The Colonie girls basketball team upset Albany 63-55, while Shaker outlasted Columbia 52-44 in overtime in the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals Monday, March 2.
At Bethlehem, Colonie (12-9) went on a 12-4 run in the second quarter to build a 27-19 halftime lead against Albany (17-3). The Falcons closed the gap to three points after the third quarter, but the Lady Raiders pulled away again in the fourth quarter to earn a berth in the Sectional semifinals.
Aliyah Wright had 22 points, Erin Fouracre contributed 16 points and Aliyah Massaconi added 15 points for Colonie, which made 22 of its 29 foul shots. Mylah Chandler led Albany with 24 points.
At Shenendehowa, Shaker (17-3) had a difficult time putting Columbia away. The Blue Bison took a 41-39 lead late in the fourth quarter on Becky Rossier’s layup, but Selena Lott drove for a layup at the other end to force overtime. Shaker then outscored Columbia 11-3 in the extra period to secure its place in the semifinals.
Rossier netted 23 points, and CeCe Mayo added 11 points for Shaker. Nastassja Johnston had 13 points, and Lott chipped in with 12 points for Columbia.
Shaker meets top-seeded Shenendehowa in one Sectional semifinal Thursday, March 5, at Hudson Valley Community College, while Colonie faces Bethlehem in the other semifinal. The championship game takes place Tuesday, March 10, at Albany’s Times Union Center.