Prior to Saturday night, it had never taken place – namely, a no. 13 seed winning a Section III basketball championship.
But the Bishop Grimes girls had an opportunity to pull it off and complete an improbable post-season journey when it faced no. 2 seed South Jefferson in last Saturday night’s Class B sectional final at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall.
And like it had done throughout this five-game gauntlet, the Cobras gave an all-out effort, only faltering because it ran into a superior opponent in the Spartans that wasn’t about to give up the title it won in 2019.
South Jefferson prevailed 55-43, the score not quite telling just how well Grimes played, especially when it nearly erased a double-digit deficit and, late in the third quarter, stood poised to go out in front.
Already in the sectional tournament, Grimes had shut down Clinton, gone on the road to top no. 4 seed and Adirondack and no. 5 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill and, on this same OCC floor, stunned top seed Oneida in the semifinals.
South Jefferson, the defending sectional champions, had gone through its own semifinal scare, blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to no. 3 seed Marcellus before Jackie Piddock’s nine points in the final minute allowed the Spartans to escape.
Piddock would have a central role on this night, too.
All seemed normal early for the state no. 2-ranked Spartans, who powered out in front 16-9 by the end of the first quarter with a combination of consistent scoring and it usual mix of defensive looks.
The second period showed that the Cobras were not going to surrender, even when its leading scorer, Lora Marial, had to exit the game with an injury.
Scrambling everywhere, Grimes cut South Jefferson’s margin to 25-20 by halftime, and energized by Marial’s return, it traded baskets with the Spartans early in the second half, too.
Things got decided here. Still trailing 33-27, the Cobras got a basket and, when Marial hit on a long 3-pointer, South Jefferson’s lead was down to one, 33-32, and it used a time-out.
It was here that Piddock resumed her central role, hitting on four consecutive points before Megan Whitley converted and the Spartans took a 41-34 edge to the final period.
From there, Piddock kept on adding to her total and, while doing so, helped South Jefferson pull clear. Of Piddock’s 28 points, 22 of them were scored in the second half as Whitley added 10 points.
Only Naywel Ayeil, with 12 points, scored in double figures for Grimes as Rhonee Shea Pal had nine points, Jenna Sloan got seven points and Marial had six points.
