The Bethlehem girls basketball team defeated defending Section 2 champion Shenendehowa and defending regional champion Cicero-North Syracuse to reach the Class AA state semifinals.
Playing the defending state champions proved to be too difficult for the Lady Eagles, though.
Ossining built a 20-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in beating Bethlehem 70-54 Friday, March 20, at Hudson Valley Community College.
“That’s hands down the most athletic team we’ve played all season, and they took advantage of their abilities,” said Bethlehem coach Matt Bixby.
Ossining (Section 1) ran Bethlehem ragged throughout the game by pushing the ball quickly up the court and driving to the basket. When the Pride failed to convert on their layups, especially in the first half, they were fouled by Bethlehem players racing back to defend them.
“We got caught up in the pace of the game, and more specifically we got caught up in their pace,” said Bixby.
“That’s our game – we run,” said Ossining coach Dan Ricci. “We try to get the first basket we can.”
Ossining focused on the Giacone sisters, in particular. The Pride ran right at senior forward Gabby Giacone, which led to her picking up three fouls by the early stages of the second quarter. Then in the second half, they kept the elder Giacone in check by putting two defenders on her whenever she got near the basket.
“We felt they had two studs, and if we could get one of them into foul trouble, then we’d be in good shape,” said Ricci.
Jenna Giacone did what she could to keep Bethlehem in the game, as she scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. However, the junior also got into foul trouble and fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
Kaylee Rickert also played a significant role for Bethlehem, as the senior guard led the way with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field.
“She stepped up for us,” said Bixby. “She was battling a sinus infection, which makes what she did all that more remarkable.”
However, every missed shot the Lady Eagles had almost always bounced into the hands of an Ossining player, as the Pride out-rebounded Bethlehem 41-27. And the Lady Eagles missed a lot of shots, making only 33 percent of their field goals and hitting only one out of their 16 three-point shot attempts.
“We had open looks. We just never got in an offensive flow,” said Bixby.
Still, Bethlehem battled Ossining to the end. The Lady Eagles pulled within 13 points of the Pride in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit to 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter before Ossining went on a 5-0 run to put the game out of reach.
“We played much better in the second half, but for every good run we had, they had an answer for it,” said Bixby.
Jalay Knowles scored 25 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, while Shadeen Samuels contributed 14 points and Stefanie Svoboda added 13 points for Ossining. Knowles’ performance was only a sign of things to come, as she poured in 45 points to lead the Pride past Rush-Henrietta 76-54 Saturday, March 21, for Ossining’s third straight state title.
Bethlehem now braces for an off-season in which it graduates eight seniors including four starters – Rickert, Gabby Giacone, Olivia Hughes and Erin O’Donnell.
“I can’t say enough (about the seniors),” said Bixby. “My last message to them was thank you for this. They have built this program with me, and they’ve left a legacy that won’t be soon forgotten.”
Bethlehem will have three veterans to build around next season in Jenna Giacone, sophomore Emily Wander and freshman Maggie Kirby. Jenna Giacone was second to her sister Gabby in scoring average, while Wander and Kirby were key contributors off the bench.
“Obviously we have a huge graduating class, but when you look at what we have coming back, we’ll be the only team in the section with players who played in the state final four,” said Bixby. “And our JV team was 18-0 this season. So when you look at what we have, our future is looking bright.”
