9 Class A championship at Mt. Saint Mary College Friday night.
“I felt like we were kind of unexpected to win and a lot of people underestimated us,” Senior KaiLani Angiolillo said, still taking in the emotions of the championship victory. “I think that it’s just great that we got to go out there and show everyone we got.”
Locked in a contest with countless lead changes and each offense equally struggling at times, the feeling started to resonate pretty early on that this one was going to go down to the wire. With VanZandt being the lone member of the 2024 sectional championship team and a three-year contributor on varsity already, Huskies coach Thomas Rozzi knew he had someone he could trust in the toughest moments.
“The kid is a warrior. She’s remarkable and it’s not even her main sport, she’s an all-state lacrosse player” Rozzi said. “When the game’s on the line, she’s tough. She handles the pressure well, she handles the team well and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
The junior guard certainly stood out for handling the pressure, but it wasn’t just her. As a whole, the entire season for Highland has been a collective effort with a litany of key contributors making impacts in big moments.
Facing a multi-score second half deficit, Friday night was no different for a Highland program finally able to call itself champions again.
“Give credit to Red Hook, they scouted us well. We scouted them well and they did as well … in the second half they came out, they hit a couple of big threes and went ahead,” Rozzi said, throwing praise towards the Raiders and their preparation on the night. “They [Highland] came back and fought.”
Ciara Teamer ultimately scored seven for the Huskies to be their second-leading scorer. Isabella Giangrasso scored six while Angiolillo tallied five.
It took every ounce of fight, but it was all worth it in the end for VanZandt and the rest of the Huskies team who now get to claim the top of the mountain in Section 9 Class A. The story isn’t over, but the memories are already set to last a lifetime.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: VanZandt shines to help bring Highland girls a Section 9 championship
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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