TROY – The Colonie girls jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter in the Class AA state quarterfinals on Saturday, March 9, but ended up losing to West Genesee 72-63.
The Section II champs were led by Erin Foreacre, the only senior starter the Garnet Raiders put on the floor, with 23 points. Aliyah Wright had 12 for Colonie and Alivia Paeglow had 11.
“I can’t say enough about our effort,” said Colonie coach Heather Fiore. “We played from start to finish, but they made some shots towards the end, in the second half. And we had a tough time stopping their point guard and they made some shots from the outside we didn’t get out on.”
Colonie had a 17-7 lead after one, but West Genesee, the Section III champs form outside Syracuse, went on a 7-0 run near the end of the half to pull within one and take over the momentum. The Wildcats then scored 51 points in the second half.
“I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish this season,” said Foreacre, who will play hoops at LeMoyne College next year. “We were the eight seed last year and we got knocked out in the first round and this year we won sectionals. It was a fun game to play and it was a fun way for me to end my high school career.”
West Genesee junior Mckenzie Smith led all scorers with 29 points while her sister Madison had 15 and Haley Collins had 11.
Check out our print edition for more on the game. Until then, click on a photo below to view a full size version of the rest.