It was no secret all season long that the Voorheesville girls’ basketball team, likes to play an uptempo game.
Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College, the Blackbirds found another team to run with them when they met Cambridge with the Class C championship on the line.
While Voorheesville may have gotten off to a slow start, the Blackbirds just kept on running and when the final buzzer sounded, they outlasted a pesky Cambridge team to take the title 56-53.
Voorheesville advances to play the Section X-Section VII winner Tuesday at SUNY Plattsburgh at 7:15 in a sub-regional game.
We are used to a pretty high-level intensity, uptempo game, and we got just that with Cambridge, Voorheesville coach Bob Baron said. `We knew we would have to play to the final whistle and take care of the basketball.`
Camridge opened the fourth quarter with a 16-9 run, taking a 51-50 lead. It was the first time since early in the opening period that the Indians had the lead.
It didn’t last long.
Brittanie Denman hit a three-pointer with 1:46 left to put Voorheesville ahead. Cambridge tied the game at 53 on a basket by Alexis Case with one minute left to play, but the Blackbirds held the Indians scoreless in the wild final 60 seconds.
Anna Feller’s short jumper in the lane put the Blackbirds up 55-53 with 47 seconds left. After a Cambridge miss and foul, Sarah Madden missed a free throw for Voorheesville, but junior guard Molly Lauver pulled down the rebound and was fouled. She converted the first end of a one-and-one to ice the victory.
`I just jumped as high as I could,` said Lauver who battled with Sandy Andrew for the ball. `If the rebound came to me, I just had to get it. My goal was to make both free throws, but I was happy to get the one.`
Denman finished with 20 points and Feller 11 for Voorheesville. Sara Tironi led Cambridge with 20 points and Molly Lauver had 14.
`I was just waiting for her (Denman) to have a breakout game,` said Baron, who quickly pointed out that his team has really stepped it up since losing leading scorer Jennifer Cillis with three games remaining in the season after an ACL tear. `What a great time for her to have such a great game.`
Both teams had difficulties handling the ball in the first half, with Voorheesville turning the ball over 15 times and Cambridge 11.
Voorheesville led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter and 23-22 at the half. The Blackbirds managed a 41-35 lead going into the final quarter. “