Girls basketball: Millbrook tops Carle Place to reach Class C state semifinals

It gnawed at the players the previous two years, around this time, a belief that nature cost them a chance at two state championships.

The Millbrook girls basketball team was rolling in 2020, after capturing a third straight Section 9 title and having just won a regional semifinal. They were a round away from the state final four, and were a favorite to win their second state championship in three seasons. But COVID-19 brought scholastic sports, and the world, to a standstill.

The pandemic still was a major concern when basketball resumed in winter 2021. The season was played absent a sectional or state tournament which, for Millbrook, felt like another missed opportunity.

What buoyed the Blazers, though, was the fact their core was made up mostly of underclassmen. That meant the group still had time. In this regard, they could wait out the universe.

Now, it appears, it’s their time.

On the two-year anniversary of the state tournament being halted, Millbrook took another step toward proving true what had been suggested since that day, earing another trip to the state final four.

Four in a row: Millbrook dominates Chester to win fourth straight Section 9 title

Squabbling sisters: How Millbrook's Natalie Fox benefits from Marist's Erin Fox

Madison Harkenrider had 12 points and five assists, and Natalie Fox had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Blazers in a 51-43 win Saturday over Section 8’s Carle Place in the Class C regional final at Hofstra University.

Millbrook (21-3) will face Section 5's East Rochester in the state semifinals next Saturday, 9 a.m. at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Ella Wilson added 10 points, Emily Grasseler nine points and 10 rebounds, Beth Bosan scored seven points, and Kaleigh Tompkins had six assists for the Blazers.

“I'm happy for the kids,” Millbrook coach Adam Peek said. “They're feeling good about themselves and they’re really excited to be back in this position. I'm one of the lucky coaches; I’ve got a great group of girls.”

A group that finally was tested in the second half of a playoff game. Millbrook had dominated each of its previous small-school opponents by an average margin of 39.8 points, but they led by only two after three quarters against Carle Place of Long Island.

“They had been a really good Class B team for years,” Peek said of Carle Place, which had won three straight Long Island Class B titles before an enrollment dip dropped them to Class C. “We knew it'd be a tough game against them.”

The teams were tied at 20 at halftime and Millbrook led 35-33 entering the fourth quarter. But the Blazers defense held Carle Place to 10 fourth-quarter points, controlling the paint and disrupting their outside shooters.

Amanda Leary scored 16 points and Renee Burden had 13 for the Frogs (17-5).

Carle Place is a perimeter-oriented team that relied heavily on jump shots and hit 108 threes before this game. Harkenrider, Wilson and Bosan did well contesting those shots and their front line of 6-foot-3 Natalie Fox and 6-foot-1 Emily Grasseler dominated the boards.

“Rebounding was a big key for us,” Peek said. “If could limit their 3-point attempts to one shot and not give them put-backs, we knew could do well. On offense, we did a good job of sharing the ball and our scoring was balanced.”

This weekend's snowstorm forced the postponement of other regional finals, but the Blazers traveled to Long Island on Friday and booked a hotel in Hempstead, near Hofstra.

They’ll be making travel arrangements again in the coming days, which is what they’re used to around this time. Well, except the previous two years.

“All groups bring a different personality and feel, but they're both very competitive,” Peek said, comparing this team to his senior-laden state championship squad in 2018. “The biggest similarity is their competitive spirit and how badly they want to win.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls basketball: Millbrook earns third straight trip to state semis