Round one goes to the Shenendehowa Plainswomen.
Bre O’Dell sank the go-ahead jump shot with less than 30 seconds left to lift Shen past Colonie 47-43 in Friday’s Suburban Council Blue Division girls basketball game in Clifton Park.
It feels great, said O’Dell, who finished with a team-high 16 points. `We’ve been looking forward to this night all season. To win this feels great.`
Colonie (7-1 league, 11-1 overall) rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to take a 38-33 lead early in the fourth quarter, but clutch baskets down the stretch from O’Dell, Sarah Waltersdorf and Kelsey Allen helped Shen (8-0, 10-1) pull out the victory.
`The outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, but I can’t fault them for their heart,` said Colonie coach Karen Bonitatibus.
Shen’s defense took Colonie out of its game plan early on by focusing on the Lady Raiders’ leading scorer, Logan Pintka. The Plainswomen double-teamed Pintka every time she had the ball and forced her to either pass to a teammate or miss a shot. By halftime, Pintka had only two points, both of which were the result of free throws.
`That was all (assistant) coach Joe Murphy,` said Shen head coach Ken Strube. `He did a great scouting job on Colonie, and he devised a great game plan to take her shots away.`
O’Dell and Waltersdorf helped Shen build a 27-18 halftime lead with strong first quarter performances. The two seniors combined for 12 of their team’s 16 points in the opening period, and O’Dell added four points in the second quarter to finish with 11 points in the half.
Colonie found its shooting touch in the third quarter. The Lady Raiders outscored Shen 14-4, buoyed by a pair of three-pointers from senior guard Stephanie Sweeney. Taylor Amarando added a free throw with 12 seconds left to give Colonie a 32-31 lead entering the fourth quarter.
`We settled down offensively and made the extra pass (to create open shots),` said Bonitatibus. `Defensively, we made some successive stops.`
Colonie built its lead to five points before Shen rallied. Waltersdorf and Barb Shea each drove for layups, and Waltersdorf added a free throw to tie the game at 38 with 4:01 left. Pintka briefly gave Colonie a one-point lead by making a free throw, but O’Dell hit a three-pointer to put Shen ahead 41-39.
`Once we got back our composure, we got back in our groove,` said O’Dell.
Colonie tied the game twice in the last two minutes, but when O’Dell followed a missed three-pointer with a long jump shot with 25 seconds left, Shen had the lead for good.
`At the end of the game, we were getting the stops, but offensively we weren’t making the extra pass, and we started forcing up shots,` said Bonitatibus.
Allen sealed Shen’s victory in the final 20 seconds. She forced a Colonie turnover near midcourt, and after getting the ball from Serita Holland off the resulting scramble, she made a layup to put the Plainswomen up four points.
`I was off all game,` said Allen, who scored all of her four points in the final minute. `I finally came through at the end.`
`Kelsey Allen may be one of the best-kept secrets until tonight,` said Strube. `She’s one of those kids kind of like Logan Pintka in that she can take it to the hoop, and she’s very athletic.`
Waltersdorf contributed 13 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, and Shea added eight points for Shen. Sweeney scored 12 points, Amarando chipped in 11 points and Pintka added 10 points for Colonie.
The two teams meet again Feb. 9 in the final Suburban Council game of the regular season at Colonie, where Strube said he expects another battle.
`It’s a great step for (my players), but it’s only halfway through the season,` he said.“
