BALDWINSVILLE – Just when it was needed – a timely shot here, a key defensive stop there – the Baldwinsville girls basketball team provided it and, by doing so, kept its season alive for at least one game more.
The Bees battled past Rome Free Academy 43-42 in Thursday night’s Section III Class AAA quarterfinal in a game where the Black Knights, short-handed most of the way, nearly pulled off the win.
Entering the game’s final stretch, no. 4 seed B’ville and no. 5 seed RFA were tied, 39-39, and the Bees found itself down to three seconds on the shot clock, inbounding the ball underneath the Black Knights’ basket.
The ball swung around to Natalie Hollingshead, who as the shot clock hit zero threw up a running one-handed shot – which swished with 17.8 seconds left.
RFA still had a chance to tie or go in front, but Madison Polky never let it happen, stealing the Black Knights’ pass and quickly passing it to Hollingshead, who hit the breakaway layup, her 10th and 11th points of the night.
That made it 43-39, and a last-second 3-pointer by Azmira Moncoeur with 3.4 seconds left cut the margin to one, the Bees were able to run out the remaining clock.
Both teams had a reason to feel good about the game staying close to the end, for various reasons.
B’ville, off for nearly two weeks, proved cold in its return, held to just four field goals the entire first half. Without Polky converting on all eight of her free throws, it may have got away, but instead the Bees only trailed 21-17 at the break.
Still, RFA had bigger issues. Barely two minutes into the game, sophomore Haylee Bostwick, the team’s leading scorer averaging better than 18 points per game, went down with an injury and did not return.
Even with Bostwick’s absence, the Black Knights stayed in front until B’ville cranked up its full-court pressure early in the third quarter and put together a 10-0 run for a 29-23 lead, the largest margin either team would have all night.
RFA battled back, led by Amiyah Ferebee, who finished with 13 points, and Alana Jackson, who matched Ferebee’s total and netted consecutive baskets to put her team in front 38-34 with less than four minutes to play.
An Olivia Davis basket cut B’ville’s deficit to two. Then, with 1;43 left, Polky, who had a game-high 16 points, drilled a 3-pointer, briefly putting the Bees in front before a Jackson free throw tied it 39-39 and set up the final drama.
Having survived this battle, B’ville will try and upend 19-1, top seed Liverpool in next Wednesday’s sectional semifinal at Central Square, having lost twice to the Warriors in the regular season. The winner gets to the March 2 title game at 1p.m. at Onondaga Community College’s Allyn Hall.
