Though the venue changed, the result was the same.
Again, the Jamesville-DeWitt girls basketball team, fresh off a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A championship, sought to add the crown at the Federation Tournament of Champions, reaching the finals against Staten Island Academy.
And just like the 2016 Federation final at Albany’s Times Union Center, the Red Rams were denied by the Tigers, falling 47-43 in a tense game at Glens Falls Civic Center where J-D saw most of its top players get into deep foul trouble, yet nearly pull it out.
Though it only had a seven-player roster, SIA was going after its third consecutive Federation title, and having seen J-D before, it knew the key to stopping the Rams was making sure its forward tandem of Jamie Boeheim and Julia Kelner did not control the paint, or let guard Meg Hair find her rhythm from the perimeter.
The pace was torrid at the outset, but that’s just what SIA wanted as it grabbed an 18-14 lead. Then the defenses settled in, with the Rams’ zone forcing the Tigers outside (it didn’t make a 3-pointer all game) and J-D rarely finding open looks anywhere against SIA’s man-to-man pressure.
J-D shot 53 percent from the field in the half, but Kelner was neutralized and SIA managed to outrebound the rams 13-9. What’s more, Hair picked up her third foul with 3:19 left in the second quarter, though Boeheim, with her nine points, helped the Rams stay in touch and it only trailed by one, 25-24, at the break.
In the opening 45 seconds of the third quarter, SIA threatened to get away, scoring six quick points off steals and fast-break baskets. Now trailing 31-24, J-D had to use a time-out to regroup, and it did, thanks to eighth-grader Momo LeClair.
Sinking a pair of 3-pointers, LaClair erased most of the Rams’ deficit, and it proved even more valuable when Hair again had to go to the bench with her fourth foul later in the period.
Just like before, J-D did not panic, continuing to make key stops until Hair returned in the fourth quarter and, with four big points, cutting SIA’s lead to a single point. They would stay that close until the homestretch.
With both defenses so effective and field goals difficult to attain, it came down to free throws. Twice in the last two minutes, J-D, trailing by three, had opportunities to move closer, only to see Kelner, and then Hair, miss four consecutive free throws. SIA’s Liz Althoff would sink the clinching foul shot with 4.8 seconds left.
Boeheim finished with 13 points to lead J-D, just ahead of Hair (12 points) and LaClair (11 points). Althoff’s clinching free throw gave her a game-high 14 points as Claire Mitchell contributed 13 points.
A day earlier, J-D had got to the title game with relative ease a day earlier, routing Kellenberg, the Catholic High School Athletic Association champions, 62-31 in the Federation semifinals.
It only proved close in the first quarter, Kellenberg only trailing 17-10 before the Rams scored seven points in 90 seconds early in the second period to begin the getaway. By halftime, it was 33-18, and J-D kept adding to that margin in the second half, controlling the game on both ends.
Earning a double-double, Boeheim finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Kelner also thrived in the paint, earning 13 points as LaClair began her strong weekend of work with 11 points, most of it from three 3-pointers. Angela Bussone had six points.
The defeat in the Federation final left J-D at 22-6 overall, tested throughout the winter but still emerging as back-to-back NYSPHSAA champions, even after losing starting point guard Kasey Vaughan to an ankle injury during the sectional playoffs.
