For the second year in a row, a Section IV powerhouse dashed the Bishop Ludden girls basketball team’s dreams of a state Class B championship.
The Gaelic Knights fell to Susquehanna Valley 47-35 in Sunday’s Class B regional final at Binghamton’s Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, an unhappy ending to Danielle Rauch’s tenure at Ludden that saw her claim the school’s all-time scoring record and lead her team to back-to-back Section III titles.
Rauch only managed six points, and her absence at a key stretch in the fourth quarter broke open a close contest largely defined by the way the Sabers’ defense interrupted most of what Ludden tried, holding them to 31.7 percent shooting from the field and outrebounding them by a 34-28 margin.
In Susquehanna Valley, 22-0 and no.2 in the state Class B rankings, Ludden was facing its most comprehensive test of the season, with multiple scoring threats all over the court and a defense that could disrupt any opponent.
For a Gaelic Knights determined to atone for its defeat to eventual state champion Seton Catholic in last year’s regional final, anything less than a great effort would not get rewarded.
The task for Rauch was getting guarded by the Sabers’ Tranisia Kennedy, but she solved it for a pair of early baskets, while Aurora Deshaies did the same despite the constant pressure from SV’s 6-foot-4 center, Maeve Donnelly.
With a 10-7 lead going to the second quarter, Ludden could find its most encouragement in its perimeter defense, which was forcing the Sabers into all kinds of bad shots that negated its early advantage on the boards.
Energized by this defense, the Gaelic Knights stretched it lead to 17-9 early in the second period. But SV’s defense began to assert itself and blanked Ludden for the last four minutes of the half as Donnelly, with 10 first-half points, helped the Sabers tie it, 19-19, by the break.
Things turned in SV’s favor during the third quarter, even though Donnelly went to the bench with three fouls. Forced into a string of turnovers, Ludden fell behind, and saw itself trailing 33-27 with one period left.
Then things got worse when, early in the fourth quarter, Rauch took a bad step and had to leave the game to tend to her left ankle.
Without her to worry about, the Sabers went on a pivotal 7-1 run to stretch its lead to 40-30, and while Rauch did return for the homestretch, it never got closer than seven points again.
Rauch and the rest of the starters made their final exit with 4.2 seconds to play, to a standing ovation from the Ludden fans who had traveled to Binghamton.
Deshaies, who had 15 points, was the only Ludden player to score in double figures. Hannah Haskell paced SV with 15 points as Donnelly got 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Sabers point guard Holly Manchester scored all nine of her points in the second half, adding nine assists as Alexis Drake added seven points and nine rebounds.
While Rauch’s departure to the University of Michigan will hurt, the Gaelic Knights return Deshaies, Katie Costello, Karleigh Leo, Lauren Petrie, Amarah Streiff and Kaitlyn Kibling in 2018-19, almost assuring that Ludden will have a great chance at a sectional three-peat and, perhaps, much more.
