Averill Park’s Katie Duma scored 22 points to help clinch the state Federation Class A championship. (Damion Reid)
GLENS FALLS – Nichols spent a good portion of its playoff run knocking off teams that had already beaten them. Jamesville-Dewitt, its opponent in the New York State Federation final, was one of the squads that had already taken down the Vikings, but without Ronald Canestro because of a broken finger.
“I really wanted to get a chance to play them because I knew how great a team they were,” Canestro said. “I got my opportunity finally.”
The Nichols senior made sure he didn’t waste his and his team’s chance to again avenge themselves. He scored a game-high 23 points, including three 3-pointers, a grabbed six boards to help lead the Vikings past Jamesville-Dewitt, 65-43, for the school first New York State Federation Class A boys basketball title Saturday at the Glens Fall Civic Center. The Red Rams won the first meeting, 71-66, on Jan. 29.
“We had a little more confidence knowing we play them tight without him and we had one of the best players in our area coming back,” said senior William Regan, who scored 21 points and grabbed 12 boards.
The Virginia-bound forward, who was named the tournament MVP, helped hold Jamesville-DeWitt’s 6-foot-9 DaJuan Coleman, a man child of a forward, to just 12 points and 11 rebounds after he had 23 points and tournament-record 31 rebounds in the semifinals.
Stan Wier scored 17 points and hit three 3-pointers to bring his tournament total to nine, one shy of tying the record, for Nichols (24-7). Tyler Cavanaugh added 11 points for Jamesville (25-1), which was shutout in the fourth quarter.
“I tried to play my best game tonight,” Canestro said. “This was our last game, our last opportunity to show what we good and just came through.”
Duma, Averill Park win first state title: Katie Duma was trying to run out the clock along the left side when Averill Park teammate Brittany O’Shea went for a premature celebratory hug.
Duma fended her off and a St. Anthony’s defender caused her to be fouled, sending her to the line with less than five seconds to play and a New York State Federation Class A title well in hand. It allowed the raucous Warriors’ crowd to give their star one final ovation after she scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds.
“We are best friends and these guys mean the world to me,” she said. “To do it with this group of girls is just amazing.”
The Warriors’ 60-48 win over St. Anthony’s in the Class A girls basketball final at the Glens Falls Civic Center gives the school its first-ever state Federation title. It also completed a season that saw them hold on as the state’s top-ranked A team from wire to wire. Coach Sean Organ said his team did not “drink its own Kool Aid” all year but the Averill Park (26-1) players embraced the bull’s eye.
“We loved it,” Duma said. “Our fans loved it, the kids in school, teachers.”
The Holy Family-bound guard led a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that opened the game up. Michela Ottati, who had 14 points, started it with a 3-pointer and Duma capped it with a wide-open trey to make it 43-32 with six minutes left in the game. Carolyn Lizza lead St. Anthony’s, which had four players hurt in a car accident earlier in the season, with 10 points. The Friars finish 24-7. The Warriors’ only loss was by one point to Colonie on Feb. 11
“Our job as a coach our job is always trying to look for what you can do better, what adjustments I can make,” Organ said. “Once we got down to five and 10 seconds I started to realize that this could be it. When that buzzer sounded it was like, ‘Wow. We just completed a great great run.’”
Maher gets double dip: The Irvington girls basketball team made it a special day for longtime coach Gina Maher. It beat St. Mary’s (Lancaster) 72-47 for its first state Federation Class B title since 1990 and then it celebrated Maher’s induction into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. Tara Gabelman led all scorers with 31 points for Irvington. St. Mary’s guard Raeann Stillwell, who set the Class B single-game record with 38 points in the semifinals, had just 15 against Irvington.
Boys All-Tournament teams: Collegiate’s Will Pagano, Westhill’s Dan Ross, Queens HS of Teaching’s Bryce Elie and Troy Singleton and St. Mary’s of Lancaster’s Vince Kazmierczak were named to the boys Class B squad. Collegiate Will Bartlett was the MVP for the second straight year. The Class A team was made up of Bedford’s Brent Jones, LuHi’s Hart Gliedman, Jamesville DeWitt’s Dajuan Coleman along with Canestro and Wier of Nichols.
