Stun Gunners

Sullivan West Rides Matt Cardona’s Fourth Quarter Avalanche Of Five Threes To Shock Host Monticello In Come-From-Behind Dramatic Win; Bulldogs’ Fourth Quarter Output Matches Their Prior Three As Their Cohesive Play Proves Effective Against Monticello Second Half Breakdown

Sullivan West 58, Monticello 50

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

MONTICELLO, NY—It wasn’t quite as big as David’s slaying of Goliath, but from the standpoint of the heretofore struggling Sullivan West Bulldogs whose last losing outing against Fallsburg witnessed a scoreless second quarter miasma, the dramatic December 15 come from behind 58-50 win over Monticello on the Panthers’ storied home floor is apt to be one for the ages.

Stunning to say the least, this electrifying game far outstripped any expectations as the visiting Westies found their mark, particularly from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter as they poured in 29 points in the frame, 18 of which came from Matt Cardona.

Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein knows about toughness and pressure from his football experience. Here he seems undaunted as he is guarded closely by Monticello's Latique Liles.

The fourth quarter surge doubled their point output for the first three quarters in an avalanche of offense that Monticello just could not stop. Cardona’s accuracy, abetted by Sullivan West’s eight-for-ten shooting from the line in the final frame, provided the dagger much to the delight of the Bulldog fans who had traveled from West to East to support their team.

Indeed the dividends of Cardona’s relentless work on his three point shot, marshaled by countless hours in the gym and elsewhere paid off in a mother lode of five treys in the final stanza. As Monticello continued to make far too many empty trips up the floor in the game’s deciding closing minutes, Sullivan West executed what coach Bruce Nober had been stressing all week long: make the extra pass and find the open man.

The three point heroics reminded this writer of another Sullivan West win in the Pit years back when Joe Meyer hit a three at the buzzer to stun the then powerful Panthers. The look on the faces of the Monties that night had the same evidence of dismay and consternation.  “How could this happen?” they seemed to say. In both instances it was defensive breakdowns and fearless long-range shooting that provided the victories which occurred years apart.

In the interim, Sullivan West has struggled mightily. Winning only one game last season against winless Port Jervis was a weak tonic for a team that was once an annual contender for Section Nine glory. Case in point was last January’s 92-41 thrashing by the Panthers. For returning players like seniors E.J. Franskevicz and John Masten, this year’s outcome erases that woeful memory and replaces it with a victory they’ll remember for years to come.

People sometimes ask me why I spend so much time racing from hither to yon to cover basketball. Last season I did upwards of 80 games.

The answer is simple. The game rocks.

Monticello's Rob Riley rises up strong but fails to convert this shot in the late going with his team up by one point with 1:51 remaining.

Speaking of rocks, on this occasion, “The Jingle Ball Classic,” a fundraiser for the Monticello Toy Drive,  it would have been apropos for the Westies to go home singing the Jingle Ball Rock substituting the word ball for bell from the 1957 classic “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Monticello came into this game at 1-1 having beaten Western Wayne in the Hawley Rotary Tip-Off Tourney opener and losing its bid for a third straight title win by dint of its 45-37 loss to Wallenpaupack.

This was their home opener and the gym was packed for the occasion.

Sullivan West’s lone win had come versus Chapel Field. They had lost  one to Walton and two games to Fallsburg including the championship game in the Chester Hambletonian Classic, a game they hoped they could soon forget. As of this writing, that doleful showing is but a dim glimmer compared to the glow of this victory.

Rob Riley controlled the opening tip for Monticello against Matt Cardona. Both players would figure big in this game erelong. Monticello’s Latique Liles was fouled on the Monties’ first shot attempt. He missed both, an ominous preview of Monticello’s dreadful three-for-ten from the line in the first half.  By night’s end they’d shoot 14-for-24 from the stripe for a lackluster 58 percent.

Sullivan West would save its best free throw shooting for the fourth quarter when they’d hit eight of nine from the line to assure the win.

Cardona scored the game’s first points as the teams battled intensely. Monticello got early success as Anthony Gray used his athleticism and leaping ability to drive the ball to the rim for four first quarter points.  More importantly, the Monties had a balanced attack as they got four from Naquan Holman and Riley to enable them to hold a narrow 12-10 lead over the feisty Bulldogs by the end of the first quarter.

Three-pointers from E.J. Franskevicz and Patrick Pierce provided the first salvo of an eventual nine from beyond the arc by game’s end. Sawyer Erlwein added a bucket to go along with Cardona’s aforementioned opening deuce.

The second quarter was another matter though as Gray upped the ante and Sullivan West looked powerless to stop him. Gray scored nine of his team’s 18 points in the frame, while Riley had six including a shot at the buzzer. Ros Djonbalaj added a trey.  When Gray didn’t convert on his drives, he was fouled in the process. He hit three of six from the stripe in the period.

Arc light: Matt Cardona's accuracy from beyond the arc was vital in this victory. This first half connection shot over Monticello's Ros Djonbalaj was just inside the three point line. and netted two.

Sullivan West responded with a mere seven points in the quarter to trail 30-17 at the half. Four of those came from Cardona and two from Franskevicz. Sawyer Erlwein hit one of two from the line.

While the Monticello cheerleaders raised the temperature with their electrifying verve, the Sullivan West crowd seemed subdued by the first half results. From their standpoint, though their team had worked assiduously, they seemed to be outmatched.

Looks can be deceiving.

Monticello scored the first four points of the second half but a trey from Franskevicz nearly neutralized that as the tide began to shift slowly at first before gaining momentum. Sullivan West would outscore Monticello 12-8 in the third quarter to cut the 13-point halftime deficit to nine as they would trail 38-29 heading into the final frame.

In that third quarter, their best of the first three, they got five points from Franskevicz and Pierce who both contributed their second treys of the game. Cardona was quiet with just two points in the stanza. He was storing it up for his fourth quarter preeminence.

Monticello’s eight point output was a product of hurried shots and a lack of team play. In lieu of rotating the ball, their set offense deteriorated into a street game which manifested itself in unproductive drives into a sea of defenders. Credit Sullivan West’s defense with closing off the lane to uncontested penetration. Despite the emotional admonition of Monticello Coach Chris Russo, his team just couldn’t find its way back onto the right track.

During that third quarter, the Monties made only one basket, that coming from Riley. The other six points came from the free throw line. Sullivan West scored the final five points of the third quarter capped off by a great backdoor cut by Pierce.

Great drama is defined by its riveting climax and that is what the crowd was about to experience as the fourth quarter began.

Sullivan West inbounded but Gray got the steal. The Monties promptly turned it over and Masten scored. Another Montie turnover preceded a trey from Cardona to make it 38-34. The temperature was rising rapidly as the once 16-point Monticello lead had dwindled to four with 7:01 remaining.

"Get 'em up," commands Dawg Pound kingpin Charlie Ciccione (bottom right) as the visiting Bulldogs show their rabid rooting for Sullivan West free throws to fall through the rim.

Russo fumed as he watched his team unravel. Djambalaj hit one of two from the stripe. Riley blocked Pierce with an athletic leap. The teams took turns coughing it up. Pierce missed a trey but Gray traveled as things continued to go south for the Monties with 5:14 to go.

After a Sullivan West miss, the Monties wasted a trip with a hurried air ball by Liles. Cardona knocked down a three to make it that much more painful for the struggling Monties as they now clung to a paper thin two- point lead at 39-37.

Riley scored to make it 41-37 but Cardona cut it to 41-40 with his third trey of the quarter. Pierce missed a chance to get the Westies the lead with 3:50 to go. Gray picked up his second foul and the team’s sixth as Sullivan West nudged closer to the bonus with 3:32.

Pierce gave them the lead at 42-41 with 3:13 to go. Monticello couldn’t convert and Cardona buried another trey from the corner as the ball was adeptly kicked back out to him for the 45-41 lead. The atmosphere in the Pit was beyond description as the home crowd implored their team to rally, while the Westies stirred on by the rabid Dawg Pound countered effusively.

With 2:57 to go Riley answered with two points in the paint. Franskevicz hit a shot but Gray answered with a trey to close the deficit to 47-46. Cardona missed a trey but Sullivan West maintained possession with 2:03 to go. Erlwein fouled Gray who hit both from the stripe as the Monties regained the lead at 48-47 with 1:51 remaining in the game.

The Monties had two time outs and the Westies had three and a 30-second time out remaining.

Franskevicz missed a trey and Gray missed a layup. The Monties still had the rock and the lead with 1:22 as Russo called a time out. Monticello inbounded the ball but Riley’s bucket rolled around the rim and out. Gray missed a layup attempt and Cardona answered with a lethal three to give the Westies a 50-48 lead.

Sullivan West would never trail again.

The Monties were now down two with no time outs and 38 seconds. They turned the ball over and the rest would be history. Cardona went to the line and hit both to make it 52-48. Pierce fouled Riley who cut the lead to 52-50 but that would be it for Monticello scoring as the Westies closed out the game with free throws. Cardona hit one of two but Pierce went to the line and hit both. Masten added a pair of free throws to make it 56-50. The final points came from Franskevicz as he hit both from the line.

Down to the wire: In the game's waning minutes Sullivan West's Andrew Parsons goes up for a shot that doesn't fall. No problem, the Westies got to the free throw line and made eight of ten in the final stanza. There was no call on this shot though.

Cardona had this to say; “I work on threes everyday. They were giving me open looks and I was letting them fly as they went in,” he said humbly. “It’s great to get a win here. It could be a game to turn the season around for us. We have the potential to be a good team but we just have to keep going. Today was a good one,” he added.

Nober’s demeanor was markedly different than the one he had evinced following the stultifying loss to Fallsburg.  He had this to say: “Matt stepped up and hit some big shots but the reason was we made that extra pass and he was open.” At half time Nober had told the team to stay together and leave everything  they had on the floor.

“All week long we worked on two things: boxing out and playing as a team on offense by moving without the ball and making the extra pass. I asked them to believe in the game plan and to execute.”

Nober felt that the win would build confidence, especially as he noted, “against a talented and well-coached team. Monticello is an ‘A’ school so it’s even bigger.”

Sullivan West will prepare for its upcoming game against Port Jervis and looked to build on this storied win.

Asked about what went well and what went awry, Russo answered this way.
“I thought  we played a pretty solid first half and closed out well on their shooters. But it was a tale of two halves. We gave up 40 points in the second half. Their shooters got hot but we let them.  We took some chances on defense that we’re not supposed to do. That makes everybody else rotate over and leave an open guy.

When you  get beat in the open floor because you gamble, you’re now playing on the wrong side of five on four against a team that is willing to make the extra pass, especially to kids who can shoot it. We had them scouted and I told my team in the locker room. This is what they do: they’re going to play well on defense and they’re going to keep shooting the three whether it goes in or not.”

Russo added, “We just can’t giving teams open looks.” The team took the loss hard. “That shows a level of concern and the will to do better,” said Russo. “They want to win, that’s in them. Sometimes we want to win so badly that we do things that are uncharacteristic of what we should be doing.” Russo didn’t think his team took Sullivan West too lightly.

Russo did mention to his team prior to the game that this Sullivan West team was coming in trying to not have a repeat of last’s year’s thrashing. “We just lost some focus on the defensive end and let their shooters get open,” he concluded.

Gray had 22 points for Monticello, while Riley had 20. Cardona led Sullivan West with26, Franskevicz had 14 and Pierce had 11. Sullivan West improved to 2-3, while Monticello fell to 1-2.

For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Play It Forward

Wallenpaupack Reclaims Hawley Rotary Title As Monticello Comes Up Short In Attempted Three-Peat Bid; Fallsburg Boys Win Hambletonian Classic Championship Vs. Sullivan West While Lady Comets Top Lady Westies In Consolation Match Up As All Aforementioned Teams Look To Parlay Tourney Experience Towards Improvement  For The Grueling Challenges To Come

14^th Annual  Hawley Tip Off Classic Championship Game: Wallenpaupack 47, Monticello 35

Boys Hambletonian Classic Championships: Fallsburg 45, Sullivan West 29

Girls Hambletonian Classic Consolation Game: Fallsburg 40, Sullivan West 23

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Scenes from the 14th Annual Hawley Tip-Off tourney (Clockwise) Monticello's Rob Riley scores the first points of the game. Monticello's Anthony Gray electrifies the crowd with this athletic lay up and drew the foul to make it a three-point play. Monticello's Naquan Holman rises up for a shot and is closely defended. Tournament MVP Jake Brown had 24 points in this game and 26 in the first one against Mountain View. The Buckhorns pose with their trophy which was in Monticello's possession for the past two years. Jake Brown shoots over Anthony Gray. The trophy is back at the Big Lake.

WALLENPAUPACK PA AND CHESTER, NY—“The past is history, the future is a mystery but today is a gift, that ‘s why we call it the present,” goes the adage which reminds us that our lives are comprised of three separate domains: what was, what will be and what is.

For basketball teams reckoning with the here and now challenges of the game at-hand, the degree to which they execute their game plan, work together cohesively and deal with the inevitable adversity that comes within the context of a game is all that can be controlled.

That said, what went before, particularly when teams have a history with one another as well as a consciousness of their own prior successes and the lack thereof, the imprint of what came before lurks strongly below the surface. That is particularly true for coaches and the veteran players returning to the fray from past seasons.

Teams that won before want to do so again, while  those that came up short in their quests are motivated to turn the tide in their favor.

To put it succinctly, when that tip goes up as it did in this year’s 14^th Annual Hawley Tip Off Classic Tournament between cross-river rivals Wallenpaupack and Monticello, the present is all that matters. Gone now was Monticello’s senior-laden team that edged out Wallenpaupack 41-40 for its second straight title a year ago and its fifth straight victory on the Buckhorns’ home court.

For Monticello Coach Chris Russo, that night which authored the story on this website entitled “In a New York Minute” http://74.220.215.54/~sportsi2/in-a-new-york-minute/, was a memorable milestone in a remarkable season. By comparison for Wallenpaupack Coach Rich McGinnis, it was a lost opportunity to close out a game he felt his team should have won and an augur for a struggling 5-18 season in the daunting world of Quad A Pennsylvania basketball.

But no matter what the outcome of the past or present encounters, basketball teams are always forward-looking as they know that no matter what has transpired, it’s what they do tomorrow, next week and the weeks that follow that will determine their fate and what kind of legacy they’ll leave for next year’s team to follow.

To wit, the Buckhorns put last year’s loss and the 2009 one as well in the rearview mirror and looked to parlay their easy 45-23 semifinal victory over Mountain View into the real goal of bringing home the trophy and title they dearly sought.

Monticello returned two veterans to the fray in junior Rob Riley and senior Anthony Gray. Both had played in last year’s tussell but they’d have to approach this year’s quest for the three-peat without the likes of Kenny Sanders Jr, Jesse Kapito, Austin Billig, Billy Cargill and Juan Peña. With as many sophomores on the team as seniors who at present lack the kind of experience only gained from the crucible of big game pressure, the Montie veterans hoped they could carry the team.

To be successful against Wallenpaupack, the Monties would not only have to deal with their size, quickness and cohesive play, but most importantly with standout junior guard  Jake Brown who had scored 26 of the Buckhorns’ 45 against Mountain View. Gray was confident that his defensive verve would shut down the AAU-schooled guard. Gray’s messianic approach may have been a bit too enthusiastic as it netted him a trio of first half fouls and consigned him to the bench while Brown continued his showmanship on his way to a game-high 24 points.

Life is about the learning. As legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden noted, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” There would be lessons aplenty for both teams to carry forward from this tournament; lessons that would resonate with meaning long after the memory of this emotionally charged night faded into the realm of what was from the resonating intensity of what is.

In last year’s piece I chose to write a blow-by-blow description of the action, something I eschew this time out for two reasons: First, this game was not the nail-biter of a year ago. Aside from its 10-9 first quarter lead, Monticello trailed the rest of the way sometimes closing the gap to two or three but never able to get the critical stops it needed or to make its offensive trips up the floor consistently profitable.

There were too many one and done shots, too many misses and too much deviance from the kind of efficient basketball that had seen the Monties overcome early lack of focus to devastate Western Wayne 61-39 in the semifinal clash the night before.

Wallenpaupack was an entirely different animal and the Monties were going to need their ‘A’ game to keep pace with what would amount to a Class AA school were they based on the New York side of the river.

Wallenpaupack’s William McLaughlin controlled the opening tip against Riley but the Buckhorns failed to convert. That honor became Riley’s as he pulled up for an early jumper. Brown would soon tie it up with a put back of his first attempt. A blocked shot by Monticello junior Naquan by McLaughlin sent an early message about the rigors of shooting in the paint.

Brown would score seven of his team’s nine in the opening stanza with the other two coming from junior Nick Tereschak. The Monties got four from junior Latique Liles including a trey, as well as a pair of points from Gray and Riley to marshal the 10-9 lead.

Early foul trouble would force the Monties out of their intended array as Gray picked up his second and then third foul in the ensuing second quarter. Brown also had two fouls by the end of the second quarter.

Wallenpaupack began the second quarter with a pair of steals, one by Brown and the other by junior Alex Moit. The latter gave the Buckhorns an 11-10 lead. They’d never trail again. They outscored Monticello 10-6 in the second quarter to take a 19-16 lead into halftime. Brown had four as did Tereschak to go along with a bucket from McLaughlin. The Monties had gotten within one at 13-12 but  Brown had a pair of pull up jumpers to push the margin to 17-12.

Monticello got four of its six from senior co-captain Ros Djombalaj including the last points scored in the period.

Russo implored his team to return to what they do best: play aggressive defense and to keep that intensity past the first rotation of the basketball. But Wallenpaupack was patient using the lack of a shot clock to rotate the ball and to often find easy backdoor penetration or  points in the paint. Late rotation by the Monties put the Buckhorns on the free throw line.

Both teams had their most productive output in the third quarter as the Monties got 15, while Wallenpaupack scored 19.  The Buckhorns had nine free-throw attempts in the quarter and they made seven of them on their way to an 11/17 night from the line for a 64.7% success rate.

The key to Wallenpaupack’s success in the frame was its distribution of the basketball as evidenced by the scoring balance. Brown had six points, Tereschak had five, Moit had four as did Antony Bouselli.

Monticello answered with four from Gray, Holman and Ben Kapito, two from Riley and one from Djombalaj. Wallenpaupack led 38-31 heading into the final frame wherein they outscored the Monties 9-4 to ice the 47-35 win. Brown was selected as Tounament MVP. He had 24 points in this outing netting him 50 for the tournament. Rob Riley was selected to the All-Tournament team along with Adam Gillis from Western Wayne, Joel Madas from Mountain View, as well as Moit and Tereschak from Wallenpaupack.

Buckhorns’ coach Rich McGinnis was visibly pleased with his team’s accomplishment. “Monticello is very quick. They can be very exciting in the open court when they get the ball in transition. We knew that coming in. I give credit to my seniors, the guys who have been here before and made it an objective to bring this trophy back to the big lake. I give them credit for the poise that they showed,” he noted.

McGinnis talked about Brown. “Jake is a special player. He’s phenomenal. But  the kids have to realize that he’s not a one-man show and that we’re going to need other kids to fill certain roles. Some kids emerged in this tournament including sophomore Anthony Bouselli. He got rebounds, put backs and defended.

Everybody is starting to settle into their roles and that’s what the pre-season is about.

Asked about his expectations for the year, McGinnis noted. “We play in a very tough league but my hope is that each night these kids come out and find a way to compete. I think if we keep our poise good things will happen. Team chemistry is important and I’m not worried about that,” he averred.

McGinnis noted that his 5-18 team of a year ago struggled against the daunting competition. We’re hoping to learn from our experiences last year, compete and stay in games. Wallenpaupack is on the low end of the quad-A school. They have just over 500 boys from grades 9-12 and less than 500 girls. “We’re competing against schools that have upwards of a thousand boys or even 1200 once you get into the larger districts. Scranton won the league and district last year. “They’re absolutely electric. But we’re going to play some schools that are similar to us like Delaware Valley, North Pocono and Honesdale. It should be exciting,” he noted.

Russo noted “Our early foul trouble hurt us. What we said to the guys was we didn’t respond to the runs that they made at us and when the game got sloppy and physical we kind of took a step back. That’w what ‘s disappointing that we didn’t put that fight in. We got into too much one on one and people got away from what we had practiced doing,” he offered.

“This is a young team. We have as many sophomores as we have seniors and one of our seniors never played before. We have to adjust and go back and re-teach to make sure guys are in the right spot because when they’re not that’s when we get in trouble. It was disappointing because we didn’t’ execute or defend the way we should.”

Russo went on to say, “We did get a bit too concerned about things which are outside of our control. We wrote that on the board at halftime. We were focusing on some of those things he noted. In the locker room after the game Gray took a lot of the responsibility on his own shoulders for losing his focus and promised the team that things would be different from here on out.

“That’s a sign of maturity,” noted Russo who reminded the team that it was a collective onus, not just on one person.

Needless to say the entire conversation with Russo and the demeanor of the team was a far cry from the night before when the Monties overcame some early defensive lapses to overwhelm Western Wayne 61-39 after trailing 16-15 at the end of the first quarter. Outscoring the Wildcats 32-20 in the second quarter was a product of great defense and running effective offensive sets.  Playing at that level, Monticello looks highly competitive. Riley had 15 points in that win while Gray had 13. Djobalaj chipped in 12. That win was Monticello’s sixth consecutive victory on the Buckhorn’s floor. The first one had come while Russo was still an assistant to Dick O’Neill three years ago.

Russo effusively praised the hospitality extended by Wallenpaupack. “They treat us great here,” he noted.

Monticello (1-1) host Sullivan West (1-2) which is coming off of its 45-29 championship game loss to Fallsburg in the Hambletonian Classic tourney in Chester.

Comets Defeat Sullivan West In Hambletonian Classic Final

Scenes from Fallsburg's Hambletonian Classic Tournament championship over Sullivan West (clockwise) Rakkir Watson scores two in the early going. Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein defends as Fallsburg's Jim Bertholf looks to pass. Erlwein was selected to the All-Tournament team. Suliivan West's John Masten goes up for two. All-Tourney team member Braiden DeGraw and tournament MVP Michael Robinson. Sullivan West gathers in a huddle in the pregame. Sullivan West's Matt Cardona goes up to score. He led the Bulldogs with seven points. Fallsburg Comets pose with tournament trophy and plaques.

For the second time this season Class B Sullivan West faced off against Class C Fallsburg, this time in the championship game of the Chester Hambletonian Classic Tournament. Fallsburg defeated Chester while Sullivan West had easily downed Chapel Field in the prior weekend’s opening round tilt. Fallsburg had come from behind in their prior fray with the Westies at the Walton Tournament for the 61-57 victory.

This time out it was far less competitive. Fallsburg scored the first four points as Rakkir Watson and Michael Robinson connected but Sullivan West put on a 9-0 run with four points from John Masten, three from Andrew Parsons and two from Matt Cordona. Watson’s three pointer at the buzzer allowed the Comets to come within two at 9-7.

From then on Fallsburg blanked Sulllivan West entirely in the second quarter while scoring 13 of

their own for the 20-9 halftime lead. Robinson had seven in the stanza, while Watson, Jarrett Madison and Jimmy Bertholf had a bucket apiece. That said, Fallsburg’s shooting was off as well as they were only 9/30 from the floor in the first half and had accrued a trio of offensive fouls.

Sullivan West (1-3) had major shooting issues as the third quarter progressed as they managed only eight points in the third quarter to Fallsburg’s 13. The Comets led 33-17 after three quarters. Each team scored 12 in the final frame. Robinson ended up with 16 and was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Braiden DeGraw was quiet with seven points in this game but his prior game onslaught of 27 points enabled him to be selected to the All-Tournament team along with Sullivan West’s Sawyer Erlwein who had five points in this outing. Erlwein played well defensively and stood in to take a couple of charges.

The Bulldogs travel to Monticello on December 15 to take on the Monties in “The Pit.”

Fallsburg coach Pete Dworetsky felt his team played well defensively. “When we played up at Walton we made some bad decisions and mistakes but today to give up only nine points in a half is impressive. We didn’t give up a basket in the second quarter. We did miss a lot of shots. Shots that were falling the other night in close didn’t go in. Basketball is like that.”

Fallsburg is off for the next 11 days before they play Livingston Manor. “They’re a tough team and they’re well-coached. Fallsburg’s one-point loss to Chester in the last game of the regular season last year cost them a share of the Division V championship. They beat Seward at home but lost to them in Florida and again in the sectionals. The Comets bring their entire team back this year and look to make a serious run in Class C.

Sullivan West first-year coach Bruce Nober had this to say about his team’s subdued performance. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket today. We shot terribly from the foul line too (2/9=22%).  Nober noted that Fallsburg outrebounded his team.

We’ve just got to compete. We competed the first quarter today and then we didn’t compete the rest o the game.” Nober noted that it’s been a few years since Sullivan West has won (last year they won just one game) and we’ve got to get over the hump.” Reflecting on this game, Nober noted “if you hold a team to 45 points you should be able to win.”

Lady Comets Garner Consolation Game Win Over Sullivan West In Hambletonian Classic

Scenes from Fallsburg's 40-23 consolation game win over Sullivan West in the Hambletonian Classic Tournament at Chester (clockwise) Sullivan West's Erika Stauch scores from the wing in the early going. She was named to the All-Tournament team. Fallsburg's Sheryl Pinder was also an All-Tournament Team honoree. Sullivan West's Marianne Durkin dribbles the ball up the floor. Fallsburg's Shanice Mack is guarded by Sullivan West's Stephanie Hauschild and Fallsburg freshman Diana Presti scores in her debut.

Sullivan West schemed to contain senior guard Sheryl Pinder and they did just that holding the fiery shooter to just two points in the first half and seven overall. But as it would turn out Pinder was the least of their problems as they were physically bested by the Lady Comets who out-rebounded and out-muscled the young Lady Bulldogs to the tune of 40-23 in the Consolation Game of the Chester Hambletonian Classic.

Fallsburg led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 20-13 by the half. Like it did in its prior loss to Eldred, Sullivan West struggled to score. With his entire starting team graduating in June, Sullivan West Coach Pat Donovan knew this team would be young and inexperienced. “We’re just not strong,” he noted following the loss to Fallsburg that put his team at 0-2.

While Pinder was relatively quiet, Kelsey Moody was anything ut. She had 11 points and nine rebounds in the win despite playing on a very sore ankle. Pinder had eight assists but for Coach Daniel Redmond,  better news was the debut of freshman Diana Presti who scored eight points along with the performance of Paige Seletsky who was playing in only her fourth varsity outing. Seletsky and Shanice Mack each recorded nine rebounds. Mack scored nine points.

Pinder and Sullivan West’s Erika Stauch were chosen to the All-Tournament Team. Tournament MVP was Chester’s Mardelle Jean who scored 20 points in Chesters 48-20 Championship game victory over Eldred. Chester is now 2-0, while Eldred fell to 1-1.

“We got great rebounding today,” said Fallsburg Coach Daniel Redmond. “We really attacked the boards. Kelsey Moody has been hurt but she’s fighting through the pain. Even though Sheryl struggled when we have our two bigs (Mack and Moody) working down low we can make a lot of good things happen,” he added.

Fallsburg  made it to the playoffs last year before losing to Eldred. The Lady Comets hope to go even further this time around.

For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com