Sure, it took a late-game comeback and yes, it was accomplished by a roster lacking any seniors in its starting five, but the facts are the same – for the first time since 2003, the Westhill girls basketball team has a Section III Class B championship in its possession.
Mary Kate Washburn’s three-point play with 8.9 seconds left sent Saturday’s sectional final against South Jefferson at SRC Arena into overtime, and the Warriors then scored the first seven points of the extra period to take charge and eventually beat the Spartans 56-48.
“This is a team that really believes in each other,” said freshman forward Mackenzie Martin.
“We were resilient,” said Westhill head coach Sue Ludwig.
Toughness was needed against South Jefferson, a team that, quite often in the last 12 years, had thwarted Westhill’s championship dreams.
Led by guard Clarissa Perry, who scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in the second half and OT, the no. 2 seed Spartans erased a 25-17 halftime deficit and led through large portions of the third and fourth quarters.
Trailing by four, 40-36, Westhill pulled within one on Mackenzie Martin’s three-point play, only to have Perry answer with a driving basket seconds later that made it 42-39, and there it stayed until a tense final minute.
Twice, the Warriors were fouled on shot attempts, only to see Washburn and Delaney Martin miss four consecutive free throws, which kept the margin at three.
When Perry was fouled with 19.9 seconds to play, Westhill needed her to miss – and she did, giving the Warriors yet another opportunity. And this one wasn’t wasted.
Washburn had the ball on the right side. She said her option was either to drive to the basket or kick out to an open shooter. Choosing to drive, Washburn hit a lovely running shot high off the glass – and got fouled with 9.9 seconds left.
Having missed two from the line just seconds earlier, Washburn had to make this one – and did, tying the game at 42-42. Not taking a time-out, the Spartans got two shots to win it at the end of regulation, but both of them rolled off the rim.
Now, said Delaney Martin, the trick was not to get too excited going into OT.
“We had to stay cool, calm and collected, and play our game,” she said.
That, said Ludwig, involved regaining the initiative the Warriors gained when it outscored South Jefferson 18-6 in the second quarter after the Spartans took an early lead.
“We went into a lull in the second half,” said Ludwig. “But in the overtime, we became the aggressor.”
Morgan Elmer’s 3-pointer early in the OT was quickly followed by baskets from Katelyn Karleski and Delaney Martin, which gave Westhill a 49-42 lead. South Jefferson never got closer than a five-point margin.
Washburn, named the sectional tournament MVP, had 14 points. Elmer, again hitting big shots, had 13 points, with Karleski, Mackenzie Martin and Delaney Martin earning nine points apiece.
Next Saturday at Colgate University, Westhill will meet Section IV champion Susquehanna Valley in the Class B regional playoffs, with the winner advancing to the March 20-21 state final four at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
“This (sectional title) could be the start of a great journey for us,” said Washburn.
