Girls’ basketball

Lady Bulldogs take Burke to the brink

Lady Bulldogs play even with Burke for four quarters before Eagles win out in overtime

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GOSHEN, NY — Goliath teetered and was nearly toppled in a game that might well have been one of this season’s banner stories in Section 9 girls’ basketball.

In a February 10 rematch between the two top Class B teams in Division IV of the OCIAA, the visiting Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs played their best game of their season and had the John S. Burke Catholic Eagles on the ropes. All they needed was to land one more crucial right cross to send the lauded Eagles to the mat. A victory would have tied Sullivan West with Burke for the Division title, thereby forcing a deciding division playoff game.

But alas, it was not to be.

High school basketball is a 32-minute marathon, but this one featured a four-minute overtime extension as both teams were deadlocked at 29-all after four quarters. A clutch three-point shot by Sullivan West’s Sarah Lander with 52 seconds to go in the fourth quarter knotted the score thusly, but neither team could take advantage of its opponents’ late miscues to get the winning edge before regulation expired.

The Bulldogs kept the normally fluid Burke Eagles out of rhythm for most of the game, getting out to an early 7-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, edging the Eagles 16-11 at halftime, and taking a 25-22 lead into the fourth quarter. Several times down the stretch the Bulldogs (12-6, 4-1 OCIAA) had their chances to garner a crucial lead, but they were unable to capitalize.

Give Burke credit. With the game hanging in the balance, they flawlessly executed sets designed for their go-to players Jaimie McFarlin and freshman post player Emily Stallings. Teams like Burke don’t win 11 consecutive division titles without individuals who can play big in the most crucial moments of key contests. Given their unique status as a Catholic school with no geographical limitations on prospective talent, over the years Burke has had an unending stream of players who can rise to the occasion. McFarlin and Stallings did just that. Stallings drove through two defenders to break a 31-all overtime tie with 1:21 to go, and McFarlin’s great rebound and put-back of her own shot extended that late lead to four following a Sullivan West empty trip at the other end of the floor. Zelina Jones and Erica Arborn added late points to insure the 39-33 overtime victory. Make no mistake: the Eagles (16-2, 5-0 OCIAA) know they dodged a bullet.

Sullivan West coach Ron Bernhardt was very proud of his girls’ efforts. “They’re young. They’ve never been involved in anything like this before,” he said.

The game between the lines

Bearing no resemblance to the one-sided January 18 affair in Lake Huntington, which propelled Burke to a 45-17 drubbing of the Bulldogs, this game had all the markings of an upset. Stingy defense kept the game scoreless until April Ackermann hit a three-pointer with 4:45 to go in the first quarter. Burke’s only first-quarter points came from an arcing pass into the paint for Stallings, who put it right in. The Bulldogs never allowed Stallings another uncontested shot all night. Autumn Darder and Heather Lander gave the Bulldogs a heady 7-2 lead at the end of the first frame.

At the outset of the second quarter a nice feed from Heather Lander to Ackermann had the lead at a game-high seven, but Burke got right back in at 9-6. Lander stole the ball from Burke’s Amanda Orango and drove the floor for two. Orango answered right back with a bucket of her own. Ackermann’s basket made it 13-8 but Nicole Pena’s only three of the night made it 11-8. Pena hurt the Bullodgs in the first game with a trio of treys. She got some good looks but did have people running at her, unlike last time. Ackermann responded with a drive to the basket and a free throw to neutralize Pena’s three as the teams went into halftime with Sullivan West ahead at 16-11.

In the third frame, Stallings proved she could play the high post, hitting a nice jumper from the top of the key. McFarlin got the Eagles within one but an Ackermann basket made it 18-15. McFarlin’s turnaround jumper cut the lead once again but Ackermann stretched it to 20-17 with 5:55 remaining. Burke tightened the noose after a timeout and forced a Bulldog shot-clock violation.

After a series off misses by both teams, Stallings made one of two free throws, and Zelina Jones’ nifty jumper tied the game at 20. The teams battled scoreless for two minutes until Autumn Darder hit a beauty from eight feet out. After a steal by Sarah Lander, the feisty freshman drained a three-pointer as the shot clock wound down. The Bulldogs led 25-20 with 46 seconds remaining in the quarter. But the Eagles had the last word of the quarter when McFarlin fed Stallings in the post to end the period with the Bulldogs leading 25-22.

In the fourth quarter the teams played to a scoreless deadlock for three minutes before the game’s first defining moment occurred. With the shot clock buzzer about to sound, Darder fouled McFarlin, who made both free throws. The lead was cut to one. Stallings fouled Ackermann, who made one of two. Each team turned it over once, but the Bulldogs started to look tentative. Sensing the urgency, Stallings gave her team the lead with back-to-back shots and the Eagles led 29-26 before Sarah Lander tied the game with her second three-pointer.

That 29-all deadlock might have been broken as Ackermann went to the line for a one and one with 40 seconds remaining, but the miss gave Burke the ball back. Stallings miss of both of her free throws prevented a Burke regulation win. The Bulldogs smiled as the teams went into overtime.

At 2:49 of the four-minute overtime, Jones hit a 15-foot jumper and Burke led 31-29. Fanning’s shot wouldn’t go and a traveling violation sent the ball over to the Eagles. Sarah Lander tied the game at 31-all with 1:33 to go, but that would be it for the Bulldogs scoring. Stallings drove the lane and scored, and McFarlin got her own rebound and put up two more. Burke pressured the ball, and the Bulldogs couldn’t get a good look. Free throws by Stallings and Arborn iced the 39-33 win.

Though she didn’t score, Fanning was key in providing seven assists. Darder’s defense was huge, and Heather Lander did an admirable job at the point, fending off feisty Pena, who did manage to pick her pocket on occasion. Sarah Lander’s second-half shooting was riveting. A likely third contest between the two schools could come in the second round of the sectionals.

Burke coach Bob Turner noted, “It was our defense that kept us in this game in the first half. Coach Bernhardt did a great job preparing his team. We didn’t recognize some of his defenses and our players were standing around looking confused. Sullivan West will be tough for anybody in sectionals. They play good defense and they hustle,” said Turner. Sullivan West held Burke to a dismal 23 percent from the floor.

With his team leading 16-11 at the half, Bernhardt told his players, “This will be the most intense 16 minutes you’ll ever have.” It turned out to be 20. “Their press bothered us,” Bernhardt said. “They did a great job clearing out for their big girls at the end.”

Burke game preceded by a pair of easy wins over O’Neill and Monticello

In the run up to the Burke game, the Sullivan West Bulldogs easily rolled over James I. O’Neill on February 5 by defeating the Raiders 55-29. April Ackermann led all scorers with 14 points and Kate Fanning posted 12. Normally productive Elizabeth Cannon of O’Neill was held to eight points as the Bulldogs ran her to the outside and forced her out of her usual pattern of attack. The Bulldogs tore off an unprecedented 19-0 second-quarter run, holding O’Neill scoreless for the frame.

“We needed to have more patience,” noted Raiders coach Tom Mracek. O’Neill (7-8, 1-5 OCIAA) still has a chance to make sectionals and could be the Bulldogs’ opening-round opponent in the upcoming sectionals.

“We used a tandem and one defense on Cannon,” said Bernhardt. “We held them scoreless for 12:34 seconds and that is something,” he added. “This game was huge because if we lost we might have had to go down there (to Highland Falls) to play in the sectionals.”

On February 7, the Bulldogs had another easy go-round with Monticello, besting the Panthers 60-20. Ackermann led all scorers with 15 points. Heather Lander posted 11.

Nicole Christopher led Monticello with 12 points. Forcing countless turnovers, the Bulldogs’ defense created havoc with Monticello’s attempts to run their sets. “If we get organized and it’s all working, it’s a beautiful thing,” quipped Bernhardt. “We’re back up to playing .705 percent basketball,” he said. With the win, Bernhardt’s team tied last year’s win total at 13.