Tamarac: Game may be decided by which team is sharper at the point
TROY >> When Tamarac and Utica-Notre Dame meet in the New York State Class B girls basketball semifinals, it will feature the top ranked and third-ranked teams in the state.
Notre Dame, ranked No. 1 in the state, and Tamarac meet 11:45 today in a Class C state semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College. The victor advances to the state final, scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, vs. either Bishop Kearney or Woodlands.
Aside from two great teams meeting — Notre Dame (20- 3) and Tamarac (22-1) — the matchup will feature two excellent point guards squaring off. Tamarac’s Jenna Erickson will accept the challenge of checking Notre Dame’s Emily Durr.
The two put up similar numbers, Erickson averages 22.5 points per game and Durr has been scoring 24.3 points a contest. Durr, 5-11, will have a seven inch height advantage, however.
Erickson, a five-year varsity veteran, was recently named MVP of the Wasaren League. She has commited to play for Division II St. Thomas Aquinas next season after leaving as Tamarac’s all-time leading scorer. Erickson has scored 32 and 23 points in two state regional
games.
Durr will head to Iowa State next season. She is coming off of a 28-point performance to reach the state semis.
Friday’s contest is the second time the stars have met on the court.
Tamarac and Notre Dame faced each other in the first scrimmage of the year for each team back in November.
Tamarac coach Eric Medved knows Durr is a special player, but expressed confidence in his own point guard.
“She (Durr) is very quick, very athletic,” he said. “Jenna is 5- 4 but strong physically and athletically. She’ll go toe-to-toe with her defensively. Jenna wants to face her. No one on our team will shy away from the challenge.”
Erickson had help in reaching Tamarac’s first state semifinal. She formed a dynamic scoring duo with 6-foot forward Adiya Henderson.
Together, they create a potent inside- out scoring threat.
“It’s been great having them,” Medved said. “They have so many years of varsity experience under their belts. They give the framework to our offense. They’ve been to sectional finals before, which was definitely an advantage.”
Henderson’s fater, Monty, played for Siena in the 1980s and was a member of the 1988- 89 team that upset Stanford in the NCAA Tournament. He is still Siena’s alltime leader in blocked shots.
“He’s been instrumental in Adiya’s development,” Medved said. “He’s taught her post moves far beyond her years. He helped her footwork, feel for contact and how to counter if her first move doesn’t work.”
Medved added that Monty and Adiya watch film together, giving her a mental edge on gameday.
“It can’t be anything but an advantage,” he said.