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RFH 2010, Cover Stories, HCS Girls Basketball

Lady Knights Return to the Aud; Face Sackets Harbor Sunday

Thu, Mar 03, 2011

The HCS girls basketball team plays for the Section III Class D title Sunday, facing Sackets Harbor at noon at the Utica Aud. They got there by beating NY Mills 42-39 tonight.

Lady Knights Return to the Aud; Face Sackets Harbor Sunday

UTICA -- Even in the preseason HCS girls basketball Coach Jessica Poole knew this year's was a special team, one capable of doing great things. Poole's third-seeded Lady Emerald Knights made good on their coach's confidence by staying poised and beating perennial nemesis New York Mills 42-39 in the sectional semifinals tonight at Proctor High School. Mills was the second seed.  

"Our goal was to get back to the aud," said Poole. "I knew we had it in us to do that." 

For the third time in as many years, the HCS girls basketball team will play for the Section III Class D championship facing Sackets Harbor at noon on Sunday at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Hamilton lost to Sacket's Harbor in the finals two years ago.

Katie Weeks made a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to give HCS the opportunity to defend the sectional title it won a year ago. She finished the game with 14 points, including three threes.

Much earlier in the game senior Jordan Peterson gave the Hamilton fans a hint that this might well be a special night. She hit a three-point shot at the buzzer ending the first period. That shot game HCS a 13-7 lead.

Four minutes into the second period, it was Weeks' turn to drain a three to put HCS ahead by 10, 20-10. But, that would prove to be the Lady Knight's biggest lead of the Knight.

Mills converted on a couple of very timely steals in the final minutes of the half, to tighten things up. They made it a four point game, hitting a layup with just two seconds eft in the half.

The second half began with HCS up 20-16 and NY Mills in an aggrevating press. By the 1:08 mark of the third period, Mills briefly tied the score at 29.

HCS was up 31-29 at the start of the fourth period and went up by as much as 38-33 with 3:30 to play. Mills was strong on the offensive boards, but could not seem to capitalize on that advantage.

With Hamilton holding a slim 39-38 advantage, Weeks went to the foul line with 1:12 left to play. She made the front half of a one-and-one to make it 40-38, and Mills had a chance to tie it with their own trip to the the foul line with 33 seconds to play, but made just one of the two tries.

Weeks was bringing the ball up the court and was fouled at the 14-second mark and the score at 40-39. The junior calmly made both free throws to give the Lady Knights a three-point edge. Mills missed a shot when it got the ball and time ran out.

"It's always battle when we play them," Poole said of New York Mills. The two teams split during the regular season, both winning at home.

And, in this particular battle, HCS had the soldiers to win it.

Poole praised the leadership of seniors Sara Whyatt, who scored four points and anchored the HCS defense, and Patterson, who finished with 15 points, for helping the team handle the pressure of the big game. She also singled out Kendall Rusch, who had what Poole called "two huge shots in the first half" to help keep the momentum in HCS' favor. 

Hamilton's scoring was rounded out by Katherine Keever with two and Lauren weeks with one three-pointer.

 

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