Liberty Independent – Nicole Bradley

Fallsburg wins! (clockwise) Southpaw Kirsten Jacobsen fires a strike. Kierra Miller blasts a three-run homer as part of her five RBI day. Tri-Valley's Emily DiToro follows up a complete game outing against Ellenville with a relief performance as the day's third pitcher for the Lady Bears. Fallsburg's Sami Wiles steals home.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—Given the law of averages, one of these days it was bound to happen: Fallsburg would record a league win and in the process pay back one of the Division V teams that has had their way with them for what seems like forever.

One of those teams that has battered them from pillar to post is Tri-Valley. Consider their first meeting this year, a 19-3 affair that afforded the Lady Bears one of its two league wins to date and one of its overall three wins up to this juncture.

As for Fallsburg which had lost all four prior league outings and had only two wins against Family School against five losses overall, the time seemed right to reverse the curse so to speak and turn the tables on their hosts at long last.

With left handed hurler Kirsten Jacobsen on the hill, the same pitcher Tri-Valley had faced in the first outing with the Lady Comets, it seemed as if the Lady Bears would have little trouble stringing together hits for the usual outcome.

But lo and behold, this was not the same Lady Comets team by any stretch.

This time they really came to play.

Coach Mary Feusner sent righty Jessica Kinney to the mound. Kinney would last just two innings as Feusner had to lift her in the third inning, a frame in which Fallsburg would send 20 batters to the plate. The first five were Kinney’s responsibility. Following that it was Amanda TerBush who got the call with precious little time to warm up.

That inning would yield 18 runs as walks and errors abetted the already lively bats of the blazing Comets who seemed as if they’d be up until the end of days.

Actually though, the game started out rather sedately. Fallsburg got a run in the top of the first on an RBI single by Sami Wiles. Kinney struck out big bat Nyasia Blakney to end the threat of further damage.

Jacobsen worked around an E-3 to put Tri-Valley away in the first.

The Lady Comets added two runs in the second behind an RBI double from Jordan Reichenbaugh and an E-6 throw which allowed her to score.

The Lady Bears failed to score in the second and now trailed 3-0.

Then it happened.

Wiles led off with a single and and E-4 put runners on the corners. A walk to Christina Beatty loaded the bases (it wouldn’t be the last time by a long shot that the bases were filled). Another run scored on an E-1 before Kinney loaded them up with another bases on balls.

Feusner had seen enough and she summoned TerBush to take the ball. She walked in a run as Celia Garcia showed patience at the plate. A single and a couple of errors allowed Jewelisa Trujillo’s at bat to plate three runs and on and on it went. TerBush faced nine batters before Emily DiToro took the ball. Four walks in the inning were yielded by the trio of pitchers and two batters were hit by pitches to add to the miasma.

When the dust cleared, Fallsburg led 21-0.

Tri-Valley finally got on the board in the bottom of the third as Rachel Adriaans led off with a walk and scored on a passed ball and errant throw. Erin Smith hit a double and scored on a sac fly from Ashley Exner but that was it.

To avoid a five-run shortened game, Tri-Valley would have to shave Fallsburg’s lead down below 15 runs. But the Lady Comets had other ideas as they added to their lead with two runs in the fourth to make it 23-6.

Tri-Valley came back with four runs in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to 23-6. Kinney walked to start the inning and a single by Nicole Bradley gave the Lady Bears runners at the corners. With DiToro at the plate, Kinney scored on a passed ball and the other run came in on a dropped third strike throw to first. TerBush doubled in a Smith sent in another on with a sac fly.

Kiera Miller followed an RBI single from Jacobsen in the top of the fifth with a three-run homer that just sailed by the glove of Nicole Bradley as it rocketed down the line. Those four runs would provide the insurance needed to stop the game after Tri-Valley scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, just two runs short of prolonging the game.

Fallsburg improved to 3-5 (1-4 OCIAA), while Tri-Valley fell to 3-8 (2-5 OCIAA).

Miller was two-for-three with 5 RBI. Wiles had two hits and two RBI for Fallsburg. TerBush and Smith were both two-for-four with one RBI.

Hyde was delighted with her team’s showing. “This was a lot of fun and two years in the making,” she noted. Hyde felt this was a great payback for the earlier 19-3 loss. “I really thought we could have won that game and that we could have played way more competitively and we proved that here tonight.”

Aside from Miller’s blast, Fallsburg kept the line going with base hits. “A single is a single and if gets the job done that’s all we need,” said Hyde. This was special. I’m really proud of these girls. Hyde gave props to her entire team but cited senior Celia Garcia who has been playing with her since she started her coaching tenure.

Coach Feusner laughed when this writer quipped, “Mama said there’d be days like this.” It seemed as if everything went awry for the Lady Bears including the issuance of walks, yanked throws etc.

“We tip our hats to them. They were a different team today. They played with a lot of confidence and when we were issuing up those walks and hit batters and we didn’t have our act together, they continued to function.”

Feusner credited her team with trying to extend the game in the bottom of the fifth. “We weren’t going to give up the ship,” she said. Tri-Valley seniors include Erin Smith, Rachel Adriaans and Liz Bracken. Aside from those veterans, the Lady Bears are young and up-and-coming.

It’s a learning curve for both of these squads, that’s for sure. But for the Lady Comets, this game will no doubt reside in their collective memory for awhile to come.

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

Finishing School

Defending Class C Champion Tri-Valley Overcomes An 11-Point Deficit Midway In The Third Quarter In Semifinal Epic Win Over Tuxedo; Battle Of The Public School Division Shareholders Lives Up To Expectations; Katlynn Greffrath Scores Nine Of Her 14 Points In The Cathartic Fourth Quarter Including A Glorious Trey That Put The Lady Bears On Top For Good; David Versus Goliath Battle Looms In Finals As T-V Carries Public School Standard Vs. Undefeated Private Coleman Catholic

Section Nine Class C Semifinals

Tri-Valley 38, Tuxedo 32

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

“The best way out is always through.”

Robert Frost

Scenes from the epic Class C Semifinal between Tri-Valley and Tuxedo (clockwise) Tri-Valley sophomore hits the game's biggest shot, a three-pointer with 2:33 to go to give the Lady Bears the lead they'd never again relinquish. Greffrath had nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. Tuxedo girls revel in an 11-point third quarter lead after Erin Murphy's lay up. Greffrtath posts two from the wing in the early going. The Tri-Valley Bear mascot stirs the fans. Cori DeLisi scores for the Lady Tornadoes, Caroline Martin is whistled for an offensive foul as Kayla Pinkney stands in to take the charge. The Tri-Valley girls and Coach John Tenbus erupt in unbridled joy as they punch their ticket back to the Section Nine finals to defend their title.

GRAHAMSVILLE,N Y—There lives within each one of us a giant of unimaginable strength and will, an entity that can issue forth in times of great adversity to silence the voices of doubt and fear. Its courage is unfathomable; its capacity for action defies any parameters of limitation.

The release of such inner strength begins with a belief in oneself and the trust and faith in those engaged in the same enterprise. It cannot be idly summoned by a mere wish, it must be forged by relentless work and determination and the defiance to never relent even when things seem impossible beyond measure.

Once set free, it can carry us to the pinnacle of our true potential. As Ralph Waldo Emerson so aptly stated, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

You work hard all year to secure home court advantage and Tri-Valley's White Out horde made for a great sixth man to have.

For the Tri-Valley Lady Bears, the discovery of that collective inner fortitude continues to be one of the most compelling stories in regional sports, an ongoing saga whose collateral resonance has far more meaning than the obvious milestones that win after win can convey.

To a great legacy add this latest most astounding win, a 38-32 come-from-behind storybook semifinal ending against a Tuxedo team that had the Lady Bears on the ropes literally one punch away from a knockout.

As the ensuing tale will denote in rich detail, Tuxedo led 28-17 with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter. They had seized control of the game’s tempo and seemed to have garnered the psychological edge as well as they smiled and embraced during a time out hastily called by Tri-Valley Coach John Tenbus.

Little did Tuxedo realize just then that great fighters can take an opponent’s best punch and not go down. Indeed the most storied bouts in boxing history have featured those very dynamics.

Taking the floor following that time out, the Lady Bears would come out swinging back as they whittled the deficit down to five points by quarter’s end and would go on to outscore reeling Tuxedo 15-4 in the final stanza to record the storied win which propels them back to the finals, the destination they’ve vowed to reach from day one.

And it was by the summoning of that inner giant of fortitude and courage that they did so.

Tuxedo freshman Kayla Pinkney scores two of her four points in the game. Foul trouble hampered the normally lethal weapon from her usual effectiveness.

Great teams are just that, a collection of players who give their all when the chips are down. Invariably, they have a cast of rotating heroes so that on any given night, any individual can issue forth to lead the way to victory. With her most timely issuance in a game in which she had struggled mightily to score, this game would feature the ascendance of sophomore Katlynn Greffrath.

A resounding three pointer that thrust Tri-Valley out to a 30-28 lead with 2:33 remaining was part of her sonorous symphony of nine points in the final stanza out of her team-high 14 contribution on the night. She was, to borrow the title of one of Television’s longest lasting soap operas, “The Guiding Light.”

For those of us engaged by Tri-Valley’s captivating tale we hungrily awaited the next chapter from this classic narrative that never seems to disappoint.

With its preamble from 2010 when Tri-Valley fought its way to the Sectional Finals but came up short against Tuxedo, through the riveting pages of a year ago with its storied finish of the school’s first girls Section Nine title in 31 years, the Tri-umphant Valley novella was all-consuming, its allure in no way diminished by the regional loss to Haldane.

So as this year began minus the inimitable Jakki Pugh, people looked to pick up the story again and what a tale it has been. Coming into this season as the defending Section Nine Champion was akin to walking onto a firing range with a target on one’s back.

The Lady Bears were in everybody’s gun sights, most particularly in the cross hairs of the Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes and their passionate coach Dave Powers.

Returning to Class C after its one year hiatus in Class B, Tuxedo looked to reassert its former supremacy. From the get go, the stridency between the two schools would form an alluring subtext in Division V with obvious ramifications for the Sectional tournament that would punctuate their rivalry.

When Tri-Valley struck the first blow by beating Tuxedo in the Lady Tornadoes’ gym back in January, the stage was set for the February rematch, a game in which Tuxedo re-exerted its agenda to marshal the season split and a share of the Division V title. Tuxedo show its moxie and swagger that night and in this game, they’d bring it again. They’re talented, well-coached and fire-tested.

But to win critical games you’ve got to finish. Tuxedo had its chances but it couldn’t close the door. In what amounted to the public school version of the Sectional Class C championship, it was Tri-Valley that emerged as the Finishing School.

Here’s what led up to this encounter.

Intangible value: Mareena DiMilia makes both of her free throws in the storming comeback evinced by Tri-Valley. Her great rebounding and defensive fire were huge in the win despite only scoring four points. A rolled ankle late in the game is a concern with only two days before the finals but if it is humanly possible, she'll be out there.

Unfazed by its lone defeat this year, Tri-Valley licked its wounds and turned its fury on Eldred and Fallsburg closing out the regular season on a run and throwing down the gauntlet of a home court sectional semifinal against Tuxedo by dint of an epic win over Fallsburg in the quarterfinals.

And so the inevitable came to pass that the two schools destined to be on a collision course from which only one would emerge victorious played out in the Tri-Valley gym with its sea of white-clad fans acting as a powerful sixth man to will its team to victory as they tried to shout down the loyal Tuxedo contingent cheering on their girls diagonally across the way.

Asked about his agenda prior to the game, Tenbus said it was long past time for x’s and o’s. We have to run faster, play quicker and come out with more intensity than we ever have.”

The Tri-Valley mixed chorus rendered a harmonious singing of the National Anthem and the tip between Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith and Tuxedo freshman Kayla Pinkney ensued shortly thereafter.

Tuxedo controlled the tip but committed a backcourt violation. Tri-Valley missed a pair of interior shots as Tuxedo committed its first foul. The teams exchanged turnovers as they evinced their defensive intensity. One missed shot followed another as Pinkney picked up her first foul. The drought continued as both teams had shot opportunities in close but failed to finish.

Erin Smith picked up her first foul as this subplot began to play out, a plot line that would have major repercussions late in the game when both Pinkney and senior standout Alex Gunderman would foul out in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

Tri-Valley junior Mareena DiMilia broke the ice at 4:45 with the game’s first bucket. Tuxedo scored the next two baskets behind buckets from Erin Murphy and Cory DeLisi before Greffath buried a three from the wing for the 5-4 lead. Caroline Martin followed up her own miss to make it 7-4. Both teams aggressively tied up the ball to garner alternating possession arrows. Powers platooned players in and out to keep fresh legs on the court.

Erin Smith was having her difficulties in the post as her shots wouldn’t drop and she was called for steps. Alex Nouri scored to bring Tuxedo within one at 7-6 followed by Pinkney who went baseline to give Tuxedo the 8-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Tenbus went to his bench to start the second quarter with Amanda TerBush, Sarah Schneyer and Nicole Bradley. Greffrath and Sabrena Smith remained on the floor. Tuxedo began to exploit Tri-Valley’s failure to get at least one defender back as the Lady T’s were winning the race up the floor on quick releases off the inbounds pass.

Alexandriah Sabarese scored just that way as Tuxedo began the second quarter with a statement. Tenbus evinced his displeasure at his team for failing to heed his warning about that very foible. A pair of turnovers by Martin were a product of trying a bit too hard. Tuxedo committed turnovers as well as the teams took turns giving the ball back to one another.

Ali Reynolds soars to the rafters reflecting the rising spirits of the electrified home crowd as Tri-Valley roars back.

Tri-Valley edged closer at 10-9 as the diligent officials continued to whistle traveling calls and fouls. Pinkney picked up her third foul and Sabrena Smith went to the line but missed both. Visions of Tri-Valley’s free throw conundrums flashed across the face of Tenbus who looked on with his hands on his head.

Tuxedo was getting better position inside as Allison Toscano put back an offensive rebound for the 12-9 lead. Martin alertly picked up a rolling ball in the lane after a Greffrath miss and floated it in as the airtight game continued its back-and-forth dynamic.

The Lady Bears squandered chances wrought by a Tuxedo turnover and fired two blanks close in. At 3:16 Martin thrust the Lady Bears back on top but DeLisi took a floor-length pass for an uncontested lay up to regain the lead.

Sabrena Smith missed, then DeLisi and Sarah Schneyer took turns traveling as the furious pace before the half played out amidst the deafening din. Mareena DiMilia continued to pull down valuable rebounds. Though she’d only score four points in this game, her defensive verve and rebounding ability would be key to help marshal the victory. Needless to say when she went down with an ankle injury late in the game, concerns about her viability in the finals would become a question mark.

But at this juncture the fiery junior was, like the rest of the team, holding nothing back.

Sabrena Smith nailed one from the wing to give Tri-Valley a 15-14 lead for the first time since late in the first quarter. Erin Smith fouled Nouri who hit two from the stripe to regain the lead. Schneyer drove the lane for two and T-V was back in the driver’s seat at 17-16. But with only seven seconds to score, Toscano scored as the buzzer sounded. A jubilant Tuxedo squad headed to the locker room leading 18-17 at the half.

Tri-Valley had not capitalized on its 10-3 foul advantage, nor had it shown its willingness to get back and defend Tuxedo’s speedy run outs. Tenbus would address both of these issues at the half. With Pinkney and DeLisi each with three fouls and Gunderman with two, the chess game would be interesting as the second half got underway. Martin and Sabrena Smith had two apiece as well.

Tuxedo inbounded as both teams re-deployed their starting five. This quarter would unveil two diametrically opposed segments. The first four and a half minutes featured the swirling Tornadoes who reeled off four straight points on the run. When Toscano put back an offensive rebound to make it 24-17, Tri-Valley was staring down the barrel of a gun about to go off with 6:03 remaining.

Things went further south as Pinkney scored from the wing to extend the lead to 11 as Tuxedo continued to beat Tri-Valley at its own game of outlet and transition scoring. Erin Smith registered a much-needed basket inside as the Lady Bears reached down for that aforementioned inner giant. Tuxedo began to miss and to commit fouls as they closed too late on Tri-Valley’s renewed vigorous hustle.

Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith stands her ground and makes Tuxedo freshman Kayla Pinkney have to negotiate around her. Smith's role cannot be understated.

With 4:11 the score was 28-19. A Bears’ turnover was ill-timed but Tuxedo failed to capitalize. DiMilia went to the line to hit two to cut the lead to seven. Sabarese was called for traveling as the pendulum continued to swing back in Tri-Valley’s direction.

A Sabrena Smith traveling violation came next but a Gunderman shot rimmed out. DiMilia hit the floor hard as she tripped over Pinkney’s foot but there was no call. Powers called a time out with the ball in tow with 2:42 remaining and a 28-21 lead. The play he scripted failed to produce points. Instead it was Greffrath with a bucket to make it 28-23.

The formerly relaxed body language exuded by Tuxedo was being replaced by a tightness. You could see the frustration in their faces. The victory they had assured themselves of capturing was no long sacrosanct.

Tuxedo scratched back as Nouri stole the inbounds pass and Pinkney was fouled with 1:37. The normally unflappable freshman blanked on both as DiMilia pulled down yet another vital rebound.

Sabrena Smith was whistled for an offensive foul and Tuxedo had yet another chance to widen the narrowed gulf but Nouri was flagged for an offensive foul with 1:19. Again the Bears threw it away. Toscano misfired and DiMilia got the rebound and was fouled with 50.1 seconds remaining. It was not a shooting foul.

Erin Smith missed a pair of shots at the buzzer as the score stood at 28-23 with eight minutes to go in the game. Despite its early dominance in the quarter, Tuxedo had only outscored Tri-Valley 10-6.

As the avid fans turned the page to ponder the game’s final riveting chapter, each school’s legion of supporters hoped for the win and tried to allay any thoughts of a season-ending defeat.

Greffrath’s opening trey misfired. She was saving the best for last as it would turn out. She soon came up with a turnover as Erin Smith scored to cut the lead to 28-25 with 7:01 to go. Nouri threw the ball into Erin Smith’s hands. Tri-Valley didn’t capitalize but Tuxedo threw it away again as Powers looked on incredulously.

Pinkney’s fourth foul sent her to the bench. Toscano travelled in what was unfolding as a veritable Tuxedo meltdown. Then Nouri fouled DiMilia .Tuxedo’s fouls were accruing at an alarming rate but DiMilia missed the front end of a one-and-one and the scored remained static at 28-25.

DiMilia got two consecutive steals but T-V missed both opportunities as Sabrena Smith missed on a layup on the second larceny.

Memories are made of moments like these. For the Tri-Valley Lady Bears and their loyal fans this becomes part of an ongoing compelling tale of triumphs. I don't call it Tri-umphant Valley for nothing you know.

Erin Smith picked up her fourth foul with 5:10 to go and headed to the bench. Nicole Bradley got a rebound but DiMilia missed again. One began to wonder if Tri-Valley hadn’t exhausted all of its chances. Tuxedo fans were wondering the same thing about their squad.

That same three point separation held firm at 4:39 with Tuxedo in possession when Martin was fouled after a steal. Within the freshman there lives that indomitable warrior whom she summoned forth in her most needed moment. She iced both free throw and cut the lead to one at 28-27 with 4:33 to go.

Bradley came down with a big rebound on a Tuxedo miss and the Bears won the possession arrow as she was tied up underneath the backboard. The clock now read 4:07.

Tuxedo continued to fail in its attempt to buy a much-needed basket as Tri-Valley inbounded the ball. Bradley was blocked by Gunderman. Tuxedo now had the ball with 3:27 to go. Gunderman missed and DiMilia pulled down the biggest rebound of the game with 3:02 remaining.

The game was there for the taking and it was Greffrath who took it in hand as she raced up the floor to the arc beyond the top of the key and fired in a trey with Gunderman right in her face. The gym exploded with a roar as the shot afforded Tri-Valley a 30-28 lead with 2:33 to go.

Tuxedo fouled Greffrath who answered with two from the stripe. DeLisi was whistled for an offensive foul as the crowd egged on by the Tri-Valley cheerleaders chanted, “Everybody do the T-V rumble.”

With 1:59 remaining the Bears had a four point lead at 32-28. Tuxedo looked harried as Tri-Valley inbounded as Greffrath hit another big shot which was followed by a Tuxedo miss that gave the ball right back to the Lady Bears. With 1:32 remaining, Tri-Valley now led 34-28.

Greffrath milked the clock down to ten seconds on the shot clock but Martin fouled Gunderman who sank both for her only two points of the game. With 58.1 Tuxedo now trailed 34-30. Erin Smith returned to the floor.

“Let’s go Bears,” roared the white-clad sea of T-V mavens as Gunderman had to foul Greffrath off the inbounds pass sending the sophomore heroine back to the line yet again for two. She hit the second of two to make it 35-30.

Nouri lost it off the dribble with 51.9 to go. Greffrath missed both free throws and Tuxedo had the rock with 36.3 but another Tuxedo foul put Erin Smith on the line. She hit one of two to make it 36-30 with 27 seconds remaining.

In an unfortunate turn of events, DiMilia had rolled her ankle and had never gotten up off the floor as the teams had raced to the other end. She was carried to the bench by Tenbus and Athletic Director Derek Adams. Ice was applied immediately. There were 19.4 seconds remaining in the game. Toscano scored Tuxedo’s lone bucket of the quarter to give them 32 points. They’d score no more before all was said and done.

Tri-Valley nearly failed to get the ball in but Tenbus called a time out. Gunderman fouled out as Greffrath went to the line again to hit one of two for the 37-30 lead. Sarah Schneyer was fouled and hit on her second shot from the stripe. Time expired as the Tri-Valley players leaped for joy. The sea of fans applauded their approval as the team nobody thought could get back to the finals minus its star player from a year ago had fulfilled its avowed commitment once again.

Last year I penned the lyrics from “The Impossible Dream,” when Tri-Valley won and those words still ring true no matter what happens from here on out.

In the realm of Class C girls basketball, 18-1 Tri-Valley can lay claim to the title of “Public Defenders.”

DiMilia smiled through the pain as her teammates came over to hug her. Given her fire and her indomitable will if it is humanly possible, she’ll take to the floor to vie against private school Goliath John A. Coleman Catholic at SUNY New Paltz on March 2.

My daughter who is a senior violist at Juilliard is performing at Lincoln Center that night so I took the opportunity to speak to the team and wish them my best in that encounter. My assistant Nick Piatek who is an outstanding photographer will be there to document the proceedings.

Tenbus addressed his team in his classroom prior to my conveying my well wishes. “A team will always beat individuals. We don’t have that one dominant player but we have ten darn good ones who work hard for me. You know what it takes to get to the top. Thirty-one years it took us to get a Sectional title. You won it last year and we’re back again. Not because we’re arrogant or better than any teams we’ve played,” he averred.

“There are some teams that have better athletes, better individual basketball players but nobody works as hard as you do together. Ever since you were a freshman that’s the word we’ve use every time we broken the huddle. That’s how we win games. It’s a beautiful thing. If you play with as much heart as you played with every single game, then on Friday you’ll be fine. I don’t care if the snow keeps us from practicing. X’s and O’s don’t matter now. It’s all about what you’ve got inside and how hard you want to work.”

Coleman is undefeated. I don’t care. You have one loss. That’s pretty close to being undefeated. It’s going to be a great feeling to get back to New Paltz again,” he told them.

Powers assessed the ebb and flow of the struggle. “We came out at the start of the third quarter and we were controlling the tempo. We slowed things down and got the ball inside. We were moving the ball and getting offensive rebounds. We were getting good shots. We weren’t hitting too many of them but we were getting them,” he recalled.

“But once we got the lead we started playing their tempo. We talked about it at game time. We needed to control three things: the boards, our emotions and the tempo. They got the tempo back where they wanted to and we got sucked into it.”

What a resume: Two years, 36-3, One Section Nine Title in the bag and another in his gun sights with a second straight trip to the finals. No wonder this writer lauds John Tenbus as his choice for Coach of the Year.

Asked about the difference between this time and last, Powers said, “Give them credit but I also think that we got caught up in the emotion of Oh, we’ve got them, and then there was that let down as we turned the ball over again and again. Then they’re back in the game and we just couldn’t get anything going offensively. We missed a ton of easy shots. Then we shot just six foul shots the whole game and they had 21. That to me should never be in a sectional game. In one stretch they went to the foul line six or seven times.”

Powers noted that foul trouble for Pinkney and Gunderman was huge, as well as DeLisi who also had foul trouble but didn’t foul out. “We didn’t finish. That’s been our problem since we’ve played them the last time. We knew we were going to play good ‘D.” We only gave up 38 points today and when you do that you should be winning the game. We had this happen to us a number of times this year. Offensively we go through droughts,’ he added. Gunderman, Nouri and Sabarese , three key seniors played in their last game. Erin Murphy had ten points for the 14-6 Lady Tornadoes. “We’ll be young next year,” said Powers, but you know Tuxedo will be right back in contention come next winter.

Tenbus talked about the fact that his team bent but did not crack. Talking about the struggles in the game, Tenbus took the weight for much of that. “Part of it was me getting them so hyped to play the game that they came out playing too quick. We had a lot of turnovers. We couldn’t’ get lay ups to fall and making silly passes.

It’s a little different coming from Fallsburg which is a quick team but here you have Tuxedo which is very lengthy. They came out in that triangle and two again which we were ready for but I have a freshman in Caroline Martin bringing the ball up for the first time all year. We knew we’d get much better looks with Sabrena and Katlynn on the baseline. That turned into one girl up top guarding our other three. That gave them some match up problems,” he observed.

“They switched to a 3-2 which also gave us some problems for awhile. We’re still learning but a win is a win. The program is where I want it to be. To get to the Section Nine championship two years in a row is amazing. I wish I could take credit but those girls just buy into everything I say.”

“Katlynn stepped up huge. I said to her, we’re going on your back. You’re the best free throw shooter we have. Her three was huge. It was the momentum changer and there’s a girl who struggled shooting the first three quarters. She couldn’t hit a basket to save her life. But I always tell them you’ve got to shoot to get hot and shoot to stay hot. She’s not afraid. That’s for sure.”

Tenbus avows he won’t let his team enter the final looking like “deer in the headlights,” something that happened two years back (not under his watch) when the Lady Bears were clearly intimidated by the setting of the finals.

“It’s a game. We worked hard to get there. We’re going to work hard when we’re there. We’re not going to roll over because they’re undefeated or they were the state champions. That doesn’t matter to me. It’s a new game and the first time we’re playing them. We’re going to go with what got us here and hope it’s enough.”

Greffrath led all scorers with 14 points. Erin Smith had seven and Martin had six. The Lady Bears were nine-for-21 from the stripe (42.8%), while Tuxedo was four-for-six (66.6%).

Tri-Valley is now 36-3 under Tenbus’ watch.

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

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

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

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

Full Throttle

Lady Bears’ Express Hurtles By Fallsburg To Arrive At Division V Title Station On The Number Two Sectional Seed Track; Caroline Martin Has Breakout Game Abetted By Katlynn Greffrath and Erin Smith To Give Tri-Valley Home Court In Upcoming Sectionals; Bears’ Bullet Train Now Switches From Regular Season Line To Title Quest Track While Fallsburg Looks To Derail T-V In Looming Quarterfinal

Tri-Valley 70, Fallsburg 45

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Oh What A Night! Scenes From Fallsburg's Senior Night/ Tri-Valley's Division-Clinching Win (Clockwise) Senior Samantha Rivera and her parents, Senior Celia Garcia and her mom, Senior Savonne Gillard and Coaches Redmond and Carter, Tie up: Fallsburg's Nyasia Blakney is tied up by T-V's Katlynn Greffrath, Mareena DiMilia and Erin Smith. T-V freshman Caroline Martin scores two of her game-high 23 points. Coach Daniel Redmond admonishes his team during a time out. Tri-Valley parents laud their team's humongous third quarter landslide. Nyasia Blakney scores two of her game-high 23 points. T-V's Sabrena Smith brings the ball up the floor as she is shadowed by Celia Garcia. T-V Coach John Tenbus emphasizes a point during a time out. Celia Garcia posts up for a three that wouldn't go. Only one trey was scored in the game and that came from Shanice Mack. Fallsburg senior Sheryl Pinder drives the ball as Sabrena Smith looks to guard her. Fallsburg senior Shanice Mack and parents, Fallsburg senior Sheryl Pinder and her parents. On the run: Caroline Martin breaks up the floor behind yet another Tri-Valley steal.

FALLSBURG, NY—Way back in December idling in the roundhouse prior to setting out on the regular season main line, a gleaming red, white and blue Tri-Valley train, the defending Section Nine Class C champion, fine tuned its machinery and prepared to set off on a long journey.

Up the track would be 17 local stops including ten vital league encounters, a veritable minefield of rivals such as Chester, Seward, Eldred, Fallsburg and Tuxedo, all intent on derailing Tri-Valley’s itinerary, namely its straight track sojourn to the Class C finals.

Tri-Valley's Mareena DiMilia made her mark in this game with her defense and timely shooting.

As engineer/coach John Tenbus pondered the arduous trip ahead, he knew the lay of the land had changed significantly since Tri-umphant Valley had sped along mightily to its Class C title a year prior.

Not only was his star Jakki Pugh now playing in college, but Tuxedo, the team that had vanquished T-V in the 2009 finals had moved down from Class B.

To further complicate matters, Class D state champion behemoth John A. Coleman Catholic had moved up to Class C and would in all likelihood be waiting at the end of the line looking to run any comer off the rails in order to begin its own run at the Class C state title.

From the get go, Tenbus told his team that getting the number two seed in the Section Nine tournament would be vital in its title defense, thereby avoiding the Lady Statesmen until the final encounter.

The very same thought preoccupied the minds of Tri-Valley’s Division V rivals whose hopes for such dwindled as the Lady Bears vanquished them one right after the other.

But with its February 9 home loss against Tuxedo, the only defeat in Tri-Valley’s season, the Bears entered their final regular season siding at 13-1 needing to run the table on a pair of games versus Eldred and to prevail in a road clash with Fallsburg to preserve its seed status.

Eldred turned out to be the easy part, but Fallsburg might prove to be another matter.

The Lady Comets had just played Tuxedo the night before their encounter with Tri-Valley and re-armed with the addition of Monticello junior transfer Nyasia Blakney, they had given the Lady Tornadoes almost all they could handle before coming up short 34-29 in a game they had led at times.

Fallsburg Coach Daniel Redmond was confident that his team had what it needed to hold Tri-Valley at bay. If his girls would give the same effort they had evinced the night before, he felt a victory could well be soon in hand.

Fallsburg's Shanice Mack fires in two points. She had seven points in the game including the only trey of the night.

Tuxedo Coach Dave Powers was an early arrival for this game as he looked to scout both teams anticipating a meeting with Tri-Valley, hopefully on his team’s floor should they falter against the Lady Comets.

But as he was quick to perceive, as were all the others on hand, Fallsburg wasn’t going to pull off the upset. Tri-Valley was not going to let that happen. Not by a long shot.

Perhaps it was the fatigue of playing Tuxedo so tough the night before and the early start of this game, or perhaps it was the fact that Tri-Valley was about to unveil its ‘A’ game of speed and smothering defense.

But from the get-go the dynamic of the game was clear in force. Tri-Valley set the tone early and withstood the expected Fallsburg runs. And in doing so, they unveiled the kind of game they’ll need to prevail in the daunting tournament ahead.

The Lady Comets were never able to keep up with the streaking Lady Bears’ express which threw its speedy transition game into full gear.

Fueled by countless steals, surprising success in rebounding against its taller adversary and surcharged with an endless bevy of lay ups, T-V nearly succeeded in putting Fallsburg away early. But the feisty Lady Comets fought back to keep it within ten at the end of the first quarter (20-10) and at the half (37-27) before the Lady Bears unveiled another gear and went on a tear in the third quarter to slam the door shut.

By night’s end when the smoke had cleared, the Lady Bears’ bullet train had left the Fallsburg local in the rearview mirror by the score of 70-45, the same 25 point margin as their 64-39 win in Grahamsville back in January.

Tri-Valley sophomore Katlynn Greffrath poured in 16 points in the game.

How this happened in a matter of intense interest, particularly given the fact that the two teams will meet again a mere 48 hours after this encounter. Given the do-or-die nature of sectional games, this clash despite its immediate significance with regard to seeding is concerned, will be quickly supplanted by the ever-more-important quarterfinal.

Both coaches will look to tweak things and to reinvest their teams with a sense of confidence and purpose, though to be truthful, that seems hardly necessary.

Both squads are already as motivated as they can be. Tri-Valley which had played its worst game of the year against Tuxedo and then came out flat against young and inexperienced Sullivan West in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, blasted away any sludge that was inhibiting its engine to roar on all cylinders.

As for confidence, Tri-Valley should have plenty of that behind a pair of 25 point wins over Fallsburg and the stoking of its engines from its home crowd fervor.

This game’s 5:00pm start was intended to afford the Section Nine seeding committee an early evening determination as to who would go where once the tournament begins. Had Tri-Valley lost this game, the Division V title would have been owned exclusively by Tuxedo who would then have hosted games up until the finals. T-V’s win resulted in shared Division V title ownership with Tuxedo.

They share one other thing: an intense desire to deliver a knockout punch to the other that would send the loser home and propel the winner into the intense excitement of playing for it all at SUNY New Paltz on March 2.

Prior to the game Fallsburg honored its five seniors who were called forth to present flowers to their parents. They included Samantha Rivera who has been a part of the program for six years though this was her first year on varsity. “She really helped us out in practice and I’m proud of her,” noted Coach Daniel Redmond.

Next up Redmond introduced Celia Garcia, “the energy of this team who is far and away one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.” Redmond then introduced Shanice Mack who has been playing varsity since her freshman year. “She started her first game and she has started ever since,” noted Redmond. The fourth senior introduced was Shavonne Gillard.

Redmond concluded by introducing standout guard Sheryl Pinder. “She’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Redmond noted.

The stage was now set for the tip as Fallsburg junior Kelsey Moody and Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith got set to leap skyward. Fallsburg controlled the tip. Both teams missed a bevy of shots in the early going before Erin Smith was fouled by Rivera and hit one of two from the stripe. Sabrena Smith added to the lead the Lady Bears would never relinquish. Mack got Fallsburg within one with an early bucket.

Behind Katlynn Greffrath’s deft shooting, mostly from the wing that netted eight points, as well as four each from Caroline Martin and Erin Smith to go along with three from Mareena DiMilia, Tri-Valley looked like it might ice the game early but Fallsburg battled back with four points from Nyasia Blakney and four from Mack in the period to go along with a bucket by Sheryl Pinder. T-V led 20-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The bad news for Fallsburg was its accumulation of nine team fouls in the first quarter including two for Kelsey Moody. The fouls were a product of closing late to reckon with Tri-Valley’s quick rotation of the ball. On the opposite end of the floor, the Lady Bears were unveiling a panoply of bewildering defensive looks including a 1-3-1, a box and one, a triangle and two and even a 3-2 for a short period of time.

The one oversight would be to allow Blakney to range in open space where she would soon show her dexterity in burying shots from below the key.

Sabrena Smith opened the second quarter with a bucket and Martin was soon at the line moments later to hit one of two from the stripe as the lead burgeoned to 13 at 23-10. Fallsburg marshaled four straight points to trim the lead.

T-V answered with a trio of offensive rebounds, the third of which Erin Smith put though the cylinder to reinstate the 13-point margin at 25-12. Sabrena Smith slashed though the lane unimpeded but missed a lay up. Fallsburg kept coming but Martin buried one from the wing. Fallsburg’s attempt to pack it in down low was giving the red hot T-V shooters space to operate. Martin would score five points in the frame, a modest prelude to her third quarter eruption for ten enroute to a game-high 23 on the night.

Pinder was whistled for an offensive foul much to the chagrin of the local fans. Then Sabrena Smith kissed one off the glass for the 29-14 lead. Greffrath scored off a steal to make it 31-14 and it looked like this one was just about over. But the Lady Comets would not quit. They closed the quarter on a 13-6 run to pull within ten at 37-27.

In the latter half of the second quarter Sabrena Smith was sent to the floor via a blocking foul. Moments later Pinder drove it wire to wire and scored. T-V turned it over but on their next trip they scored on a nifty dish from Greffrath to Erin Smith. From here out until the end of the stanza though, it became the Fallsburg show but not before Moody picked up her third foul.

Blakney completed a three point play, Moody blocked Martin and Pinder dropped one through to make it 33-23. A put back by Blakney cut it to eight as the home crowd was really feeling it now. Mareena DiMilia answered the challenge with a huge shot from the wing to push the margin back to the psychologically more solid ten point lead with 1:40 to go.

Tri-Valley's Erin Smith lunges for a loose ball as Fallsburg's Nyasia Harris tries to take possession of it too.

Sabrena Smith and Pinder took turns travelling with the ball as nerves were getting more frazzled. Smith travelled again amidst a moment of indecision. With 50 seconds Greffrath poked the ball away from behind and Moody picked up her fourth foul as she tried to slap the ball away from the feisty sophomore. That would prove to be very costly.

The Bears looked to make the final play of the game but the ball went out of bounds with just two seconds remaining. They never got the shot off and the teams went to the locker rooms with the score 37-27 as each had scored 17 in the stanza. It would be the Lady Comets’ best showing of the night.

Fallsburg got six from Pinder to go along with two from Moody, but the biggest factor was Blakney with nine.

Tenbus knew his team was going to have to approach how they reckoned with her differently in the second half. Tri-Valley got four apiece from Sabrena and Erin Smith, five from Martin and two from DiMilia.

Blakney got six in the third quarter but that was it for the Lady Comets who got to watch Tri-Valley run haywire as they tripled them up with 18 points to build a 55-33 lead after three quarters. One wouldn’t realize in reading that last sentence that Fallsburg had made it dramatic by cutting the lead down to eight before the Lady Bears proceeded to bury them for good.

Blakney hit the quarter-opener from out in space to cut the lead to eight at 37-29. Fallsburg picked up two quick fouls including Mack’s third. When Mack lost her footing, Martin alertly picked up the ball and raced up the floor for a lay up.

Blakney cut it back to eight as she easily slid in under the basket for two. A couple of T-V misses gave Fallsburg the ball but a key turnover which might have given them the chance to cut it to six sent T-V the other way for a lay up as Greffrath scored as the Lady Bears reinstated a 12-point margin at 43-31. Outscoring tiring Fallsburg 12-2 over the next 5:30 was all they needed to put the game away for good.

Smiles are in no short supply following the Tri-Valley win. From their vantage point they hope they'll continue to have plenty more to smile about before all is said and done.

The Bears began to deploy floor-length passes and score on run outs. Fallsburg could not keep up with the pace. The Bears continued to lunge in on the ball effecting tie ups and garnering alternating possessions.

Young Sabrena Smith would hit the deck again, first the victim of a moving pick and then as a result of an immovable Nyasia Harris. She went to the bench but the unflappable guard was soon back in the fray.

Fallsburg whittled it back down to 12 at 45-33 but then surrendered a 10-0 T-V run to end the quarter.

In the third quarter Tri-Valley got nine from Martin and two points each from Sabrena Smith, Greffrath, Erin Smith and Nicole Bradley. Pinder picked up her third foul in the frame.

The fourth quarter was far less dramatic. T-V slowed it down to milk the clock but still managed to score 15 points in the stanza as Greffrath, Martin and Erin Smith posted four points apiece. Sarah Schneyer’s free throw with two seconds remaining in the game would account for the Lady Bears’ final point.

Fallsburg authored its second best quarter of the night as they scored 12 showing their refusal to quit no matter what the circumstances. A three from Mack would be the only downtowner the entire night by either team. Blakney had four points and Pinder had three.

Blakney ended up with a game-high 23. Pinder had 11. To go along with Martin’s 23, the Lady Bears (16-1, (9-1 OCIAA) got 16 from Greffrath and 14 from Erin Smith. Fallsburg 10-8 (3-7 OCIAA) was two-for-three from the line (66.6%). Tri-Valley was eight-for-21 (38%).

Pinder felt fatigue was a factor. “They’ve got a lot of great players and a lot of fast players but we tried our hardest to beat them but we were in foul trouble.” Blakney felt there were some communication issues as well. Not surprisingly since she just recently joined the team and hasn’t had the entire season to develop the kind of chemistry that comes from playing together all year.

Blakney led Fallsburg with 12 rebounds, Moody and Pinder had 11 and Mack had seven.

Tenbus talked about the fluctuating runs that had alternately fueled his team’s big lead and then Fallsburg’s comeback bids.

“I told the girls coming into the game that this was going to be an emotional night and that they were going to make a run at one point and we’d have to withstand it. As far as what went wrong there are two ways to handle those kind of runs. You either accept it and step back up and play with more intensity or you fold and start getting nervous,” he averred “and that’s what happened to us in those sequences,” said Tenbus.

Referencing his young point guard’s play (Sabrena Smith that is), “We’re still working on this with her reminding her not to get caught penetrating too deep where she can’t pass the ball back out. They’re giving you that lane because they want you to get down in there. Be patient, look for the good shot. I thought all night we had a lot of good shot opportunities and open looks and it was a matter of being patient which we really haven’t done.”

Talking about Blakney, Tenbus noted, “We started out running a triangle and two where she wasn’t guarded. Caroline, Katlynn and Mareena were guarding areas. Blakney did a good job. Caroline closed out on one wing but we left the other wing open. That’s when she would pop to the top and got a lot of open looks right at the foul line.”

Tenbus went on to say, “Because of their size we defend inside to out. I’ll give up a jumper any time as opposed to lay ups in here. As much as she scored a lot there and it was an adjustment, it did play into our game plan as to what we wanted. Defensively we got after it tonight. That was our goal,” said Tenbus who went on to enumerate the defensive postures deployed and the results that followed.

Tenbus lauded the play of Caroline Martin, “Huge! I’ve been stressing to her that if you catch in rhythm, let it fly. If you’re off balance, pass it out and it will come back and you’ll get a better look,” he noted. “She stepped up and for a freshman that’s big. This year she’s been a little inconsistent. She’s had games where she’s made a lot of mistakes and other games where she’s been our best player.”

Tenbus credited Erin Smith’s smart play by staying out of foul trouble. “We play smart defense but hard defense. This win was huge. Now we’ll have home games down the road and we’ll have our home crowd encouraging us to play well.”

Tenbus thought his team might be set for a rematch with Pine Plains but the seedings will send Fallsburg into the Bears’ den instead. “If we play like we did tonight, we’ll be tough to beat.”

Redmond was clearly disappointed. “We knew the two teams we would have to play against in Tuxedo and Tri-Valley will press you 90 feet of the court. The thing with Tri-Valley is their speed and overall they just outran us and my pet peeve today were untimely turnovers. We had chances to get the lead down to six or four, we turned the ball over with a terrible, terrible turnover.

That’s really frustrating as a coach because we work on those specific things in practice knowing what they’re going to do. We played two tough games. Today I really felt like we could take advantage of our size inside,” he noted.

That said, and despite Blakney’s 23, “If we can’t get the ball across the half court line, we can’t get it into the post and that was our biggest problem because we had great position in the post. Foul trouble was also a problem like it was last night against Tuxedo. “We’re a different team when I don’t have my starting five in there,” he averred.

Without a strong bench, Fallsburg needs to ride that group all game. Redmond thought his team might be headed to Tuxedo but the Tornadoes drew Rhinebeck instead so it’s back to Grahamsville to try and marshal the biggest upset of the tournament.

Redmond continues to extol his players, many of whom have been with him for four years for their relentless drive and will to win. “Four years ago if we lost a game like this I’d go in that locker room and kids would be laughing. Now their heads are down, they’re crying and taking it personally. That shows maturity and growth.”

You can be sure that Fallsburg will bring every last bit of what its got to the floor on Saturday night. The last thing they want is for their season to end. As for Tri-Valley, a team that has set its sights from the time it exited that roundhouse, it’s been about keeping that light green and racing up the track to that glorious station to defend what they feel is rightfully theirs.

You’ve got to love it. Can’t wait to write the next chapter.

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

Small Wonders

What Tri-Valley Girls Lack In Size They Make Up For In Speed, Unity of Purpose, Grit and Stifling Defense; Post Jakki Pugh Era Begins With Undefeated Tear As Lady Bears Hammer Fallsburg To Garner Fourth Straight League Win And Sixth Overall

Tri-Valley 64, Fallsburg 39

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Dawn of a new era in Tri-Valley basketball as the Lady Bears victimize yet another league rival to remain unbeaten (clockwise) Katelynn Greffrath squares up just inside the arc to swish in two of her ten points on the night. Freshman Caroline Martin asserts herself with a team-high 16 points and great defense. Fallsburg senior standout Sheryl Pinder looks to drive on Sabrena Smith. Pinder led her team with 16 points. Fellow Lady Comet Shanice Mack grabs a rebound and looks to turn upcourt. The Tri-Valley girls sport their 2012 practice shirts that state their guiding precept: "We're Not Just Defending A Chamipnship. We're Pursuing Another." Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody pulled down 21 rebounds. Here she is fouled trying to put one of them back in. Moody had 13 points in the game.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—“Good things come in small packages,” might well be one of many descriptions of the 2012 version of the Tri-Valley Lady Bears. For indeed height is not one of their assets.

While height often figures prominently in a team’s ability to rebound the basketball, it is only one dimension of measure. It is already quite apparent that this year’s team has both the defensive width to cover teams across the full span of the floor and the depth of talent to score enough to win armed with a bevy of able shooters who share the ball.

Add the dimensions of heart, cohesiveness and a tireless work ethic, stir vigorously with extremely demanding practice sessions and what emerges is a new winning formula with its own intoxicating and unique allure.

For Tri-Valley's Mareena DiMilia, moving to play point guard means new challenges but the gritty, tough-minded athlete brings a competitive fire to the mix that is second to none. When she's not breaking the school shot put record with her uncanny strength, she's muscling her way under the boards boxing out and getting rebounds from girls that dwarf her in size.

So far it’s proving to be a powerful elixir and the Lady Bears are feeling its effects, not just in terms of their wins, but by virtue of the chemistry that has led to their early season success.

As freshman Caroline Martin notes, “I love this team like a family and when I was gone I missed them a lot.”

(Martin was briefly in Monticello, but glad to be back).

“I love playing with these girls. We’re all so close. It feels really great to be playing with this team and my coach. This is a total team. We’re all in this together. That’s how it is,” she noted, anxious to hurry off and join her teammates for the post-game confab.

Martin who came up from J.V. for sectionals last year to give Coach John Tenbus an extra edge defensively, is symbolic of the change from last year to this.

On this night against rival Fallsburg she would lead her team with 16 points, while the Lady Bears would get 15 from Sabrena Smith and 10 from Katelynn Greffrath. Can you say balance?

Winning a Section Nine title last year was an amazing experience for Tenbus and his team. Without question that would not have taken place without the immeasurable contribution of Jakki Pugh who has now taken her heart, drive and uncanny basketball skills to the Post University Eagles of the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference.

For Pugh who still burns with “The Eternal Flame,” and her beloved team whom she left to carry on without her, this is a new era, one that looks bright indeed for Pugh who leaves in her wake an historic legacy at Tri-Valley and in Section Nine.

It’s new ground too for the the young Lady Bears who have quickly closed ranks to focus on a new agenda, namely winning another title.

With Pugh’s tearful exit near the end of the 64-40 Class C Regional Semifinals after going toe-to-toe with Fordham-bound Liz Miller, most onlookers felt they were witnessing the end of not just a remarkable season, but also an era.

After all, that season and the one before it had produced a 34-6 record and two consecutive trips to the Section Nine finals, with the second one under Tenbus’ first watch proving victorious.

But if this season’s early indications are what they appear to be, this is SO NOT OVER.

A mid-court kerfuffle unfolds as Tri-Valley's Keira McHugh and Nicole Bradley engage in a tug of war with Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody over a loose ball. Feisty and aggressive, Tri-Valley brings fervor to its game in all of its aspects.

As their warm up shirts so aptly decry, “We’re Not Defending A Championship, We’re Pursuing Another.”

With Pugh’s departure from Tri-Valley, many rival schools including Fallsburg licked their chops figuring the Bears were a one and done phenomena.

But while Pugh who ended her illustrious career with 1,182 points was responsible for approximately 22 points per game on the 2011 Lady Bears who averaged about 55 per night, her departure has resulted in a revamped Tri-Valley team which is arguably more balanced and cohesive than last year’s juggernaut.

With this past week’s stunning 40-32 road win over the Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes which completed the victorious Orange County trifecta of beating Chester and Seward, the Lady Bears brought their 5-0, 3-0 mark to their home court to take on neighboring Fallsburg, a team rife with experience, talent, size and hunger.

Spending quite a bit of time at Fallsburg of late, I sensed a great deal of optimism and confidence from Coach Daniel Redmond and his players that with Pugh gone, this would be their time to overtake their neighbors. In Sheryl Pinder, Fallsburg has one of the premiere small school players in Section Nine and with bigs Kelsey Moody and Shanice Mack in the paint, a powerful interior presence that Fallsburg figured would give them the edge.

While they hoped to leave Tri-Valley for dead by night’s end, this Friday the 13^thclash showed the Bears to be like Jason of the storied horror film, unfathomably immortal.

Fallsburg’s nightmare began with Tri-Valley’s 19-7 first quarter dominance, which without a late trey by Shanice Mack would have been a 15-point bulge instead of 12. Here’s how that first quarter shook out.

In competitive basketball, there are few uncontested shots. Here Fallsburg's Shanice Mack looks to put the ball up and she has plenty of company while she's doing so. Mack is potentially a prolific scorer but she was limited to a sparse five points in this game. T-V held Fallsburg to single digits for three of the four quarters.

Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith controlled the tip against Fallsburg tall tree Kelsey Moody. A pair of early T-V turnovers were part of an inauspicious start as were a spate of misses of shots and put backs.

Fallsburg had its turnover woes and missed chances as well as the teams failed to score until Mareena DiMilia put back an offensive rebound at 5:49.

Moody hit one of two free throws to put the Lady Comets on the board and a trey by Garcia gave Fallsburg a 4-2 lead.

The celebration of such would be short-lived indeed. Erin Smith tied the game and her free throw gave the Lady Bears the lead they would never relinquish at 4:46. A steal and a bucket by Martin made it 7-4.

Put backs by DiMilia and Martin poured it on as the Lady Bears continued to force turnovers by Fallsburg which was having its pocket picked often from behind and its passes snared triggering transition buckets.

Sabrena Smith canned one and then picked off the ball from behind. It was not the last time the Lady Comets would cough it up in the opening stanza. DiMilia scored her sixth point of the frame whiie Fallsburg continued to shoot blanks. Greffrath hit one with time expiring on the shot clock and the hit another for the 19-4 lead.

When the dust had settled after the opening period, DiMIlia had six, Martin and Greffrath had four apiece, Sabrena had two and Erin Smith had three.

The voracious Lady Bears would soon use a 14-9 second quarter to widen their lead to 33-16 by halftime. Martin opened the show with a nifty shot. Fallsburg threw away its inbounds pass and Greffrath quickly made them pay to make it 23-7. Moody hit one of two from the stripe. By night’s end the Lady Comets would be nine-for13 for an admirable 69% from the stripe but it was nowhere near enough to keep them in the game.

A very familiar sight: Sabrena Smith converts a steal into a layup. The diminutive dynamo scored 15 points in this outing.

Moody would post a game-high 21 rebounds on the night and contribute 13 points but she and Pinder who had a team-high 16 would account for nearly 75 percent of Fallsburg’s scoring.

Keira McHugh, another 2011 late season JV Sectional call up scored two from the corner. She’d net six on the night in what Tenbus described as her best effort to date. Greffrath added a bucket from the corner, a place she’s quite lethal from to make it 27-8. Moody made it 27-10. She accounted for seven of Fallsburg’s nine points in the stanza.

Tri-Valley’s 14 points in the second quarter came via four from Sabrena Smith,Greffrath and McHugh to go along with a bucket from Martin.

Tri-Valley’s imposing defense held Fallsburg to its third straight single digit quarter as the Lady Comets could only manage eight points in the third period. Pinder had six of those including one of her three treys on the night. Moody had two points from the line.

Tri-Valley doubled up Fallsburg with 16 in the period, once again showing its diverse arsenal led by six from Martin with a bucket apiece from Sabrena Smith, Greffrath who would soon exit the game for the rest of the night after banging her wrist, Amanda TerBush, Nicole Bradley and Maria TerBush.

By night’s end nine of the 11 Lady Bears had scored. Tri-Valley led 49-24 after three quarters. At this juncture citing details of how points were scored seems moot. Suffice it to say that the Lady Comets had their best showing in the fourth quarter as they mounted a 15-point outburst which equaled that put forth by the Lady Bears including their subs.

Two treys from Pinder were part of her eight point fourth quarter. Moody added three points and Mack netted two from the line.

Sabrena Smith used steals and lay ups to author her seven points in the final stanza. Martin added four. She scored in all four quarters on the night for her team-high 16 point output. McHugh and Amanda Terbush iced the cake with a bucket apiece.

Including last year's historic 18-2 run that included a Section NIne title in his first year, Tri-Valley coach John Tenbus has overseen his team to a 24-2 mark thus far. His girls revere him despite the fact that he works them to death. Time will tell whether he can marshal this year's team back to the mountaintop, but from early indications, things are heading in the right direction.

Tri-Valley 6-0 (4-0 OCIAA) was four-for-six from the line (66.6%). Fallsburg fell to 6-4 (1-3 OCIAA) with the loss.

Veteran DiMilia talked about this year’s squad in the post-Pugh era. “We are an extremely balanced team. We don’t have a lot of height but we do have strong girls who will get the rebounds. We are quick. We work very hard in practice and that helps us get a lot faster.”

Redmond said he was proud of how his team played to the last minute. “They all went in there to contribute what they can as we were up against a good team. Honestly Tri-Valley surprised me with how good they are,” he admitted. “Especially with how many weapons they’ve got. You’d figure that after losing a star like Jakki Pugh they’d be having a down year. They might even be better than last year. They seemed very balanced across the board. I was very impressed with them. They really outplayed us tonight but like I said, I’m proud of the way my girls stayed in there.”

Redmond touted the work of Moody on the boards and Shanice Mack’s ability to handle the ball which led to Fallsburg beating Tri-Valley’s press at times. I love my team to death,” he added also giving props to guard Celia Garcia and of course Pinder.

The good news for Fallsburg is that now they’ve got a better idea of what they’re contending with when they get Tri-Valley on their floor later this season. I’m seeing Tuxedo, I’ve already seen Chester. Eldred blindsided us in the Chester tourney but we’re anxious to see them again. Celia wasn’t in that game,” he noted.

“It wasn’t the best of our games tonight, but hopefully we’ll improve from here.”

Tenbus talked about the past, present and future:

“That win against Tuxedo the other night was big. Our girls know that Tuxedo is the big name and that they’re always competitive. Coach Powers does a great job setting up the program down there. We knew it was going to be a tough one.

But we have it in our mind that if we want to be one of the elite teams in the league we have to be able to beat the good ones. It was a battle and we played well and were able to pull out the win.”

Tenbus commented on Martin’s plays. “She’s growing. She’s a freshman and you live with the mistakes. She’s a little hesitant at times (not on this night) but she’s coming along.”

Speaking about his team’s mission to play tough defense, a hallmark of Tri-Valley basketball success, Tenbus noted, “You look down the scores and you see numbers in the 30’s. We have to exert a lot of pressure on defense because there are going to be nights when we don’t score a lot and we have to shut other teams down. That’s always a focus for us in practice,” he noted.

Tenbus felt it wise to keep Greffrath out for the rest of the game following her fall. “She’s a tough kid and a great outside shooter. You can’t leave that girl alone. We try to get penetration and the kick out.”

“We’re one of the smallest teams in the league but we battle. Boxing out is always a mainstay of our practice. It takes Mareena and Erin working very hard to try and compete. We try to keep the rebounding close and focus on other areas we have more control over. We’re scrappy. We’ve got to get points when we can. I don’t have the one dominant scorer. There’s no egos. Any win is a good win,” he added.

While the girls were aware that they scored approximately 33 points per game in addition to Pugh, Tenbus had to make them aware that they got a lot of those points because defenders were concentrating on her. “So now it’s an adjustment trying to score with defenders right on us.

Mareena has stepped up. She’s now the point guard and it’s a learning process in which there will be mistakes.

We have to be in top condition. We go hard in practice. Injuries happen. They all know they have to be ready to go in at any time and keep up the pace with everyone else.”

Tri-Valley will play at Livingston Manor and then host Roscoe. Games with Manor last year were the toughest tests of the regular season. “Kevin (Clifford) does a great job and they’re always tough. I think it will be close,” said Tenbus.

Tri-Valley has seen all of its league opponents except Eldred who they will play twice in the final week of the season. Chester will return to Tri-Valley on January 23^rd. “They’re a great team. They have height. Mardelle Jean is playing really well,” he noted. “It’s going to be a battle.

Looking far down the road Tenbus knows that Coleman is waiting. The 2011 Class D champs were pushed up to Class C by Section Nine. Coleman is the odds-on favorite to be the number one seed going in and Tenbus has told his team that if they want to vie against Coleman they’ll have to be the two seed. That means winning out in Division V.

That’s a long way off as the Lady Bears have only traversed the first third of their regular season sojourn. But at this crossroads, Tenbus’s small wonders are wondrous to say the least.

Count on this writer/photographer to see much more of Class C Lady Basketball in the coming weeks. Harried and busy as I am, “Home is where the heart is,” and for me, that means courtside on the cutting edge of great hardwood encounters.

More to come.

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

Last year’s momentous 18-2 run that reached its zenith with the 40-27 Section Nine Championship win over Millbrook was a storybook season.

For first year Coach John Tenbus, to have his team “Reach the Unreachable Star,” was a dream come true as it was for his standout senior Jakki Pugh, whose “Eternal Flame,” provided the heat and the light to guide her young teammates to the historic

Blazing Comets

Fallsburg Gets Its First League Win Of The Season And The First Under The Watch Of Coach Carlye Hyde As They Erupt For An 18-Run Inning En Route To a Five-Inning Shortened Route Of Tri-Valley

Finishing School

“The best way out is always through.”

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

Fallsburg Boys Prevail: The Comets’ Tale

The Kids Are All Right: Stamina And Crisp Execution Fuel Lady Bears Victory

Full Throttle

Small Wonders

What Tri-Valley Girls Lack In Size They Make Up For In Speed, Unity of Purpose, Grit and Stifling Defense; Post Jakki Pugh Era Begins With Undefeated Tear As Lady Bears Hammer Fallsburg To Garner Fourth Straight League Win And Sixth Overall

Red Cross Thanks Community Partners for Assistance Following Grandview Palace Fire

I’M BORED: LibertyBikeTrail.org

Honing The Edge

Voters approve 2012-2013 LCSD Budget, cuts on the way

More Red Than Black

Man sentenced to 8 ½ years in connection with Shop Rite robbery in Liberty

League Lore 2012

BOCES LPN Students Reach Milestone and Receive Caps

Glory Days

In Loving Memory

Yard Sale O Rama: Map issue fixed

Skate Park: Location Raises Questions, Answers, and Activism

Red Cross Thanks Community Partners for Assistance Following Grandview Palace Fire

Honing The Edge

Voters approve 2012-2013 LCSD Budget, cuts on the way

Categories

Fallsburg Gets Its First League Win Of The Season And The First Under The Watch Of Coach Carlye Hyde As They Erupt For An 18-Run Inning En Route To a Five-Inning Shortened Route Of Tri-Valley

“The best way out is always through.”

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

Fallsburg Boys Prevail: The Comets’ Tale

The Kids Are All Right: Stamina And Crisp Execution Fuel Lady Bears Victory

What Tri-Valley Girls Lack In Size They Make Up For In Speed, Unity of Purpose, Grit and Stifling Defense; Post Jakki Pugh Era Begins With Undefeated Tear As Lady Bears Hammer Fallsburg To Garner Fourth Straight League Win And Sixth Overall

Categories

Social networks