Frank Speziale Photo
CORTLAND – With 10.9 seconds remaining, the always large and electric fans of the Lady Bobcats roared to a standing ovation as they knew the Bainbridge-Guilford squad secured their first Section IV Championship since the ‘98-’99 season with a final over the Watkins Glen Senecas, 59-48.
In a situation that they have been in the last four years, the Bobcats entered the game knowing this year was going to be different as they were facing the defending Class C state champs.
Talking with B-G’s head coach Bob Conway before the game he said, “We have been struggling the last four weeks and haven’t been playing up to our potential. I think today, you’ll see a different team.”
The Senecas quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead after Ryanna LaMoreaux scored the rim on the first possession of the game and followed it up with a three.
But like they have done most of the season, Bainbridge-Guilford answered with a three of their own. The first came from the hand of Jill Cannistra, two feet outside the three-point arc.
One trip up the floor later, Abi Selfridge got the bucket and the trip to the foul line. Making the free-throw and just like that, the game was tied again.
To end the quarter, Watkins Glen assumed they had the lead after Hannah Morse scored in the paint but Cannistra again answered the call to knock down a big shot. She once again did it from deep beyond the arc and gave the Bobcats the 9-8 lead into the second.
In the second stanza, Bainbridge-Guilford started to settle in a little bit as they took a 17-11 lead. The run was led by the Bobcats Megan Palmatier as she was doing whatever she needed to. To make the score 15-11, Palmatier drew two defenders near the rim. With the head’s up play, she found her teammate, Macie Leizear cutting to the rim. Leizear caught the pass and laid it in.
Watkins Glen called a timeout, attempting to kill the B-G momentum. And it worked.
At 3:39, both Abi and Erica Selfridge went to the bench with two fouls, putting the Senecas in the bonus for fouls.
Just 30 seconds later, Watkins Glen took a 18-17 lead.
The last three minutes went back-and-forth, each team exchanging basket for basket. The Seneca’s went into the half with a two point lead.
But Conway wasn’t upset in the locker room.
“I told them at halftime, we had them right where we wanted them,” Conway said. “We were down two and I said the only reason we’re down two is Hannah Morse got in the paint three times, scored, and created an assist because we didn’t play good defense. Erica [Selfridge] was sitting on the bench. I said she can’t score against you, Erica.”
The third quarter started right where the second left off, both teams exchanging points. With four lead changes in the third, the game was going to come down to who could come up big when the time was right.
With 2:30 left in the quarter, Abi Selfridge went to the bench with her fourth foul. But that didn’t shake the Bobcats as Erica Selfridge and Kori Thornton knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, giving Bainbridge-Guilford a six point lead.
With the final eight minutes to play, the Bobcats held a five point lead.
Even through the first three minutes of the quarter, when Watkins Glen went on a 6-2 run, there was no panic shown by the ladies from Bainbridge-Guilford.
