True, it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t smooth and polished, and it included a serious personnel loss just days before the goal was accomplished – not to mention a long and unprecedented delay in the proceedings.
But when all was done Saturday at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall, the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball team was, for the sixth year in a row, Section III Class A champions – and again had earned it at Whitesboro’s expense.
The fifth consecutive sectional final between the Red Rams and Warriors ended like the first four did, with J-D on top by what seemed like a comfortable margin.
Yet the 55-37 score in no way reflected the battle to get to that winning cushion, as Whitesboro spent much of the game perched within single digits, only to have the Rams engineer the necessary late-game surge to put it away.
Facing enough of a challenge from a Whitesboro side sporting a 20-1 record and no. 4 state ranking, J-D, who was no. 3 in those same rankings, suffered a huge blow Wednesday when point guard Kasey Vaughan injured her ankle in practice.
Though the extent of Vaughan’s injury is unknown, it’s possible that she could miss the rest of the post-season.
“Kasey is our coach on the floor,” said J-D head coach Rob Siechen. “But we have other kids who can step up.”
Between them, freshman Gabby Stickle and eighth-grader Momo LaClair split Vaughan’s duties, and it took a while for the Rams to find its offensive rhythm against Whitesboro.
However, the defense remained stellar, forcing the Warriors into a series of early turnovers as it couldn’t take advantage of the Rams’ short-handed lineup. What’s more, it forced Whitesboro’s top forward, Allie Belmont, into picking up her fourth foul in the second quarter.
Forward Julia Kelner took full advantage, netting 10 consecutive points, mostly on strong drives into the paint, and that surge accounted for J-D’s 25-14 halftime lead.
“I just saw the open lanes and took them,” said Kelner.
Then Kelner, and everyone else, had to wait. Normally, halftime takes 10 minutes, but with the state cheerleading championships going on and the Town of Onondaga Police trying to resolve parking problems around the OCC campus, the delay before the second half lasted more than 35 minutes.
Despite the long delay, both teams handled it well. Kelner said she tried to think of anything but the game, working on drills to pass the time.
Once things finally resumed, Whitesboro whittled away at J-D’s lead, and were within five, 33-28, late in the third quarter when junior Meg Hair drilled a crucial 3-pointer to restore some of the margin.
Hair, who finished with 17 points, struck again midway through the final period from beyond the arc after the Warriors cut the Rams’ margin to 40-33, and Whitesboro never got close again.
“Meg is not afraid to take big shots,” said Siechen.
Between Kelner, who had 16 points, and Jamie Boeheim, who got 13 points, J-D’s forwards took full advantage of the absence of Belmont, who fouled out early in the final period. Gianna Gotte led Whitesboro with 12 points.
Now the Red Rams return to the state Class A tournament it won a year ago, and are back at Allyn Hall next Saturday to face the Section II/X champion in the regional finals for a berth in the March 18-19 state final four at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
