CORTLAND – On paper, Greene was regarded as one of the best Class C teams in New York State. It even rose to the number one ranking in the state. Now, the Trojans can prove that it deserved such lofty recognition.
Getting 17 points from Barb Borst and 16 from senior Megan McDermott, the Trojans advanced to the state semifinals for the second time in school history beating Bishop Grimes Saturday at SUNY Cortland, 41-31.
Greene (23-1) plays the present number one ranked team in the state, Nazareth, Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College. “We all understood when we were told we were number one, it was because of what we accomplished last year,” McDermott said, who added 13 rebounds, three steals, and three assists. “To be honest, I didn’t think we should have been number one because we had not done anything to put us there. Now we know we are where we should be, and we’ve earned it.”
Rough and tumble physical play didn’t make it easy for either team to score points. Bishop Grimes coach John Cifonelli said his team is used to playing “ugly” games – and this one certainly wasn’t pretty to watch unless you were a Greene fan. Cifonelli wasn’t, however, used to his team’s proliferation of turnovers The Lady Cobras lost their grip on the roundball to the tune of 26 miscues, and had just 35 total shot attempts for the game.
“The way both teams played defense, it wasn’t pretty,” Cifonelli said. “Greene was the better team today, but I would have loved if we had taken better care of the ball. I’m sure Greene had something to do with that.”
A critical juncture in the game occurred midway through the third quarter when Borst went to the bench with her third foul, and McDermott followed her to the pine shortly thereafter. In stepped Abbey Wentlent and Andrea Day into the lineup. Borst and McDermott had all but eight of their team’s points in the contest, but Wentlent and Day provided three critical points to help Greene actually extend the lead to seven points by quarter’s end, 32-25. Wentlent dropped in a reverse layup, and Day hit a free throw late in the period.
“When someone comes off the bench for us and helps as much as they do, it’s amazing,” McDermott said. “They give us a couple of minutes to breathe, and they play outstanding defense, even if they’re not scoring the points.”
The best the Cobras looked was in the opening eight minutes – before Greene adjusted defensively. Brooke Bonacci hit two outside shots, one a three ball, and Amanda Marcely – who plays much bigger than her listed 5-foot-7 height – added three inside hoops giving Grimes a 12-11 edge after a period.
McDermott and Borst took over for Greene in the second quarter. McDermott netted six points, and she pushed the ball up the floor at the end of the first half finding Borst in the quarter for a buzzer-beating three. Borst’s hoop unlocked a tie game and gave Greene a 22-21 lead. The Trojans never trailed in the second half.
“I don’t think anyone pushed the ball and attacked their defense like we did tonight,” said Greene coach Dave Gorton. “I feel we’re as athletic as any team in Class C, and why not do what we do best? I’ve always believed that you want to make the other team adjust to you.”
Erin Smith softened the Bishop Grimes defense with a three in the first half, Liz Wentlent was penetrating and distributing, and Borst scored 11 in the first half to fuel the offense.
