Girls basketball

Whirlwind

Red-hot Sullivan West blows by Tri-Valley in non-league mismatch

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — By the time this year is out, Tri-Valley and Sullivan West will have traded punches in a multitude of sports with each school holding bragging rights in some. This past fall, the Bears’ football and girls soccer teams held sway over the Bulldogs. In that gridiron triumph, the Bears wrested the Section Nine title away from their rival.

Tri-Valley’s boys and girls cross-country team won their Division V titles. Sullivan West’s boys did the same in Division IV. Despite their differing divisions, the schools clashed on an individual basis.

So far this winter, the teams are split in indoor track. Sullivan West’s girls are leading Tri-Valley, while the Bears boys are ahead of Sullivan West.

But then, there’s basketball.

Sullivan West has never lost to Tri-Valley in either girls or boys basketball. Last year, the Sullivan West boys handed the Bears their only regular-season defeat, breaking their 18-0 undefeated streak. Last week, the Bulldogs overcame a big halftime deficit to shock the Bears with a comeback win.

Such close games are not in the offing when the girls tip it up. Case in point: the Lady Bulldogs’ one-sided 84-20 demolition of Tri-Valley on January 15 in their annual non-league meeting. This year’s fray presented an even greater imbalance than last year’s Sullivan West 71-20 win in the Billy Moran Tournament.

Sullivan West is, and has been, the best girls team in Sullivan County for years, and it didn’t take long to remind Tri-Valley of that fact and repay their Lady Bear counterparts for losses suffered in soccer and in softball last spring as they roared out to a 30-4 first quarter lead. Their quarter tally surpassed their entire game output in their recent league loss to Burke.

Sarah Lander opened the scoring with a swishing three, the first of three that she would net in the opening frame where she scored 11 points. The red-hot shooter would later add another on her way to a game-high 14 points as she and other starters saw limited time in the ensuing blowout.

Katrina Graby scored six and Rachel Houghtaling netted seven, while Lindsey Murphy and Vicky Argueta added three points each, the former canning a swishing trey of her own.

Sullivan West’s pressure forced the Bears into numerous turnovers and took them completely out of their game plan. The Lady Bulldogs blocked shots and passes with authority and when Tri-Valley did get a shot off, it was hurried and well off the mark.

The blowout masked the fact that Tri-Valley has talented players of its own, including sophomore guard Kelly McNamara, freshman forward Jakki Pugh, senior center Kaylie Ackerley, senior guard Annaliese Hartman and sophomore guard Amanda Martin. Standout Skylar Musa is currently sidelined with a broken wrist.

The Lady Bulldogs led 56-8 at the half, despite the fact that Sullivan West coach Ron Bernhardt had already inserted his entire bench after pulling his starters after the first couple of minutes of the second quarter. Argueta led Sullivan West with six in the frame.

It was 72-11 after three, as the outcome was unaffected by the changing personnel on the floor. By game’s end, four of Sullivan West’s starters were in double figures. In addition to Lander’s 14, Graby and Houghtaling had 11, and Murphy had 10, as did Argueta. The Lady Bulldogs improved to 9-2, while the Bears fell to 4-6. Sullivan West got good efforts from its supporting cast that included Melanie Kleiner, Kristen Drobysh, Ella MacDonald, Samantha Vandiver and Lindsey Bauer.

Kathryn Schneyer and Kaylie Ackerley each had five points for Tri-Valley that had a similar win over Eldred earlier this season wherein they trounced the Lady Yellowjackets 70-34.

So what do coaches hope to gain from such one-sided affairs?

Tri-Valley coach Karen Andrews wanted her girls to keep working hard and try to keep their focus amid the maelstrom. They did just that.

The Lady Bears repaid Liberty by besting the Lady Indians 63-45 on January 18. Liberty got its only win of the year at the expense of Tri-Valley in overtime on January 11. Pugh scored a career-high 18 points in the win.

Bernhardt complimented Tri-Valley for its never-say-die effort. His team now faces a layoff until January 25 when they travel to Class C Tuxedo.

Bernhardt seeks to work on refining things for the stretch run and the playoffs. Up ahead lies a rocky road, and there is much to be done to prepare for the journey that will include a pair of frays with undefeated S.S. Seward, rematches with O’Neill and Burke and a final season game against Class AA Valley Central.

Making sectionals is not the issue, but the game against O’Neill could be crucial in terms of where the Lady Bulldogs are seeded.

With Seward and Tuxedo in their division, a sectional berth is a long shot for Tri-Valley, which is currently 1-2 in league play. They still have to play those schools again and if they beat Chester, they’d need to win one of those games to reach the postseason. As for Sullivan West and the ongoing rivalry, it will continue in indoor track and spill over to outdoor track. Spring will also bring a renewed opposition on the fields of softball and baseball.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game photos.