Randolph stops Union Springs in NYSPHSAA Class C girls basketball state semifinal
A bid for an unbeaten season and state championship came to a halt Saturday afternoon for the Union Springs girls basketball team with a 45-40 loss to Section 6 champion Randolph in a Class C state semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
The Wolves, seeking the first state title in program history, ended up with a 24-1 record that included the Interscholastic Athletic Conference Small School title, a Section 4 championship and a regional title.
Randolph (21-4) advanced to Sunday's 11:45 a.m. New York State Public High School Athletic Association final, also at Hudson Valley CC, against Section 9's Millbrook, the defending Class C state champion. Millbrook cruised to a 70-52 win over Greenwich in Saturday's second semifinal.
Stars of the Game
Payton Morrison led Randolph with 15 points, including four 3-pointers. All of her points came in the first half, helping the Cardinals to a 26-19 halftime advantage.
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Eighth-grader Skylar Herington added 13 points and six assists for Randolph. She scored six straight points on four free throws and a baseline mini-hook shot to give Randolph a 39-34 lead with 3:21 remaining.
Kailey Kalet and Payton Gilbert scored 12 points each for Union Springs. Ella Johnson added nine points and Danielle Waldron led the Wolves with eight rebounds.
Key Moments
Union Springs battled back from a 10-point deficit in the first half to lead 34-33 on a hoop from Gilbert off a Madison Kalet assist with 6:48 remaining.
With 2:41 remaining, Kyra Pence (nine points, six steals) hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Randolph a 42-36 lead.
Union Springs closed within 43-40 with 1:04 left on a Kailey Kalet bucket before regaining possession on a held ball.
The Wolves called a timeout with 32 seconds to go. Pence deflected a pass into the arms of Morrison, giving Randolph the ball back with 21 seconds remaining. Pence had two 1-for-2 trips to the foul line in the final 18 seconds to close out the win.
By the numbers
Both teams' athleticism made for tough sledding on the offensive end.
Union Springs committed 22 turnovers and made 16 of 38 shots from the field.
Randolph turned the ball over 18 times and went 14-for-43 from the field. A key difference was the Cardinals hit seven 3-pointers and Union Springs made only two.
Quotable
"We played unbelievable defense," Randolph coach David Pihlblad said. "That's kind of been our staple the last three years and we take pride in our defense. That's a really good team we just beat."
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This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Randolph denies Union Springs in Class C girls state semifinal
