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
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
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
On The Rebound
Seward Puts Stinging Loss To Tuxedo In Rearview Mirror With Rhythmic Romp Over Tri-Valley; Lady Spartans and Lady Bears Slated To Play In Sectional Opener As Seward Looks To Begin Another Storied Postseason Run; Loyas Edges Closer To 100-Career Goal Milestone; Stam Scores The Hat Trick
S.S. Seward 7, Tri-Valley 0
By RICHARD A. ROSS
rross@sportsinsightsny.com
Scenes from a sectional preview between Tri-Valley and S.S. Seward (Clockwise): T-V's Vicky Tingley throws the ball in. Tri-Valley seniors Rachel Adriaans, Sarah Schneyer, Hope Costa and Erin Smith. Rachel Adriaans leaps as she looks to control the ball. Seward's Sinead Brosnan moves ahead as she is marked by T-V's Colleen Jones, T-V's Mareena DiMilia sends the ball forward.Gladys Loyas sends in a corner kick. Vicky Tingley begins a run up the sideline as she is pursued by Seward's Allison Morgan. Danielle Stam works to move the ball between T-V's Kaitlynn Greffrath and Megan Tyndell, Gladys Loyas sends the ball by Sarah Coney and Seward's Cassi Martin and T-V's Kaitlynn Greffrath vie for a ball.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” goes the oft-quoted line.
Imagine then the pent-up rage of a dozen or more young females who have felt their honor compromised and beware of the revenge they vow to exact.
I’m referencing here the damaged egos of the S.S. Seward Lady Spartans from a stinging defeat the prior day to league rival Tuxedo. The resultant impact would fall first on guiltless Tri-Valley as the orange-clad whirlwind vowed to get the wind back in their sails for the coming “C” wars by playing their special brand of soccer with a renewed fervor.
Seward senior striker Danielle Stam scores the first of her three goals on the day as the ball veers by Erin Smith just over four minutes into the game.
For the immensely talented Lady Spartans of S.S. Seward, it wasn’t their first loss of the season, a 3-0 blanking to Class A Goshen on October 18 in the Middletown Tournament that got the girls from the storied program and their iconic coach Joe DiMattina in a tizzy.
Rather it was the stunning 5-3 league loss to Tuxedo on October 25 that turned the Orange Crush into the temporarily crushed orange.
To say that DiMattina and his girls were disappointed by the defeat which marred their up-to-then undefeated league record would be a ridiculous understatement.
In their two prior outings, the Lady Spartans had shut out the Lady Tornadoes to the tune of 4-0 in their first league set-to on October 11 and to the harmonious strains of 5-0 in the consolation game of the Middie Tourney.
They say it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season and that may be true. But when you come from a pedigree like Seward’s where success is far more the rule than the exception, such adages seem rather irrelevant as applied to a school that has won ten straight Section Nine girls soccer titles, seven of which have come since DiMattina’s arrival in 2004 from Tuxedo (no less).
Moreover, Seward has reached the state final four every year under his watch and won state championships in 2007 and 2008.
Tri-Valley's Collen Jones passes the ball to Rachel Adriaans in one of the instances that the Lady Bears were heeding Coach Mary Feusner's counsel to keep the passes short.
So what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Consequently, losing to Tuxedo may not be the worst thing for Seward, the Institute of impeccable consistency in the realm of athletic excellence, but rather an infusion of a jolting tonic that will get Seward right back on track. Time will tell.
Tri-Valley had the daunting task of trying to contain Seward, while attempting to author a viable attack that would put some pressure on the defending champs.
To get them the day after their loss to Tuxedo was an unfortunate case of bad timing if they wanted to reverse the tone of their prior 7-0 loss to Seward on September 19 down in the cornfield, the very place they are slated to play them as sectionals begin on October 29.
Having recently garnered a sectional berth by dint of their then 8-7 league mark with a win over Fallsburg, T-V locked up the bottom seed in the Class C dance and drew number-two Seward for the coming sectional opener.
Millbrook is the top seed, Seward’s opponent in the sectional finals the past two years. The Lady Spartans advanced to regional play by getting past the Lady Blazers with one-goal wins in 2009 and 2010.
This was senior day for Tri-Valley, playing its last home game of the season. Rachel Adriaans, Sarah Schneyer, Hope Costa and Erin Smith posed for a group shot before they and then all the other Lady Bears got to hand flowers to their loved ones. That took place at halftime and the girls were all smiles despite being down 5-0 to Seward at that juncture.
Intimidated perhaps by the aura surrounding Seward, T-V had spent far too much time watching rather than running to the ball. Its offensive runs were few and far between, and rarely sustained. Credit Seward’s fine defensive prowess sustained by its flat four back line defense for that ,and its fine passing skills that enabled them to reverse the polarity of the ball once they had wrested control of it mostly in the midfield.
When the Lady Bears did get a speedy run up the sideline by either Mareena DiMilia, Kaitlynn Greffrath or Rachel Adrianns, rarely was there someone positioned in the box to take the cross. To put it succinctly, Tri-Valley’s hesitancy was making it look easy for Seward despite the repeated admonitions of Coach Mary Feusner.
Gladys Loyas had two goals on the day, bringing this season's total to 34 as the leading scorer in Section Nine. Coupled with 60 goals amassed over the past three years, including 31 a year ago, 26 as a freshman and three as a defensive eighth grader, the talented potential Olympian is just six shy of the 100-goal career miletsone formerly reached by Lady Spartans Theresa Space and Jillian Collova.
Seward senior standout Danielle Stam and Elizabeth Gorshack immediately marshaled control of the ball in the T-V end.
At 4:30 in Stam sent one by T-V’s agile keeper Erin Smith on an assist from Gorshack.
Seward nearly had another goal on a corner kick from Gladys Loyas as Sinead Brosnan just missed a chance in the box.
At ten minutes in Stam struck again to make it 2-0.
At 19:10 in it was junior Alyssa McLaughlin’s turn as she scored off a jumble in front of the box following yet another Seward corner kick. Trailing 3-0 just about halfway through the first half, T-V tried to fight back.
Their physical intensity was there but they were missing that kind of aggressive edge they marshal against teams they know they can beat.
Smith had a nice save on a shot by Brosnan just past the 20-minute mark. By game’s end she’d tally 16.
“Where are we on the attack?” barked T-V Coach Mary Feusner. “We’re standing around and watching!”
Tri-Valley’s first viable run soon came about resulting in a shot by Sarah Coney. Heather Fraser hung on for the save.
Stam picked up her third goal on an assist from Loyas at 33:00 minutes in. It was her 22nd of the season. For her part, Loyas had five shots in the first half, none of which found their mark. She’d alter that in the second period.
Just one minute after Stam’s latest strike, Brosnan scored to make it five-zip.
That would be it for first half scoring as Seward had outgunned Tri-Valley 27-1 enroute to a 31-4 margin in shots on goal by game’s end.
Loyas got on the board at 28:24 of the second period on the first of two unassisted goals. Those two goals gave her 34 this season, which coupled with her 60 which she amassed over the past three season leaves her just six goals shy of the 100-goal milestone. She would be the third Lady Spartan to reach that storied achievement, following in the footsteps of Theresa Space (157 goals) and Jillian Collova (119 goals).
Loyas got three goals as a defensive eighth grader. As a striker during her freshman and sophomore years she amassed 26 and 31 respectively. She is now positioned as a midfielder.
Erin Smith sends the ball safely over the top of the cage in one of her 16 saves on the day.
Loyas is also running cross-country again this season. Last year she qualified for states with her fifth place finish in the Section Nine Class D championships.
Scoring two goals in Seward’s quarterfinal win over Friends Academy the day before the state race left her without a full tank in the gas for that event.
Last winter Loyas played basketball too, but soccer is clearly her forte.
This past summer she made the Olympic Development Program Regional Team which means that she has been identified as one of the 30 best players in the 13 Northeast states.
She will fly to California in February to compete for a spot to represent the USA. Only about 120 girls from across the country have been identified and invited.
She has also received D1 offers from St Bonaventure and Monmouth University to play soccer in college on an athletic scholarship.
In addition,, she is waiting on offers from American University, Manhattan College, West Point, University of Arkansas, Stony Brook University, Lafayette College and Hofstra, while talking to about a dozen others including Swarthmore and Amherst.
DiMattina responded to this writer’s assertion that the level of soccer his team plays is markedly above what I normally get to cover. “It is… as long as they do what they’re supposed to do,” he answered. “You saw that here today. They all know they didn’t play well yesterday and it definitely showed. I’m glad we got back into our rhythm here and never, ever, ever take anybody lightly.”
Seward plays a different array defensively. “Most teams do play with a sweeper but I play a flat four. The only reason why I do that is because I think the girls can do it. It all depends on the personnel. This year we have three new girls back there as senior Kari Ward is the only returnee to that backline array. We had to convert a midfielder back to defender and we brought up a player from J.V. It seems to be working pretty nicely. At times we do struggle because we’re still learning.”
As to the offensive firepower provided by Stam and Loyas, the coach observed, “People do try to mark them and that’s fine. Then we’ll just use the outside players. They are a very good one-two punch,” he said referencing Stam and Loyas.
With the expected pressure on those two, the rest of the team is very good at passing the ball away from them to relieve the pressure and then getting it back to them, something they didn’t do in the loss to Tuxedo.
“We kind of played a kickball game. I told the girls on the bus coming over here today if it’s not there, it’s not there. Use the outside forwards and then they’ll get it back eventually,” he noted. `
Sarah Coney authors T-V's most viable run in the first half.
Coach Feusner admitted that her team looked timid. “We told them you have to initiate the play. Instead they were sitting back and reacting to everything.
You can’t do that against a team like that. You’ve got to take control of the ball and that was not happening. We asked them to use the short passing game because the long pass just doesn’t go with their deep backs.
I kept reminding them, go back to the game plan..go back to the short passes,” she averred.
“We have to have our numbers up to do something but I think the girls are waiting for Mareena DiMilia or Rachel Adriaans to do something. They knew they would have to play defense today but sometimes they don’t understand how quickly they have to get into the transition to move on the attack.”
Erin played a wonderful game today,” she added noting that at times when trying to clear the ball, T-V passed it right to orange feet. Then it’s one touch and go for them.”
Feusner hopes she’ll be able to get her team’s psyche ready for a more competitive outing against Seward in the sectional game on October 29. “We’re going to practice getting to the ball, a mantra she repeated three times and we’re going to accentuate the short passing game. I’m not going to allow those long passes,” she vowed.
Goalie saves: S – Heather Fraser 4; TV – Erin Smith 16.
Records: Seward 14-2-0 (11-1-0 OCIAA); T-V 8-8-0 (4-8-0 OCIAA).
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The Next Wave
Tri-Valley And Eldred Work Assiduously To Improve As Teams Look To Fill In For Grads And Injured Players; Lady Bears Come Away With A League Win As Offense Comes On Strong In Second Half
Tri-Valley 3, Eldred 0
By RICHARD A. ROSS
rross@sportsinsightsny.com
Scenes from a league clash between host Tri-Valley and visiting Eldred (clockwise): Tri-Valley junior Mareena DiMilia controls the ball before heading upfield to score on a breakaway. Eldred junior keeper Julia Wilk goes airborne to punch a ball out of harm's way. Wilk is filling in for Kayla Flieger who was injured and out for the season. Eldred's Shannon Brucher fires a ball by a ducking Rachel Adriaans in a heated encounter. T-V senior Sarah Schneyer throws in. As sweeper, Schneyer is a great defensive asset for the Lady Bears.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—For the first time in my ten years of sports coverage, I didn’t begin my fall season with a visit to Tri-Valley in the first week of September for the annual Tri-Valley tournament. That first-week view of Tri-Valley, Monticello, Eldred and Ellenville always struck me as a great way to begin my fall.
Coach Mary Feusner’s tournament had history and class and it was always competitive, impeccably well-run and a great opportunity to see four fine teams in one fell swoop.
Tri-Valley senior Rachel Adriaans heads upfield as Eldred' senior Caitlin Hallock shadows her.
But sadly this year there was no tourney due to the burgeoning size of Division V with its seven teams. That left Class D Family School and Chapel Field with fewer league games as Livingston Manor/Roscoe now joined Eldred, Tuxedo, S.S. Seward, Fallsburg, Chester and Tri-Valley as part of the new “C” scape.
Consequently the vaunted tourney went by the wayside to accommodate the demands of the changing array. I for one, hope to see it return in coming years.
September came and went and racing around trying to keep up with all varsity sports primarily in the five school districts I blanket, I realized that here it was October and that I had yet to see either T-V or Eldred play.
So apologetically I crossed the field as the teams were warming up to say hello Coaches Mary Feusner and Kelly Robertson of T-V and Eldred respectively and to convey my regrets on my tardy arrival to their seasons now at their midpoint.
One quick glance around the field apprised me of just how much talent went out the door last June and the preponderance of younger players inhabiting the pitch. For Eldred the loss of icons like Kim Elvin, Meaghan Hazen, Diana Schombs and Sam Ferguson were made worse this fall by a spate of injuries that have seen season-ending injuries to senior starting keeper Kayla Flieger, junior Kayln Drasher, sophomore Nicole Elvin and freshman Angie Schadt. Another freshman, Lauren Frey is out for a couple of weeks leaving Robertson with a paper thin bench.
“Angie and Lauren played forward in the early part of the season and now we have other people filling in those spots, “Robertson noted.
Luckily Eldred has junior Jackie Terry back now. She was out with an injury too.
Back in action following an injury, Eldred junior Jackie Terry is doing her part to make things happen. Here she sends a ball destined to go out of bounds back up the field.
While a number of Eldred’s current players were on varsity last year, they saw little playing time I the upper-class dominated array of Lady Yellow Jackets. To make matters worse, there is no junior varsity team this year so that valuable training is now being undergone in varsity games against much-more seasoned opponents , especially in schools like Tuxedo, Seward and LMR.
As for Tri-Valley, graduation marked the exit of great talent in Jakki Pugh, Emma Tingley, Kathryn Schneyer and Agnes Pompeii, just to name a few. MIP Caroline Martin transferred to Monticello and did return to T-V, but too late to play this year.
For Feusner, losing dynamic striker/midfielder Katlynn Greffrath to a knee injury has certainly hurt a team already struggling on offense.
But as is the case with all teams, players left in the fold must step up and form the next vanguard. There is no looking back.
Tri-Valley kicked off and Eldred looked to be aggressive early on. Eldred was doing a good job of keeping it in the T-V end. For her part, Schneyer was busy turning it right back upfield. For the first few minutes the ball remained in the T-V end until the Lady Bears made a brief run up the right side that Eldred turned back.
“Nobody’s making runs out there,” barked Feusner. “This is not a game to stand still. Make the runs!”
Around and through: T-V's Mareena DiMilia gets the ball by eldred's Abigail Ellert on her way towards making a breakaway shot on goal.
Eldred senior Breanna Brucher’s shot went wide left. T-V pushed it back and a shot off of the back of Rachel Adriaans was saved by Wilk. The ball went into the Eldred end and they were unable to clear it. A minute later Amanda Tyndell buried one inside the right post at 12:17 for the 1-0 Lady Bears’ lead. The goal was unassisted.
T-V junior Mareena DiMilia had a nice shot but Wilk made a great deflection of the ball for the save.
The Lady Bears kept up the pressure but crosses to Tara Kaplan and Emily DiToro failed to register. When Eldred did advance the ball now, it was quickly turned back. Eldred breakaways up the middle of the field were missing players on the wing and conversely, runs up the sideline were not supported by players in the middle to take the cross.
“We’ve been trying to work on Breanna and Alexis sending balls to the flags and getting our forwards to work it back in but it did not work for us today. I thought we really started out strong today especially with Hannah Bisland going up the line but she had trouble finishing today,” Coach Robertson would later note.
DiMilia began to work a number of breakaways where she would pick up the ball at her own 15 or 20 and use her speed to go around and Eldred defender. Other Lady Yellow Jackets were not coming over to cut off her advance and it was only a matter of time before she would score.
The first half ended with T-V leading 1-0 but DiMilia picked right up where she left off and scored at 4:17 to make it two-zip.
DiToro made it three-nothing with a goal at 28:03 as Tri-Valley appeared far fresher in the second half versus an Eldred team that was showing signs of fatigue.
Eldred senior Breanna Brucher uses her speed to get by Tri-Valley's Tara Kaplan but the Lady Yellowjackets failed to support such runs which faltered throughout the afternoon.
Robertson agree that fatigue was a factor. “They’re running a full 90 minutes without a strong sub for them. With all the rain we’ve been running indoor practices,” she added.
“I am happy with the play that the girls gave their all,” she said though she had told her team at the game’s conclusion that they had failed to capitalize on upwards of 20 shots on goal. Julia Wilk served as keeper the first half and Heather Hallock took over in the second half. “Julia has been my main goalie since Kayla Flieger got hurt. This is Julia’s first year being our main goalie and even though Heather is a ninth grader she seems to have really good skills too. Julia gets pretty big in the goal and our defenders know to back off when she’s got it,” she added.
Eldred is now 1-6-1 (0-6-1 OCIAA).Their win came against Family School and they tied Fallsburg. Tri-Valley improved to 4-6 (2-6 OCIAA). Prior wins came against Family School, Fallsburg and Chapel Field.
Feusner noted, “We played a better second half today. We were down a sub or two so we got everyone involved. I was pleased with the opportunities we had in the box. We didn’t always put the ball in the back of the net but we had lots of opportunities in both halves and we haven’t always had that this year.”
Feusner went on to say, “We’ve been in the defensive end way too much.” Speaking of defense, Feusner had great praise for senior sweeper Sarah Sc hneyer. “You need a strong player at that position and Sarah fits the bill. We tried her at flatback earlier this season and it was working. We were getting a lot of offsides traps but they were telling me they were not comfortable with it if someone got past they didn’t have the confidence to be back there without Sarah.”
Feusner felt her team played well and noted that Mareena DiMilia had one of her best games of the season. Keeper duties were shared by Ashley Exner and Erin Smith. Exner had four saves and Smith had three.
Tri-Valley will host Family School on October 7, while Eldred visits S.S. Seward. T-V and Eldred will meet again under the lights on the Lady Yellow Jackets’ pitch on October 19.
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
