The Eye Of The Tigress
Tuxedo Pays Tri-Valley Back For Home Loss By Handing Lady Bears Their First Defeat Of The Season With A Victory In The Lady Bears’ Den; Hard-Fought Clash Could Well Be A Preview Of A Do-Or-Die Sectional Fray As Rivalry From Two Years Ago Is Ablaze Once Again
Tuxedo 52, Tri-Valley 46
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Seeing red (and white) Tri-Valley and Tuxedo battle in their rematch as Tuxedo pays the Lady Bears back for an earlier season home loss (Clockwise) Tuxedo Coach Dave Powers counsels his team. Tri-Valley junior Mareena DiMilia ties the score at 26 all at the end of the third quarter with this bucket and a free throw. Tri-Valley Coach John Tenbus and his team show the emotion late as they look to stage a comeback rally. Wrestlemania: Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffratth and Tuxedo's Alexandriah Sabarese wrangle with each other for the control of the rock. T-V's Caroline Martin puts up a shot. Tri-Valley cheerleaders roll in the air in preparation for the OCIAA Cheerleading Championships. Tuxedo freshman Kayla Pinkney scores two of her game-high 18 points. Muscle men: Tri-Valley boys show off their retro warm ups on sale as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Basketballl fundraiser.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY– There are few things more frightening in nature than a bear roused to fury or a tornado destroying everything in its path.
It is therefore fitting that these icons of seemingly indomitable force should be the namesakes for two warring girls basketball teams vying against each other in the turbulent maelstrom of Section Nine Class C basketball.
Tri-Valley's Sabrena Smith races up the floor as she is shadowed by Tuxedo's Cori DiLisi.
To be more accurate, the ongoing battle between Tri-Valley and Tuxedo which has reignited the rivalry established in 2010 wherein the Lady Bears won both regular season games only to lose to the Lady Tornadoes in the finals, is much more suited to the metaphor of boxing.
“And in this corner, the challenger, wearing the red trunks, weighing in at 11-4 (7-1 OCIAA), the Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes.
And in this corner, the defending champion, wearing the white trunks, weighing in at 12-1 (6-1 OCIAA), the Tri-Valley Lady Bears.”
It’s enough to call forth images of Rocky running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Courthouse to the rising strains of the Survivor smash hit, “Eye of the Tiger.” (See accompanying lyrics to reinforce the relevance to the current situation).
Following Tuxedo’s impressive road 52-46 road win over previously undefeated Tri-Valley on February 9, the stage is set for a likely rematch in the Section Nine tournament, a game that would be played on the court of the team with the higher seed, not on the grand stage of the floor of Mt. St. Mary College. That arena is reserved for the final battle.
Given the punch-counterpunch history of the two teams, the loss sustained by each squad is apt to be a summoning call to greater intensity once they are battling for the right to survive and move on to the title bout against the heavyweight favorite, John A. Coleman Catholic.
But there are games yet to be played, and as such, there are no guarantees of anything at this juncture other than the fact that both of these warring factions will be in the tournament.
The lyrics from "Eye of the Tiger" speak strongly to the challenge facing these two teams in the battles that lie ahead.
Credit the Lady Tornadoes who could well adopt the name of “Road Warriors” following three wins on the road in four nights as they dispatched two league rivals in Fallsburg and Tri-Valley sandwiched around a non-league battering of rebuilding Sullivan West. Anyone who has ridden the bus to Tuxedo knows the lengthy trip is not easy. Try six rides between hither and yon in 96 hours and take that as a measure of the Lady Tornadoes’ fortitude since those sojourns were coupled with at least two high intensity games.
Coach Dave Powers felt confident that his team could deliver a roundhouse punch to Tri-Valley maintaining that the first loss followed a period of 13 days with no games. He expected his team to be better prepared this time out.
Given the sting of the 39-32 home loss to the Lady Bears and the urgency of trying to keep in the hunt for a better seed, Tuxedo marshaled its ‘A’ game and caught Tri-Valley with a powerful blow to the midsection.
They outplayed their rival in every facet of this game, but were the season to end today, Tri-Valley would enjoy the home game in a possible semifinal rematch.
All’s Not Quiet on the Western Front
Well-coached teams adapt, which is why playing them more than once can produce contrasting results. Powers is master of the X’s and O’s of the game. He knew his team had not handled the pressure of Tri-Valley’s man defense well in their first encounter so the agenda this time out was two-fold.
First, deploy a more effective defense to prevent Tri-Valley from doing what it wanted to do, namely run the floor and get easy transition buckets.
To do that, you’ve got to take care of the ball on offense, resist the pressure and get the ball into players who are in a position to make high percentage shots. On this night, that would be freshman standout Kayla Pinkney who would lead all scorers with 18 points.
Add in the foul factor. Tuxedo looked to get Tri-Valley’s biggest interior weapon Erin Smith in foul trouble early and remove her from the equation. That happened in short order forcing the senior to the bench. Nicole Bradley came in and did an admirable job in her stead but Smith’s absence was a big factor.
Secondly, given Tri-Valley’s struggles at the stripe, it would be better to put them on the line as opposed to letting them drive to the rim uncontested.
Tug of war: Tuxedo's Alex Gunderman and Alexandriah Sabarese try to wrest the ball away from Mareena DiMilia whose strength is the stuff of legend when it comes to holding the school record in the shot put. DiMilia doesn't relent and the Bears get the ball on the possession arrow.
That strategy paid off in spades as the Lady Bears shot a woeful 11-for-26 from the stripe for a dismal 42 percent. You cannot win big games with that kind of performance and T-V Coach John Tenbus knows it all too well. That issue has been an ongoing one despite the run of 12 straight wins. The Lady Bears know they’re in for relentless free throw practice in the coming days.
For Tri-Valley, it was clear that what worked down in Tuxedo was not translating well in the rematch. There were too many turnovers, too many ill-conceived shots and perhaps a bit of overconfidence. That said, they never quit and made the final few minutes enthralling as they threatened to steal this one right back out of the hands of their red-jerseyed nemesis.
Nothing is a greater tonic for a team’s gathering will and intensity than a loss and Tri-Valley had not experienced such…a few close calls yes, but always the victory at the end. For Tenbus’ young hoops mavens, this was only their third loss of their high school careers and it stung.
They’ll remember that much better than lectures.
They’re a tough group. Just watch how they hold onto the ball when opposing players try to wrest it from them. In one late sequence Mareena DiMilia fought tooth and nail to hold on as Tuxedo’s big Alexandra Gunderman and feisty Alexandriah Sabarese tried to divest her of the rock.
Can you say shot put?
DiMilia holds the school record for flinging it and she is as strong as an ox. She and her teammates will have to summon all of their physical, emotional and spiritual strength for the coming fray for Tuxedo fully intends to try and rip that Section Nine title right out of their possession.
Nobody likes losing. Tuxedo didn’t and neither did Tri-Valley. Now we’ll see which one has the Eye of the Tigress as they part ways to finish up their regular season call to arms and gird themselves for the battle to the death that appears to be looming between them.
Tuxedo's Kayla Pinkney controls the opening tip against Erin Smith.
Pinkney controlled the opening tip against Smith but it was the Lady Bears who struck first as Katlynn Greffrath converted an inbounds pass from DiMilia. Sabrena Smith got a steal from DeLisi but Caroline Martin was called for traveling. Erin Smith picked up her first foul as Pinkney drove. Tenbus felt it was an offensive foul, the officials didn’t see it that way.
Pinkney hit both from the stripe to tie it at two all. She’d net 13 of her 18 points on the night from the charity stripe.
A nifty pass from Erin Smith to Greffath gave the Lady B’s the 4-2 lead as the intensity began to rise even in this early juncture. The teams exchanged turnovers as the play was becoming more physical. The teams continued their stalemate amidst turnovers until Caroline Martin fired in a shot clock buzzer-beater to make it 6-2.
Pinkney answered with a drive into the paint. Alex Nouri hit one of two from the stripe for what would be tuxedo’s last points of the opening stanza. Allison Toscano fouled DiMilia who hit one of two from the stripe.
The Bears led 7-5 at the end of the first stanza. Both teams had five turnovers in the period. Tuxedo had its chances to tie before the period expired but couldn’t close the deal.
The Lady Bears inbounded to start the quarter but missed on its first four attempts within the first minute. Pinkney hit one of two from the stripe to close within one. Pinkney tied it up from the line at 6:06. Bradley and Allison Toscano exchanged baskets as the lead shifted to Tri-Valley and back to Tuxedo.
Soon the score hovered at 9-9 with battles ranging at both ends of the floor. Powers subbed players in and out exploiting his team’s greater depth. DiMilia broke the deadlock with a put back. With both teams over the bonus, they took turns marching to the free throw line. “Weave,” implored Powers. “Don’t try to drive the ball in traffic,” he admonished.
Pinkney was back at the line and with her two made free throws the Lady T’s took a 13-11 lead. DiMilia tied it up but a trey from Alexandriah Sabarese made it 16-13 with 1:06 remaining. Murphy hit two from the stripe. Sarah Schneyer blanked on a pair from the stripe and Tuxedo took the 18-13 lead into halftime.
Regaled in their throwback warm ups, Tri-Valley boys had been a great cheering presence during the first half. Now they mugged for a muscle shot just after the Lady Bears cheerleaders unveiled the routine they’ll deploy at the OCIAA Cheerleading Championships at Kingston High School on February 18.
My apologies to the Lady Bears for not taking the kind of shots I’m noted for. I had switched lens but not settings and blew it. I’ll make amends at Kingston..I promise.
Tuxedo's Erin Murphy scores two of her nine points as Keira McHugh closely defends her.
Tuxedo inbounded to start the second half and scored the first bucket for the 20-13 lead. From this juncture though, Tri-Valley would outscore Tuxedo 13-6 to knot the score at 26-all heading into the fourth quarter. It began with a bucket from Greffrath. DiMilia showed her aggression as she jumped in for a loose ball, put it in the cylinder and was fouled. By night’s end she’d lead the Lady Bears with 12 points.
Tri-Valley now trailed 22-19 but Murphy made it a five point game. Sabrena Smith put back a DiMilia miss with 4:59 to go. Erin Smith cut it to one as she scored off the inbounds pass and shortly thereafter Martin gave the Bears the lead at 25-24 with 2:56 to go. Tension rose as DiMilia got a steal, turned it over and Gunderman travelled.
Sabrena lurched to the floor for a steal but it rolled out of bounds. Tuxedo regained the lead with 1:15 to go. Two key T-V travelling calls stymied the chance to tie but DiMilia got the lay up on the left wing and tied it with a free throw with 29 seconds to go.
Tenbus and Powers huddled with their troops and counseled them for the final stanza.
Tri-Valley inbounded but began with another travel, this one by Sabrena Smith. Cori DeLisi converted a quick run out to a layup but missed the free throw. DiLisi went wire-to-wire again for the four point lead. Sabrena Smith hit one of two to make it 30-27. A trey from a wide-open Pinkney was not making Tenbus a happy camper as the lead swelled to 33-27.
Fans decried what they averred were moving picks and missed calls. T-V picked up two points from the line but Tuxedo scored again. DiMilia cut the lead down to 35-31 with 5:12 and a Tuxedo turnover had the Bears fan in a tizzy.
Martin hit one of two from the stripe to make it 35-32. Now it was Greffrath to the line via a foul from DeLisi but missed the front end of a one and one. Gunderman scored in the paint and was fouled with 3:38 and the Lady T’s led by six again.
Katlynn Greffrath fires up a three that would have cut the lead in half in the late going. It rimmed out instead.
Greffrath tried to halve that with a trey but missed. Erin Smith stood in an took the charge which turned out to be DeLisi’s fifth foul. Toscano came in for her with 3:10 to go. Erin Smith dove for a loose ball and Tenbus screamed for a time out which was not heard. The possession arrow was in Tuxedo’s favor.
A wide open Murphy scored at the other end of the floor after blanking on her initial lay up. The Lady Bears now trailed by eight with 2:42 remaining. The Bears needed the free throw line as an ally. DiMilia missed one but Erin Smith put it back to make it 40-35 with only two seconds coming off the clock in the sequence. She added a free throw and the lead was down to four.
Martin fouled Alex Nouri who made one of two. Sabrena Smith was fouled by Toscano but only made one of two again. Now it was 40-37 with 2:02. Tuxedo would go on to make four consecutive free throws and trailed by seven.
Pinkney hit two more from the stripe to make it 46-37. Pinkney was fouled intentionally and hit two more to make it 48-37. Sabrena Smith hit a trey. Gunderman hit one of two from the line to make it 49-40.
Martin hit two more from the stripe to make it 49-42 and the Lady Bears scored again. Caroline Martin scored off a set play as she positioned herself alone up the floor to make it 50-46 with 12.2 seconds. They let five seconds go off the clock before fouling Pinkney with 7.5 seconds to go. Murphy iced the deal with a pair of free throws as the Lady Tornadoes savored the 52-46 victory.
Powers agreed that this was exactly the kind of game both teams needed to tune up for the sectional tournament. “I thought we started to execute our game plan well defensively. We forced them into some things I don’t think they wanted to do. Offensively I thought we were running some stuff but struggling early. We just could not find the basket. Once we started to settle in I thought we did some good things,” he posited.
“Down the stretch I thought we made some key baskets. Alex Nouri hit a big one and Gunderman hit a big one, “ he noted adding props for DeLisi’s fire. Asked about the sectional seeding, Powers offered this: “The wild card in this is Fallsburg. They host Tri-Valley next Thursday and plays us at our place at the end of the year. If one of loses to Fallsburg it could make a difference. I’d rather be playing in my home gym than here,” he noted.
"Feeling strong now..won't be long now..I'm gonna fly..fly..fly!
“We have league games with Florida and Fallsburg and a good test in a non-league game with Burke Catholic,” Powers added. “We wanted that at the end of the year to get both of our teams ready for sectionals,” he concluded.
Tenbus said, “They were the better team tonight in every aspect. They beat us to loose balls. They were the first ones on the floor. They made rebounds and got second shots. It happens. Hats off to them.
They’re a good team and I anticipate seeing them again.” Tenbus realizes his team needs to win all three remaining league games to lock up the home court advantage that would come with the #2 seeding. That includes a game at Fallsburg and a home and away versus Eldred.
“That’s been our focus, to get that two seed and have home games here. We were out of synch tonight, definitely rattled,” he noted. As to Erin Smith’s foul troubles, Tenbus commended Bradley’s play. “She rebounded well and is not going to let them take it away from her, but Erin is my best big as far as looking to score. It takes away an option. Foul trouble will kill us. It’s hurt us all year.
“They went one-three-one on us a lot tonight. Last time it was three two, two-three and even some box and one,” he noted referencing Tuxedo’s defensive array. We’ve seen it, but not in awhile. It caught us a little off guard but it will better prepare us for the games down the stretch,” he added.
“A lot of the girls were really upset. I told them, it’s good to care so much that you lost but there’s no reason to shed the tears at 12-1. Most teams would die to have that record. These girls have lost only three games during their high school careers. It’s a stumbling block. It hurts. But we’ve got to move on. We’ve got another game on Saturday (vs. Sullivan West in 4th Annual Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic) and three games next week.
We’ve got to play better and move on. We’re never going to stop playing. We’ll fight tooth and nail down to the end like we did tonight. We came up a few time outs a few points short but the way we battled back showed how much pride we have. Close games are always good because that’s what they’re going to be down the stretch.”
As I entered the darkness of the night after exiting the gym, I heard that reprise echoing in my head one last time, “It’s the eye of the tiger….”
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