Falcons take down No. 1 Plainsmen in stunner
Edmonds named MVP; Albany defense causes 15 turnovers
There were two impressive elements to Albany High’s appearance in the Section II Class AA final Saturday: the Falcons’ gritty play against Shenendehowa and guard Jordan Johnson’s postgame celebration that featured backflips, frontflips and a split for the finale.
Third-seeded Albany delivered a tenacious defensive performance and rode the quality second-half exploits from forward Shonyae Edmonds to stun top-seeded Shenendehowa 58-52 at Hudson Valley Community College.
“This feels amazing,” said Edmonds, who earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors after finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds.
The championship is the first for Albany since 2013. Shenendehowa was denied a fifth title since 2016 with the loss.
The Falcons’ pressing tactics clearly disrupted Shenendehowa throughout the game and helped cause 15 turnovers. No one other than senior point guard Jillian Huerter scored a basket for the Plainsmen during the first half as she went 3-for-5 and the rest of the team missed on nine attempts as the Plainsmen trailed 21-16 at the break.
“Their defensive pressure really took it to us. It really did,” Shenendehowa coach Joe Murphy said. “We were never comfortable all game and only made three field goals in the first half. We had all of their kids in foul trouble and we were still down five, so you know we were in trouble there. Credit them. They made a bunch of and-ones down the stretch. We knew Edmonds would be a handful and she was.”
“A lot of my younger players stepped up and played well defensively. We have been working hard on that,” Albany coach Decky Lawson said. “I kept them down (on JV) for a while, even though I only had seven or eight girls playing. I should’ve brought them up earlier, but I am glad I have them up now.”
Despite owning the lead at intermission, Lawson realized the team’s top low-post threat had only two points so he decided to speak with Edmonds.
“At halftime, I told Shonyae it was her time now because our reserve held out for a while to give us a chance,” Lawson said. “It was her time to take over and that is what she did.” “I had to get it together,” Edmonds said.
Edmonds thrived working on the glass and scoring off rebounds, but freshman point guard Azera Gates also set her up with some exceptional post entry feeds.
Shenendehowa managed to get other players involved offensively in the second half, yet Albany was able to trade baskets with the Plainsmen.
Edmonds made two foul shots to put the Falcons ahead 50-41 with 4:04 left, but Huerter (19 points) helped rally her team within 53-50 in the final minute. Gates, an all-tournament selection, drained a pair of clutch free throws with 30.9 seconds left to provide Albany a 55-50 advantage.
Lawson scheduled four games in four days in December where his team went 2-2 competing in the Amsterdam Holiday College
Showcase and the Impact Athletic Center Classic. It was at that point Lawson knew he had something special.
“Those girls love to play,” Lawson said. “Those four games were tough, but they loved it. They loved the competition. Those games prepared us for tonight.”