The Great Divide
In A Rare Day Of Home And Away Sectional Border Wars Fallsburg’s Boys Defeat Neighboring Tri-Valley In Quarterfinal Clash While Tri-Valley Girls Prevail Over Lady Comets In The Nightcap; Teams Expend Enormous Effort In Riveting Two-Act Drama Of Advances And Noble Exits
Boys: Fallsburg 58, Tri-Valley 41
Girls: Tri-Valley 68, Fallsburg 54
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Day and Night Quarterfinal Drama: Left panel top to bottom: Fallsburg boys erupt in joy following their 58-41 win over Tri-Valley that advances the Comets to a semifinal road clash against Pine Plains. Rakkir Watson dribbles the ball up the floor as Tri-Valley's James Pugh looks for a steal. Michael Robinson is poetry in motion as he swishes a pair of free throws: Right side: Tri-Valley girls enjoy the moment as their fans laud them with applause following their 68-54 win over Fallsburg. Falsburg's Sheryl Pinder looks to drive the ball up the floor as Celia Garcia sets a pick. Sabrena Smith looks to defend. Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffrath hits the game's biggest shot with 3.1 seconds remaining in the third quarter off a double screen play drawn up by Coach John Tenbus. The lead burgeoned to 13 at the buzzer and the shot proved to be the dagger in the heart to the courageous Lady Comets.
FALLSBURG AND GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—There is no way to describe the sea of emotions that swirl through players and coaches standing on the precipice of uncertainty before a do-or-die sectional encounter.
Nerves aside, the most salient current that courses through each and every one is the desire to win and advance. To even ponder the end of one’s long season of trials and efforts is unthinkable. And so invariably, the intensity of play evinced in sectional games is characteristically beyond the pale and incredibly dramatic.
Game changers: Fallsburg's Braiden DeGraw, left, fires in two of his game-high 16 points. Tri-Valley's Caroline Martin and Katlynn Greffrath tie up Fallsburg's Celia Garcia to garner an extra possession.
With the arduous regular season behind them and the wonderful accomplishments of being one of the 30 Section Nine teams about to enter the frenzied fray from which only one will be left standing in each of the five Classes of teams, the agenda of the moment is to exert the last full measure of skill, devotion and effort, coupled with unselfish teamwork and indomitable will, in order to earn the privilege to play again.
To marshal a victory under such circumstances is to cross the Great Divide, that unchartered field of battle from which only one of the two teams engaged will emerge unscathed. Victory is akin to imbibing The Nectar of the Gods; defeat is disheartening beyond measure.
Despite the canon of countless games of this ilk that I have borne witness to and tried to recreate afterwards with all of the words I can summon to approximate their dramatic unfolding, it is always new, always fresh and always special.
That Fallsburg and Tri-Valley would come to engage in a rare day-night double header of boys and girls quarterfinal clashes in a home and away rare two-act enterprise, made February 25 memorable and historic for the two schools and the communities they represent.
As neighboring rivals who had played each other twice during the regular season, this third and most important clash would pack the gyms with fervid fans bent on providing unbridled spirit to further the cause of their beloved teams.
Michael Robinson looms large to the left, while Katlynn Greffrath and Celia Garcia vie intensely for a ball on the right.
The Fallsburg boys and Tri-Valley girls had won both prior encounters with their rivals. On several occasions the oft-quoted adage of “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season,” was advanced by fans from both sides as they pondered the impending outcome of the most important 32 minutes of the season to date.
By night’s end that maxim would be proven false as the Fallsburg boys used their speed, unselfish teamwork and impeccable skills to marshal a 58-41 win over Tri-Valley.
Heading into the nightcap, the Lady Comets with their cadre of seniors vowed to rectify the flaws that had twice barred their hoped-for victories against the Lady Bears.
To their credit, the Lady Comets put forth their best effort of the season, particularly in the first half but nonetheless fell short of the mark as the defending champion Lady Bears triumphed 68-54.
Each game had its own unique script, its requisite heroes and defining plays. Tough as it is for the 12-7 Tri-Valley boys team and the 10-9 Fallsburg Lady Comets to see their seasons end, particularly for the seniors who summoned their all in the quest, both squads made enormous strides this season and both have much to be proud of. Much more needs to be said on this subject and will be forthcoming as this narrative unfolds.
To the victors belong the spoils and in this case the 14-5 Comets earn the right to test their mettle against number-one seeded Pine Plains on the road. “To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” and so for a squad comprised of mostly seniors looking to go out on the most positive of notes, there is no bigger stage than the impending semifinal on February 28.
Should they unveil the kind of play they evinced in this quarterfinal, they have the weaponry and the will to ground the Bombers and emblazon a stunning chapter in Fallsburg’s once-storied hardwood history. All of this from a school that rendered a stultifying 0-20 record just a few years back. This is Fallsburg’s third consecutive year making a sectional run and they hope that the adage which claims that the “Third time pays for all,” will come to fruition.
For the 17-1 Tri-Valley Lady Bears, the challenge of playing Tuxedo for the third time in what amounts to the all-important rubber match is what Coach John Tenbus and his team have envisioned and worked assiduously towards all year long.
The recent deflating loss to the Lady Tornadoes, coupled with the fact that it was Tuxedo that defeated Tri-Valley in the 2009 finals only adds fuel to the fire, though the cast of players is entirely different from that fray and John Tenbus was only the assistant coach that night two years ago.
The Coaches: Tri-Valley's Brian Tingley, Fallsburg's Pete Dworetsky, Fallsburg's Daniel Redmond and Tri-Valley's John Tenbus
Since his ascendance to the helm, his team now comprised mostly of youngsters, has authored an uncanny 35-3 record.
That Tenbus guided his team to a Section Nine Class C title in his first year made him the 2011 Coach of the Year in this writer’s estimation, though that view was not shared by other print maven pundits.
Rarely do I make such pronouncements about Most Valuable Players or Coaches of the Year as they are often subjective judgments that invite criticism. When I do, I stand by them with all of the weight and credibility of my award-winning journalistic career.
With the graduation of Jakki Pugh, “The Eternal Flame,” many pundits figured that the Lady Bears would be a far easier mark. But great teamwork, the coach’s wizardry and his demands for rigorous conditioning have combined with his players’ talent level and competitive spirit which is second to none.
All of which makes Tri-Valley’s success story an ongoing one. To wit, one might recall Mark Twain’s famous words as they apply to the 2012 Lady Bears,“Rumors of my own death have been greatly exaggerated.”
Vanquishing feisty Fallsburg brings the Lady Bears to the next Great Divide, the wide semifinal chasm, and crossing that one will be its greatest challenge to date.
While etiquette asserts “Ladies first,” the chronology of the day warrants the opposite:
Fallsburg Boys Prevail: The Comets’ Tale
Tri-Valley senior Greg Swarthout goes up for a shot as Fallsburg's Rakkir Watson looks to not foul him in the process.
When Tri-Valley lost to Fallsburg on February 15, T-V Coach Brian Tingley carefully assessed the 75-62 defeat in terms of what his team needed to do toin order to reverse the dynamics. “They scored 51 of their 75 points off fast breaks and second chance opportunities. We’ve got to get three guys back on defense,” he averred prior to this sectional encounter.
Fallsburg’s speedy transition games had also fueled its January 61-39 “Transit Authority” win and Tingley was bent on slowing the streaking Comets down.
Relentless defense, patience and timely shooting would be key in authoring the upset Tingley felt his team was in a position to record and for the first quarter at least, the plan was working. A few tweaks including the personnel and method of inbounding the ball were part of Tingley’s thoughtful script.
For his part, Fallsburg Coach Pete Dworetsky wasn’t about to take Tri-Valley lightly. “It’s all about today,” he averred prior to the game hinting at a few new wrinkles but mostly the same strategy. Dworetsky fully understands the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Amidst the posting of the colors from the Fallsburg Police Department Honor Guard and the sonorous rendition of the National Anthem sung by Fallsburg principal Mike Williams, the special proceedings got underway.
Tri-Valley’s Conor Walsh and Fallsburg’s Michael Robinson got set for the tip as the winter sun streamed in through the windows bathing the floor in an unusual suffusion of natural light. Fallsburg controlled the tip but committed a turnover on its first possession which fueled a T-V drawing of first blood as Cody Exner sent the ball across the lane to a charging James Pugh.
Unfazed, Robinson slid the ball into Braiden DeGraw who tied it up forthwith. On its next set, Pugh kicked it out to Steve McInerney and T-V reclaimed the early lead. Back-to-back shots from DeGraw and Robinson changed that early landscape. Both teams were rebounding well but Rakkir Watson added to the lead with a floater.
Members of the Fallsburg Police Department present colors prior to the game.
Pugh countered with a three to make it a 9-8 Tri-Valley. Dworetsky fumed at the missed coverage that had given him the open look. His admonitions to his team would prove efficacious as it was the only trey Tri-Valley would register in the game.
The decibel level in the gym was steadily rising. Another T-V bucket preceded Fallsburg’s miffing on a trio of offensive put backs before DeGraw was fouled by Walsh and hit both. Then a steal by Jimmy Bertholf and his subsequent lay up put Fallsburg back on top. They’d never trail again.
With 1:53 remaining Robinson hit two from the stripe to make it 14-11. Sam Didinsky’s trey from the corner made it 17-11. Bertholf fouled Jesus Lozada on an attempted three. Lozada hit all three from the line as the quarter would close with Fallsburg leading 17-14. Each team had turned it over three times.
The Bears inbounded to start the second quarter as Lozada scored on a put back. Russell Corley kissed it off the glass to widen the lead to 19-16. Fallsburg got a crisp pass from Corley to Dustin Foertsch for two more.
Fallsburg’s cheerleaders used time outs to amp up the crowd. The Bears’ cheerleaders were not present as a number of them were at the indoor track state qualifier.
Action continued as the Comets built a six point lead before Walsh cut it back down with a great backdoor cut and bucket with 4:19. DeGraw slashed the lane for two more enroute to his game-high 16 points.
Robinson made it 27-18 as he rose up strong. T-V’s Alex Brown got an easy bucket as Fallsburg miffed on its weak side help. When the dust settled at the half, Fallsburg led 30-20. Pugh had seven of T-V’s first half points, while DeGraw authored a third of Fallsburg’s first half points with ten.
Fallsburg inbounded and Corley took it straight to the rim. Exner answered. Corley muscled great position under the boards and scored again. Tri-Valley looked a bit stressed as it failed to inbound the ball in the allotted five seconds. DeGraw’s turn around jumper had the Comets’ fans in a tizzy as the lead burgeoned to 36-25.
In this critical nexus of the game, Tri-Valley needed to get stops and show patience. It did neither well enough to forestall a 10-5 Fallsburg run to close out the stanza affording the Comets a 46-30 lead after three.
In the third quarter Fallsburg got scoring from six players living out Dworetsky’s precept of “It’s not who scores, it’s that we score.” Corley led the way with six of his eventual eight points. Watson, Didinsky and DeGraw each contributed a bucket as did Daniel Justiniano.
Tri-Valley countered with ten points as it got three from Pugh to go along with two apiece from Swarthout, Exner and Shatik Smith. Walsh hit one of two from the line.
With a comfortable lead in place, Fallsburg played out the string in the fourth quarter, its play not nearly as crisp as it had been prior to that. Even so they still outscored T-V 12-11 in the final stanza to evince the 58-41 victory.
In addition to DeGraw’s 16, Fallsburg got ten from Robinson and Watson. They shot 11-for-19 from the line for a lukewarm 58%. Pugh led the Bears with 13, while Smith had ten. The Bears were 12-for-20 from the stripe for 60%. Turning the ball over 14 times fulfilled one of Tingley’s ongoing goals. Fallsburg had 18 turnovers in the game.
Tingley summed things up thusly: “I thought we moved the ball well and gave them some things they weren’t expecting in the first quarter and we stayed with them. Defensively we played okay. We held them in the 50’s but offensively we got a little stagnant in the second quarter in particular. We only scored six points. It’s hard to come back when you have a drought like that,” he averred.
“We wanted to really go to the basket today but instead we settled for the one shot though we did get more paint looks today especially in the first half.” In terms of the agenda of getting guys back quickly on defense, Tingley felt his team did a good job until the end when Fallsburg was getting a lot of quick stuff as it felt it could gamble on defense given its large lead.
Tingley credited Fallsburg’s play. “They looked good,” he noted while positing the idea that he felt they might have a tough time with Pine Plains.
In terms of the 12-7 season overview, Tingley smiled. “At the beginning of the season James Pugh said, so we’ve gotta beat three and I thought Oh My God, if we only get four wins. I wanted a lot more. We had to get those early ones because I knew we were inexperienced. We could get good by the end of the season but it would take us awhile to get there. We couldn’t afford to throw away games early in the year and expect to make it up later,” he posited.
“We’ve got a lot of people returning next year and those returnees have played a lot. We would play ten guys pretty regularly. For the most part we got everybody in every game. This year the juniors and sophomores got a lot of minutes.”
Looking ahead to the summer Tingley said, “We usually try to get into something. If Liberty has something we’re going there but if they don’t maybe we’ll start something. We usually put together a team to go down to play some games in Seward,” he added.
Dworetsky credited his team’s unselfish play and the rewards that have come from such. “These kids have worked way too hard the last couple of years to just walk away. We knew Tri-Valley coming in here was going to be tough but we executed really well. Once or twice we tried to force it down the lane and we had one possession on defense that I wasn’t thrilled with (the open three),” he offered.
Turning to thoughts of Pine Plains, Dworetsky feels his team will be ready to execute its game plan. “We have one goal in mind and that’s to be playing at New Paltz on Friday.” Dworetsky is counting on his team’s defense to put enough pressure on the Bombers so that “good things can happen.”
The Kids Are All Right: Stamina And Crisp Execution Fuel Lady Bears Victory
Tri-Valley's Caroline Martin shoots over Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody.
With only 48 hours between their last highly emotional encounter won by Tri-Valley 70-45 which assured the Lady Bears of home court and a share of the Division V title and a snow storm cancelling school to boot, Fallsburg got permission to use its gym for a practice Coach Daniel Redmond knew his team needed if it was going to alter the existing dynamic with the Lady Bears.
Two 25-point losses that involved melt downs, turnovers and as he saw it, squandered opportunities to pull off upsets, had Redmond and his all-important seniors vowing that enough was enough.
This time, they’d come with a new attitude and seek to avoid the miscues that could fuel another Tri-Valley “track meet.”
For senior starters Sheryl Pinder, Shanice Mack and Celia Garcia in particular, this was the biggest game of their careers and they were determined to pull out all stops to garner the win.
Junior transfer Nyasia Blakney looked calm and confident. Behind her 23-point flurry two days prior, she intended to do her part to secure the victory.
As the teams took their warm ups, Redmond paced anxiously up and down. Tri-Valley Coach John Tenbus expressed his usual nervousness but managed to be adept at not showing it. He was confident that his defense could hold the Lady Comets’ lethal weapons l Pinder and Blakney sufficiently in check to win.
But to do that his girls would have to take care of the basketball, use their quickness and stamina to wear Fallsburg down, make key shots to offset the expected runs and for heaven’s sake, make free throws, something which has been a bugaboo all year long.
Each team looked to establish the tone. Fallsburg hoped to unnerve Tri-Valley with a strong start, something they were about to unveil with a rain of threes in the first quarter as Celia Garcia buried a pair and Pinder hit her first of two taking advantage of Tri-Valley’s failure to close on perimeter shooters.
With teams that feature bigs like Mack, Blakney and Kelsey Moody, the expectation is that they will try to deploy their height advantage inside to score in the paint, get the lion’s share of rebounds and block shots.
Guarding Sheryl Pinder does not mean stopping her. Pinder had 29 points in the final game of her illustrious high school career.
The last thing Tri-Valley expected was a powerful Fallsburg perimeter arsenal but over the course of the night as the Lady Bears did what was necessary to see that diminished, Tri-Valley’s speed, its relentless defensive verve and its more diversified offensive balance would prove effective to marshal the 68-54 win that would advance them one step closer to their avowed purpose…”Not just defending the championship, but pursuing another.”
Moody and Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith got set for the tip as the “Red Sea” of Tri-Valley fans made their presence felt on one side of the gym while diagonally opposite, a large host of Comets fans including the victorious boys team and their coach looked forward to a Fallsburg sweep.
The Comets controlled the tip but promptly turned it off, an inauspicious sign for Redmond who was no longer masking his emotions. Tri-Valley junior Mareena DiMilia scored from the wing for that all-important first bucket.
When T-V sophomore Katlynn Greffrath was fouled and went to the line, a hush fell over the crowd. That silence soon turned to a roar as she hit two-for-two from the stripe for the 4-0 lead. Erin Smith scored and hit one from the stripe as well for the 7-0 lead and nearly built on that behind a Greffrath steal but T-V couldn’t convert the points off the turnover.
Pinder blanked on a chance to put the Lady Comets on the board as the Comets cheerleaders barked, “You’ve got to get loud.”
With Tri-Valley leading 8-0, Garcia finally broke the drought with a trey. Erin Smith showed her senior leadership as she ambled through the lane to make it 10-3. By night’s end she’d share a team-high accrual of 15 points with Caroline Martin but Smith was even more important with her aggressive play, rebounding and indomitable will to prevail.
Despite its height advantage, Fallsburg was ineffective in boxing out. Proof in point was made as diminutive Sabrena Smith scored on a third put back attempt surrounded by infinitely taller Lady Comets for the 12-6 lead.
After a palming call on Garcia gave the ball right back to the Lady Bears, Sabrena Smith ripped through the lane uncontested to score again. Greffrath had a steal but travelled with 3:03 remaining. Tri-Valley was getting steals as Caroline Martin heisted a Fallsburg inbounds pass but the Lady Bears weren’t converting those into points.
At the other end of the floor Garcia pulled up for her second three to make it 14-9. Fallsburg got to the line behind a foul by Erin Smith but the first of two lane violations on the night nixed the free throw by Blakney.
The battle of the fans: Tri-Valley (top) and Fallsburg (below)
Martin dished it to Erin Smith in the post for the 16-9 lead but lethal Pinder would close the quarter with five straight points including a trey and a layup off a Tri-Valley turnover as the Comets closed within two at 16-14 as the first quarter ended.
Tenbus calmly reorganized his troops during the periods, while Redmond extolled his girls and encouraged them to build on what they were doing. Getting close to Tri-Valley was nothing new; surpassing them was another matter.
The Lady Bears began the quarter with two points from Nicole Bradley who had come in to give Erin Smith a breather. Fallsburg then threw it away as Redmond implored his team to play defense.
Martin missed a shot but a Tri-Valley rebound re-routed the ball to her at the top of the key as the freshman hit her first big shot of the game for the 20-14 lead.
Fallsburg was squandering trips with missed shots and then lost a rebound to Martin who came up with the ball seemingly out of nowhere.
Martin raced up the floor with Greffrath on the opposite side. At the last second she dished it to Greffrath who scored to the tumultuous cheers of the Red Sea horde with 2:14 to go. Fallsburg converted a three point play behind a made free throw and a Moody put back of a miss from the stripe to cut the lead to 22-19. Martin came up huge again as she canned a three.
Every time Fallsburg closed the gap, Tri-Valley would widen it back. All of this was consuming energy but Tri-Valley’s conditioning advantage was its ace in the hole. Blakney hit one from the top of the key to cut it to four at 25-21 with 5:06. Each team travelled before Garcia picked up her second foul. Fallsburg was over the limit and Greffrath stepped up for a one-and-one.
She hit both to make it 27-21 and Garcia was flagged for travelling again. After a T-V miss Moody threw it away. Cumulatively, these unforced turnovers were taking their toll. Sensing the need to elevate her game even further, Pinder hit her second three to make it 27-24. Blakney fouled Erin with 3:28 but she missed both.
Caroline Martin looks to pass while Nyasia Blakney guards her closely. Below, Blakney fires in two of her ten points. Martin ended up with 15. In the previous game just two days prior both led all scorers with 23 points.
Pinder looked to tie it with a three but the ball caught nothing but air. Coming up the floor with a chance to close within one or to tie, Fallsburg was suddenly looking the other way as Martin had stolen the ball and scored for the 29-24 advantage.
Flustered, Fallsburg committed a backcourt violation as Redmond fumed and called in his troops for an emotional talking to. Tie ups were affording alternating possession arrows as players from both squads looked to wrest the ball from each other.
With 1:09 to go and closing the gap, Fallsburg had possession of the rock, Greffrath got a key steal and was fouled before the shot. Greffrath hit both from the stripe to make it 31-27 with 52.4 seconds. Blakney and Pinder both missed close in. Tri-Valley had the last word of the half with a lay up to carry the 33-27 lead into the half.
Tenbus schooled his team on the importance of the first minutes of the third quarter. They had withstood Fallsburg’s runs and would look to rectify the issues with the Lady Comets’ open threes as 15 of Fallsburg’s 27 points had come from long range.
Fallsburg would never score from out there again for the rest of the night.
Blakney opened the second half with a floater from below the key to cut it to four. A missed three by Martin was rectified by an alert Greffrath who grabbed the ball and put it through the cylinder. Time and time again, Tri-Valley answered Fallsburg’s bids to draw close.
Tri-Valley led by six which soon became nine as Sabrena Smith slashed the lane and hit a free throw. Pinder hit an off-balance shot to make it 38-31 and a Moody offensive put back cut it back to six. Again the Lady Bears counterpunched with two more points.
Ominously, Erin Smith picked up her fourth foul and had to come out as Mack went to the line and hit one before a lane violation nixed another. Bradley came in for Smith as the score hovered at 40-34. Martin drove the lane to widen the gulf to eight with 3:55 to go. Pinder countered with a bucket but missed the accompanying free throw.
Martin pushed it right back to eight with a pair of made free throws. Was this the same team that had looked clueless from the stripe?
How sweet it is: Mareena DiMilia and Katlynn Greffrath enjoy a victory hug. They hope they'll be more occasions for such this season before all is said and done.
With 3:20 to Tri-Valley poured it on as the red-hot Martin dished a nifty pass to a scoring Bradley. Blakney cut it to six again but a runner by Greffrath provided yet another answer. Tri-Valley led 46-42 with 1:17 as the game remained tight.
Greffrath hit one of two from the stripe but Bradley put back the missed second one to push the lead back to seven with 1:07. With 44.2 seconds to go Greffrath travelled.
Pinder picked up her third foul as Sabrena Smith scored and hit a free throw. Martin came up with a huge steal with nine seconds remaining. The Lady Bears were in possession with 3.1 remaining as Tenbus called a time out and set up a double screen looking to free Greffrath on the right wing beyond the arc.
The play worked like a charm as the Wizard of Wonderland’s strategy had designed it so that the deft sophomore had just enough space to bury the trey. It was the dagger for Fallsburg as it gave T-V a 55-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
Despite the gulf, Pinder would refuse to quit. More than anything else, the talented guard who has come to define Fallsburg girls basketball would uncork her final effort though it would prove to be too little; too late.
Pinder would score all 12 of Fallsburg’s points in the final frame, nearly equaling the Tri-Valley team output of 13. It was a noble effort from a player who deserves the highest regard.
Tri-Valley continued its fine free throw shooting down the stretch as the Lady Bears iced five of six from the stripe in the fourth quarter enroute to an 18-for-27 (66.6%) high water mark as Erin Smith hit three of four and Martin was two for two in the stanza. Back to back steals and buckets from Sabrena Smith sent the crowd into delirium. DiMilia added a bucket for good measure. Sabrena Smith stalled the final possession until the end.
When the final buzzer sounded the Lady Bears hugged one another with boundless joy while the tearful Lady Comets made a quick exit to the locker room to try and reckon with the impact of this season-ending shock.
Pinder held her head up high and listened as this writer extolled her play and her career. “I want to thank my teammates. I thought we gave 100 percent out there. I played my best game and tried to give it my all,” she said.
Pinder ended with a game-high 29 points for the 10-9 Lady Comets. Blakney had ten and Garcia had nine via her trio of treys. Fallsburg shot seven-for-16 from the line for 43.7%. Martin and Erin Smith led 17-1 Tri-Valley with 15 points apiece. Greffrath had 14 and Sabrena Smith had 12.
The Lady Bears will look to return to the finals via a hoped-for home win over Tuxedo on February 28. The Lady Tornadoes bested Rhinebeck 40-31, while #1 seeded John A. Coleman Catholic bested #8 Pine Plains 58-38. They will play #4 Millbrook which bested #5 Chester 59-35.
Tenbus agreed that free throws were huge and that Fallsburg came into this game with its best effort. “Sheryl being a senior was going to do everything she possibly could to keep her team in it and try to win. She played a heck of a game tonight and Garcia did two. They were the two players we were manning in our triangle and two the whole game and they did a good job of screening for each other.”
Tenbus went on to say, “We stepped back as opposed to edging out to try and force them back so we could recover. They knocked down quite a few and those shots were big.” Talking about Greffrath’s miracle shot at the end of the third that really was the defining play of the game, Tenbus noted, “We were in our four high set and we set two double screens for her. The outside girl goes to screen the big block and the girl on the elbow holds the guard in and Katlynn loops and we hope she gets a good look. I said Katlynn, you’re tired, make sure you put a little more on it and did she ever.”
Tenbus said that he had told his girls, “The most important part of the game are those minutes right after halftime. You’ve got to take advantage of those minutes and we did a great job and got it up to 13. At halftime I told them we’ve got to be a little bit more patient on offense. We’ve got to look for the best shot, not necessarily the first shot. Defensively, this is why we run in practice so we can stay in shape and continue,” he noted.
“A lot of the other team we play get tired and when they do they lose their focus and start making mental and physical mistakes and that’s when we try and turn it up a notch,” he averred.
Tenbus lauded subs Bradley and Sarah Schneyer. That’s what we need. They all know their role as far as what they should do.” Tenbus looks forward to playing Tuxedo. “Hopefully we’ll play better this time. We’re on a nice roll at the end of the season with a couple of good wins against Eldred and Fallsburg. That carried over here and momentum at this point is huge.”
Tenbus extolled Erin Smith’s play and her assertion at trying to get to the basket. “That was huge because when they’re playing their 3-2 and we’re working the ball around, the middle is wide open and I give Erin a lot of credit because she turned and looked at the basket right away.” Fallsburg went from a 3-2 to a 2-3 and added in a man defense. We stayed with the triangle and two quite a bit and just went man-to-man the rest of the time.”
“Fallsburg is a talented team. One of their girls is always going to put up big numbers whether its Sheryl or Blakney, Garcia or Moody. You kind of pick your battles.”
A despondent Redmond emerged from the locker room where he had tried to console his team. “I’m very happy with the progress we made in the last two days. That was a totally different team that we had out there tonight. I thought the last game we played lethargically. This game I felt we put everything on the line and I have to give a lot of thanks to my seniors. They put forth their best effort and just came up a little short.”
Redmond felt his team’s biggest dilemma was its inability to box out. “I’ve been trying to teach the girls not just to jump for the ball but you’ve got to put your body on somebody,” he noted.
Redmond also acknowledged that fatigue became a factor towards the end. “They make it into a track meet which I thought we slowed down the first two and half quarters as we slowed down the tempo and played the way we wanted to play. We kept the game close until they did one of their patented runs.
All the credit goes to Coach Tenbus and his team. They’re not 17-1 for no reason but I felt like the progress we made from the first time we played them to the second time and tonight was tremendous. We had the game..a few points here and there where we could tie the game but we didn’t take advantage of it.”
As to Pinder, Redmond said, “She told me at the beginning of the day that she wanted to leave it all out there and she proved that to me. I told her that I needed her leadership and she put the team on her back and we ran as she ran. She pretty much kept us in the game. I really thank my seniors for all their contributions and all I can wish is that we’ll come back next year. We have a lot of work in front of us but I’m looking forward to the challenge.
The team was hurting after the loss. That sting will last for awhile but for them to come into a hostile gym I think it’s a credit to how hard they worked and how hard they practiced,” Redmond concluded.
For albums of photos from both games, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Transit Authority
Fallsburg Rides Its Fiery Defense and Speed To Marshal An Authoritative League Win Over Visiting Tri-Valley; Rakkir Watson Excels At Both Ends Of The Floor With Game-High16 points and Commanding Defense
Fallsburg 61, Tri-Valley 39
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Two trains running trying to reach the sectional roundhouse as Fallsburg's express bypasses Tri-Valley (Clockwise): Tri-Valley's James Pugh gets a layup after stealing the ball. T-V's Rodney Jester scores over Fallsburg's Jarrett Madison, Michael Robinson elevates for two of his 15 points on the night. Comet cheerleaders soar in spirit and style. Tri-Valley's Conor Walsh is surrounded by Fallsburg's Rakkir Watson and Dustin Foertsch. Dustin Foertsch scores two of his eventual ten points in the game. Rakkir Watson posts two as he rises above Greg Swarthout. Watson led all scorers with 16 points and played great pressure defense.
FALLSBURG, NY—All aboard for the Fallsburg express which bypasses teams as it races through the season. Tougher than tough on their home floor, the Fallsburg Comets streaked by Tri-Valley on January 12, another Division V opponent that entered their station seeking to derail them.
Like the Eldred Yellow Jackets a few days prior, the Bears were unsuccessful in slowing down the hurtling Comets who, when they get up to full speed, are a blazing juggernaut.
Fallsburg's Braiden DeGraw looms large as he looks to block a shot by Tri-Valley's James Pugh. He was successful on several such attempts and scored eight points including a pair of treys. Pugh did his share of damage too as he led the Bears with 11 points.
Newton’s first law of motion applies to the current Fallsburg phenomena:
“Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.”
To date, out of the eight games they’ve played, Fallsburg has denied opponents’ successful application of force to stop its forward motion. The exception being an overtime loss to S.S. Seward and a prior early season loss to Walton.
The Seward defeat was a wakeup call for the Comets who would love to end this season as the Number One train in Division V. But after their heart-rending overtime loss down at Seward, they currently display the Number Two light as they rumble along towards Grand Central Station also known as the Section Nine Playoffs.
Intent on staying on track, Fallsburg was respectful and wary of gritty Tri-Valley.
Two years ago the Bears nearly knocked Fallsburg off its sectional-bound track when Dean Winters hit a last second trey on the Comets home floor. Scouting Tri-Valley as it dispensed with Tuxedo, Fallsburg Coach Pete Dworetsky saw the Bears perimeter lethality against the Tornadoes’ zone.
Man-to-man it was going to be for the Comets. But to maintain that agenda they’d have to be quick and get good rotating help. Fueling that, they’d need good rebounding, shot blocking and players who could pick pockets to set up easy transition buckets at the other end of the floor.
Tri-VAlley senior Greg Swarthout had great success early on including this slash to the rim. He scored six of his ten points in the first quarter affording the Bears the early lead.
Fallsburg, at least in this encounter with the Bears, proved they had all of the above going as they did against Eldred a few days prior. On the offensive end, they feature an arsenal of weaponry with great depth. Mention Fallsburg and it’s Michael Robinson that is the first player everyone mentions and rightfully so.
Robinson is the heart of Fallsburg’s engine but there are other cylinders clicking too and when those pistons are firing in synch, it’s poetry in motion.
Rakkir Watson, Braiden DeGraw, Dustin Foertsch, Sam Didinsky, Russell Corley and Jim Bertholf are integral parts of the Fallsburg machine, abetted at times by the insertion of Jarrett Madison and Austin Halchak who can keep things running.
Tri-Valley is talented too and before all is said and done, the Bears look to pick up speed and catapult themselves into the sectional roundhouse.
A coming fray at Eldred will be key to that agenda as will rematches with Tuxedo. The Bears will also look to pay Fallsburg back when they visit them later this season but for Coach Brian Tingley, it’s one game at a time and getting five Division V wins onboard by the end of the regular season line means a green light for admission to the big dance, something the Bears missed out on a year ago.
They’ve got the shooters to do it in James Pugh, Greg Swarthout, Shatik Smith, Jesus Lozada, Conor Walsh, Cody Exner, Dave Donovan and Rodney Jester. With size from Alex Brown, Steve McInerney and Devin Donnelley, they have the potential for a tough inside presence as well.
Defensively, the Bears played admirably in this game. Rather it was their poor shooting that derailed them, in particular a horrendous four-for-18 from the charity stripe for a nightmarish 22 percent. When you lose by 22 points as the Bears did in this 61-39 affair, blanking on 14 freebies proves to be a toxic pill.
Fallsburg’s got off to a slow start after Robinson controlled the opening tip against Pugh. Robinson missed on his first two attempts, traveling on the second of these. Blanks by Watson and Corley preceded a Pugh bucket as the Bears drew first blood at 5:41.
Corley answered with an underhanded scoop to tie it up but Greg Swarthout took advantage of Fallsburg’s initial laxity on defense to slash the lane for two. Corley drew an offensive foul as the Comets continued to look more like a local than an express.
You've heard of the Reuben Sandwich, how about the Smith Sandwich? Here Shatik Smith is hemmed in by Rakkir Watson and Jim Bertholf as the ball is about to come loose into Watson's hands for an easy transition bucket the other way.
Swarthout cut through for another deuce before Watson answered to cut the Bears’ margin to 6-4. Tingley looked on with rapt attention as his team was executing the game plan to a ‘t’, while Dworetsky did not like what he was watching in these early minutes. Substitutions were imminent including a sit down for Robinson for reasons he chose not to share.
DeGraw got a block of Pugh but the Comets traveled. He blocked Pugh again on the next possession. Swarthout penetrated uncontested again for the 8-4 lead but the Comets soon proved they could withstand a few early jabs as they counterpunched with an 8-2 run to close the first quarter leading 12-10. In the quarter they got four each from Watson, Foertsch and Corley. The Comets assumed the lead at 1:39 of the first quarter.
Defensive pressure was working for the Bears as Bertholf and Watson sandwiched guard Shatik Smith causing the Watson steal and layup.
Once the Comets bypassed Tri-Valley, they never trailed again.
The Comets cheerleaders stepped to the floor to add their spirit. The largely home crowd was feeling the vibe.
Robinson returned to start the second quarter and quickly scored. McInerney hit one of two from the stripe before incurring the Bears’ fourth team foul as the score remained 14-11 with 5:11 to go. Watson hit a trey to make it 17-11. At times the Comets tried to a look a bit too fancy and it cost them. After a steal, Bertholf threw away a no-look pass when the Comets had numbers for an easy layup.
Other times players looked to ram through traffic instead of making the extra pass resulting in travelling violations. Simply put, Fallsburg still has plenty of work to do to tune up for the blistering pace of the sectionals. Two more league wins will get them a berth but merely getting there this year for this senior laden squad is far from the main agenda.
Robinson profited from another steal to take it to the rim as the Comets raced further ahead with a DeGraw trey that made it 22-13 with the throttle still not pushed all the way. Six more points would be forthcoming as Fallsburg used its 17-7 switchback to take a 29-17 lead into the half.
Tri-Valley's Cody Exner is a potentially lethal three-point shooter but on this night his trey's were off. He had some open looks like this one but found the Fallsburg rim unwelcoming. Look for him to light it up on the Bears' home floor in the rematch.
Here’s the second quarter summary: Fallsburg got six from Robinson and Watson, two from Foertsch and three from DeGraw. Tri-Valley got two each from Swarthout, Jester and Pugh and one from McInerney.
Tri-Valley had its best performance in the third quarter as they outscored Fallsburg 14-13 to cut the deficit to 11 at 42-31. In that stanza it was a balanced attack that abetted the Bears with four from Pugh, two each from Swarthout, Donovan and Walsh. Jesus Lozada hit one of two from the stripe.
Tri-Valley’s third quarter featured six points from Swarthout, a bucket from Pugh and two made free throws from Jester. The Comets countered with five from DeGraw that included his second trey, four from Watson, two from Foertsch and a pair of made free throws from Corley.
Fallsburg pushed the throttle all the way up in the fourth quarter as they created a T-V train wreck by outscoring them 19-8. The Bears showed signs of fatique with errant shots while Fallsburg looked fresh from substituting as incoming players fed right into the speedy mix.
Robinson scored eight of his eventual 15 in the final frame including a trio of made free throws.Buckets from Foertsch, Watson and Didinsky coupled with three points from Madison and one point from Halchak. Tri-Valley went 0-for-eight from the stripe in the stanza and managed only lone buckets from Exner, Lozada, Smith and Donnelley.
Pugh led the Bears with 11, while Swarthout had 10 by night’s end.
The buzzer that sounded the 61-39 Comets’ win advanced Fallsburg’s record to 6-2 (3-1 OCIAA), while Tri-valley fell to 4-5 (2-2 OCIAA). The Bears won the turnover battle, committing 15 to Fallsburg’s 20, 11 of which came in the second half. The Comets were an impressive 12-for-15 from the line for a lofty 80 percent. That accuracy would have propelled them to a win at Seward but that night they had a dreadful time from the line.
Tingley summed things up this way in terms of his team’s early success. “We did well with Michael in there as we got out to an 8-4 lead. Oddly when he went to the bench, that’s when they tied it up. I suspect we’ll have a different game the next time we play them. We had only one three point shot for the many we took. We don’t usually shoot that poorly,” he averred.
Loud and proud: Fallsburg cheerleaders let you know how they adore their team.
“In addition I was telling the boys we were four-from-18 from the line. Even if had 70 percent of those it’s kind of a different game. Fallsburg never took their foot off the pedal at the end and we had our subs in there and were still kind of staying with them. I think Steve did a good job on Michael. Our defense played okay. Sometimes when they drove through we tried not to let the usual suspects hurt us and we played them tough.”
He went on to say, “We talked about this game being a measuring stick at about halfway through the season. We’re putting this 61-39 score on the board and we’ll try to improve that the next time we see them at our place. Rebound-wise in the first quarter we were a machine. We didn’t give up the second and third shots just to keep it close.
Our Eldred game is big since that would get us back to .500 overall and 3-2 in the league. Then you’d need two more wins in five more games,” he posited.
Needless to say Dworetsky was pleased with the with the victory. “We didn’t pick up full court pressure right away and that contributed to Tri-Valley’s early run. Once we picked up our full court pressure game our intensity takes over. Braiden and Rakkir played great defense tonight and Dustin had another great game. They bring more and more defensive pressure. Tonight we only gave up one three. That was a huge focus in practice yesterday, not giving up the open look.”
He went on to say that he felt that the Bears weren’t comfortable even when they had open looks. “Defense is our focus. We can shoot the ball all day but if we can’t stop people…..like I said we’ll go as far as our defense will take us.
I thought Rakkir brought great pressure up top and he didn’t allow shooters to get any time. Pugh lit us up last year but we made them work very hard.”
Fallsburg travels to Tuxedo and then hosts Chester on January 20. “We can’t sleep on anybody,” said Dworetsky.
Sleeping will have to be reserved for late at night as each of these fine teams looks to stay bright-eyed and fresh for the coming challenges of the ensuing weeks. I fully expect both to be in the sectionals when all is said and done and we all know that once you’re in, anything can happen and it usually does.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Give And Take
Tri-Valley Lets Its First Half Lead Dissipate But Takes Game Back In Final 30-Second Heroics; Bears Improve To 2-0 As Family’s Late Mistakes Prove Fatal; Lady Bears Garner Season-Opening Win With Dominance of Lady Falcons
Girls: Tri-Valley 62, Family Foundation School 16
Boys-Tri-Valey 49, Family Foundation School 45
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from Tri-Valley's boys and girls wins over Family Foundation School (Clockwise) Tri-Valley junior Cody Exner scores after receiving a floor-length pass to give the Bears a 45-43 lead in the game's waning minutes. The Falcons would soon tie it up again but the Bears would have the last word. The Bears celebrate and show some love after the dramatic win. For a team that never reached .500 a year ago, being 2-0 is new and exciting territory. Family's Max Wilkey is guarded by T-V's James Pugh. Both would have key roles in the game. Wilkey scored a game-high 17 points; Pugh had 11 but also had a key steal of an inbounds pass which helped to seal the win. T-V senior Erin Smith scores two of her nine points in the Lady Bears' season opening win. They begin their quest to defend their Section Nine title. Greg Swarthout was questionable to play in this game but when he did it was huge , especially with this go-ahead shot to give his team the lead they would never again relinquish. Sabrena Smith fires away as part of her game-high 11 point output for the 1-0 Lady Bears.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—In the fast and furious world of basketball it’s a matter of give and take. You give everything you have in the way of offensive execution by running your sets, making the extra pass and working for the best shot.
Likewise, you try to use hustle, focus and smarts on defense to take away the other team’s best chances to score… and better yet, to force turnovers which can lead to fast transition buckets the other way. Teams that execute well in these phases of the game win more often than not, while those that falter in vital aspects minimize their chances for victory.
With his electrifying sister Jakki now gone and playing at college, it's James Pugh's turn to light it up and carry on the family tradition. Here he rises to the occasion with two of his 11 points on the night. He had six in the first quarter including this layup.
And so it was that Tri-Valley and Family went all out to try and deploy their best offensive and defensive verve in a non-league clash in the Bears’ den on December 16. The season is quite young, but wins for both teams are preciously sought in the shortened world of an 18-game season, so this figured to be a battle to the finish.
It was that and more.
It’s remarkable how many games of basketball come down to the final seconds. Coaches of course realize this as they watch their teams miss shots, commit costly fouls or lose possession of the rock during the course of games.
They understand that while those events pass by in a New York minute, that such miscues can come back to haunt a team in a game that is apt to be decided by a single basket or late second free throws.
That’s what time outs are for as coaches like Tri-Valley wizard Brian Tingley and visiting Family Coach Larry Patrisso tried to hurriedly school their players on ways to handle the coming minutes based on their savvy observations of what had worked and what hadn’t.
For the Class C Tri-Valley Bears, a team that wasn’t able to muster a .500 record last year, this home clash against the Class D Family Falcons would prove to be an opportunity to both give and take as they gave Family a healthy dose of speed and steals and in the fourth quarter even gave them the lead,before finally taking away the Falcon’s most sought-after prize, namely a late upset win.
That victory was there for the taking for either squad as Family had whittled down Tri-Valley’s 32-22 halftime lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Bears 13-8 in that stanza to trail by a mere five at 40-35 entering the final frame.
In that final eight minutes, the home fans looked on with apprehension as they watched the pitched battle that seemed to hinge on each and every possession.
Tri-Valley has some big players this year but all but one of them are new to the varsity realm. That means that bigs like Family's Max Wilkey are a threat. Big red had 17 in this one.
Here’s a quick blow by blow description of the game’s dramatic concluding minutes.. With a little over five minutes to go Family scored to make it 43-39. The Bears turned it over with an errant pass in the middle before Family’s Max Wilkey and T-V’s Greg Swarthout took turns missing close-in shots.
Then Family’s Lucas Maas buried one to cut the lead to 43-41 with 4:16 remaining. Another errant T-V pass gave the Falcons a chance to tie but a foul by Family’s Jon Jziguiedo gave the Bears the ball back with 3:45. A missed three by the Bears and a Falcon rebound. As T-V’s Cody Exner closely guarded Family’s Bryan Lehrman, he slipped and Lehrman went by him to score the tying bucket with 3:17 to go. The teams were now knotted at 43-all.
The Bears had a chance to go ahead from the stripe as Dave Donovan was fouled but he missed both and Family came down with the rebound. The clock now read 2:58 as Tingley called a time out to dial up a play.
Exner received a floor-length pass and scored easily to make it 45-43. Wilkey fired up a three that missed at the other end. Exner was nearly tied up on the floor and Tingley alertly called a time out to avoid the possession arrow which was pointed in the Falcons’ favor.
Family committed another foul to give the Bears the ball back but a quick steal of T-V’s inbounds pass led to a bucket by Maas as the Falcons tied it up again at 45-all with 1:34 to go.
In the crucible of moments like this, experience is a vital resource, something Family lacks with only two returning players, one of which hardly saw any time a year ago. To steal this win, Family was going to need to avoid any costly mistakes.
Hustle, flow and dive for a loose ball. That's the modus operandi for T-V's speedy and gritty Shatik Smith (left) and James Pugh as they tie up Family's Bryan Lehrman.
Family had fouls to give and Wilkey used one of them as the Bears then got set to inbound it again at 45-all. Greg Swarthout drove right through the lane for an electrifying bucket which gave the Bears a 47-45 lead with..
At the other end of the floor, the Falcons needed to deploy patience but a hurried Family trey missed the mark.
After the Bears missed a layup, Patrisso called a time out and the Falcons got set to inbound the ball with 42.9 seconds. Once again, inexperience proved costly as they committed a backcourt violation for the deadly turnover.
Swarthout was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed , T-V got the rebound but promptly turned it right back to Family with 17.7 seconds to go. Family needed to come the length of the floor but Pugh stole the ball right out of the hands of Lehrman as he got set to inbound the rock.
A pair of free throws by James Pugh would ice the game at 49-45.
Dialing it back to the outset of the game, Wilkey won the opening tip against Conor Walsh. Family’s Jon Izguideo scored the first points of the game which would be part of Family’s nine-point output in the first quarter. They got a three-pointer from Lehrman and two points apiece from Wilkey and Tarek Mhich.
While the focus of this story is on the boys game, the girls were busy taking care of business early on. Here Mareena DiMilia scores two of her seven points in the season-opening win as the Lady Bears look to defend their Section Nine crown. DiMilia and company figure to be right in the mix despite the graduation of standout Jakki Pugh.
That wasn’t enough to keep pace with the amped-up Bears who posted 17 in the stanza including a pair of treys from Exner, one from Jesus Lozada and six points from Pugh. Sophomore tall tree Alex Brown added a bucket to the mix as the Bears led 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was far more even with the Bears outscoring Family 15-13 in the stanza. A trey by Pugh was added to buckets from Shatik Smith, Brown, Exner and Swarthout. Family profited from ten from Wilkey to go along with a bucket and a free throw from Mhich.
In the third quarter, it was Family’s turn to overpower their hosts as they outdistanced Tri-Valley 13-8 in the period to close within five at 40-35. To that end they got a trey from Wilkey and buckets from Mhich, Stepan Rudowicz and four points from Mdich.
Tri-Valley did not meet its pregame goal of committing ten turnovers or fewer. They had 15 on the night, including just four in the first half. They induced 24 on the part of Family. The Bears (2-0) were two-for-six from the stripe (33.3%), while Family was an impressive seven-for-eight (87.5%).
Wilkey led all scorers with 17. Mhich had 11 for Family. Exner led T-V with 16 points. He had four of T-V’s seven three-pointers on the night. Pugh posted 11 points including two from beyond the arc.
Patrisso knew his team had just given one away. “In the game’s situations, you’ve got to know what to do when the game is on the line.” This was the second game for the Family Foundation School. It lost its opener to Chapel Field.
“We played well but the end of the game situations like throwing the ball away with a few seconds left, or not knowing how to run a press breaker when they’re trying to trap you and not knowing what to do with a rebound right under the basket when the line is right open. Instead of dribbling it straight up the court, a pass is made instead. That’s unselfish, but unwise,” he noted.
Family has only one senior on the team and two players who return from a year ago, but neither of the two were starters. Consequently, there’s a lot of learning to do. We have no JV team and no summer league. We only get together as of November 14 and we have to put it all together as quickly as we can,” he added.
Tingley offered up his take on things thusly, “I thought the key to the game was the steals at the end,” thinking particularly about Pugh’s theft of the inbound pass right out of Lehrman’s hands. “We were trying to stop them and make them take some time off the clock. It helped having Greg (Swarthout) out there. A few days ago we didn’t know if he was going to be playing.”
A trio of weapons in the Bears' arsenal: If T-V is to keep up its winning ways and get to the sectionals, something they weren't able to do last year, they'll need James Pugh, Cody Exner and Conor Walsh to lead the charge. Thus far, they seem more than up to the task.
Tingley pointed to Swarthout’s court leadership which included allowing the team to score two but denying three when you’re up by three points without having to call a time out to do so.
Tingley noted that his team appeared a bit lethargic with its ten point halftime lead. That allowed Family to go ahead 34-33 in the third quarter before the Bears awoke and battled intensely. “It was anybody’s game. We do have big players this year but they’re all young,” he noted. “Alex Brown got a lot of big rebounds. We also have Devin Donnelly and Gavin DuBois. Gavin didn’t get in the game as much as he would have liked but in these nip and tuck games every possession is key,”he observed explaining why he would have to go with his more experienced players in crunch time.
“We lost the rebound wars but won the fast-break point battle. Our most experienced group has only one big man, he said referencing Conor Walsh.
Tri-Valley used a man defense in its win over Deposit but watched Chapel Field beat the Falcons using a zone, so Tingley decided to used a two-three zone this time out. With that season-opening 67-53 win over Deposit, it was the first time the Bears were over .500 in a year. That took some pressure off this game as the team couldn’t fall below .500 with a loss.
Tri-Valley hosts Chester, Chapel Field and Livingston Manor in the coming week. “I think we’re going to be fighting tooth and nail with everyone we play. Swarthout and Pugh are the captains this season.
The game followed a 62-16 win by the T-V girls over Family. It was the Lady Bears’ debut as they begin their quest to defend their Section Nine Class C title. Sabrena Smith led her team with 11. Erin Smith had nine.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
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