TROY – Having already reached a pinnacle not seen in 35 years, the Liverpool girls basketball team wanted to take it two steps further and make the best kind of history with a state Class AA championship.
Earning it required the Warriors to top Section I’s White Plains in Friday night’s state AA semifinal, but it could not overcome a rough start in a 57-46 defeat to the Tigers.
In her final game before heading to St. John’s next fall, senior forward Neveah Wingate did all that she could, pouring in 21 points, much of it in the early stages, and adding 10 rebounds.
But no other Warriors player scored in double figures, and by the time it was able to get the rest of its offense on track, Liverpool was far behind, a direct result of the size, athleticism and defensive pressure White Plains’ guards put on them from the moment the game started.
Aliya McIver led the Tigers, especially on defense, where she accumulated 14 steals as part of a rare triple-double that also included 13 points and 10 assists. That complemented 21 points from Ineivi Plata and 11 points from Sequoia Layne.
Like Liverpool, White Plains had never won a state title, so whoever won this game would get a chance to have that ultimate breakthrough in Saturday’s final against Webster Schroeder.
Having waited all day for a late (past 8 p.m.) tip-off time, Liverpool had a difficult time establishing its offense, not getting a field goal for nearly six minutes before Wingate converted on a three-point play late in the first quarter.
White Plains led 12-6 going to the second, and then took charge with its offense, having its way against a normally stingy Warriors zone defense and gaining a series of baskets both inside and outside.
It left Liverpool trailing 32-17 at the break, but all through the season the Warriors had put together massive scoring outbursts against opposition of all quality, and it happened here, too, at least in the third quarter.
Picking up its pace and finding some seams in the Tigers’ defense, Liverpool ate away at White Plains’ margin and were within single digits, 40-31, heading into the final period.
However, the Warriors could not sustain that run long enough to make the Tigers sweat in the game’s late stages, nor could it find anyone who could take defensive attention off Wingate.
Janea Hamilton-Brown matched Jakeira Stackhouse, each of them getting seven points, while A’briyah Cunningham gained six points.
