WHITE PLAINS, NY- With Ursuline and Albertus Magnus, the two teams most consider to be the class of Section 1 Class AA, squaring off in the first semifinal of the 21st annual Slam Dunk Tournament it meant bragging rights on the line for the winner with each hoping to cement themselves as the favorite going forward the rest of the year.
From start to finish this was all about the Koalas though as Alexa Mustafaj '21 and Sonia Citron '21 got going early as Ursuline raced out to a quick lead and never truly looked back in what would end up being for them a 63-58 victory.
There was more than just a win on the minds of the players of the Koalas though as on the line was victory number 600 in the coaching career of Ursuline head coach Beth Wooters with Mustafaj acknowledging that this was more than just a regular game they wanted to win, but a game they wanted to get specially for Wooters.
"Coach has been with this program for so long and she is such a great person and coach that I know she deserved this and we wanted to make it happen for her today," Musatafaj explained.
A difficult Albertus Magnus team was in their way with this being the one and only time these two powers would meet this season as it would send a message across New York as to who would be the one to watch in Class AA out of Section 1.
Clamping down on Lady Falcons star Paulina Paris '22 was huge early on as Ursuline sent a number of defenders to close out on her and make sure she didn't get any looks at the rim. She was held scoreless in the opening quarter whole Citron and Mustafaj combined for 13 in the first while the Koalas took a 17-8 lead.
If not for the play of Tanasha Mills '20 the deficit for Albertus Magnus could've been a lot bigger as she had all 8 of the Lady Falcons points in the quarter. Paris would score her first bucket of the game with 4:48 left in the half on a long left side three ball, but with Citron being a major mistake wherever she was on the floor with her size and skill it was Ursuline who looked to be in firm control taking a 34-26 lead at the break.
There was no doubt that Ursuline were happy with the 8 point halftime advantage but Citron warned that she wanted to make sure that they kept Albertus in a position where they couldn't make a move, knowing how dangerous a team the Lady Falcons are if given space to shoot from the perimeter.
"We just had to stay on our game and not let them have the confidence to get back in it," Citron stated. "We led pretty much the whole way so we just said we can't fall now."
Meghan Casey '22 got a couple good looks from the outside for the Koalas as she scored 7 in the third with Ursuline opening up a lead of as much as 14 in the quarter. A couple of unsung stars for Albertus Magnus helped them chip away though as Lexi Loscher '21 was able to drain a couple three's out of the corner, and with Jess Cooney '20 putting in a bucket just before the period ended, the Ursuline lead was down to 51-42.
Giving Albertus confidence was the one thing that Citron warned of, so with the Lady Falcons getting a rhythm in the third it was Citron who stepped up and put the game away for good as she scored 10 in the fourth and was able to score each time it looked as if the game was get just a little closer.
Going 5-6 from the FT line late and creating several second chances on the offensive glass it was Citron who rose to the challenge and ultimately put the game away. The Lady Falcons got fouled on a three-point attempt as time ran out making the game just a bit closer but this was statement made for the Koalas as they took control of Class AA in Section 1 with an impressive 63-58 victory over Albertus Magnus.
Leading the way was Citron with her 26 point and 15 rebound effort, but with Mustafaj scoring 15 and Casey adding 11 this was a balanced team effort that got Ursuline the win and gave Wooters win number 600 in her legendary coaching career.
Paris paced Albertus Magnus in the loss with 25 points, though she struggled to get any sorry of rhythm from behind the arc in this one. Mills had 20 points as well for the Lady Falcons who may have lost on Saturday, but they will be a force to reckon with later on in the season with Round 2 between the two schools likely to come in early March for the biggest prize of the season.
That prize would be the Gold Ball given to the winners of Section 1 Class AA at the end of the year, and while this win was nice to put in their pocket for the time being, that is what Citron has her eyes on wanting to make sure they are on top when it truly matters most.
"I guess people can see it like now we are the favorites but we are always going to be ready to play whoever is in front of us," Citron said. "We are coming for the Gold Ball because to us that's all that matters."
Hastings Tops Irvington, 57 - 40
In the second Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal it was a matchup of Class B powers as Irvington, the defending Class B NYSPHSAA and Federation Tournament of Champions winners, taking on a talented Hastings team ready to prove themselves as team ready to compete with the best of the best in Section 1.
The first half was as strong an effort as the Yellow Jackets could've hoped for as the combination of Melannie Daley '21 and Lindsay Drozd '21 combined for 21 points as Hastings led Irvington 30-21 at the break.
Irvington got a solid half from their interior duo of Grace Thybulle '21 and Katie LeBuhn '22 but with the guards going 0-5 from the outside, and with 11 first half turnovers it meant that the Bulldogs would need a second half rally to come out of their 9 point hole.
It was a hole that Irvington couldn't come out of though as even though LeBuhn had 20 points and 18 rebounds, while Thybulle had 16 points and 11 rebounds, the Bulldogs as a team shot 0-14 from behind the three point line, and with Hastings able to get out in transition a good amount as the game wore on, it was the Yellow Jackets putting the game away late.
Daley had 22 points to lead all scorers, Paige Martin '22 added 15, while Drozd scored 11 as Hastings made a statement that they are a team to reckon with this season in Class B with a 57-40 run away victory over Irvington.
With Class B having been dominated by Irvington for so long this win should put Hastings on the map with many watching in Section 1, as Drozd says she hopes this victory solidifies the Yellow Jackets as among the best and a title contender from this point out.
"This was a really important win for us to beat Irvington because we lost to them last year and now this gives us what people say is a signature win," Drozd said after the victory. "We want to get back here at the end of the year to play for the championship and this win hopefully helps us get there."
Sunday will be Championship Day at the Slam Dunk Tournament with Ursuline to take on Hastings for the title at 3:30pm, while Albertus Magnus will face off against Irvington in the consolation game at 12pm.
