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Averill Park
Twenty missed shots in 24 attempts during the first half Friday night didn’t exactly send the Averill Park girls’ basketball team sprinting toward the locker room, yet it hardly had the Warriors distressed, either.
“We’ve been taught adversity is something we have to handle. We have to overcome it, no matter what happens,” Averill Park sophomore forward Olivia Kelley said. “That is what we ended up doing.”
Defense proved to be a constant throughout the game for Averill Park and the offense, with the help of Kelley, Mallory Wood, Stephanie Jankovic and Emmalee Morgan, functioned superbly during a critical fourth-quarter stretch as the Warriors produced a 51-43 Suburban Council victory over Colonie.
Averill Park (8-9 overall, 6-9 league), winners of six of the past seven Section II Class A titles, entered Friday’s encounter having lost three straight against Columbia, Albany and Saratoga.
Trailing 33-31 early in the fourth quarter, the Warriors generated a six-possession stretch during which they made five of seven shots — all with an assist attached.
Wood and Kelley both registered two assists during the stretch against man-to-man and a 3-2 zone from Colonie (9-7, 6-6).
Morgan drained two 3-pointers, Wood scored twice and Jankovic added a bucket to help provide Averill Park a 43-35 advantage.
“We relaxed and took a deep breath. Averill Park plays defense. That’s our motto,” Kelley said. “The offense finally got going. Our team stepped up and it really was a team effort.”
Colonie sophomore forward Alivia Paeglow scored on consecutive drives following turnovers to bring Colonie within 43-40, but Kelley fired a skip pass to Kat Stackrow, who calmly drained a 3-pointer to push the lead back to six points.
Kelley only scored three points, but she provided seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot. “We say it all the time: Liv has great hands and great vision,” Warriors coach Sean Organ said. “She reminds me a lot of a kid on the 2010 (Class A state and Federation championship) team in Molly Streb. When teams zoned us, Molly was so unselfish. She had great hands and anticipated where her teammates would be. She set up her teammates for success and that is the role Liv Kelley is beginning to take for this team.”
Mallory Wood led the offense with 12 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Jankovic contributed 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Freshman Kelsey Wood came off the bench to deliver eight points and 12 rebounds and Morgan added the two fourth-quarter 3-pointers.
“I am very happy with the bench. We all have to play a part,” Organ said.
Organ’s defensive concerns Friday regarded the Colonie trio of sophomore point guard Aliyah Wright, junior forward Erin Fouracre and Paeglow.
The Warriors collectively succeeded, limiting Wright (8) and Fouracre to a combined 15 points on 5-for-21 shooting. Paeglow led the Garnet Raiders with 15 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
“I thought our kids did a better job of executing our defensive game plan tonight,” Organ said. “Over the last couple of games, I have felt like our team worked hard, but we haven’t always been working smart. … I am proud. I feel like this is a good moment for our team.”
Averill Park’s defensive acumen held Colonie without a point over the final 4:40 of the first half and helped overcome its 4-for-24 shooting performance as the Warriors trailed 20-18 at intermission.
“We were very fortunate,” Kelley said. “We kept working hard and grinded this one out.”
“Our kids are accepting their roles and putting the team before themselves,” Organ said. “I think we have a chance to build some momentum before the sectionals.”
jallen@timesunion.com • 518-454-5062 • @TUSidelines
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