The LoHud Girls Basketball Blog

We will have a lot more tomorrow, but here are some quick game summaries.

• Maia Hood and Ayanna Behagan each scored 20 points to lead top-seeded Hamilton to a 57-40 win over No. 4 Haldane in a Section 1 Class C girls basketball semifinal today at the Westchester County Center. Hood also had 16 rebounds and Behagan had 11 steals. The Red Raiders will take on No. 3 Keio in the title game Saturday at noon at the County Center.


• Sophomore guard Sae Toyomura had 13 points and nine rebounds to guide Keio to its first Class C championship game with a 31-16 semifinal victory over Solomon Schechter this afternoon at the Westchester County Center. Junior Hannie Everett led the Lions with six points and four rebounds.


• Ali Silfen made the go-ahead basket and two clutch free throws to lift Blind Brook to a 69-66 overtime win against Dobbs Ferry in a Section 1 Class B girls basketball semifinal Tuesday night at the County Center in White Plains. Silfen’s bank shot gave Blind Brook a 67-66 lead with 7 seconds left. She added two free throws with 4.3 seconds left. Dobbs Ferry’s attempt at a buzzer-beater went off the front rim. Blind Brook will face Irvington, who beat Kennedy 56-35 tonight, in Sunday’s 7 p.m. championship game.

Here are the game story’s from today’s paper:

WHITE PLAINS— – The Section 1 Class B girls basketball semifinal between top-seeded Irvington and No. 4 Kennedy at the Westchester County Center went as anticipated, with the Bulldogs cruising to a 56-35 victory Tuesday night.

Irvington, the two-time defending sectional and state champion, advances to the sectional championship game for the third straight year and will meet No. 2 Blind Brook for the title Saturday at 7 p.m.

Kennedy hung tough with Irvington through the first quarter, trailing by just four points, but the Bulldogs closed out the second quarter with a 14-0 run to end any doubt as to who would beadvancing to the title game.

“I think they came very well-prepared. They played great defense, and their defense is almost as good as any defense we’ve played all year,” Irvington coach Gina Maher said. “The way they pressed in the beginning, they played their tempo instead of our tempo. They did a great job.”

You can read that rest of that game story here.

 

WHITE PLAINS— – Ally Silfen took control in the final seconds of overtime to lift No. 2 Blind Brook to a 69-66 win over No. 3 Dobbs Ferry in a Section 1 Class B semfiinal at the Westchester County Center Tuesday night.

With 12 seconds left in overtime, Silfen drove to the basket and connected on a turn-around jump shot that put the Trojans up 67-66. After a Dobbs Ferry traveling violation, Silfen was fouled on the inbounds pass and made both free throws, with 4.3 seconds left, to finish with 26 points.

Silfen also had 12 rebounds.

“We knew we didn’t want to go home and didn’t want to stop playing,” Silfen said. “We’ve been getting ready for this game and knew we had to execute everything. We had to keep our focus and keep our composure. We knew whoever wanted this game more was going to win, and we wanted it more.”

You can read that rest of that game story here.

 

WHITE PLAINS— Ever since Benjamin Carter became the head coach of the Hamilton High School girls basketball team in 2008, there has been one team that his Red Raiders have been unable to beat. In 2009, Hamilton lost to Haldane in the Class C championship game. In 2010, Haldane knocked Hamilton out in first round of the playoffs. Last year, Hamilton fell to Haldane in the championship game again.

So as Carter walked of the Westchester County Center floor Tuesday night after watching his No. 1 Red Raiders defeat No. 4 Haldane 57-40 in the Section 1 Class C semifinals, he had one thought going through his head.

“It’s about time,” Carter said with a smile after the game. “They (Haldane) have been beating us since I took over as head coach. It’s a great feeling to finally beat them.”

You can read the rest of that game story here.

 

 WHITE PLAINS— Having beaten Solomon Schechter twice during this regular season, and having been to the Westchester County Center last year, the Keio girls basketball team knew exactly what to expect for its Class C semifinal Tuesday.

With a roster of seven seniors, the No. 3 Unicorns were able to use not only experience, but also their memories from their first run to the County Center as motivation in the 31-16 victory over the No. 2 Lions.

Keio (7-12) advances to its first final in program history and will face the winner No. 1 Hamilton for the sectional title Saturday at noon.

“We had our team watch last year’s tape to bring back those feelings for the older girls, and to share that experience with the newer girls,” Keio coach Justin Loeb said.

You can read the rest of that game story here.