money 'I was open, so I took it.' Canandaigua girls advance to Class A final
TROY - If you’re a disciple of defense, then this Class A semifinal was heaven.
Aggression and disruption at both ends of the court was the overriding theme of Friday’s semifinal between Canandaigua and Manhasset but in the end, it was Canandaigua that pulled through for a 55-42 win at Hudson Valley Community College.
“We knew we’d have to play a lot of defense,” Canandaigua senior Liv Schorr said. “And we started out a little bit too hyped up but we took a deep breath and calmed down.”
YOUR CA BRAVES ARE HEADING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
55-42 winners over Manhasset. pic.twitter.com/qKNX3WXs4D— Bob Chavez (@MPN_bchavez) March 17, 2023
The final breath of relief didn’t come until the final minute. The Braves led the entire game, but their lead was just five points with 4:14 left.
But Canandaigua outscored Manhasset 16-8 the rest of the way, the run sparked by a pair of free throws from Eily Hubler and Schorr’s layup generated by her own steal. Manhasset responded with a basket but Julia Geitner’s 3-pointer gave CA a 10-point lead and even more admiration than she already had from teammates.
“Huge,” coach Mike Brennan said of the basket. “That’s the third game in a row she’s done that for us. The kid is apparently built different mentally. Those situations don’t faze her.”
What it means
The Braves (20-5) will play for the Class A state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday against Averill Park of Section II or Walter Panas of Section I.
Manhasset ends its season with a 24-2 record.
Key play
The 3-pointer from Geitner wasn’t her first of the game. It was her second and as huge as it was, her first was just as important.
It came with 4:32 left in the third quarter just 19 seconds after Manhasset made it a 23-20 game. And when Hubler followed with another 3 for a 29-22 lead, the Braves knew their perimeter game had not abandoned them.
And that was important considering the defensive tone of the game to that point in addition to Manhasset’s struggles from the floor. Manhasset was 1-for-18 from 3-point range and that 3-pointer was harmles in the final minute.
Herman jumper.
CA leads 4-0 midway through Q1. pic.twitter.com/wZsfFxDKff— Bob Chavez (@MPN_bchavez) March 17, 2023
“I knew we needed something,” said Geitner. “We needed a big shot and I was open, so I took it.”
Sounds easy.
“She’s so clutch,” said Schorr.
By the numbers
▶ Herman led CA with 14 points despite being faceguarded the entire game. Hubler added 13 and Kyleigh Chapman had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
▶ CA outrebounded Manhasset 36-25.
▶ Manhasset shot 32% for the game; Canandaigua shot 48%.
▶ Alexandra McIntire led Manhasset with 12 points and Nicoletta Tsiamis scored 11.
They said it
▶ Canandaigua coach Mike Brennan: “End of the third quarter, early in the fourth, we switched defenses. And that made me nervous. (Caitlin) Barrett is so fast and if we started to pressure her, it might lead to easy buckets.”
▶ Manhasset coach Lauren Sadeh: “A couple of shots fall our way, we’re having a different conversation right now.”
▶ Geitner: “We knew we had to keep moving the ball and our defense held us together.”
▶ Sadeh: “We were one or two possessions away from closing the gap … And sometimes they go down, sometimes they don’t. (Canandaigua’s) length was really tough for us.”
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: NY state girls basketball tournament scores: Canandaigua wins semifinal
