Shen defense, Carpenter shine in 63-34 rout of Averill Park
AVERILL PARK, NY » On Monday night, in a matchup between the Section 2, Class AA and A defending champions, the Shenendehowa girl’s basketball team showed just how they are one step about the rest of their competition.
Instead of putting up a crooked number offensively, they showed off their defensive prowess against the only other Suburban Council team not to lose a game this season, Averill Park.
“Today our defense definitely clicked. We’ve wanted to improve on our press because when it does click, it works so well,” said Shen senior Rylee Carpenter.
The Plainsmen defeated the Warriors 63-34 at Averill Park.
Averill Park started out with the momentum, as junior Amelia Wood scored the first points of the game, beating the shot-clock buzzer with a three-pointer in the Warrior’s first possession. That momentum would quickly flip.
“Our team is just so good at sharing the ball and I think that’s something that’s been really important this year, just driving and kicking and finding open girls,” Carpenter said. “When we put it all together it comes out really well.”
Shen got out of the first quarter with a 19-12 lead, with Carpenter leading the way with nine points in the quarter.
“We know that they’re a good team, they’re well-coached and we had to get our energy from our defense. We were getting good deflections and good traps and we
played well as a team,” said Jillian Huerter.
It was in the second quarter where the Shen defense really started to show up. Their mid-court press consistently led to Averill Park’s ball-handlers being trapped and getting a half-court violation or making a bad pass that led to a turnover. The Warriors did not score in the second quarter until there were :38 seconds left in the period. Anna Jankovic would be the one to end the drought.
“They’re so tough. They did a good job of attacking our ball-handlers tonight with immense pressure and forcing a lot of turnovers,” said Averill Park coach Sean Organ. “They’re so quick in transition and they can finish and moved the ball to well.”
The Plainsmen defensive dominance continued to the third quarter. After allowing only four points in the second, they allowed eight in the third. When Averill Park was able to get off a shot, it seemed like Meghan Huerter would be there to block it, who had three in the game.
“It’s hard to simulate just how athletic and long they are in practice,” Organ said. “It wasn’t pretty and we had way too many turnovers. It was the first game this season where we saw major adversity through all four quarters, but we move on to our next game.”
Carpenter built on her big first quarter in the second, scoring 21 points in the first half and 23 total in the game. Meghan Huerter had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jillian Huerter had 11 points, eight assists and four steals. Sam Lee had ten points and eight rebounds.
“She was huge today, making the tough baskets in transition, she really provided a spark for us,” Jillian Huerter said of Carpenter. “We have a lot of good players and when I find them they still have to make the hoop. It’s so good that we have so many girls able to finish plays and that we work so well as a team.”
With the win, Shen improves to 9-0. They play Colonie next on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. With the loss, Averill Park falls to 8-1. They next face Bethlehem on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.
“If we could, we would sign up to play Shen 20 times in a regular season,” Organ said. “You just get more out of games like this, than you do when you’re winning lopsided games. These games expose what you have to improve. It teaches players how to be a little bit tougher and a little bit better. That was a large part of the conversation that we just had postgame.”
FINAL: SHENENDEHOWA 63, AVERILL PARK 34
Averill Park High School Averill Park, NY SHEN 19-17-23-4 — 63 AVERILL PARK 12-4-810—34
Shen (9-0) Points-Rebounds-Assists Jillian Huerter 11-1-8, Kaleigh Montanez 0-2-1, Rylee Carpenter 23-5-2, Bri Carey 4-1-2, Meghan Huerter 158-4, Sam Lee 10-8-2, Emily Delisle 0-3-1
Averill Park (8-1) Points-Rebounds-Assists Elizabeth Aiossa 0-3-0, Michelina Lombardi 6-1-1, Anna Jankovic 6-7-3, Julia Gelder 2-1-0, Allison Lapinski 3-0-1, Emma Burdick 2-1-1, Taylor Holohan 5-3-0, Maisie Dawson 0-1-0, Amelia Wood 10-8-0 GIRL’S BASKETBALL Shaker 54, Burnt Hills 34
Cambridge 57, Troy 33 Albany 84, Guilderland 73
BOY’S BASKETBALL Scotia 67, Mohonasen 50 Columbia 63, Bethlehem 54
Troy 49, CBA 42 Schenectady 57, Colonie 55
Niskayuna 61, Ballston Spa 38
Shenendehowa 72, Averill Park 37
Shaker 71, Burnt Hills 58