Of all the accomplishments and accolades gained by the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball program over the decades, one moniker – state champions – had not applied. Or at least it did not until Saturday night.
Claiming the prize that eluded them for so long, including back-to-back title-game appearances each of the last two years, the Red Rams routed Floral Park 82-37 in the state Class A final at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Instead of anguish, as it got when it fell to Pittsford Sutherland in 2014 and Williamsville South in 2015, there was nothing but exultation for J-D, who took charge from the opening tip and put together one of its best all-around efforts at the best time possible.
It didn’t matter much who was standing in J-D’s way. Floral Park, the Section VIII from Nassau County, Long Island, had survived a tough 61-55 state semifinal with Rye, and it shared a common thread with the Rams in that both were going after a first-ever state championship.
But the Knights had not gone through the heartbreaks J-D had endured, and that burning hunger to get the ending right, combined with its usual combination of skill and defensive prowess, would, at last, send the Rams to the summit.
Early omens were found in Meg Hair’s hot shooting touch. The star sophomore hit on a pair of 3-pointers, one of them banked into the net, as J-D sped out to a 17-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
That margin grew to 23-8 early in the second period before Floral Park began to stir. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Kaela Hilaire got the Knights involved, but the concern was brief as J-D clamped down again and, by halftime, had gained a 32-16 edge.
In no way was J-D content, though. Hair hit on two more 3-pointers early in the third quarter, and Carly O’Hern joined in the fun with a 3-pointer of her own to begin the runaway.
And it kept going from there, the Rams outscoring Floral Park 50-21 in the second half, continuing to add to its margin in the fourth quarter, even with its starters on the bench beginning to celebrate.
It only figured that all of J-D’s top players made major contributions to this historic victory. Hair finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. O’Hern earned a double-double, too, with 13 rebounds to go with her 10 points.
Kasey Vaughan chimed in with 12 points, with Jamie Boeheim getting 11 points and seven rebounds. Juila Kelner contributed nine points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Angela Bussone managed six points.
Most satisfying of all, four J-D seniors – Bussone, MaryKate Scheftic, Maddie Behan and Julia Fairbanks – were able to win their final high school games. Scheftic hit a 3-pointer and Fairbanks finished with four points, five rebounds and two steals, as Behan contributed a successful free throw.
And the story isn’t over yet. On Saturday morning at 9 a.m., J-D meets Herbert H. Lehman, the PSAL (New York City) champions in the New York State Federation tournament semifinals at Albany’s Times Union Center, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final against Staten Island Academy or Buffalo Sacred Heart.
