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HCS Faces Familiar Sectional Foe in Sackets Harbor Sunday

Fri, Mar 04, 2011

HCS Faces Familiar Sectional Foe in Sackets Harbor Sunday

Which Sackets Harbor girls basketball team will show up at Utica Sunday?

Will the HCS Lady Emerald Knights -- 17-3 this year -- face the Sackets Harbor squad that scraped and clawed its way to a 39-31 win over sectional top seed Copenhagen this week? Or will Coach Jessica Poole's squad wind up playing for the Section III Class D championship against the Sackets Harbor squad that lost twice to New York Mills (which Hamilton beat two out of three times this year) in the regular season, including a 58-28 drubbing on Jan. 8?

Either way, when the tip-off for the title arrives at noon, Poole's players ought to be motivated by having a shot at redemption. It was Sackets Harbor that deprived Hamilton of what seemed to be a forgone conclusion in 2009.

That was Poole's first year as head coach, and the season that the Lady Emerald Knights had a perfect 21-0 regular season. Led by two monster shooters, Kylie Martin and Jess Brawn, Hamilton was the top seed. They breezed past Alexandria Bay ninth) and then overcame an always-tough Oriskany (fifth seed), but lost to Sackets Harbor, seeded second, 52-41.

Hamilton senior Jordan Peterson was a sophomore in that game and finished with 10 points. Katie Weeks, then a freshman, had five. Interestingly, Sackets' sisters Ashley and Amber Butcher, both sophomores, combined for 16 points that day.

These four players will have much to say about how Sunday's finals game ends up.

After beating New York Mills in the semifinals Wednesday night, Poole said that one of her team's goals will be to keep the Butchers in check. Amber Butcher has averaged 19.4 points per game (but had just 11 against Copenhagen), while sister Ashley has accounted for 8.1. But, it was the Patriots' defense that kept them in the game against top-seeded Copenhagen in their semifinals game.

At the other end of the court, Poole said she expects the Patriots to put in place a defense keyed  to her top scorers, Peterson (18.8 points per game) and Katie Weeks (averaging 12.4).The Hamilton coach suggested Sackets Harbor -- 13-7 this year -- could play a trinagle and two to try to control those two; that's what they played against Copenhagen.

But, like Sackets Harbor, Hamilton has others who can also score. Senior Sara Whyatt is averaging almost 10 points per game and three-point sniper Lauren Weeks has been good for more than seven points per game.

HCS' chances improve markedly if Katherine Keever and Kendall Rusch play like they did against NY Mills Wednesday. Both have been tough underneath for the Lady Knights all year, willing to hit the floor for loose balls and not back off when opponents have tried to force jump balls. And, each have hit key buckets to help keep Hamilton rallies going.

Poole also has a pair of youngsters off the bench, both playing beyond their years: Lauren Weeks and Hayleigh Hanson. Both saw significant playing time this year and both come from basketball pedigrees: Weeks' father Gary is HCS' JV coach and Hanson's dad Rick is the HCS modified coach and not long ago was on the sidelines of the girls varsity; her sister Hillary was part of the sectional champs last season.

How does Hamilton repeat?

  1. Contain the Butcher sisters.
  2. Continue getting solid leadership on the floor from girls who have played in big games before.
  3. Peterson, Katie Weeks and Whyatt share the scoring load as they did in the regular season.
  4. Katie and Lauren Weeks dial in shots from outside the three-point arc.
  5. Keever and Rusch stay strong underneath.
  6. Solid performances from their sixth and seventh girls off the bench, Hanson and Lauren Weeks.
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